ECCE

Europe, Teenagers and Thoughts

Teenagers maybe don´t know so much about the EU and Europe, but they have lots of thoughts about it. This is according to our questionnaire that we did with students , aged sixteen to nineteen. Maybe teenagers have to be more absorb about the questions. The EU has bigger influence on there lives, then they think. In a couple of years the EU is going to have a new constitution, and that is also going to change very much in the member states´ law system.

It is a big question about the new constitution and if they should have a people referendum. But in Sweden it is only two small parties that wants it's but the biggest don't want it. The left party and the green party are against the new constitution, and all the right wings parties want the EU's new laws here in Sweden. Great Britain are going to have a people referendum but in Italy it is more uncertain if that is going to happene and the same in Sweden.

Europe and the EU isn't the same thing

Europe is a large piece of land with many different nations. The EU is an organisation where 25 of the European nations can cooperate. Many youth know the difference of this too. But there are some that think about the EU when they say Europe, and that is fairly logical.

The EU, our own government?

Most of the youth think that the EU has too much power over each state in the EU. But the decision don't have to be good for all the states. For some states the new constitution can be worse then their own laws are. Teenagers think that the states have their own right to make their own decisions. In some cases it can be good to have an organisation that tie the European countries together, and of course it can decrease the risk for war in Europe. The EU is also a good place that the European states can discuss common questions.

A Superpower, something for Europe?

The Youth have a very different approach about this question. But one thing they all agree with, that the United States of America has too much power that they are using wrong, according to our questionnaire. One of the persons who answered the form wrote that she “hoped that Europe wold be a natural superpower that would use the power in a correct way.” Simultaneously it was some ones who thought that Europe would be too power-hungry, and do the same mistakes as the U.S. is doing.

Questions to be discussed

Why not have a people referendum about the new constitution. Here in Sweden the most of the parliamentary thinks that we shouldn´t have that. But we think that it is important that people make there voice heard in the decision about the new constitution. What do you think in Italy and Great Britain, about this question? Do you think that everybody should have a people referendum, or do you think that the national parliament should decide it? In one way the national parliament should take the decision, because we have vote for them to make decisions like this. But anyway we are democratic countries, and people should have the right to vote.

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