There is a project that is involving people from many countries of Europe. Its aim is to discuss the EU issues and protest against Brexit and other events undermining the European Union. In this interview we spoke with Leo Bue, from AEGEE-Aachen, and he told us more about the project, the feedback of some supporters and the situation of basic rights in Europe.

The AEGEEan: What is “Pulse of Europe”?

Leo Bue: Pulse of Europe is a pro-European initiative, which was founded in 2016 as a reaction to Brexit and the presidential elections in the USA. After those elections, there were massive protests against the results. Pulse of Europe wants to be visible beforehand: before the elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany. We do not want to be the “silent majority” anymore, but a visible crowd standing for a peaceful, borderless and cooperating Europe.

How do you think to have an influence upon the vote of the next presidential elections in France, for example, and the ones in Germany?

I think our impact is to be visible as the pro-European crowd. In the past months and years, the critics of the EU became louder and very visible in the media. Now, we want to be loud and visible in favour of the European project.

How can AEGEE people join the project?

The easiest way to join is to participate! There are over 60 European cities where Pulse of Europe takes place every Sunday at 2 pm. You can find them here.

If there is no such event near your place, initiate one on your own! Ask your friends, there is not much effort to announce an event:

1. Contact the initiators from Frankfurt.
2. Call the police and tell them you want to register a demonstration.
3. Ask your (AEGEE) friends to meet at 2 pm in blue and yellow.

Why did you translate your website into so many languages?

The web page is translated into German, French, English, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. The goal of Pulse of Europe is to be spread all over the continent. So, there is still missing Dutch, Greek, Lithuanian, etc.

Why do you say there is a current threat to peace in the European Union?

We all have seen that people chose Brexit. If other member states decide to leave, the European project is going to fail. I fear a missing discussion between the states’ interests, which could, in worst case, lead to conflicts and war; our own history predicts this.

How can a society oppose destructive and backward-looking tendencies?

Being aware of the danger. Standing up and opposing those who do not care about or welcome this danger. Speaking out about the EU’s problems. Working on the problems and helping to make the EU better instead of destroying it.

What do you mean with “basic freedoms”? What is the situation of the basic rights and the rule of law in Europe?

We can see many problems in different states with freedom of the press and democracy. There is obviously no effective control if a government chooses to violate general European principles or bend them in its favour. Same about the refugee crisis. Same about tax-havens. The same is true for almost every negative development, like the economic criteria that was once agreed on. The EU, or more so the national states, do not live up to the standards they proclaim.

What kind of reform is necessary to improve Europe?

In my personal opinion, the most important reform is the European Parliament’s right of legislative initiative. This means the parliament has the power to make laws proposals independently and could cure a lot of EU problems in a democratic way. Also, the voters have to hold their politicians accountable for what is wrong in Europe and not only focus on their national level.

How can we preserve regional and national identities in Europe?

I do not think that is a problem at all. Maintain your own (regional or national) culture, share it with others and learn about theirs.

Can you tell us the feedback about Facebook and Twitter pages?

It is not bad, Facebook is one of our main tools to spread the message. Most people are supportive, even though we had a few trolls. If politicians speak, it is always a bit tricky since we are non-partisan and people really care about that.

Did you find any supporters until now? If so, from which countries?

Last week, we had 900 participants in Aachen, over 30.000 people on the streets in all cities together. This supports us the most. Here are two comments of AEGEEans that participated in other cities.

“I am taking part in Pulse of Europe demonstrations in Essen, Germany. Last Sunday there were around 450 people. I really liked the atmosphere, everyone was very positive. My favourite part of the demonstration is when they open the microphone to citizens. It is so important to hear what citizens have to say about the topic of Europe and what they value most. Last Sunday an elderly woman approached the microphone and started with ‘I have experienced war in Germany. I never want to see this happening again’. Those are the stories that need to be told over and over again!”

Julia Krebs, AEGEE-Osnabrück

“I was in Stuttgart and Munich: in Stuttgart there were 200 people, in Munich last week 1500. I participated in Pulse of Europe because I feel that I have benefited from so many things since 1989. We did grow up with an ever uniting Europe that is now facing severe obstacles, and we cannot NOT stand up for Europe. I feel goose bumps every time someone speaks at the open microphone and I feel even more European now”.

Caroline Eißler, AEGEE Passau

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

Earlier this month, 32 young people from all around Europe gathered in one of Europe’s economic, political and cultural capitals, Vienna, to participate in the sixth Y Vote 2014 Convention, the topic of which was about the role of the EU in the world. A very important subject since, in the context of eurocrisis and rising euroscepticism we are facing nowadays, it is vital to not only reflect on the reforms that need to be implemented within the EU, but to think about the image and position we, European citizens, want to show the world.

Under the lead of the Y Vote 2014 Project Team as well as supported by the members of AEGEE-Wien, participants were able to enjoy three full days of sessions, workshops and panel discussions revolving around possible future scenarios for Europe. In order to understand the topic better, the genuine purpose of the EU was reminded: in times of its creation, the EU’s goal was to bring peace and stability, and to promote democracy, not only on the continent itself, but also elsewhere in the world. Half a century later, the EU still stands firmly when it comes to its values: promoting democracy, human rights and stability through development, sustainability and trade, as well as developing its foreign and external policy. Now, the real question is: how do we adapt these values and goals to a world that is ever changing, and does not reflect the same situation as the one we were in at the starting point?

Being passionate about the subject, it was soon understood that the EU and its institutions have a very complex way of functioning. Once again, one of the biggest issues was identified to be the lack of information. EU citizens and, more specifically, young people, think that the EU is a very abstract construction, that it does not have a concrete and direct impact on their everyday lives, and this is one of the main reasons for them not to take an active role in political life.

However, the approach of the Y Vote Convention was – as it has been for all the conferences so far -based on the non-formal education and focused on letting the voice of the youth be heard. During all the sessions participants could ask questions, state their opinions on concrete issues and discuss them with the content team, as well as with the whole group. In this way, participants became more involved and acquired a strong sense of awareness that their opinion counts. We are able and we need to let the institutions that are supposed to reflect our will know that we can propose solutions based on our own perspectives and experiences; this is a right we are given as citizens of this common space we call home.

The moment we were all waiting for with great excitement was the panel discussion with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs): Jörg Leichtfried (SPO – S&D), MEP Candidate Madeleine Petrovic (Green – EFA), MEP Candidate Miroslav Hajnoš (EDP) and Ex-MEP Friedhelm Frischenschlager (former LIF and FPO – in EP for ALDE). Participants were truly excited about this unique opportunity and hungry for some answers and direct debate with these MEPs, especially bearing in mind that both experienced and relatively young politicians were present. However, this panel discussion turned out to be somewhat disappointing, for the simple fact that we felt like the MEPs were not really sharing their knowledge and were acting like mere politicians – managing questions very diplomatically by turning the answers in a completely different direction. In my opinion, this is precisely where the problem lies: how can we have more transparency and a better communication between the EU and its citizens if the system is so bureaucratized? All the official speeches are wrapped up in beautiful diplomatic discourse, but in the end they are so shallow and empty that they fail saying anything relevant. I dare to say this is not the Europe we want, and hopefully we will be able to make a clear statement about it and take some small steps in order to change things through this kind of events.

Luckily, more interesting sessions followed – we looked at different visions of the role the EU should play and display in the world. Should it focus more on developing a common diplomatic system, like the European External Action Service or EEAS (created in 2010, thus still in a developing process), or strive towards a more European level when it comes to external relations or, on the contrary, should it give more importance to independent foreign policy of its Member States? Is Europe supposed to act as a regional factor, having a say in conflicting situations that touch its interests directly?

These were just some of the questions participants faced when drafting recommendations that will be handed to the candidate MEPs before the elections take place. In groups of several people, we tried to make concrete proposals and to come up with realistic solutions that could really be put into practice. Nevertheless, it was genuinely hard to formulate well-defined and tangible suggestions that could be taken into account by the EP.

These different visions of the EU lead us precisely towards the next Y Vote convention in Brussels, when young Europeans will continue discussing different aspects of the EU integration process in order to decide which Europe we, the present and the future of our continent, want for ourselves.

 See you there and do not forget to vote!