A European story of success on the day of Europe

63 years ago, 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman made one of the most important steps towards an utterly new form of European cooperation. Today, the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community is considered to be a crucial milestone of the humpy road leading to nowadays European Union. Although the lengthy story of the European integration process has seen many downturns, it significantly changed the modern economic, social and political landscape of the continent. The European model gave example to many other international cooperation in the world, however many of the achievements are being faded away in the shadow of the rapidly changing world and the recent economic crisis. May 9 is a great occasion not only to celebrate the concept of Europe, but to think about the prospects of  the continent and all the young European people who will shape its future.

The achievements and successes of the European Union are many, however there is one which definitely emerges from the line. This is the success story of the youth mobility programmes implemented by the European Commission. The boosting inter-communitarian commerce, the higher level of economic cooperation and rising GDP are all useless things without lasting results in the field of society. The concept of development also contains the advancement of the society which cannot be achieved without a greater level of social cohesion. In the case of Europe - which is formed by a huge variety of nations and languages - social cohesion occupies an even more important role. One of the greatest ideas of the former leaders of the EU was the creation of  programmes like Erasmus and EVS, without which, the greater level of European social cohesion would be an unrealistic dream.

In the time of a fierce global economic competition, Europe - without any doubts - needs unity and a higher level of understanding and collaboration. Europe’s social cohesion has always been on the Union’s agenda, however there is still a long way to go to accomplish the goals. On the way to achieve the common objectives, the new European youth will have a significant role. The Community and its citizens have invested an enormous amount of money into specific mobility programmes in order to take advantage of its benefits in the future. The prospective progress will be promoted by the new European youth who absorbed the main principles of tolerance, fraternity, and mutual understanding during their Erasmus or EVS time. As their time rapidly approaches, the new leaders of this old continent will definitely face harsh challenges with regard to several recent problems like the ageing of the society, the reform of welfare states, the sustainability of the economic development,  the reinforcing national interest and the emerging intolerance and racial hatred in some parts of Europe just to mention a few of them.  

As an ex-Erasmus student and a present EVS volunteer, I feel privileged that I could learn in a formal and non-formal way in the school of the European Union. “Once Erasmus, always Erasmus” – those ones who have ever participated an Erasmus exchange programme know what I am talking about. For more than 25 years several thousand young European students take the chance to study few months abroad. Young people from all over the continent come together to share their ideas, languages, costumes and whatever they can share, while making friendships (or even love) for a lifetime. For the majority of them the experience turns out to be unforgettable which leaves its mark on their lives. With the best semester of my uni career in Verona behind my back, I am only one of them. Now, I’m sitting here in the office of Via Angera in Milan where the other mobility program of the EU, the EVS led my way. Although not many young people know about this latter called the European Voluntary Service, it’s even a better chance to get known with another country while contributing to a social case. If you didn’t use any of this possibilities, now it’s your time to do it.

And what about the future of the above mentioned mobility programmes? Seemingly, the world economic crisis has only strengthened the faith of the European leaders who are destined to drive the community towards a higher level of integration. Starting with the commence of the next long term EU-budget (2014), the so called “Erasmus for All” programme will unite the advantages of the old time’s Erasmus and EVS. The “Erasmus for all”  strives to involve more European young people than before and it also has a special budget to increase the mobility in the field of sport. Despite the harsh financial circumstances, the Community invests even more money to continue its most successful story in order to pave the way for a higher level of social cohesion without which the real development of Europe is not obtainable. The words of Jose Manuel Barroso seem to be adequate in this relation: “More European Unity is the best answer to globalization” 

23rd African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival in Milan

If you keen on superhero movies or those ones with full of bloodshed and violence, this short post is definitely not for you…On the occasion of the 23^rd African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival in Milan, I can finally express what I think about the immense quantity of American rubbish which dominates nowadays media and affects the thinking of the majority of the society.

Not surprisingly, we still live in a world which is controlled by U.S. financial, economic and military interests, however the cultural influence of the States is proved to be the most evident and visible for us. Besides the fact that you can read these lines in English, simply just think about what do you need for a perfect night in a shopping mall, the new church of nowadays society, the oasis of consumption. The ingredients are the following: an extra hamburger in Mc Donald’s which is followed by a huge Popcorn and ice-cold Coca-Cola (oooh my good I will see my name in the bottles, I am so excited -_-) in the cinema, and of course a superhero movie during which the world is being saved by some idiot dressed in a crappy mask. This is the receipt of the perfect superficial satisfaction; you don’t even have to think about anything. It’s enough if you just open your eyes in front of the marvelous actions, explosions, high speed car chasing and enjoy the view of the massacre and bloodshed. 3D, 4D, 5D, HD you can get whatever you want in whatever stunning quality. And the story? If it’s the regular superhero movie, don’t worry the world will be saved (sooner or later, maybe in the next episode) while you can also taste the flavor of love which is made by an everyday human creature (preferably a supermodel, which represents the ‘average’ American women) and the world saver, handsome superhero. Fancy for an action movie? Then go and watch the 1234565. episode of Fast and Furious, but why not Die Hard for the X time? You can also get a nice piece of Tarantino during which the re-re-reloaded Kill Bill’s Kiddo, now in the form of an infuriated slave, Django walks and slaughters everyone who he meets on his way. Bang. That’s what you need…

While the cinema is being flooded with Ironman, Captain America and their mates, the real assets are hidden by the shadow of these crappy American mainstream movies. Have you ever though abut breaking out of the circle to watch a little bit different movie? A film with some kind of message that makes you think about some crucial issues of (your) life? A piece with a little less explosions, 3D effects and spectacle. No doubt, it can be American (yes there are a lot of ‘different’ American movies), European, Asian, African, Latin American etc. Just look for the real assets of the film industry, not for those ones which are created only for financial interests. You won’t regret it.

If You are in Milan, now You have the chance to see something different, don’t miss it:

http://www.festivalcinemaafricano.org/eng/

New Italian government with Josefa Idem

Numerous days after the parliamentary elections in February, Italy finally has a new government. As a result of a historical deal, the lengthy political deadlock ended and a broad-based coalition government was set up with the leading of PD member Enrico Letta.  

As a great pleasure for us, Josefa Idem was nominated as the Minister for Equal Opportunities and Sports of this country. You might remember, she is the World and Olympic champion sprint canoer who received the award of our foundation in mid-January, 2013. With this post I would like to send our congratulations and wish her all the best for the upcoming four years! 

A day to remember: April 25

 

On the Liberation Day of Italy, the anniversary of the 1945 fall of Mussolini’s Italian Social Republic, this article goes to those Italians who are a little bit interested in the political landscape elsewhere in Europe. As an exception in the line this article was written in Italian, however it also goes to Hungarians who do not have a similar occasion to remember the fall of fascism. 

Il 25 aprile ed il pericolo di estrema destra in Ungheria

L’anniversario della Resistenza, il 25 aprile sta davanti a noi. Il popolo italiano ricorderà  alla liberazione del paese dal fascismo, ma anche alla tragedia della seconda  guerra mondiale. Il 25 aprile rappresenta un giorno fondamentale per la storia d’Italia, che ha il suo significato anche questi giorni. La festa nazionale in questione, non è solo un bell’occasione di non andare a lavoro, ma anche un giorno per ricordare tutto quello che è avvenuto durante i tempi più vergognosi del ventesimo secolo. All’anniversario si ricorda alla liberazione del “bel paese”, ma bisogna ricordarsi anche del pericolo dell’estrema destra ed ogni tipo di estremismo che non sono affatto scomparsi e sono ancora presenti nel nostro continente. Come la memoria della guerra si sta allontanando, da qualche parte in Europa ci sono molte persone che dimenticano la lezione. Da questo punto di vista la parte dell’Est di Europa è in una situazione meno favorevole rispetto quella parte dell’Ovest. Nel  giorno che commemora la resistenza e la liberazione, quest’articolo si dedica ad un paese ex comunista, l’Ungheria, dove il pericolo dell’estrema destra è nuovamente emerso ponendo il futuro di questo paese a rischio.

Prima di tutto bisogna dichiarare un fatto: sebbene tanti lo credano, l’Ungheria fino ad ora non è un paese fascista. I media internazionali sono inclini ad esagerare i fatti reali e qualche volta cercano l’attenzione ed interpretano gli avvenimenti in un modo sbagliato ed allarmante. Con questo non intendo dire che il governo centrodestra di Fidesz, non abbia prevaricato con il suo potere dopo aver vinto trionfalmente gli elezioni di 2010. Anzi, le modifiche liberticide alla Costituzione, così come le limitazioni al potere giudiziario o le limitazioni della libertà di stampa sono provvedimenti che non possono essere giudicati in modo positivo. Nonostante questi atti, il presente governo fa quello che i precedenti non hanno fatto fino ad ora guidando il paese in una difficile situazione economica. Il governo ungherese ha deciso di favorire le riforme essenziali, mettendo il bilancio dello stato in equilibrio, seguendo un stretto piano finanziario. Molti discutono le riforme dell’istruzione superiore, ma essendo il sistema insostenibile, un cambiamento fondamentale è stato inevitabile (anche se il governo ha sbagliato in tanti punti). Ci sono altri provvedimenti che non sembrano “europei”, ma che nella realtà sono stati necessari per evitare la totale vulnerabilità del paese in un mondo che sta cambiando velocemente. Bisogna sottolineare il fatto che dentro la Comunità Europea ci sono diversi interessi dei paesi ed esistono anche diversi punti di vista, perciò non è facile capire la situazione economica-politica degli altri, soprattutto di quelli che stanno attraversando un periodo difficile (come l’Europa  del Sud). A dire il vero, neanche per me, studente di relazioni internazionali (o meglio dire di scienze politiche), non è stato facile capire la realtà italiana per quanto riguarda la situazione recente del palcoscenico politico. 

Ma tutto ciò che ho descritto è stato solo un lato della realtà. Esiste un lato oscuro che può riguardare non solo il futuro dell’Ungheria, ma il futuro di tutta la parte Est del nostro continente. Si tratta del pericolo di estrema destra. Una delle grande colpe di questo governo è che sta creando uno spazio vantaggioso e un terreno fertile per le idee di estrema destra, le quali sono intrise di xenofobia, discriminazione ed odio razziale. Il presente governo di centro-destra non ha la capacità (oppure non la vuole) di dissociarsi dall’estrema destra e dalle persone che la rappresentano. Il numero dei politici decenti è basso e il loro potere non sembra di essere in grado di fermare il processo. Nonostante che uno dei principali obbiettivi del governo sia l’integrazione dei rom, alcune settimane fa persone vicine all’estrema destra sono state insignite di premi ufficiali dello stato magiaro. Uno di quelli, il giornalista Ferenc Szaniszlo, nel 2011 definì “scimmie” i rom, mentre l’altro, l’archeologo Kornel Bakay, è conosciuto per le sue teorie antisemite. Oltre questi atti, un altro personaggio ben conosciuto del paese, Zsolt Bayer che è uno dei fondatori del Fidesz, dopo un atto di cronaca nera, ha espresso la sua rabbia contro i rom in un modo inumano chiamandoli “animali”. Essendo un buon amico del primo ministro, non ha subito nessuna condanna ufficiale dal partito in governo.

Secondo alcuni ricercatori dell'estremismo radicale, se il partito al potere non si dissocia dalle idee estremiste, può essere che quelle divengano parte integrante dell’opinione pubblica. Non è un segreto che la maggior parte della società dei paesi ex comunisti abbraccia pregiudizi contro le minoranze etniche,  ma se quei pregiudizi vengono affermati da un canale ufficiale, anche la speranza nella coesione sociale e nell’integrazione dei rom emarginati diminuirà radicalmente. In una società priva di coesione, dove tra la povertà e l’etnicità si forma una relazione stretta, molto probabilmente le tensioni etniche fioriscono. A questo punto entra in gioco e nella partita l'estrema destra dello Jobbik che già rappresenta la terza forza politica in Ungheria. I problemi gravi della comunità rom, le condizioni economiche degradate e l’intolleranza della maggior parte dei cittadini potranno costituire le condizioni perfette per il partito che può influenzare il futuro del paese. Anche se tanti percepiscono il recente governo ungherese come il “golpe bianco” dell’Europa, in realtà non lo è, ma i suoi atti possono aprire la via per la vera minaccia, che si chiama l’estrema destra. 

Il 25 aprile è un ottimo giorno per ricordare al passato, e occorre pensare anche al futuro, non solo in Italia ma anche nei altri paesi del mondo. Durante questa festa nazionale italiana i cittadini europei devono ricordare al vecchio proverbio: “chi non conosce la storia è condannato a ripeterla.”

Bence Garamvolgyi

un cittadino del paese in questione

 

It’s all about Italy, even if you are in Hungary

Just after three months time spent in Italy one of the longest weeks has arrived. Let’s say that almost everything is included in these seven days:  giving a presentation in Hungary, getting ready for the exam period back home, organizing our first table soccer tournament, visiting San Siro for a prestigious game  and of course participating in some memorable parties. But how did it all started ?

As the date of my graduation rapidly approaches, I wanted to capitalize on the chance to participate in the well-known Hungarian university student competition, called “OTDK”. In brief words, the main aim of this whole competition is to promote the personal advancement in the chosen field of study and to pave the way towards young student’s future research career. The works prepared for this event can serve as the basis of the final theses or also as an initial step towards a future, serious  research. As I was always interested in the issues of nationalism, ethnicity and ethnic conflict, I decided to chose the topic of the public support of radical-right parties in the region of Central-Eastern-Europe (CEE). I investigated the possible links between the territorial percentage of ethnic and national minorities, the territorial economic development and the voter’s backing of anti-minority radical-right parties, just like the Hungarian Jobbik or the Bulgarian Ataka.

In order to present my work, I had to return to Hungary. It was a fast run: only four days in my country, out of which two nights in the scene of the event, one night (of course spent with party)  in my hometown and one short night in the capital city, Budapest. The presentation went quite well, however I already knew that I did not have chance to reach one of the first three places.

The first place was conquered by a girl who presented her research on the notorious scandal, called  “Tangetopoli” which shocked Italy in the early 90’s. In the beginning of the presentation I thought it’s all going to be about the chronological enumeration of the happenings, but later I had to find out it’s going to be more complex than it seems. Even though I did not read her research, I am pretty sure that she had invested an enormous amount of energy to her work, being one of the most complicated topics of the modern-age Italian political history. On the basis of her presentation she investigated the connections between corrupt politicians and business men, while applying the network theory on the whole case. I guess her topic would even worth a publication here in Italy as many of the Italians don’t know anything about the corrupt networks of that age. The only question which remains, whether anyone here in Italy has done something similar before.

Besides this outstanding work, another paper concerning the situation in South-Italy was awarded with the third place. Veronika Patkòs, a former  Erasmus student in Bologna, has done a comprehensive research on the roots of the differences between the north and south part of Italy while revealing the causes of the economic backwardness of the latter. She also investigated the electoral behaviour of the South-Italian citizens especially focusing on women.

Hereby I would like to take the chance to congratulate them; they rocked this competition with their Italy-related works.

Seems like, that it’s all about Italy, even when you are in Hungary : )

Regarding this weekend we will have a packed program as two of my friends – Adam and Albert- came to visit me today. The upcoming days won’t be full of entertainment, as on Sunday our first table soccer tournament will take place in Bresso within the frameworks of  the local “Happy Sport” event. If You are eventually here in Milan or Lombardy do not hesitate to subscribe!

18 days of travel around Italy

As almost three weeks passed without updating my blog, now it’s high time to do it. In the meantime, probably many of you could not sleep without reading my new posts, however I have a good reason for my laziness. We spent 18 days far far away from our beloved city, Milan, but now I am back to provide a concise summery on all the magical things that happened to us in this period.

1^st part: International Workshop in La Spezia:  “organization and hostility are two different things”

God was in a good mood when he gave us the chance to participate in this unforgettable event. The title of the Grundtvig workshop was the following:  MIR  Project: Roma and Migrants Inclusion– La Spezia Italy. The main aim of the event was to unite representatives of social NGO’s from the CEE and SEE part of the continent in order to gain a better knowledge on the social inclusion of Migrants and Roma and also to exchange the experiences on this field by the help of the Italian partner. As far as I know, these Grundtvig Workshops are aiming to promote the life-long learning and mutual understanding among the citizens of the EU and some other countries. Even though the program was not the part of my EVS, my supervisors let me to represent the Polgár Foundation from Hungary. During this task, I had the pleasure to work with Katalin Sattler who is also a volunteer at the above mentioned foundation.

Well, did this workshop accomplish its main goal?  If you ask me, I would say without any hesitation: no….. oww but why am I so rigorous regarding the final evaluation??  My arguments are the following:

• Imagine an international workshop which official language is Italian but the majority of the participants not speaking that language and the organizers disregarding this fact..
• Imagine an international workshop on Migrants and Roma with hardly any meaningful discussion on the situation of Roma  /or the more relevant migrants in Italy/ and only facing other’s opinion on the last day..
• Imagine a workshop on Migrants and Roma during which you participate on a pottery activity with mentally disabled people (without having any problem with them) and not meeting any members of the target groups..
• Imagine someone who is expecting to learn something new on the topic of the workshop and almost not getting anything new, but a nice holiday in the region of Liguria, while staying in a four star hotel..

But to tell something positive about this event:

• Undoubtedly, the food and the hospitality was above expectation. Sometimes I had the feeling that the ultimate goal of this workshop is to get know with the special dishes of the region. Just enough to imagine a breakfast in a four star hotel followed by a three course lunch and of course a three course dinner. I already knew that Italy is all about food, but now I’m one of the most convinced men on the globe..                                                           
• Having an unbound schedule, we had the chance to travel around the region. We managed to visit marvellous places like the Cinque Terre or Pisa..
• Last but not least, we met some really nice people and we managed to do some networking which can even affect the future of our EVS  in Italy. Disregarding the organization, I consider this event as a great chance to build and strengthen working relationship that could have a positive impact on one’s career.

2^nd part: Intensive EVS Training isolated from the outside world

After spending 10 days in La Spezia we returned to Milan for one weekend to prepare ourselves for the next challenge: the obligatory EVS arrival training (two months exactly after we arrived).

This training is prescribed by the European Commission for all those volunteers who are staying for more than half year in a different country of origin. The event took place in another four star hotel 30 kms from Naples, isolated from the outside world.

Obviously, a Grundtvig workshop for adults and an EVS arrival training for young people cannot be compared (taking into account their different target groups and purposes), however I can say that this latter one has greatly satisfied our expectations and just in contrary to the former one, we did not have to think about “the reasons of participating”. It’s partly because we did not have time to think about it (the program was so packed) and partly because we absorbed some useful information regarding our voluntary service (intercultural dialogue, conflict management, team building, prejudices) that legitimated our participation. The activities were organized by an experienced and friendly staff and the group of fellow European Volunteers proved to be a great company! Notwithstanding that some crucial questions remained like “How does Napoli look like?” I can affirm that we really had a great time there.

Instead of the empty words let the photos speak to describe what has happened to us, during the last week:

Thank You guys once more, hopefully see you again!