Peace has been and remains a permanent ideal and aspiration. However, violence, civil strife and conflict continue to define the lives of millions. In times of unprecedented communication, opportunities, migration and interconnectedness, the risks to peace also lie in the inequalities, fanaticism, and marginalisation of vulnerable groups, as well as the rejection and ignorance of other cultures, together with their traditions, beliefs and histories. How can the EU and civil society integrate art, culture and education into conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies and programmes?
In the wake of the ever-changing and complex landscape of natural disasters and armed conflicts worldwide, political and diplomatic solutions are seemingly harder to find, while thousands of human lives are endangered and lost every day. How can the EU rethink its humanitarian aid policy to ensure that it supports longer-term development, while also meeting the short-term needs of humanitarian emergencies?
Tax evasion and tax avoidance by Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) have grave consequences on the Member States, which may be bearing costs of up to €1.11 trillion per year. The missing link of the puzzle is the blurry link between real economic activity and taxation. Seeing that many countries are, in this way, missing crucial sources of income, how can Member States cooperatively tackle this problem?
Epidemic and pandemic diseases are among the greatest of all threats to human health and security, even though its risks remain widely underestimated and the world’s preparedness and capacity to respond is woefully insufficient. After more than 11,000 deaths caused by the Ebola epidemic, major outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and the pandemics of H1N1 and H5N1 influenza, the Zika virus now brings grave concern in an increasingly globalised and connected world that makes disease transmission across borders a very dangerous reality. The UN believes the World Health Organisation should be the single global health leader in tackling these issues, but what measures should it prioritise and what role should other stakeholders take to help?
Human influence is driving our climate to uncharted territory, with 2015 smashing the record for the hottest year since reporting began in 1850. For two consecutive years, worldwide greenhouse gas emission levels have stalled, but there has not yet been a year that witnessed their effective decline. The Paris agreement committed the world to limit warming to below 2C compared to pre-industrial times, but an economic paradigm shift in the energy sector is imperative for effective progress to be made and further environmental impacts avoided. How can the EU further promote green renewable energy and energy efficiency whilst making them affordable for all and not hinder economic development?
With overly lengthy political discussion and short-term band-aid solutions being implemented, the world struggles to provide an adequate and concerted answer to the unceasing flow of migrants now reaching the shores of countries all over the globe. But eyes need also be turned to the refugees already given asylum by these countries, and their place in a society new to their eyes. What can be done to effectively avoid segregation and integrate refugees in a country’s workforce and cultural background?
In 2015, 90% of migrants travelling to Europe were illegally smuggled into its territories. Transnational organised crime groups are taking advantage of the demographic crisis in the Mediterranean to make huge profits. People smuggling offers illegal passage of migrants across borders in return for payment, with little or no regard for their safety and wellbeing. With the advent of new technologies and complex routes that rapidly change, people smuggling is a low-risk and high-reward business that takes advantage of the most vulnerable, often continuing to exploit them after they arrive in the country of destination. In light of the thousands of people being trafficked into Europe in recent years, how can the EU make people smuggling less appealing for criminals and migrants alike?
Following the terror attacks in Europe over the last year, the European Union and its Member States were put in a persistent state of alert, with both calling for new measures to address the increasing and widespread threat of terrorist attacks. How can the EU tackle terrorist activity and recruitment through the internet and social media while ensuring freedom of internet and privacy of citizens?