Postcard from Paris

Paris hosted the European Young Leaders (EYL40) seminar this spring. Under the title ‘Extremities!’, the three-day event attracted over 50 pacesetters from 30 countries to debate the multitude of challenges confronting the continent, including war in Ukraine, climate change, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and rising support for extremist politics in the run-up to June’s European Parliament elections.

The meeting highlighted the EYL40 programme’s unique mix of backgrounds and expertise bringing in young talents from business, tech, politics, academia, journalism, civil society, science, sports and the arts.

UKRAINE: A FRIEND IN NEED

With the war in Europe now in its third year, Ukraine’s resistance to Russian invasion was a theme running through the seminar. “The Ukrainian people … have shown that they are really friends of Europe. In their hour of difficulty, we must show we are real friends of Ukraine. A friend in need is a friend indeed,” stated Jan Emeryk Rościszewski, Poland’s Ambassador to France, who launched the debates in the country’s embassy on day one of the seminar.

2024 EYL Olga Rudenko, Editor-in-Chief of the Kyiv Independent, briefed on the challenges of independent journalism in wartime and Anastasiya Shapochkina, President and Founder of the Eastern Circles geoeconomics think tank, and Associate Professor at Sciences Po Paris, led a discussion on Europe’s response to the war.

“It’s so fundamental. We are not going to deal with all the challenges we face,​ if we don’t continue to support Ukraine, not as some charity but as part of the defence of our own democracies,” concluded Geert Cami, Co-Founder and Secretary General of Friends of Europe, and Co-Founder and Co-Secretary General of the Africa-Europe Foundation.

SPORTING SANCTIONS

In a session on the role of sports in society, Ari-Pekka Liukkonen, Olympic swimmer, Member of the Jyväskylä City Council and 2024 EYL40, said the war should lead to Russia’s exclusion from the Paris Olympic Games this summer. “Russians are using sports as a weapon to build their national identity,” he said. “Sport in Russia is part of their propaganda machine and part of their politics.”

The Ukraine war tops a list of priority issues facing the European Union along with EU enlargement, defence and climate change, said Pascal Lamy, Vice-President of the Paris Peace Forum, Coordinator of the Jacques Delors Think Tanks, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and EU Commissioner, Trustee of Friends of Europe. Of those challenges, Ukraine is the one keeping him awake, Lamy confessed.

MELTDOWN

The growing urgency of the climate crisis was underscored by a presentation from Heïdi Sevestre, Glaciologist, Deputy Secretary of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and 2024 EYL40. She highlighted the alarming pace of Arctic sea-ice melting and the rapid shrinking of the world’s permafrost zone. That shows the Earth is fast approaching a series of tipping points towards irreversible climate damage. “What I see on a daily basis is a world that is absolutely collapsing […] it is absolutely terrifying,” Sevestre told the group.

Among the EYL40 there were calls for better messaging from politicians and civil society to communicate the urgency of the situation and convince citizens that climate action – as well as being essential for the future of the planet – can also bring direct economic benefits for citizens, boosting growth and creating green jobs.

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Europe also needs to get its act together to protect its values and interests as it faces growing strategic competition from the likes of China and Russia, plus uncertainty over the transatlantic link as the US presidential elections loom in November.

EYL40s had an animated discussion with Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, French Minister of State for Development and International Partnerships, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Co-Chair of the Strategy Groups of the Africa-Europe Foundation.

They looked at how to develop win-win partnerships with countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East in the face of such rivalries. “If we want to be a geopolitical Europe, we have to have one voice and one vision, and this is what is missing at the moment,” she said. “Global challenges, need global solutions.”

DON’T HATE US

Other issues underscored the diverse experiences of the EYL40 group. Discussions ranged from the risks and opportunities of AI, using taxation for good and deciding on the right policies for Europe now, so that future generations ‘don’t hate us’.

In a public debate joined by local citizens, Chloé Ridel, Co-founder of Mieux Voter and spokesperson of the French Socialist Party, said the EU needs to build more solidarity, based on its positive policy responses to COVID-19, climate change and the war in Ukraine. “We have to counter the backlash of the far-right parties that are gaining more votes across Europe,” she said. “We have to build on what we did in response to all those crises, we have to make that the normal way of acting in Europe.”

10 POLICY CHOICES FOR A RENEWED SOCIAL CONTRACT FOR EUROPE

Discussions were supported by Friends of Europe’s two recent publications, 10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe and 2024 Voices – Citizens Speak Up!, which have emerged from consultations with citizens and stakeholders across Europe. These two reports mark the start of a vital process that engages with the very fabric of European society.

The European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme represents an alternative leadership for an inspiring Europe. Motivated by the urgent need to tackle the increasing disconnect between citizens and policymakers, and to rebuild the trust that is vital to democracies, Friends of Europe launched the EYL40 leadership programme in 2012.

Today, the EYL40 network includes 400+ trailblazers from Europe, the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, including exceptional business and civil society leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs, academics, artists, scientists, journalists and athletes, among many others.

The EYL40 programme is supported by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, Fondazione Cariplo and Coca-Cola in Europe, and co-funded by the European Union.

Stay tuned for the release of the spring seminar’s full event report. In the meantime, read more about the seminar here and browse EYL40 updates on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn, and check out the #EYL40Paris & #EYL40 hashtags.

You may also like our daily highlights of the seminar’s discussions:

1. Day 1 – EYLs engage with their peers and citizens in Paris
2. Day 2 – How do we prepare for extremities of weather and more?
3. Day 3 – Global challenges need global solutions