Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-25-Speech-3-124"
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"en.20040225.9.3-124"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the importance of young people’s involvement in society cannot be overemphasised. In the future young people will have greater responsibility as the age structure of Europe’s population alters and the proportion of young people diminishes. The Commission’s communication on objectives relating to the participation of the young and providing them with information is an important step forward in the strengthening of cooperation at EU level in youth policy. It is gratifying that the draft Constitution also recognises the importance of involving young people.
Our rapporteur, Lissy Gröner, who with very good reason personifies Parliament’s youth policy, has once again done an excellent job. I, for my part, also want to thank the Commission for the work it has done for young people. The large-scale consultation process that preceded the White Paper relating to youth policy was a considerable effort that eventually inspired youth organisations to work at EU level. Now we have to ensure that support for the involvement of these organisations continues and that the results of their work are also visible in the Community’s youth policy. I am pleased that there was general agreement with my proposal to increase appropriations to youth organisations in this year’s budget, and the multiannual action programme to finance youth organisations now being finalised is also welcome as it at last guarantees a legal basis for them.
The rapporteur’s call for young people being encouraged to take part in the first European elections of the enlarged EU is of primary importance. To make young people more active with regard to voting, alternative ways of casting one’s vote still being developed should now be exploited. The young are avid Internet users and voting this way could draw more young people to the ballot box. Although the procedure has many shortcomings in terms of election secrecy and freedom, it should not be totally ruled out. At least young people might become more pro-active in their voting habits if electronic ballot boxes introduced in a few Member States were located in places which are popular with the young.
Enlargement will highlight the importance of pluralism in the European Union and, likewise, that of intercultural learning. The future youth programme will make it easier for young people to come into contact with one another and therefore help overcome prejudice. I wish in this connection to stress that intercultural learning should not just mean investment in cross-border cooperation between Member States. The Member States of the EU, both the current and the future ones, must provide opportunities for building contacts between young people from the predominant population and those from national minorities. Europe cannot afford to let nationalism and xenophobia grow."@en1
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