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Interview of Svenja Hahn President of European Liberal Youth

Interview of Svenja Hahn President of European Liberal Youth

You are a president to a European liberal youth organisation. What do you think the biggest challen...

Published 5 years ago

You are a president to a European liberal youth organisation. What do you think the biggest challenges to young people are, and what are the challenges to young liberals specifically?


As a pro European Youth Organisation we want to hear a loud and clear “Yes” to the European Union and see an ambitious concept to reshape it for the better. We want a European Union that speaks with one voice and that is ready to take up the challenges of our time. In July we made a survey among our member organisations where we asked for their priorities for the next European elections and what topics they would like to focus our political activities on. By a large margin six areas where deemed most important: Migration and refugee crisis; security and defence; climate change, environment and energy; digitalization and innovation; education, labour market and youth unemployment and the future of the EU in itself with the need for institutional reforms and the need to stand up for our values. This shows how broad the interests of the youth are but how much awareness there is for the pressing issues of our times. To liberals it is especially  important to find a balanced way forward that takes the different situations of member states into account but that is strong on values while pushing for reforms.


Liberals often call for mobility but also for equal rights. What is your take on those matters from the perspective of education, youth unemployment and migration in a time when more and more people turn to national protectionism?


To us as youth politicians education and youth unemployment are highly important topics. National protectionism isn’t the answer to any of the current challenges the EU is facing. Neither is simply more EU. The answer is to have a smarter, better functioning EU with an ever closer cooperation. As a youth organization we work for a European Union in which it truly does not matter in which country a young person was born, raised and educated. This means equal chances in life, where the family background doesn’t matter, it includes fair access to education and training and furthermore acceptance of degrees and certificates in all EU member states so that young people can actually make use of the freedoms like free movement and be part of a prospering society.


And especially for the handling of Migration nationalism can’t be a solution. We believe that the European Union must create rules and frameworks for legal migration and for asylum seekers coming into the EU. Only together we can find a lasting solution.


You are participating in a seminar devoted on youth civic inclusion. Why do you believe it is important? Are young people interested in policy making at all and do they have the life experience for politics and civil engagement?


Every young politician has at least once been told “you are too young, you have too little experience”. But that is exactly the strength of young people. We have the courage to try something new, to propose something that has never been done before. Just because something has always been done in a specific way won’t hold us back. Politics and civil engagement needs to be as diverse as society therefore we need all different kind of people shaping our future. Everyone can add a special something.


The seminar you are participating in is organised by the Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the organisation. How do you evaluate your cooperation with Youth MRF on an international level?


Youth MRF has always been a reliable partner on international level and a key partner for us in the region to work for liberalism and freedom. They are our biggest full member organisation and have a strong track record of contributing to our policies and organisation, at the moment from their ranks Antoaneta Asenova is serving as LYMEC policy officer and therefore significantly shaping the positioning of the organisation. Even more especially YMRF president and MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk is a close ally in our work for giving young people a voice in European politics.