Youth

The European elections have yielded mixed results, but it is clear that the EU is falling short in its aims to engage citizens. To address this, long overdue reforms are needed to make the EU more democratic, and a particular focus should be placed on youth to inform them but especially to provide real prospects for their future.

The Bologna process was a step towards creating a “Europe of Knowledge” where ideas and people could travel freely throughout Europe. Yet, this goal is threatened by changes to the structure of the higher education sector and perhaps by the nature of academia itself.

It is more vital than ever to transform the porous structure of the EU into a stable, federal house. A key instrument for this is the budget of the EU, through which European problem-solving capacities can be enhanced.

Blonde young women stripping off their shirts to protest for… women’s rights.

What use is the EU’s “free movement of people” if it is a right that only the elite can avail of? And how ‘free’ is it if the economic crisis is forcing young people to leave their country in search of work?

While Poland presents itself to the outside world as a country untouched by the economic crisis, the reality is far different for an entire generation of Polish people. Rather than face up to the structural difficulties in the job market, the Government ignores the problem and remains committed to the doctrines of the neoliberal model.

We, young people in Europe, feel it’s time to reclaim Europe. For too long a time, old people have been deciding on our future, and they made the wrong decisions.

This article aims to analyse the consequences of the structural reforms and expenditure cuts in Spain. It starts from a theoretical debate of why are these measures taken, continues with the details on the reforms and discussing whether Spain is going to achieve the EU deficit objectives, and finishes proposing a change in the approach at Spanish and EU level.