35 young people from Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine participated in a simulation of the Eastern Partnership Summit

The European Institute of Politics and Reforms (IPRE) organized the second edition of the Summer School entitled “Youth Eastern Partnership Summit 2017” which was held form the 2nd – 4th August 2017 and was attended by 35 young people from the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, eager to learn more about the processes and opportunities of European integration.

The purpose of the Summer School was to inform and strengthen the links between the young people from the three Eastern Partnership countries and it included a series of trainings and debates, as well as several information sessions regarding the relationship with the European Union and the Eastern Partnership.

“The Summer School organized by IPRE aims to contribute to the deepening of young people’s knowledge of the European Union by organizing several information sessions and discussions regarding the Eastern Partnership. Additionally, in order to achieve the established goals, the participants had the opportunity to exchange views with several experts in the field, as well as EU representatives, who talked about the vision, the experience and the future of the Eastern Partnership. This Summer School edition was special because we managed to have participants from three countries and I believe that it will be this group of people who will contribute to the completion process of integration of their countries into the European Union”, stated Iulian Groza, the executive director at IPRE.

The event simulated the Eastern Partnership Summit where each participant of the Summer School was assigned to play the role of the head of State or Government of the EU Member States, the Eastern Partnership and a representative of the EU institutions (e.g. the President of the European Council).

Robert KIRNAG, the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in Moldova, attended the first day of the Summer School. In his speech the Ambassador addressed the past challenges encountered by his country during the integration process, as well as the tangible results of its accession to the EU. During the second half of the day, the participants engaged in a series of debates, including a quiz game containing various questions related to the EU.

“I was lucky to represent my country Georgia and I did my best to protect my country’s interests at this Summit. I see education as one of the most important aspects. Such platforms contribute to development of young leaders, allowing them to collaborate and build relationships, which can be very useful in the future” said Raul Labadze.

During the first part of the second day, the participants had the opportunity to hear from EU high level officials about the working state of the Eastern Partnership, as well as the vision of the Ambassadors of the countries associated with this process. During the second part of the day, the young people participated in a series of workshops in which they discussed the challenges of the Eastern Partnership’s future and the implementation of the Association Agreement/DCFTA in the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine.

“I just returned from an internship at the European Parliament in Belgium, and by coincidence I got to represent Belgium at this Summit. I think that at this moment young people must put pressure on the governments of their respective countries in order to voice our position and to emphasize the desire of real changes”, said Anton Dubinskyi from Ukraine.

On the last day of the Summer School, after completing all information sessions and the final debate, the participants drafted and approved a Joint Statement regarding the achieved results, but also prospects for the future of the Eastern Partnership. At the closing ceremony all young people received diplomas confirming their participation at the Summer School.

You can review the Declaration text here.

“I believe that the Republic of Moldova can benefit greatly from the Eastern Partnership and I think this represents an opportunity to raise our country to another level in terms of institutions, rule of law and democracy. Young people can and must actively participate in this process, first by developing a deeper understanding of the benefits of the Partnership and, secondly, getting involved in the institutions responsible for this process”, concluded Cristina Voroneanu, a young woman from the Republic of Moldova.

The Summer School “Youth Eastern Partnership Summit 2017” was organized by the European Institute of Politics and Reforms (IPRE) in partnership with the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) from Germany.