Two cities, a full schedule with a strong thematic side, the usual AEGEE spirit: this is what lies ahead for participants to the conference “Brexit-What next?” jointly held by AEGEE-London, AEGEE-Manchester and AEGEE-Sheffield from the 29th of November to the 4th of December. 25 participants, both AEGEEans and non-AEGEEans, will have the opportunity to tackle the issues arising from Brexit, specifically focusing on youth mobility. We reached Dominik Stengele, president of AEGEE-London, to discover more. 

The AEGEEan: Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Dominik: My name is Dominik Stengele. My enthusiasm about our beautiful continent and passion to travel and explore made me join AEGEE in 2013. I was elected president of AEGEE-London in July 2017 and I am programme responsible of our upcoming event “Brexit – What Next?”.

Why did you decide to organise the event “Brexit – What Next?” with AEGEE-Sheffield and AEGEE-Manchester?

Our European Students’ Network has sadly never been too active within the United Kingdom, even though AEGEE-London was one of the founding antennae in 1985. Furthermore, the result of the Brexit referendum concerns us and adds uncertainty to our future as young Europeans. We therefore decided, for the first time ever, to unite as UK-based AEGEE locals and organise a thematic conference together.

Which will be the contribution of AEGEE-London during the event?

There is a very active and passionate group of young Europeans behind this event that works hard to make it happen. We operate in several teams in parallel to cover all aspects of the event, like thematic content, accomodation, fundraising, PR and others. Members of AEGEE-London are active in each of those teams and will be participating the event as helpers and moderators for panel discussions.

In your experience, what has changed for AEGEE locals in the UK after Brexit?

Everyone in AEGEE was deeply saddened by the Brexit referendum result and we received many messages and had discussions with our fellow Europeans both here and abroad. But every crisis also opens a window of opportunity. While the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union, a large number of people, which in fact is majority across opinion polls, stands up and speaks out as pro-European. Due to this new enthusiasm across the society, we as AEGEE-London grew faster than the average of AEGEE in 2017, hence are able to be more active than we used to be. However the uncertainty in the air about the conditions of Brexit also worries many of us. If, for example, citizens of the European Union had to apply for tourist visa after Brexit, then this would certainly hurt our abilities to organise larger events in the future. While our impact on the conditions of Brexit is limited, our enthusiasm and dedication isn’t. And AEGEE can expect the UK-based locals to be actively participating across our entire network.

What are the outcomes you would like to achieve with this event?

Our event will focus on the future of freedom of movement in the United Kingdom and its consequences for young people on both sides of the channel. This advantage, which many of us take for granted, can be drastically limited after Brexit. We will discuss youth mobility in detail, both in workshops and panel discussions with experts, and will also cover related topics such as the future of Erasmus+. With this event we also show our fellow Europeans that the UK-based AEGEE locals are not only alive, but more active than ever before. We also want to take advantage of this new dynamic to organise more events in the future.

Who can participate to the event and how?

Everyone is welcome to apply to our event! Please find more information in the ‘Apply’ section of our event webpage.

You can fill this Google Form to apply. If you’re member of AEGEE you also must fill this other form (click Apply next to the application dates, you must be logged in with your AEGEE account). The deadline is Sunday 15th of October. 

Written by Federica Soro, AEGEE-Cagliari

To Brexit or not to Brexit: that is the question. Though this be Brexit, yet there is method in‘t.  Can one desire too much of a Brexit? The thing we call a Brexit would be just the same if we called it by any other name. Despite the badly quoted bits of Shakespeare, people do wonder: should the United Kingdom leave the European Union? What is the thought behind it? Do people think too much of it? And why did people come up with such a lame and catchy name for this? Some of these questions, and more, will be answered.

Qu’est-ce qu’est un Brexit?

The word ‘Brexit’ is a contraction of the words Britain and exit, and refers to a possible event of the UK, colloquially dubbed Britain, to leave or exit the European Union. This decision will be submitted to the British public in a nonbinding referendum on Thursday, the 23^rd of June 2016, meaning that British Members of the Parliament could block a Brexit. Regardless of a possible block, British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18, who are resident in the UK, UK nationals living abroad, and members of the House of Lords and Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar can vote on polling day on the following question, “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”.

Doctor ehm… Politician Who?

The British public seems to be quite evenly split on the matter of leaving the EU. The same goes for the MPs of the ruling Conservative Party in the UK Parliament. The UK Independence Party (UKIP), who won 12.6% of the popular vote in the 2015 UK General Elections, is in favour of secession, just as several MPs of the Labour Party, the largest opposition party, and of the right-wing Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) (Wheeler).

While the Conservative Party has pledged to remain neutral in the referendum campaign, British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives, David Cameron, has come out in support for staying in the EU. The Labour Party, Scottish National Party (SNP), Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) and Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales), being the second, third, fourth and seventh largest parties in the UK, have all spoken out in favour of staying in the EU. The EU, not willing to see its second largest economy leave the Union, would also not want the UK to leave (Wheeler).

ACTOR (amazed): Why?

The two main arguments in Britain for leaving the EU centre on economics and border security. Pro-secession groups state that the EU imposes too many rules on businesses and charges billions of pounds annually in membership fees, which both reduce, if not cripple, economic output in Britain. Another big issue is the EUs relatively loose restrictions on travel between its member countries. The pro-secession camp advocates stronger borders for the UK and more direct control of those borders by the UK government (Wheeler).

The two main British arguments for staying in the EU, also centre around economics and border security. Anti-secession groups point out that it is economically more beneficent to stay in the EU, because of free-trade agreements between member states and those between the EU and non-member countries (Wheeler).

Regarding border security, some British politicians point out the importance of collectively managing the flow of immigrants throughout the EU. Others point out that staying in the EU is critical in order to maintain the British border control in Calais, France. This is crucial, because the UK is not obligated to provide asylum to people who are not in Britain, like those who are prevented from travelling to Britain at the UK border checkpoint in Calais (Wintour).
David Chameleon

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had initially resisted calls for a ‘Brexit referendum’, but changed his mind in 2013 due to the level of influence of EU policies in Britain. After the Conservatives won the UK General Election in 2015, they pushed for a referendum, which started negotiations between the UK and the EU.

Cameron has recently made a deal with the other EU member states that will go into effect should Britain vote for staying in the EU (Wheeler). This deal gives the UK more control over its own border security, limits further influence of EU regulations on Britain and other member states, and protects UK financial institutions, most notably those in the City of London and the Bank of England. This deal, in turn, has made Prime Minister Cameron argue for staying in the European Union.

The terms of our divorce

If a majority of Britons should vote in favour of leaving the EU, then the United Kingdom would not have seceded on the next day. Even if British MPs would not block the referendum, Article 50 of the EU’s ‘divorce clause’ states that secession from the European Union would be preceded by a two-year negotiation phase (Karnitschnig). As a member state, Britain has signed a lot of treaties with the EU over the years that would require many months of redefining, renegotiation, and rewriting, before any secession could be finalised. However, since a secession from the European Union has never happened before, there are hardly any provisions.

What do the AEGEEans say?

Being a youth forum that advocates for European integration, some AEGEE locals are involved in projects to discuss the ‘Brexit referendum’. AEGEE-Canterbury, as a chief example, has organised a debate regarding the UK’s membership within the EU, and has been actively campaigning for staying in the EU. AEGEE-Manchester, to name another, is trying to organise an event in May that would try to focus on the positive aspects of the relation between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Works Cited

Karnitschnig, Matthew, and Nicholas Hirst. “A long, costly and messy divorce.” Politico 2 Mar. 2016: n. pag. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Wheeler, Brian, and Alex Hunt. “The UK’s EU referendum: All you need to know.”BBC 24 Mar. 2016: n. pag. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Wintour, Patrick, and Anushka Asthana. “French minister: Brexit would threaten Calais border arrangement.” The Guardian 3 Mar. 2016:n. pag. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Do not be afraid, the isle is full of noises, sounds, and students, that express their delight for AEGEE. Sometimes a thousand young people in Britain will speak about Europe, and sometimes these voices will form an antenna that seems so natural that it looks like it had been awoken from a long sleep. After being founded almost half a year ago, AEGEE-Canterbury is now a full-fledged antenna. That is why the AEGEEan decided to interview Emily Zerling again, and see what has happened in these past few months.

The AEGEEan: Could you tell us something about yourself?

Emily: I’m half French and half English, so I’ve always felt very European. I’m really happy about my double nationality, because it has given me the opportunity to benefit from a double culture, and has helped me broaden my horizons.

When did you guys decide to set up a local in Canterbury?

We decided to set up a local in Canterbury almost a year ago but it took a few months before we were able to get it fully started.

AEGEE-Canterbury was officially ratified as a contact antenna about two months ago. What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome in order to achieve this goal?

I think that the most difficult obstacle to overcome was to try and find ten members, because we set up our local in Canterbury in March, which was nearly at the end of the year for students in the UK. And then we had to convince people to join us and become members during the summer and September, which wasn’t always easy. However, we managed, and I’m really glad that we have so many committed members this year, and a lovely committee on whom I can count on. So I’d like to thank them for their help again.

Of which activities or events that AEGEE-Canterbury organised are you most fond?

I really enjoyed the European dinner that we did at the beginning of term, the food was so lovely and everybody participated. It was a nice way to start the year and get to know people.

I was also very pleased with the mock referendum that we organised at our university. A lot of people came to vote, and the result was really encouraging, 82% of students in favour of the UK staying in the EU. Also, I appreciated the work that had been done preparing the event. Thank you again Roland for being in charge of organising the referendum, and James, Marlène, Emir, Rebeca, Ian, Chiara and all the others. You all did a great job!

What (kind of activities) has AEGEE-Canterbury planned for the future?

AEGEE-Canterbury will organise a student-led debate about UK membership in the EU at the beginning of December at the University of Kent, where all societies representing political parties in the UK will be debating. It is going to be interesting to see all the arguments of each political party, and it is a good way to raise awareness about the upcoming referendum and it might help people that don’t know how they should vote.

Otherwise, I hope we’ll organise events with other AEGEEans in the UK next year.

Could you tell us a bit about Euro-Optimism in Canterbury and the UK in general?

Canterbury is located in Kent, which is in the South East of England. It is a very Euro-Sceptic area, so therefore it is important to concentrate the “Yes campaign”, to stay in the EU, in this area. Students and young people are more Euro-Optimistic, so it’s not a problem for us, but we are also trying to target other groups by joining alliances with other pro EU groups, such as the East Kent European Movement, or the Young European Movement in Canterbury.

I feel that the UK in general has always seen the EU, or even the European continent, as something very distant and foreign, because it is an island. So I feel that there is a lack of European identity, which is a shame. I think it has also to do with the fact that the UK was a colonial power before and seems to think that it’s influence doesn’t have to be limited to the EU only.

How do you feel about British Prime Minister Cameron’s upcoming referendum in 2017 for Britain to leave the UK?

I don’t know if you know, but there has already been a similar referendum in 1975 with a positive result that led to the UK to stay in the EU.

So having a referendum again, before the end of 2017, has more to do with the recent rise of Euro-Scepticism, especially inside the Conservative party. I feel that it might be more of a political calculation that Cameron did in order to satisfy his own party. I think that if the result is that the UK will stay in the EU, then the EU will gain more legitimacy and more credibility for UK citizens. So this referendum can’t be such a bad idea.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

The existence of Eurosceptical opinions and movements in the European continent is not a big surprise for anyone. And even though last year the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the promotion of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe, still every day some tough opinions are expressed by different officials and activists regarding the future of the EU.

One thing is for sure, conservatism as a European political category could not be considered as a direct threat to any pan-European idea. Even more, through conservatism it is possible to present quite non-conservative approaches and try to bring forward interests of quite big groups.

Simultaneously, it is undeniable that populist forces are on the rise in most European countries – North and South, East and West – and that they resort to anti-EU rhetoric to increase their political and electoral support. The very recent combination of the global financial and economic crises with the particular European sovereign debt crisis, crucial political and economic instability in Greece, Italy and now already in Cyprus, incredibly high rates of unemployment, for example, in Spain, still not so clear internal political and legal developments in Hungary and many other unpleasant processes for the EU as a system have only and directly strengthened the conservative, Eurosceptical and populist trends within the EU. It is also equally undeniable that the mainstream parties all over EU now embrace some elements of that rhetoric  to achieve more local goals. The UK example could be considered the best one, which shows how it is easily possible to earn local benefits through developing an anti-EU populism. Yes, yes, you are right! I was hinting on the UK Prime Minister H.E. David Cameron for his breathtaking and extremely interesting, speculative and controversial Bloomberg speech of January 24, 2013. Some may argue that about 2 months have already passed since that and several processes and developments have already undergone, but I would still focus on it as it was a totally controversial one. The existence of the Eurosceptical and in some cases even isolationistic approaches in the UK has already become a common thing, but it has been totally new thing for the UK PM officially to promise the EU exit by referendum to the UK citizens.

In my opinion, Mr. Cameron has raised rather crucial questions such as the Eurozone crisis and its future, European competitiveness, place and role of nation states in the EU. I would have to agree with the UK PM on the point that these problems have been around for too long, while the progress in dealing with them is mostly far too slow. But frankly speaking, these are not only the questions or problems which bother the British society, but the communities and public opinion in many other corners of the EU. I don’t think that playing somehow the role of the tough conservative, who also promises to hold a referendum to exit the EU, is the best solution in this regard.

Of course, the rise and decline of populist forces and the spread of Eurosceptical rhetoric have not always gone hand-in-hand. Particularly, as the practice shows, the Nordic states have long experienced recurrent surges of populist parties and lists, usually driven by tax revolts, while being mostly indifferent to the issue of European integration and enlargement. On the contrary, the UK government and politicians who have always expressed their disagreement on the situation in the Union, support any EU integration, enlargement process and even accession of the new members to the EU.

In any circumstance, one thing is clear: conservatism could never be considered a threat to the EU common values unless it gets populist colors. Additionally, as the practice shows, in case the decision makers take into account the positive approaches of the conservatives, the decisions even on the highest level become more comprehensive and express the opinion of the wider segments of society. So, maybe the remedy for the Europe-wide happiness is simple:  “Yes to conservatism, no to populism”.

But as my Grandfather has used to say – let’s live and see!

Written by Armenak Minasyants, AEGEE-Europe CD Assistant/Policy Officer on European Integration

Photos courtesy of Tsoline Aleksanyan, AEGEE-Yerevan

No one could have been happier in Alicante than me – I became a Netcommie and was appointed to the British locals.

I studied in Swansea, Wales (the Welsh name is Abertawe, sounds familiar?) for a semester, so this region has a special place in my heart. Fortunately, after a couple of months I had the chance to visit my locals there and have a quite long NetCom Trip in the UK. I spent two weeks with them, and those two weeks were the best days of my autumn. The NetCom can tell you how much I fought for these locals before and during Agora Skopje, because I saw that they still have potential and that the UK is a quite special part of the EU, where we should work hard to implement real European integration.

After a long preparation period, I arrived in Swansea, Wales to AEGEE-Abertawe, where we had several meetings, not only with other societies, but with the Student Union representatives and the International Development Office as well. These are the people who work higher levels and are ready to help AEGEE. The week’s most interesting part wasn’t our visit at the Welsh Assembly Government but our meeting in a real, haunted castle! Can you imagine a better place to talk about the future of AEGEE-Abertawe?

Swansea's haunted castle

My second stop was in Sheffield, a beautiful city with an unbelievably huge Student Union building. I visited AEGEE-Sheffield which had a quite interesting situation. Last year barely anybody was there, an AEGEE-Sheffield member from Liverpool tried to keep the local alive and help Yanike (many thanks to Hannibal!). Their last international event was in February 2010 (the world famous Valentine’s Day event). During my days there, we had the chance to participate in the Fair and have a very successful AEGEE presentation in front of many interested university students, one of whom will also join us at the EBM. AEGEE-Sheffield’s board definitely deserves applause for this!

AEGEE-Sheffield at a study fair

The last stop was pure magic: Durham. First, Harry Potter was filmed here (check the Cathedral, is it familiar from somewhere?), and second, I arrived during the Lumière which makes Durham even more breathtaking. We had a teambuilding, a planning meeting and a board meeting together which was a great opportunity to find the next generation. AEGEE-Durham has more active members than the other locals and I wish even more for them in order to realise all the great plans they have.

And what do these locals and their members have in common, besides their city’s beautiful landscapes? The passion and enthusiasm they have and I saw in their eyes. They are working hard for months and years to keep AEGEE working smoothly in the UK, which is quite hard due to the severe recruitment situation, but they are 100% committed to achieve all the objectives AEGEE is fighting for.

And what they are doing right now is magical: they started to cooperate to realise an event that wasn’t expected by anyone – a Network Meeting in London. They are not alone – more and more AEGEEans appear from the past and present to support them in every way they can.

We don’t have to wait any longer; the British locals are knocking on Europe’s door to show their awesomeness. I will be there. And you?

Written by Beáta Matuszka, AEGEE-Budapest & Network Commission