Living up to, not leaving aside

After the insightful and inspiring sessions with senior academics (in Brussels on 30/10) and frontbench politicians, FEPS, together with FES Brussels, hosted the third workshop within the project ‘Living up to, not living aside’. This session, co-organised with the Young European Socialists, saw a very vigorous exchange with the Youth Leaders about their vision and their expectations when it comes to pioneering the sphere of transnational politics.

The debate under Chatham House Rules evolved around 5 main topics: Transnational campaign and its tools – what is new?; SpiztenKandidatInnen – how to improve the process?; Transnational lists – anything that can be done now?; Role of Manifesto and other documents ahead of the post-electoral negotiations; Post-electoral coordination and transparency of the process. These deliberations also allowed to touch upon the issue of the crisis of traditional parties and what to do to make the party organisations more inclusive, more representative (also for genders, regions and generations) and more open to creative ideas.

The seminar was opened by Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training and Marco Schwarz, Project Officer working on democracy at FES Brussel alongside YES leaders: Enric López Jurado (President) and Sofie Amalie Stage (Secretary General). Next to 14 youth representatives, the event also featured two special appearances by MEP Domenec Ruiz Devesa and Francesco Cerasani from the S&D Group. Kido Koening, FEPS Bureau Member (and Foundation Max van der Stoel‘s Director) moderated the debate.

The outcomes of the workshop will be added to the upcoming report, which will include summaries of all the debates alongside proposals that have been formulated and may be inspiring for progressive decision-makers in the future. The final paper will be available in early 2024 (after the last workshop involving civil society and trade union representatives) and will be released with an accompanying audio-visual material.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Celine Guedes, FEPS Project Officer (celine.guedes@feps-europe.eu)