Radio România Internațional

Tag: decision-making

  • A Summit for the Future of Europe

    A Summit for the Future of Europe

    At the end of a
    long process of European reflection, the city of Sibiu in central Romania
    played host to an informal summit of the European Union on May 9, the day Europe
    celebrates the proclamation of the Schumann Declaration, which would become the
    underlying document of the European Union. The EU27 Summit was focused on the
    future of Europe. Unity is the principle that will set the basis of this
    future, according to the Declaration of Sibiu, which includes the 10
    commitments EU leaders have pledged to the citizens of member states regarding
    their welfare and security. EU leaders have promised that Member States will be
    united and solidary, with a single voice, always seeking common solutions. The
    document also eyes the protection of the European way of life, democracy and
    the rule of law and refers to one of the priorities of the Romanian Presidency
    of the Council of the European Union, namely reducing development gaps within
    the EU. Europe will be a responsible global leader, continuing to work with its
    partners to uphold a rules-based international order. The list of commitments
    is aimed at showcasing the EU’s determination for a common future, against the
    backdrop of the United Kingdom leaving the EU. To what extent can these
    commitments meet the demands at the level of member states? Dan Carbunaru, the
    director of the multimedia portal caleaeuropeana.ro, told Radio Romania:


    There are all sorts of
    Eurobarometers indicating people’s needs with respect to security, economic
    issues and our common perception of the EU. These are drafted in all member
    states, in one form or another. The question is how to deliver. How can
    European institutions find solutions jointly with Member States? There were
    cases where, in times of crisis, concerning issues pertaining to migration or
    economic and financial problems, Member States would blame Brussels, and in
    turn Brussels said it did not have enough power. We must make a decision sooner
    or later, to make this Union better, to make it deliver more and quicker on its
    promises to the citizens. Some speak of the need for a new Treaty, while others
    claim the Lisbon Treaty should be further explored, but at any rate the
    decision rests with us. What is happening right now is not bad. Of course, we
    want more, we want better and faster, but all EU Member States are now on the
    rise economically speaking. The economic and financial crisis and the wave of
    migrants are not as strong and no longer destabilize the continent as they once
    did, from south to north. There are still prospects for a better life at EU
    level.


    Sibiu also
    hosted a debate on the 2019-2024 strategic agenda of the European Union, to be
    adopted by the European Council in June. The agenda includes major objectives,
    such as protecting citizens’ rights and liberties, developing the economic
    basis by mobilizing all relevant policies in the field, or securing a more
    eco-friendly, balanced and inclusive future, while promoting European interests
    and values worldwide. While they may sound general, these goals were formulated
    particularly to allow each member state to promote and support its own
    interests at the negotiation table. Ahead of the summit, 21 heads of state,
    including from Romania, published an open letter, which states that the
    European Union is facing severe challenges. Dan Carbunaru:


    This initiative ensures a comfortable representation of European
    citizens’ interests, at least in terms of numbers. Perhaps it is also proof
    they are right, those who claim decision-making at EU level needs reforming.
    Right now we find ourselves in a very peculiar situation, where both those who
    want to give Europe more powers as wells as those who want Europe to have less
    powers are complaining about insufficient decision-making. Well, talks are
    ongoing in Brussels and some European capitals on this matter, over the way
    decisions are being made. We are now talking about a Declaration, of course,
    but there are other cases where important decisions have to be made by a
    qualified majority, or even by unanimous vote in certain cases, and this has
    often hampered Europe. It might explain why, for instance, while the Americans
    have for months overcome the economic crisis, Europe is still analyzing its
    effects and hesitating which way to go. This won’t be the last crisis we’ve
    seen. The migration crisis is now on the wane, but it can always rebound. The
    economic crisis too, the way capital is circulated around the world, can always
    resurface.


    There are
    currently multiple crises looming over us, Dan Carbunaru said. This is why we
    should have a common vision for our future, one that we can all enjoy equally.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romania supports the idea of involving children in decision-making

    Romania supports the idea of involving children in decision-making

    The future belongs to the young people and this reflects in the social
    policies promoted by the European Union. Holding the rotating presidency of the
    Council of the EU, Romania supports the idea of getting children involved in
    decision making.


    Very often,
    children and teenagers are unable to make their voice heard in public and to
    stand out for their opinions. Some of them though, overcome their fears and
    become representatives of a generation. This is the case of Rares Voicu, a
    16-year old teenager with the Nicolae Iorga High School in Braila, who
    represents his colleagues and is a Junior Ambassador of Romania to the EU:


    Throughout the years, both
    inside and outside school, I felt that my voice was not listened to, when I was
    trying to make my opinions known. I must admit that, most times, I did nothing
    to change that and I chose not to react. Things changed two years ago, when I
    ran for the Students’ County Council, whose motto was Be Your Colleagues’
    Voice. I was terrified at first. Up to that point I had problems with making my
    own voice heard, and I did not know how, all of a sudden, I was supposed to be
    the voice of tens of thousands of students. Little by little, my fears disappeared
    and I learned to be more vocal, tell my opinions out loud and be more firm when
    it comes to voicing them. To my great surprise, I started to be listened to. I
    could not understand what had happened and why, all of a sudden, my opinion started
    to matter. And then I realized that was because I was part of the Students’
    County Council. I had an entire platform supporting me, which allowed me to
    speak on behalf of my colleagues with a certain guarantee that I would also be
    taken seriously.


    To Rares
    Voicu, what is essential is for Europe to take into consideration the opinions
    of its youngest citizens. Rares believes that the right to consultation must be
    defended and promoted in all the EU member states:


    I myself have had this chance, but there are
    millions of children facing the same problem, although our right to be
    consulted and to participate is among our fundamental rights, as it is
    stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We are here to speak
    on behalf of the Romanian and European children. We, as junior ambassadors,
    will draw up Bucharest Children’s Declaration, which is a call on all European
    leaders, and not only. Given the current social background, it’s our duty, as
    citizens in the making, to take a stand and to fight for our rights, children’s
    rights. We want all children in the EU to benefit from the tools that would
    make their voices heard. Dear children, if you hear this message, fight for
    your rights. Speak up, say what you
    think, but at the same time be fair and honest. Keep a critical eye on our
    society, because this is the only way to improve Europe and to render it better
    and really cohesive.


    Pieter
    Bult, the UNICEF representative in Romania, has been in touch with Romanian
    children and he believes that one of the most important duties that the
    European community has is to make sure their expectations, as grown-ups, will not
    be broken:


    Imagine what will happen
    if these issues don’t get addressed, the children grow up and are disappointed
    in kind of what is happening. Imagine what will happen to the future of Europe
    if that is the case. One in four people in Europe are children. They are not
    really engaged in the decision-making processes of the European Union. Yet,
    they have a right to participate. Already 30 years ago we ratified the
    Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every member state of the EU has
    ratified the Convention. Article 12 talks about participation. Yet we have done
    very little to make that right actually reality. It’s not only about the right
    of the child to participate, actually it’s a lot more. When children
    participate, they raise issues, they come with solutions, and yes, they may be
    a little bit out of the box, but they could be thought of and they could
    actually come up with things that are less biased, less in terms of imbued with
    stereotypes less informed by preconceived ideas. Their ideas are actually quite
    relevant. So it is actually in our interest that we have children participate
    in our decision-making processes.


    Gabriela
    Coman is the president of the National Authority for the Protection of Child
    Rights and Adoption. She also gets involved in national programs targeting
    children’s consultation and participation. It was also Gabriela Coman who
    supported such an endeavour in Brussels as well.


    We’re speaking, at long last, about a fundamental
    right of children, which is the right to express their opinion, an opinion which
    the adults need to turn into the opportunity to get involved in a decision. I
    participated, together with the children and Pieter Bult, at the meeting in
    Brussels, where we all heard the opinion of the European Commission, of the
    European Parliament, as regards Romania’s initiative to start such an
    undertaking as part of its presidency of the Council of the European Union. A
    strong Europe is impossible to conceive without taking cohesion into account,
    and we cannot speak about cohesion without the involvement of all citizens. We are
    happy with our accomplishment. We intend to go at all lengths, in our capacity
    as a child protection authority and as a ministry, in order to support the
    turning of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child into a mechanism by means
    of which they can really participate and get involved in the decision-making
    process at European level.


    A
    cohesive European Union needs the participation of youngsters in the process of
    the important decisions that are taken for our continent. Their ideas can be
    the driving engine as regards stability in a society of the future. By the same
    token, youngsters can contribute to promoting the European values all around
    the world.