This spring, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca is organising a thematic conference about the benefits and/or disadvantages of a Europe without borders. During the event, they will commemorate Franck Biancheri, the founder of AEGEE, and celebrate their 25th Anniversary. Bellow you can find more information about the event that will be organised in collaboration with Your Vision for EUrope Project.

The AEGEE congress in Paris, April 1985, was the result of Franck Biancheri and Philippe Micaelli’s hard work. Without their drive and initiative, we could not have experienced all the great things that AEGEE has to offer. Franck Biancheri was passionate about the things he believed in and, as a leader, he inspired many people, irreversibly changing the lives of thousands of students all over Europe.

In order to keep Franck Biancheri’s memory alive, AEGEE and the Association des Amis de Franck Biancheri (AAFB), created the Franck Biancheri Year Award, an event in which an AEGEE antenna honors his memory and remembers his contribution to the foundation of our organiation. This year, AAFB changed the name into Franck Biancheri Award.

Even though the award was given in order for an antenna to organise events during the whole year, in 2016 they changed the concept a bit, and in spring, when all nature comes back to life, one event will be organised by the winner local of the award.

AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca has the opportunity to collaborate with Your Vision for Europe Project to create this event, which will consist a three-day thematic conference “Borderless Europe: Blessing or Burden” in order for the ones to present how to explore the benefits and disadvantages of a borderless Europe. The event will take place between the 6th and 9th of May in the former European Youth Capital and is aiming to gather 50 participants interested in the life of the founder of AEGEE and in discovering the life of Cluj-Napoca, from all over Europe, as well as AEGEE members and non-AEGEE members.

The conference includes panel discussions, workshops and lectures on the following topics:

• Evolution of the European Community
• Schengen: Have Europe’s borders really disappeared?
• Understanding diversity
• A look from outside the European Union
• Expansion of the EU (2004) and what will happen to the Balkans or Turkey?
• How can EU citizens really understand the visa regulations?
• Opportunities for youth outside the Union

Being the first antenna in Romania and one of the first in Western Europe, this year on 9th May, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca will celebrate its 25th Anniversary that will also be part of the event.

For the organisers, the preparations for the event have already started and they are waiting for amazing people to spend beautiful days in their city, learn more about Europe’s external borders and Europe without borders, commemorate Franck Biancheri and celebrate their 25th Anniversary.

You can apply here.

Read more about the event here.

Written by Raluca Radu, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

From 6th to 8th of March  around 70 AEGEEans and alumni gathered in Paris for the “Back to the roots” event. The event commemorated the 30 years of AEGEE and has coincided with the Meeting of the Friends of Franck Biancheri Association (AAFB) Network and the 15th anniversary of Newropeans. AEGEE-Paris, the AAFB and the Newropeans network were the organisers.

Under the title “Europe in crisis, Erasmus generation towards a democratic alliance” the central conference was held in the Salon de l’Aveyron, in Paris Bercy, on Sunday. This is the second Franck Biancheri event in AEGEE. The first one was held by AEGEE-Delft in December 2014, and the idea is to organise an event every year. For that, the AAFB gives support, both economically and logistically, to one antenna each year.

On Friday the members of AEGEE and Les Anciens coming from all around Europe enjoyed a city tour around Montmartre, the neighbourhood where they were hosted in a hostel, and a suggestive European night in the centre of Paris.

On Saturday the participants were divided into groups and had workshops which helped them to prepare for the presentation of their ideas in the Sunday conference. The seven themes were: Europe of Energy, Europe of Defense, Fiscal Europe, Europe of the Euro, Social Europe, Europe of the Media, and Political Europe. The main findings are being assembled in a document.

The event counted with the presence of the President of the AAFB, Marie-Helène Caillol, Alexandra Kluczka (vice-president of AEGEE Europe) and other CD members, the Italian MEP Brando Benifei, the State Secretary to European Affairs of Portugal Bruno Maçaes, politicians, journalists, more people from the Franck Biancheri Networks, the President of AEGEE-Paris Hana Hudak and Léa Charlet (AEGEE-Paris) as the main organiser. Debates were held with participation from approximately 150 people from the audience. The participants had fun and the opportunity to visit Paris, but most of all, they returned home full of ideas and motivation for future projects.

Frank Biancheri was the main founder of AEGEE. He was only 24 back in 1985, when the first EGEE conference took place in Paris. He was one of the persons who lobbied most for the creation of the Erasmus Programme and also founder of the first transnational European Party, Newropeans, in 2000. There are more events coming up this year commemorating the 30 years of AEGEE, with the “revival” of the Night of the Seven Antennae in April in Aachen, Bergamo, Catania, Eskisehir, Kyiv, Leiden, and Sofia and the main conference in Brussels in May as the central ones.

Written by Ferran Arruebo, AEGEE-Barcelona

Pictures by Márton Demeter, Ferran Arruebo and Philippe Portalier