Europese Commissie: 'verhoging van jeugdparticipatie binnen Europa is van groot belang' (en)
President of the European Commission
Introductory Remarks
Press point following meeting with the Presidents and representatives of the "Youth of The European People's Party", the "Young European Socialists" and the "European Liberal Youth"
Brussels, 12 May 2009
I would like to warmly welcome the leaders and representatives of European party political youth organizations, namely: the "Youth of the European People's Party", the "Young European Socialists" and the "European Liberal Youth".
They have just adopted a joint declaration and they presented it to myself and also to Vice President Wallström i and Commissioner Kuneva i this morning.
This joint declaration is not more and not less than a loud and urgent call, across geographic and party-borders, to all young Europeans to vote in the European elections.
I fully agree with the main message of the young organizations of political parties in Europe: They say: "When young people participate, and representatives provide effective solutions, Europe becomes stronger!"
Europe matters for young people because it is their future. And Europe needs young people because they are our European future.
If young people do not engage in Europe and in the European elections, they miss the opportunity to build their own and common European future.
Young people's choices will set Europe's direction for the next 5 years in order to...
...find a way out of the financial and economic crisis and creating more and better jobs for young people.
....to put our economies and our societies on a sustainable footing, to fight climate change, to create a true common energy policy.
...and to empower, to protect and to support young Europeans to make the best of their lives in a globalised world.
I firmly believe that today's young people can build tomorrow's Europe and I want once again to congratulate the three leaders for their commitment. Of course they have different political views, we have discussed it during our meeting, but they have a shared commitment to the EU project, namely in terms of participation in the European elections.
As the President of the European Commission, I want to support their appeal for an active participation of all Europeans in the European Parliament elections.