A newsletter from the European Youth Forum and Cyprus Youth Council on the Cyprus Presidency 2012 No. 1

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Intro Denmark passed the baton to Cyprus that assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) on the 1st of July 2012. The Council of the EU is the European Union's key decision-making body, where each European Member State is represented by one minister. The Council meets in various formations depending on the subject being addressed. For example, Ministers in charge of Youth will meet in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council in order to discuss youth matters. The role of the Presidency is to plan and chair these meetings in order to move the work of the Council forward and create results, to ensure cooperation among Member States and formulate compromise proposals that everyone can agree on. The Presidency also represents the Council vis-à-vis other institutions, such as the Commission and the European Parliament.

This newsletter gives a summary of some events, activities and general developments that will take place during the Cyprus EU Presidency with a special focus on youth and youth-related issues.

Together, the Cyprus Youth Council (CYC) and the European Youth Forum recruited a Presidency Project Officer (PPO) for the Cyprus EU Presidency. The aim is to provide a liaison between all partners involved and to coordinate, evaluate and raise the political interests of the European Youth Forum and the CYC.

Finally the PPO will inform and raise awareness about the work to take place up until January 2013. A focus will be on developments taking place in the youth policy field and developments in areas of special interest for young people and youth organisations in Cyprus and Europe.

Contact: Presidency Project Officer Yiannis Trimithiotis ppo@cyc.org.cy

Cyprus Introduction to one of the Union’s most interesting member states Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite, is the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia. The history of Cyprus is one of the oldest recorded in the world with the first signs of civilisation dating to the 9th millennium B.C. The historical significance of Cyprus due to its strategic location and abundance of valuable resources outweighs its small size.

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President Demetris Christofias and EP President Martin Schulz

Over the millennia Cyprus became the acquisition of various civilisations, including the Byzantine Empire, the Venetians, the Knights Templars, the Ottomans and the British Empire. Cyprus’ rich and fascinating history is mirrored in its population, as Cyprus is now the home of Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Latins and Armenians. Cyprus gained its independence from the British Empire in 1960. Not long later, in 1974, following a coup d'état, Turkey occupied the northern part of the island leading to the partition of Cyprus that stands until today. Successive rounds of UN-sponsored talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities followed since 1974 to resolve the Cyprus problem and reunite the country. On May 1st 2004, Cyprus became a full EU Member State, and since January 1st, 2008 Cyprus adopted the euro as its national currency. On July 1st, Cyprus assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time in its long yet troubled history. Longstanding small state mentality combined with traditional Cypriot hospitality, has elevated the task to a national challenge seen as a maturity test for the country.

Four Main Objectives of the Cyprus Presidency “Towards a Better Europe” This is the first time that Cyprus holds the Presidency for which has decided to structure its programme according to four main priorities. Captured by the motto “Towards a Better Europe” and aimed at reflecting the current economic and political realities in the EU as well as the specific Cypriot sensitivities, they are as follow:

• Europe, more efficient and sustainable

• Europe, with a better performing and growth-based economy

• Europe, more relevant to its citizens, with solidarity and social cohesion

• Europe in the world, closer to its neighbours

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Official logo of the Cyprus Presidency – the ship/bird carrying the message “Towards a Better Europe”

Under the “Europe, more efficient and sustainable” heading, the Presidency aims at promoting more effective policies for more efficient governance in addressing the uncertainty and instability caused by the crisis. Against this background, Cyprus will be called to broker and conclude the negotiations for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 (MFF) that is singled out as its most demanding task. Meanwhile, “Europe, with a better performing and growth-based economy” highlights the need for further effectiveness in EU policies. The Presidency will seek to work on the new enhanced framework of economic governance and reinforce budgetary surveillance, so as to ensure fiscal stability. Also, under the “Europe, more relevant to its citizens, with solidarity and social cohesion” heading, the Presidency will focus on policies that will work towards bringing Europe closer to its citizens. As part of this, emphasis will be given on youth employment and further harmonisation among member states as part of the Common European Asylum System

(CEAS). Lastly, in “Europe in the world, closer to its neighbours” the Presidency will work closely with the High Representative Catherine Ashton and the European External Action Service, in developing the southern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy. More information about the Cyprus Presidency, including the Presidency Programme, the Cultural calendar and relevant contact points, can be found on the Presidency website: http://www.cy2012.eu

The Youth Field The Future of the Youth Programme European cooperation in the area of Youth Policy occurs in the context of the EU Youth Strategy. Core elements of the EU Youth Strategy are eight fields of action that are supported by the Youth Programme (“Youth in Action”). This Programme, with its budget of 885 million Euros, was adopted for the period running from 2007-2013 in connection with the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). The MFF sets the maximum amount of money to be spent in the EU budget each year for broad policy areas ("headings", i.e. Youth). Negotiations on the coming MFF for 2014-2020 will continue under the Cyprus Presidency and this has implications for the future Youth Programme.

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The Commission's proposal for the future Youth Programme is called 'Erasmus for All'. It would start in 2014 and would bring together all the current EU and international schemes for education, training, youth and sport, replacing seven existing programmes with one. However, in May 2012 Education Ministers struck a partial political agreement that saw a number of changes to the Commission’s original proposal. Among others, it was agreed that there would be a separate chapter for youth with its own budget as well as more emphasis on inclusion of young people with special needs and fewer opportunities. Meanwhile, the European Parliament is in the process of formulating its own position on the Commission proposal. As the European Parliament’s position is expected for early 2013, the discussion on the matter is expected to rollover to the following Presidency. Nevertheless, a possible MFF breakthrough could pave the way for specific budget discussions in the term of the Cyprus Presidency. The Structured Dialogue: Youth Participation and Social inclusion Cyprus will continue working on Youth Participation as agreed with Poland and Denmark in the Trio. Aiming at encouraging the “Participation of young people in democratic life” Cyprus will focus on the issue of Social inclusion with emphasis on youth with migrant background. Cyprus will highlight the importance of the participation of all young people and youth organisations, especially in decision-making processes, as an important factor for the creation of sustainable, democratic and prosperous societies. National Working Groups have carried out consultations with young people and youth organisations in the EU Member States, aiming at producing recommendations to address the obstacles to participation and social inclusion and the issues of discrimination, solidarity and intercultural awareness as well as the contribution of youth organisations to the inclusion of all young people. The results of the national consultations should be presented in a report to the European Steering Committee by Wednesday, 15th August 2012. The outcomes of the consultations should be further explored during the EU Youth Conference, which will take place in Nicosia, Cyprus, from the 11th to 13th of September 2012. The final outcome of the EU Youth Conference will be a list of Joint Recommendations that should inform the Conclusions of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council.

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In addition, Cyprus, as the last Presidency within the Trio, plans to promote the adoption of a Council Resolution aimed at providing an overview of the Structured Dialogue on youth participation. During the Presidency, the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council will meet on 22-23 November 2012. The Cyprus Youth Council has a leading role in staging the national consultations and works closely with the Cyprus EU Presidency, the European Youth Forum and the European Commission in organising the EU Youth Conference. More information on the Cyprus Youth Council can be found at: http://www.cyc.org.cy/. For more information about the Structured Dialogue, please visit the Structured Dialogue page on the website of the European Youth Forum. The following questions were sent to the National Working Groups:

A - Youth Participation leading to Social Inclusion 1. a. What are the main obstacles preventing social inclusion of young people with migrant background?

b. What actions and measures can be adopted at local / regional / national and European level to encourage the social inclusion of young people with migrant background? 2. a. What are the main forms of discrimination of young people with migrant background in your country?

b. What measures can be adopted at local / regional / national and European level to combat their discrimination? 3. a. How can the solidarity between youth with migrant background and non-migrants be strengthened?

b. How can the intercultural awareness of all young people be developed? 4. a. What are the main obstacles preventing the participation of young people with migrant background at local / regional / national and European level?

b. What measures could be adopted / implemented at all levels to encourage their participation, including in decision-making ? 5. What good practices does your country / region / community / organization use to boost social inclusion and participation of all young people? What good practices concern young people with migrant background specifically? B - Support of Youth and Youth NGOs and recognition of their work and contribution 6. How can youth organizations contribute to the social inclusion of young people in general and those with migrant background or from other socially excluded groups in particular? 7. How could youth organizations be supported in their work for the inclusion of young people in general and those with migrant background or from other socially excluded groups in particular?

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EU Youth Report 2012 In 2012, the first 3-year cycle since the adoption of the EU Youth Strategy will come to an end. The Commission has already started gathering evidence from all Member States to compile the EU Youth Report 2012, which will feature the situation of young people across the EU. As part of the EU Youth Report 2012, the European Commission is expected to present an evaluation of the Structured Dialogue process so far. The Cyprus Presidency will pursue the adoption of the Council Resolution on the EU Youth Report towards the end of the year. Education The Cyprus Presidency highlighted the policy area of education as an important factor for economic growth and social cohesion in the EU. The Presidency will seek to enhance the social dimension of education, by working towards the adoption of policies that will enhance modernisation of education and training systems as well as the provision of more qualitative and equitable education.

The highlight of the Presidency’s education agenda will be the issue of literacy in view of the fact that many young people and adults in Europe lack basic reading and writing skills, which constitutes an obstacle to their employment and may result in social exclusion. The Presidency will promote Council Conclusions on this issue within the context of the strategic co-operation framework "Education and Training 2020". The Presidency underlines the

validation of non-formal and informal learning as a key element in the EU’s actions to support education and training. In this context, the Presidency will promote a Council Recommendation on the issue. During the Cyprus Presidency, focus will be placed on strengthening vocational education and training (VET) among young people and adults with an emphasis on equity and excellence in VET. Cyprus will also carry forward the updated Copenhagen Process agenda, which aims to improve the performance, quality and attractiveness of VET through enhanced cooperation at EU level.

Cyprus Youth Council non-formal education Summer Camp

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In the field of Higher Education, focus will be given on the modernisation of universities in terms of quality assurance and internationalisation of higher education in line with EU objectives and the Bologna Process. Moreover, Cyprus will coordinate with member states and the Commission in the context of the ET 2020 strategic framework by exploring key challenges identified as an outcome of the European Semester and pinpointed in the 2012 Country Specific Recommendations. As a result of this process, the Presidency will propose Council Conclusions on education ministers' response to the challenges of Europe 2020 strategy in the field of education and training. Employment and Social Policy Cyprus has placed an emphasis on the Employment and Social Policy agenda focusing on a range of issues including youth employment, child wellbeing and gender equality. The Cyprus EU Presidency will focus on youth employment mainly through the discussions on the Commission’s proposed package on EU job-rich recovery as well as staging a conference on the issue on 22nd October in Nicosia. The discussions on the Commission’s employment package will focus on how to improve youth employment by giving emphasis on utilising certain job sectors with untapped potentials, namely, green economy, ICTs and white jobs.

Cyprus already staged an Informal Meeting of Ministers for Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO Council) on 12 – 13 July. The meeting focused on the involvement of social partners, NGOs and local authorities in the implementation of Europe 2020 Strategy and throughout the process of the European Semester but also at national level, in the formulation and implementation of the National Reform Programmes. Moreover, Cyprus will place emphasis

on strengthening social cohesion by focusing on child well–being, intergenerational solidarity and tackling gender pay gap and violence against women by facilitating the exchange of good practices between member states.

Cyprus Youth Council non-formal education Summer Camp

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Calendar During the Cyprus EU Presidency, a number of events will be organised. This calendar provides an overview of those linked to the Youth Field:

Date Event Where

12-13 July Informal Meeting of Ministers for Employment and Social Policy

Nicosia

11-13

September • EU Youth Conference Nicosia

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September • Presidency Conference on Literacy Nicosia

18-19 October

Child Poverty and Well-being Conference Nicosia

22-23 October

Presidency Conference on Employment Priorities Nicosia

24 October Presidency Conference on Lifelong Guidance (ELGPN) Larnaca

25-26 October

Conference: 11th Plenary Meeting of the European Lifelong Guidance and Policy Network (ELGPN)

Larnaca

12-13 November

Conference on Vocational Education and Training: Policy and Practice in the field of Special Education

Nicosia

22-23 November

Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (EYCS) Brussels

10 December

• Closing Conference for the European Year 2012 on active ageing and solidarity between generations

Nicosia

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Cyprus Youth Council The Cyprus Youth Council (CYC) was founded in 1996 as a voluntary, non-governmental organisation. It aims at promoting dialogue and cooperation between youth in Cyprus as well as with youth in the world. CYC members include both political and non-political youth organisations spanning from all political parties to religious minorities. The European Youth Forum The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is the platform of youth organisations in Europe. Independent, democratic and youth-led, it represents 98 National Youth Councils and International Youth Organisations from across the continent. The Forum works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives, by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations towards the European Institutions, the Council of Europe and the United Nations.