PES Manifesto

1. Unity through diversity ! by pattheact on Friday, October 26, 2007 at 12:30

I totally agree with Rose on the subject of european scholar exchanges, not only limited to Erasmus exchanges. I have had the chance to spend two full-immersion weeks in a scientific high school in Rome/Italy with my high-school class when I was about 16 years old. Today I speak italian fluently and Italian culture has become part of my European culture... Now that most of the European diplomas are valid in each of our countries we need to make our children travel in different european countries, exchange and mix with other european kids and make them discover how beautiful and enriching differences can be. Europe should promote these exchanges and even push for them, finance them and slowly but surely build up a true european citizenship. Erasmus is ok, but younger kids are much more open to discovering other cultures, languages, etc and I am sure this will be much more useful in the blooming of a european citizenship, leading to a true political awareness in the head of many european future voters...The PES manifesto should have strong proposals for the youth, promoting unity through diversity !!!! ...and facilitating the access to the culture of our neighbors.

2. Let's connect to the rest of the globe as well... by Asynjen on Friday, October 26, 2007 at 13:15

I completely agree that studying or going to school in another European country is one of the most important ways of encouraging a European identity. Socialists should definetely support the EU's exchange programmes - and even demand more! But at the same time I think it is very important that we don't enclose ourselves in a bubble with respect to exchange programmes. In my opinion the EU should, in addition to intra-European programmes, support exchange between Europe and the 'outside world': give stipends to Europeans wanting to study outside Europe and to non-Europeans who want to study here. If we want a more peaceful world and better connections between Europe and the rest of the globe (for example big economies as China, India and the US) this is, in my view, the way to go...