Dear friends,
AEGEE is organizing a new activity, please find
below the relevant
information. We kindly ask you to distribute this
information in your
organisation.
AEGEE is an abbreviation for Association des Etats
Généraux des Etudiants
de l'Europe (which can be translated with: Forum of
European Students.)
Today AEGEE has approximately 17,000 members
(students and young
professionals from all disciplines) in 278 antennas
spread all over
Europe.
AEGEE is a secular, non-profit making organization,
financial-ly
independent and has no link any political party.
AEGEE aims to promote European cooperation and
integration among young
people, especially those in the student world. These
young people work
together in organising European events to which
members from all over
Europe are invited. This tends to promote the idea
that Europeans must
become more mobile.
OUR EVENT:
"Europe without Borders"
28th of April -2nd of May, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA
The Final Conference of the Yearplan Project
"Borderless Europe"
Organised by AEGEE Cluj-Napoca & AEGEE Europe
The conference will be organised under the patronage
of:
Otto von der Gablenz, Rector of the College of
Europe, Brugge
Graham Watson, Member of the European Parliament,
President of the
Committee on Citizens Rights, Justice and Home
Affairs
Mobility, we believe, is one of the key elements in
building a true
European identity. Only by travelling, living and
working abroad are we
able to discover what we have in common and the
interests and needs we
share. Unfortunately, very often physical and mental
borders are
limiting mobility. Through the Borderless Europe
Project, AEGEE is
giving young Europeans the opportunity to discover
what the concept of
borders has instilled in our societies and
conversely what the concept
of a future Europe without borders would play both
in their personal
lives and the societies they live in.
The " Borderless Europe" Project encourages young
europeans to reflect
on the relation between mobility and an open-minded
mentality,
expressed in tolerance towards other people, other
cultures and other
societies. It encourages them to reflect on the
existence and the
removal of borders, and the consequences for
mobility and solidarity in
Europe.
The Final Conference "Europe without Borders" ,
which will take place in
Cluj-Napoca (Romania) from the 28th of April to the
2nd of May, 2001,
will gather the results of the Borderless Europe
project organised by
several locals in the months before. The
participants 120 will mainly
work in study groups of 20 people. The study groups
will discuss a lot
throughout the four days, concentrating on one of
the themes
identified:
I. State Borders -Origin, Present and Future ;
II. Mental Borders;
III. Visa;
IV. Mobility in Higher Education;
V. Mobility of Labour.
Team building games to create the spirit of the
group, and interactive
workshops will be used to relax the participants
between intensive study
sessions
The Conference will be concluded with a plenary
session in which the
results of the different study groups are presented
and discussed. A
number of representatives of national and
international institutions,
politicians, journalists, representatives of the
private sector,
representatives of NGOs and other European
decision-makers will be
invited to take part in the final discussion.
Thematic Pillars of the "Borderless Europe" Project
I.The Concept of Physical Borders - Origin, Present
and Future
Why do nations and people feel the urge to draw
borders around them and
separate from some and unite with others? What are
the benefits and the
losses nations and people on both sides of these
lines face exactly
because of them?
II. Overcoming Mental Borders
What is the use of erasing physical borders without
eliminating their
mental equivalent? Maybe overcoming specifically
these will be the first
inevitable step so as to tear down the physical
borderlines. If it is
the case, that borders can only fall in an
open-minded European society
wherein people feel truly European, we still have to
ask ourselves how
we can achieve this goal
III. Mobility of European Citizens - Visa
Requirements
Visas continue to be a big obstacle in
East-West-mobility. Procedures
are tedious, bureaucratic and expensive. Do the
benefits of checking
citizens of some countries before being allowed to
enter another
country, justify these lengthy visa procedures?
IV. Mobility in Higher Education
What are the obstacles faced when trying to achieve
a European Higher
Education area? What is the future of SOCRATES
Programme, where is the
Bologna Process leading to?
V. Mobility of Labour
Why are there still so many obstacles when trying to
work in another EU
country? And is it really beneficial to limit
mobility of labour across
European borders with regulations and visa
requirements?
Foreseen programme
Saturday, April 28th 2001
Arrival of participants
City-tour, visits to the Botanical Garden and
museums
Welcome dinner
Welcome party
Sunday, April 29th 2001
09-10 Breakfast
11-13 Official opening / Press Conference
14-16 Lunch
16-18 Workshops
19-21 Cocktail
22 European Night
Monday, April 30th 2001
08-09 Breakfast
09.30-11 Workshops
11-1130. Coffee break
11 30 -13 Workshops
13-15 Lunch
15-16 Workshops
16-16:30 Coffee
16:30-17:30 Workshops
17.30-19 Free time
19-21 Dinner
22-… Surprise party
Tuesday May 1st 2001
08-09 Breakfast
10-11 Workshops
11-11.30 Coffee break
11.30-13 Workshops
13-15 Lunch
15-18 Evaluation of the results
19-21 Traditional Romanian Dinner
Wednesday May 2nd 2001
09-10 Breakfast
10-13 Panel Discussion
13-15 Lunch
15-17 Plenary presentation of the results
18-21 Cocktail
22-… Farewell party
Usefull Information:
Participation fee: 25 EURO EU
Countries
20 EURO NON EU
Countries
Lodging: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
IMPORTANT :
Every application should contain a motivation letter
regarding your
vision on a "Europe without Borders"
!!!!!!WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!!!!!
You can APPLY at:
borderlesseurope@aegee.org
For more information please feel free to write to
the same e-mail
address.
Voichita Radu
AEGEE-Europe
Projects