On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2015, the UEF Political Commission ‘Social Europe and Citizens’ Rights’ and the JEF Political Commission ‘Internal Policies’ will hold a joint meeting at StayOkay to discuss two of the most challenging policy areas facing Europe at present: migration into and mobility within the Union. Registration is still open for local participants residing in Maastricht who don’t require accommodation.
The two sessions on Saturday afternoon will focus on the following:
SESSION I: MOBILITY WITHIN THE EU
For more than two years, free movement of citizens within the EU has become increasingly contested, not least through a public debate on “welfare tourism”. Fears about EU citizens migrating solely for reasons of accessing social benefits have also been reflected in recent legislative changes in several member states such as Germany or the UK where EU citizens now face a much stricter control of their right to free movement. In this session, we will aim at grasping several important questions on mobility of European citizens. Which rights do people who live and work in another member state currently have? How many people are actually mobile within the EU? How do political parties – especially also those on the extreme right – use such arguments for their strategic purposes? And what should be our federalist answer to improve citizens’ mobility rights as they currently stand?
SESSION II: MIGRATION INTO THE EU
Since April 2015, the European Union has faced the most important asylum and migration crisis in its history. The current humanitarian crisis combines different root causes, as many are those who are fleeing from war, persecution and regional conflicts, while others are trying to reach Europe for economic reasons. Both are exploited by criminal smuggling networks, as the legal ways to entry and stay in the EU remain very limited. The objective of this session is to provide some background information on the EU asylum and migration policy, focused on main elements included in the new EU Agenda on Migration adopted in May 2015 and identify areas for discussion, topics where a federal approach is more necessary than ever for facing the current challenges.
This joint meeting’s two-day programme will include input from expert speakers and politicians and feature policy development workshops to examine the issues at stake and to develop Federalist positions on building European solutions.
The meeting is jointly organised by UEF and JEF, in cooperation with JEF Maastricht and JEF Netherlands.
DATES & VENUES
The meeting will be held in Maastricht on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2015 and hosted at the StayOkay. Further information will be provided to registered participants prior to the event.
REGISTRATION
Registration for this event for international participants has now closed. Local participants residing in Maastricht and not requiring accommodation can still register to attend here.
CONDITIONS
For participants from Maastricht, a contribution of €30 is requested if you would like to attend the meal on Saturday evening.
