Considering the importance of democratic representation and constant renewal of political positions, we recognize the need to establish clear eligibility criteria for the positions of MEPs as well as European Commissioners, with the aim of strengthening representativeness, independence and citizens' trust in the European institutions. Article 1 Standardization of Election Rules 1 - All member countries of the European Union must adopt a unified electoral system for the election of MEP's. 2 - The proportional system of representation is recommended, ensuring that the number of seats is distributed in proportion to the votes received by the political parties. Article 2 Eligibility for the office of Member of the European Parliament 1 - Establish as an eligibility criterion for the position of MEP that the individual has not been in governmental functions at any level (national, regional or local) in the last 2 years prior to the appointment. 2 - Executive, ministerial, parliamentary or administrative positions in a national government, as well as positions in international organizations or regional/local governments are considered governmental functions. Article 3 Terms Limit 1 - Each citizen may run for the office of Member of the European Parliament for a maximum of three terms of office. Article 4 Eligibility for the post of MEP European Commissioner 1 - Establish as a criterion of eligibility for the position of European Commissioner that the individual has not held any government position at any level (national, regional or local) in the last 4 years prior to the appointment. 2 - Governmental functions include executive, ministerial, parliamentary, or administrative positions in a national government, as well as positions in international organizations or regional/local governments. Article 5 Nomination Process 1 - Verification of eligibility criteria is part of the appointment process for the European Commissioner. 2 - Member States are required to provide a formal declaration that the proposed candidate has not held any government position in the last 4 years. The implementation of this proposal could contribute to guaranteeing the renewal and independence of MEPs, as well as promoting greater representativeness and diversity of experience in the European Parliament. This would strengthen the legitimacy of the decisions made and increase citizens' confidence in the democratic process of the European Union.

Flags of convenience facilitate illegal activities in the ocean, such as IUU fishing, human trafficking, pirating and low tax payments. The current registration processes and lack of history track on flags of convenience are not effective. Therefore, a directive should be drafted and implemented, obliging all European vessels to be registered in a centralized database, in order to keep a tracking history of all the flags registry. However, this database would not have the option of leaving any empty year field (similar to the rules applying to the planes' registration).

Today at a workshop at the EYE, speakers mentioned different issues with the election – low number of voting participants, especially young people, disinformation, lack of understanding of complex legislation process in EU, risk for autocratic systems. David van Reybrouck wrote a book, "Against Elections", where he proposed deliberative democracy. One of his ideas is to form temporary commissions consisting of EU citizens instead of politicians. Such commission can represent people with different background and perspectives. Shouldn’t EU institutions adapt such deliberative democracy and be more open in legislative processes to give power to citizens themselves?

The EU has developed concrete goals on how to better the situation of young people all over Europe. However, there is little knowledge in the wide public on the European Youth Goals. Especially as a follow-up to the European Year of Youth, it is important to show that young people are a priority of the EU. To achieve this, the EU should team up with national, regional, and local youth organisations, as well as with the Council of Europe, who have a lot of expertise to offer in implementing such programs in the field. Furthermore, the process has to be inclusive and reach young people in the spaces in which they are active, including Social Media and real life consultations.  Aside from this, the youth goals must reach unorganised youth and show them, that the EU cares about them by developing participation mechanisms that are open for individuals and that are well-funded to ensure that participation isn’t hindered by financial restrictions.

There is a need for stronger agreements on the use of social media for politicians. Today, many young people are influenced and encouraged to vote for extremes online and especially on TikTok. This is becoming increasingly clear that the age to vote has been reduced.

The EU should work closely with organisations such as ASEAN, Mercosur, African Union, in order to promote the model of the EU abroad. By cooperating with these organisations of regional cooperation, the EU can promote human rights, business, the European way of life, etc. This would give the EU and its allies a new voice that can be independent from the USA or China but not against them. Such new found influence would be based on cooperation between countries represented by its organisations.

EU should reinforce the youth participation in decision-making processes, giving them motivation. The EYE is a good opportunity for young people to come closer to European Union, but more should be done. A good idea would be to organise more events about democracy, politics, youth engagement... focused at the local level for people who do not have easy access to decision making.

In Finland, we have already seen positive results in the ethical regulation of gambling advertisements. Veikkaus, the state-owned gambling operator with a monopoly position in the market, has committed to responsible practices. It is crucial to pay special attention to advertising, particularly on platforms like YouTube and social media. The regulation of this agreement can be enhanced by utilizing artificial intelligence and other advanced tools. Before their release, ads should be screened and reviewed to prevent unethical advertising that encourages problem gambling. On foreign gambling websites, we often see presentations of "big win" scenarios that entice vulnerable players. This matter is significant and its regulation should be considered. Many experts and studies emphatize that such advertising can be harmful and contribute to gambling-related problems. The Finnish Police Board has already implemented practices that threaten companies with fines for unethical conduct in the gambling industry. This is an excellent example of how this issue has been addressed, promoting responsible gambling. At the EU level, collaboration could be considered to establish a common licensing system that restricts the operations of entities adhering to responsible gambling practices within the EU. This could help reduce harm and enhance player protection across Europe. Furthermore, it is crucial to involve young people and listen to their voices in EU decision-making. Preventing youth problem gambling is an essential part of shaping the future. Youth have the right to be part of discussions concerning their future and well-being. It is crucial to provide young people with sufficient information and education about the risks and harms of gambling. This can help them make informed decisions regarding gambling and identify potential problems early on. Schools and youth centers should offer education and resources to ensure that young people can receive support when needed. Lastly, close cooperation and information exchange among EU member states are necessary. Sharing best practices and establishing common standards can promote responsible gambling and protect young people from harmful effects. Additionally, support and promotion of research on gambling problems and their causes are needed to gain a better understanding of this challenge. Through collaboration and responsible measures, we can promote healthy gaming habits and protect young people from the harmful effects of gambling. Furthermore, it is crucial for all gambling companies to implement responsible and effective player restrictions to protect individuals from gambling-related harm. Setting limits should be genuinely effective and comprehensive, so that players cannot easily bypass the restrictions or be lured into excessive gambling by other gambling operators. Regulatory authorities should monitor and ensure that all gambling operators adhere to responsible gambling principles and prevent the development of problem gambling. Taking a comprehensive approach that includes both the responsibility of gambling companies and active supervision by regulatory authorities is essential in reducing gambling-related harm. This will help protect players and ensure that the gaming experience remains healthy and enjoyable.

Include quotas on electoral lists for under the age of 25. At least 5 % of MEPs should be young. Young people do not vote because we do not feel identified with politicians. If young people were represented on the electoral lists, we would feel closer to the European governing institutions.

I believe that a significant number of individuals feel somewhat disconnected with respect to the European Union and its institutions. To address this issue, it could be beneficial for each member state to reinforce the representative offices of each institution who can effectively communicate European-level developments to the population. Additionally, I am of the opinion that it would be valuable for schools and students - not only to join the Ambassador School Programme of the European Parliament - but also to receive visits from European Deputies or other types of representatives. Such visits would serve to inform everyone about the vital role played by the European Institutions.

We need a legal framework that ensures fair representation in European Parliament elections. MEPs should be elected from their own country in a manner that is fair to all regions within that country. In Romania, for example, there are 41 counties and only 32 eligible MEPs. To achieve the best possible representation, MEPs should come from different counties. In Romania, the 41 counties are part of 8 major regions. It is important to ensure that states with more than one Member of Parliament are fairly represented across regions. It is possible to elect several MEPs from one region, but they should not all be from the same county or town to avoid significant democratic discrepancies between different areas. Addressing social and economic inequalities must begin with tackling democratic political inequalities. Achieving a more balanced distribution of representatives can help promote social and economic equilibrium.

In the European Union, there are 27 countries but not each of them are equally developed: if we look at Eastern Europe, most of the countries are still developing. A strong and united European Union can be achieved through mutual support and cooperation among all countries in the region, regardless of their current economic status. This change will make all countries in the European Union economically self-sufficient and will increase the value of the Euro in the world market.

Clickbait, misleading headlines and fake news are the undesirable products of today's social media and the instantaneous access to information thanks to the internet. The media's incentives to do journalism are in disarray, and the media's code of conduct has been broken – all caused by the necessity for the media to collect ad revenues with clicks in misleading headlines to viralize content using raged content and the decrease in fact checking and collection of sources due to the pressures to give 'the scoop'. To avoid this, we need a mechanism that enables media outlets to be sued on the basis of malpractice in their report of information specific articles or broadcasts. This should be done is accordance with a flexible but clear set of journalist rules. The flagged news media outlet should be judged by a specific media jury with enough time to assess the content, the use of the language, the sources and its impact in society. After its assessment, it can put a reputational toll on the news outlet for a certain period of time and of a certain value. This toll will modify the average reputational score of the outlet for the period established by the jury. The average reputational score of the news outlets needs to be visible on their web pages and in every news they produce as well as could serve as a parameter in social media algorithm to curtail the spreading of untrustworthy networks in social media. This way media companies will have an incentive to protect their reputational scores practicing good journalism and it will give the public more control and time to assess the fake news putting a public trust price on behaviors that mislead and misinform the public in a more transparent and accountable way.

Transparency is an important facet of democracy, and we citizens deserve to understand what's going on and develop our own alternatives. For example, in Sweden there is a software called BankID that is used as an electronic ID card, but it is proprietary and only available on Apple, Microsoft, and Google's operating systems. This enforces their already strong oligopoly and hurts citizens who aren't conforming. An open source ID system could be ported by volunteers to any platform.

Teenagers and children should learn the meaning of democracy as early in life, not only later when their thoughts are well founded.

Imagine a world where every citizen of the European Union has access to a powerful platform that empowers them to stay informed about key political events in their state and across the entire EU, and actively participate in shaping the future of their community. This platform would enable people to stay up-to-date on critical issues, voice their opinions through voting, and even submit their own topics for discussion. By providing every citizen with a voice and a platform for meaningful engagement, we can promote transparency, foster democracy, and build a more connected and informed Europe.

Youth-led initiatives platform: we need a platform for supporting and promoting youth-led initiatives that promote European values and goals, such as sustainability, democracy, and social justice, which can help young people feel empowered and engaged in shaping the future of the EU within EU and outside of the EU.

Today, public social media discourse takes place predominantly on platforms under the control of private profit-oriented corporations such as the Facebook parent company Meta, Twitter or ByteDance. When public institutions communicate through these channels, they bring these non-democratic actors to the brights of digital communication. At the same time, it forces citizens to consume advertising in order to obtain public information. Thirdly, it makes European communication channels dependent on US and Chinese companies. Public bodies should therefore help create sustainable European communication channels by using open protocols (Matrix, Activiy Pub) and their own digital infrastructure (in the sense of the Fediverse).

With the 2024 elections close to the European Parliament, the debate on the right to vote, democracy and politics becomes even more intense and much more intense among today’s youth, a significant part of the population who is aware of the problems they face and who is active in a society that often lacks common sense, cohabiteism, etc. We therefore believe that the right to vote should be reduced to 16 years, following the example of some of the countries that are already implementing it. The reasons why this change would be beneficial to European society would be because the elections would have a better view of the interests of the population, bearing in mind that the young population is the largest and the most affected by the political choices made without taking into account their interests or benefits. Finally, another of the main reasons why voting at 16 would be an improvement for Europe as a society and an important step forward for European democracy is because by participating in elections, while their preferences and ideas can be taken into account, political participation as an additional citizen would allow them to understand what belonging to Europe means, the importance of elections and the role of democracy in a state like Europe.

One of the major dangers of spreading fake news is that they manipulate public opinion and lead to a distortion of reality. Social media hashtags or tags, for example, based on unreliable or false information often mislead people, since they affect their way of thinking. Fake news and tags have excessively been used as a tool in political conflicts, among others in the occupation of territories. More specifically, the hashtag #CrimeaIsRussia, which has been used as a tool of Russia's disinformation campaign, can be seen as a means of hybrid warfare. The problem is that if the above tag remains online for many years, the next generations that will click on it may form a false sense of reality about the political situation in the Crimean region.

As a next step, the EU must work on limiting fake and misleading social media tags and hashtags. It is necessary for Europe to find the appropriate tools in this direction in order to protect its values, the rule of law, and human rights. 

 

There are people who intentionally or unintentionally create hate speech. While there are many people who are against hate speech and those who seek justice, we still need a global online platform to help. In one part of this platform, citizens will report all form of hate speech in this entirety; information will then be verified by a member of the central team and action should be taken by formal investigation in local or EU court. It could function as a way of sending a warning to offenders.

Online registration and login processes should be facilitated by creating an EU Identity Server. This means that the public institutions of all member states will all have the option “login with EU”

It is important that the Union reflects on its roots and role in the global arena to be able to strive and lead by example in the future. The EU's role is that of a mediator, a moderator, and a conciliator in a global arena – where the East meets the West. But it is not enough to reflect and dwell on the past. It is also crucial to adapt these core strengths to future endeavours, such as the green transformation, digitalisation, public health, strategic partnerships, or security. By re-examining its role in the world and its shared values, the EU has to make sure that its decisions are progressive and forward-looking rather than seeking to exercise hard-power influence. The Union should strive to be a "buffer zone" built on diplomatic strategy and its collectivity. This way it can lead in future dispute resolutions, negotiations, and conduct conflict prevention.

With the United Kingdom out of the EU, it is time to propose a new common language – perhaps French, German or Italian. This language should form the basis for all economic and social activity in the EU and be taught across all member states.

Esperanto should also be considered to become the language of Europe. It's easy to learn and its rational design makes it easy for a learner to become conversational within just a few months. It is also a neutral language that doesn't belong to any country or people. This will make language more accessible to more people.

According to the Grin Report, it is estimated that EUR 25 billion per year is lost in the EU because tourists prefer to travel to English-speaking countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.

 

The European Council should be reformed in order to become a better European institution and contribute to a better-functioning European Union.

Ways to do so could include:

• The European Council should be merged with the Council of the European Union into one council that is equated with the Parliament when it comes to lawmaking competence. This includes the right of initiative to propose new legislation.
• It should consist of representatives from the national governments.
• It should operate with a qualified majority on all policy fields including the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which means that 55 % of the member states need to vote in favor, these member states should then represent 55 % of the European population.
• The blocking minority (at least four member states representing more than 35 % of the EU population) should be abolished, while keeping the Ioannina Compromise.
• The European Council should select one chairperson for a 5-year-period, who will lead the meetings and take care of the symbolic, ceremonial and diplomatic tasks of a state leader.
• It should increase its transparency. Generally, all its meetings including those not concerned with legislation as well as those of its subordinate bodies (preparatory bodies and Coreper) must be public and live-streamed.

The European Commission should be reformed in order to become a political executive branch instead of an apolitical or technocratic institution. That way, it will become able to advocate for the common interests of the Union.

Ways to reform the Commission would include:

• The composition of the Commission should be decided by a coalition formed by a majority of MEPs in the European Parliament.
• The so-called "Spitzenkandidaten system" should be reformed. The President should be nominated and elected with a majority by the European Parliament and approved by the Council.
• Parliament may at any time cast a constructive vote of no-confidence against the President of the Commission, an individual Commissioner or the entire Commission.
• The number of commission portfolios should be reduced to a maximum of â…” of current member states, making sure that each region of the European Union is represented in the Commission. A rotation system may be put in place.
• Each Member State nominates two candidates, the President then selects out of this pool. Parliament eventually votes on these candidates individually.

Make it easier for young Europeans to meet, create and innovate: we need a platform to search for upcoming European youth initiatives by association, social enterprise, and project. This would allow young Europeans to find joint project holders in different countries and be able to exchange cultures, problems and solutions for a better Europe.

There are many forms of transatlantic cooperation, but opportunities for young people as well as high school and university students need to be strengthened. Therefore, the EU should develop a mobility program that will enable American students to learn about the culture of different EU member states, the cultural diversity of nations and the institutional system.

To improve and strengthen ties between the EU and the US, a framework for educational exchange opportunities should be created. It would give young people from both the US and the EU a chance to experience a different way of life, through work or internship placements, abroad study programs or other cultural exchange activities.

Getting to know determined young people in Europe and working together for a better future will make sure that transatlantic cooperation will remain sustainable in the future as well.The program should therefore be open to high school and college students from North America. It could for example include a program where participants live with a host family in a member state.

Studying in the US is costly, and not everybody is able to afford the experience. To increase accessibility, some of the existing Erasmus funding could be repurposed to support European students undertaking exchange in the US.

Give students the opportunity to complete an internship at national institutions with scholarships and other sources of funding. Not everyone can afford to take part in an unpaid internship. We need to give equal access to such positions.

Cities should tap into the experience and motivation of those who have been on Erasmus+ exchanges, be it academic, short-term EVS or other experiences. 1 or 2 of these individuals should be appointed Youth Exchange Ambassadors (YEAs).

These YEAs will act as a delegate of young people in their city, playing the role of bridge between the community, municipal representatives and EU institutions. These YEAs may also share experiences from their counterparts.

The impact? The voice of youth will be heard at municipal level and more active young people will contribute to regional development. More young people will be involved in the decision-making process at a local level that will further enhance political culture.