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THE

BILLBOARDISSUE 2

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Page 3: The Basque language: one of a kindPage 4: Vis-à-vis with AlexPage 5: Wizards and witches spying on youPage 6: Monarchy: from fairy tales to realityPage 7: What stands under what we understand?Page 8: The continent of foodPage 10: Unique elements of BilbaoPage 11: Who is Basque Lightyear? Page 12: The EU and war refugees Page 14: Love knows no bounderiesPage 15: Cooking Spanish tortillaPage 16: Welcome to the wonderful world of EYPPage 18: Today’s Europe is a giftPage 19: Chairs: What I think I do

www.facebook.com/bilbao2013mediateam

CONTENT

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About 700’000 people speak the Basque langua-ge, of which some 600’000 live in the Spanish part of the Basque country. The linguistic area ranges from Bilbao to Bayonne (FR) and is about 10’000 km2 – so it’s only about four times the size of the city of Paris. What makes it so unique is this: It is the only language in the whole of Europe that isn’t genetically related to any other. As opposed to all other languages, it doesn’t belong to a larger lin-guistic family.

The Basque citizens call their language Euskara. It has been a crucial part of their identity since their existence. In fact, invaders and settlers have brou-ght along other languages – such as Latin, Roman or Celtic – for more than 2500 years! The Basque language, however, has succeeded in holding its ground. Even in recent times, there were major threats to it. For example, at the start of Franco’s dictatorship (1939 – 1975) the language was pro-hibited. This ban led to a significant reduction of Basque speakers. So it’s not much of a surprise that today the Basque people do everything in their

power to ensure the survival of their language.Although the language is extremely important to the Basque people, just about all of them also have an excellent command of at least one other language – mostly French or Spanish. This is also necessary because even in the Basque country, many people do not speak the language – or can only unders-tand it, but not speak themselves.

Last but not least: For those of you who unders-tand anything about cases (which means everyone except most native English speakers): The Basque language has tons of them. Many students consi-der Latin difficult because it has five cases – in-cluding the ablative. Already that drives many of them mad and is one of the top reasons for their dropping of the subject. Now the Basque language has 16 of them! That means that you can add some extra information by changing the ending of a word. An example: dakarzkiote means “They bring you to him”. Should there be anything in your life you con-sider being difficult, grab your Basque study book. Everything is relative.

EYP DICTIONARY OF USEFUL PHRASES

How are you? – Zer moduz?Yes – BaiNo - EzThis session is great! - Saio hau handia da!I am soooo tired - Beraz, nekatuta nagoI don’t speak Basque - Ez dakit euskarazCan we have a coffee break? - Ezin atsedenaldia dugu?This is a brilliant newspaper - Hau liluragarria egunkari bat daI love the guy who wrote this article - Mutila, nork idatzi artikulu hau maite dutOne beer, please - Garagardo bat, mesedezIt is easier to learn Chinese than Basque! - Errazago izango da euskaraz baino txinatarra ikasteko!

(Minor faults be forgiven – blame Google Translate instead!)

The Basque language: one of a kindTim Honegger

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What is EYP looking for in a delegate? By Jake (AGRI), Elvira (CLIM)In terms of a person, I’d say an open minded, cultu-rally sensitive but then again, everyone goes their own way.

You are the president of the session, how did you manage this far in EYP? By Leire (AFCO), Irati (CULT) and Iker (AFET)I’ve been very lucky in meeting so many talented and inspiring people in my first years of EYP. Mainly Jari [Marjelund, current President of EYP Finland], to whom I look up to. A couple of years ago I started thinking what I actually want to achieve in EYP and so far I have tried basically everything. Journoing, editing, chairing and I figured that I enjoyed chai-ring the most, although I really like editing. Later, after having gathered some experience, I applied to international sessions.

As a president, are there many responsibilities? I’d say yes, but mostly it is just dealing with the unexpected happenings maybe. And also making sure that everyone bonds together. The organisers are often left beside and I want to include them fully to the session. Bridging between the teams is important to me and also that the delegates have a good time.

Do you play sports?Yes, I play soccer. However, the ligaments in my ankle were torn half a year ago and before that I played in a proper team. I also like scuba diving in the summer.

What teams do you support?Soccer, in Germany, Stuttgart and in France Mar-seille.

What kind of music do you prefer?Lately, I’ve really been into Paul Kalkbrenner and at sessions, I really enjoy DJ’ing. It’s not a big passion of mine but I find it nice in EYP parties.

What is your favorite movie?I think that American History X is something that I really enjoy watching over and over again.

When did you start your EYP career? By Antonio (JURI), Matilde (INTA) and Diego (AFCO) In our National session in France, March 2009. I was not selected but carried on with EYP and even-tually I ended up here in Bilbao, to preside the Na-tional Session four years later.

What do you expect from the session? By Carla, Head OrganiserComing from Carla... (he laughs). What am I expec-ting from the session? I really hope that for once the organisers will have a warm feeling after the session. It’s after all their session. Feeling the fra-mework they’re providing us guarantees good time already. It is time for a new generation of EYPers. Just hoping for a chilled relaxed and smooth ses-sion, like all of the officials.

What are you studying? By Sara (AGRI), Laura (LIBE) and Guille (AFET)Politics and European Law in Passau, Germany.

Do you feel more French or German?Definitely more German, although I have only mo-ved to Germany two and a half years ago.

Have you travelled a lot in Spain? What’s your favourite region ?I’ve only been to Spain twice and this is my third time. I’ve been to Barcelona and Tarragona and then Madrid two years ago. Quite honestly, Ullie and I, stayed a couple of days here in the Basque Country and it’s really nice, I like San Sebastian and Bilbao, the parks and so on.

What’s your favourite animal? By Nuria Mayola (JURI)Definitely the cat. There’s no discussion there.

Do you rather prefer French or Spanish cuisine?I’d say the Spanish food.

Vis-à-vis with Alex

Alexandre Narayanin, President of the session, answered questions from the delegates and officials.

Carles Raich & Charlotta Lahnalahti

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It is said that the National Selection Conference of Bilbao 2013 is magic; not only because of the ci-ty’s whereabouts in conjunction with the EYP spirit, but also because of three members of the officials team. They are known as the members of the jury and, according to the legend, they are everywhere controlling what delegates do and listening to every single thing they say. And at midnight, it is time for

the coven: they gather and gossip soullessly about them!Do not worry! They are indeed an adorable, magni-ficent and lovely group, which you will get to know within the next days. But so as to introduce them, we have asked them to tell us some truly emba-rrassing or funny moment of their lives in EYP. Let us see!

Georgina Ansaldo (ES)“I still find pieces of broken plastic chairs in my car after

last NSC Sitges 12. It was very funny”

Ulrich Johannes Volker (DE)“I broke my nose two years ago after bumping my head

against a crystal door I didn’t see“

Sílvia Susach (ES)“Last NSC, in which I was the HO with Laia Silva, everyone was poisoned after the Eu-rovillage night; during GA all

delegates were vomiting”

Wizards and witches spying on you

And what’s you’re favourite food in general?Some salmon with pasta mixed with sauce. It’s easy to cook and as I’m a student that’s essential.

What do you think of the Spanish people?Spanish people… Well I think, in general, Spani-sh people are very proud people and then, when you talk to people from Catalonia, they’re even prouder. Very relaxed when it comes to timing. But that’s fine (laughing) that’s also good. Cute people like Gonzalo (ES) [Organiser].

How many sessions have you been to?Do you need an exact count? I think something between thirty-five and forty.

Greetings you want to say to the delegates?Have fun, enjoy the moment, enjoy this interesting experience.

How old are you? What do you want to be in the future?I’m old enough. I’m legally able to buy alcohol in Europe. And in regard of my future plans, I do not know yet. I’m going on an internship next fall at the European Parliament for a MEP… But we’ll see, I’ll graduate at some point and then working.

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Monarchy - from fairy tales to reality

Nathalie Thiel

Fairy tales often include stories about kingdoms where princes and princesses live and where they admire and have great respect towards their pres-tigious and powerful king. In reality, however, mo-narchy is not quite the same nowadays as in the innocent, good old tales.

In the modern Western world it is quite astonishing that there are several kingdoms still functioning around the European continent. Tradition and his-tory are some of the reasons why they have been in existence until this day. Most of the royalties in Eu-rope act more as representatives for their country than actual powerful leaders. The respect for the royalties has in general decreased because of the fact that they no longer have the real power that they used to have; nowadays the power has been moved to other institutions.

Spain is one of the European countries with a long Royal history. That Royal House has, likewise to other monarchies all over Europe, both followers and sceptics. Moreover, old opinion polls revealed that a majority of the Spanish population used to be happy about the Royal family; even to that ex-tent that 75 per cent ranked the monarchy above any other public institution. However, those statis-tics have now drastically changed.

King Juan Carlos gave faith and hope to most of

the Spanish citizens in 1975 as he represented the step that separated Francisco Franco’s dictatorship from a modern democracy. The transition from the old regime to democracy made him immensely po-pular and admired among both people and media. This was back in the 1990’s when Juan Carlos was considered to be one of the world’s most popular monarchs in that time. The Spanish king had as his goal to transform the governance to democracy. In this he succeeded but today many believe that monarchy is not democra-tic enough. Some say that it is anachronistic and undemocratic to have a non-elected head of state. Generally, it is not the monarchy itself that bothers the Spaniards, but mostly the king. He has been cri-ticized for not taken on his responsibility as a mo-narch during the on-going financial crisis as he has recently been caught in several scandals.

Now, nearly half of the Spanish population would like to see the king step down from the throne and hand over the position to his son, Prince Felipe. So, from being one of the most popular monarchs, to being pressured by the people to abdicate; this is a current debate in Spain. The question is whether Juan Carlos will listen to his people. Or maybe he has too much pride as in similarity to many of the old fairy tales. Will he therefore continue to rule the Kingdom with less effort without having the su-pport from his own citizens?

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Explaining the fundamental nature of being has been a common issue among humans throu-ghout the centuries. Many philosophers have struggled to come up with a plausible explana-tion for this mystery, like Aristotle with his grip-ping concept of substance. And, since the topic of this session is culture, what better way to pay tribute to it than to venture into this remarka-ble Ancient Greek concept of ousía and find out what it is?

Etymologically, the word substance derives from the Latin words sub (up to, under) stare (to stand) and it basically refers to what stands under. But, under what? And what is it like? And who put it there? And...? Do not panic! Sometimes philoso-phical concepts are difficult to understand but that is the reason why examples were invented! Moving to the 17th century, René Descartes’ Wax Argument (Meditations on First Philosophy – 1641) can be used as a shining example so as to comprehend the substance notion.

Imagine a candle being lighted. Before the fire melts it down, the candle has certain characte-ristics - aka accidental properties -, such as tex-ture, size, colour, smell, taste and so on. After the flame’s heat, all these characteristics chan-ge completely. We still know, somehow, that it is the same candle even though the data of our senses show us a different candle. How come? Because what stands under these accidental properties does not change and defines the candle in its substance.

This is, in fact, grasped solely by the faculty of judgment – not by the senses – since our intelli-gence, that comes from Latin intus – into – and legere – read –, is able ‘to read’ what stands un-der of what changes. And this ‘ability to read’ co-mes from what is known as innate ideas that, ac-cording to rational philosophers - among whom there is Descartes -, are ideas that we all are born with; therefore, this proves their existence. It is because of this innate nature, which inclu-

What stands under what we understand?

Carles Raich

des the idea of substance among others, that we understand - no need for etymology this time - what things are.

So far, it seems quite convincing. For this reason, in the battle between phenomenalists - those who reject the notion of substance like Hume - and subs-tantialists - those who believe in the substance theory -, let us be in favour of the second team. If there is a substance, EYP must therefore have its own. And if we are ‘able to read it’, we consequently have an innate, we could say, ‘EYP spirit’! So, turn your philosophical analyser mode on, live this session to the fullest and check up on this theory. Can you ‘read’ it?

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Thursday evening; tummies are grumbling and de-legates are restless - The EuroVillage is about to bring them much-needed relief. From North to Sou-th, West to East, representatives present their as-signed 20 countries as deliciously as they can. Tim and Mathieu took on the task of eating themselves to death – a culinary report from Norway all the way to Malta and back.

SWITZERLAND – the small, adorable country marks the start of our trip. Chocolate and cheese as appe-tizers, what more could you possibly ask for? Yes, fondue! Oh well, we’ll survive without it.

AUSTRIA is our next stop. What a sweet surprise it has to offer: Apple cake with lots of sugar. There’s not much besides that. (Nothing, to be exact.) Aus-trians simply specialise, we guess.

On goes our journey to NORWAY – Europe really does have lots of cold places it seems. They offer a whole lot of meat, which made the vegetarian among us really sad. But they had Norwegian hand crème to make up for it. You’re forgiven, Norway!

Ahh, finally some warmth in PORTUGAL! Thankfully, their table is only covered with small appetisers –

our tummies are slowly getting filled. After a quick stopover and some more cheese bits we continue our trip.

Who can possibly resist waffles!? The NETHER-LANDS are doing a great job in fattening us poor journos and making our sugar levels go through the roof. We don’t care and relish the scrumptuous sweets.

Next up is la bella ITALIA! They serve us pasta, as expected. Classic, but always a winner. We let the southern charms enchant us – regardless of the calorie count.

IRELAND, cheddar. And no Guinness, unfortunately (yet we know that this is not the delegates’ fault). The dresses convince us though, well done on that!

In LITHUANIA we finally get some healthy food. We’re literally craving for it, after all that sugar and fat. A bit of apple and pear and we’re back on track.

HUNGARY is the next stop, and honestly: Who wouldn’t kill for cupcakes?! They know how to se-duce us extremely well, and we’re more than happy to be falling for them. On we go.

The continent of food

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The CZECH REPUBLIC offers us some awesome self-made cookies with cinnamon and – once again – sweets.

FINLAND, we saw your cupcakes and instantly fell in love. Beautifully decorated and masterly baked. Hands down, this is awesome! Even our little Suo-malainen Lotta got a bit homesick at the sight of this.

GREECE: Feta, olives and yoghurt make us dream of the beautiful Mediterranean country. Looks like the economy doesn’t affect the culinary class of a country.In MALTA, we’re smashing some pastry and ripe dates. We must admit, we had no clue what the people there eat – now we do, cheers!

TURKEY was perhaps the most popular country. Their Baklava and Falafel were gone within minu-tes – so there was hardly any left for us. But it must have been delicious.

In POLAND we were basically forced to eat some more sweets that do need getting used to. The do-nuts and salami sandwiches are great, though.

In FRANCE, all we found was an empty table – it looked as though someone had raided it. Obvious-ly, France is still Europe’s undisputed capitale de cuisine.

BELGIUM tried to play a trick on us: They actua-lly served biscuits that came from Sweden! What a scandal, that was. Not even the chocolate af-terwards could entirely reconcile us.

After RUSSIA and LATVIA, who came up with typical salad and wiener rolled in dough, we’re finally get-ting to the last country:

GREAT BRITAIN entirely meets our expectations – which are not all that high, to be honest. The baked beans from the can and the jam on toast fully live up to GB’s reputation though.

Amongst the chaos of EuroVillage, we overheard Irida saying: “I’m so going to throw up afterwards!” At the end of the night, we could fully understand what she meant.

A massive thank you to everyone who helped ma-king this EuroVillage so colourful and yummy. Hands down: It was the best EuroVillage the two of us have ever witnessed.

The continent of foodTim & Mathieu

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As the largest city of the Basque Country, Bilbao is consistently associated with the on-going fight for independence which remains a prominent is-sue in the political atmosphere of Spain. However, when one looks beneath these political elements, one discovers a city that seems to constantly be in a state of change. Whilst most of Spain remains stagnant in terms of culture, Bilbao serves as a city which has always, and continues to, emphasise change, and cultural expansion.

The city’s creation in the early 14th century saw it serve as a commercial hub – one which embraced and benefitted the expansion of culture brought by international merchants and traders. These links saw Bilbao prosper when Spain experienced eco-nomic hardships, due to the city’s geographical position allowing for strong trade connections with Britain & the Netherlands.

These links, and the plentiful natural resources of the Basque county allowed Bilbao to develop further throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as rapid industrialisation saw the city prosper economically; this of course resulting in so-mething of a population boom.

Recent times has seen Bilbao undergo a huge cul-tural revolution; and aesthetic revitalisation; led by the construction of the iconic Bilbao Guggenheim Museum. The structure, which you’ll find also ser-ved as the inspiration for the session logo, is one of only four in the world – the others situated in New York, Venice and until recently, Berlin. Those three locations are cities that are steeped in history, cul-ture, and beauty. The fact that the most recent of these symbolic institutes has been constructed here, in Bilbao, serves as a glowing reference for the cultural change Bilbao is experiencing.

Indeed, that is what makes Bilbao so fantastically unique in regard to Spain as a whole; it is a city which very much sets its own precedent – it does not follow the national trends in the sense that other major cities of Spain do, but rather seeks to evolve of its own accord. The fact that Bilbao has always, and continues to act in this way, perhaps sheds even more light on the arguments of Basque Nationalists. But then whilst those in Bilbao think they may not need Spain, perhaps it is indeed the contrary – and Spain needs Bilbao.

Unique elements of BilbaoJosh Leyden

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You have arrived just arrived a day ago and yet, you might have seen the mascot of the session already, furtively passing in the corridors and wearing a pair of black sunglasses to remain incognito.

However, it seems that this camouflage technique was not very efficient, for he was quickly noticed. ‘I saw a green and purple cosmonaut’ remembers María. ‘I immediately thought of Basque Lightyear because he was about the same size, that is to say shorter than everybody. Also, he was dressed in the same eccentric way; who else wears a spacesuit in broad daylight?”

The world-known icon easily consented to lift the veil. Far away from being a big-headed individual, he accepts without hesitation when we shyly ask for an interview. ‘It would be a pleasure to have you over for tea’ he warmly adds.

Comfortably settled in a sofa, with a cookie in one hand and a cup of Earl Grey in the other, he almost looks like a normal person.

‘You might wonder why someone like me is coming to an EYP session in Bilbao for holidays; instead of partying on a yacht with my Hollywood friends’ he concedes. ‘What I really need is a return to normal life, with genuine people and emotions’ he confes-ses.

Matching the words with action, Basque Lightyear decided to fly from Los Angeles to Bilbao in second

class, and without his body-guard. To be unnoticed, he had changed his classic outfit, and put a fake beard on. ‘Dressing up is crazy fun!’ he exclaims.

But when he got in trouble at the customs, he ac-tually realised how it feels to be unknown. ‘Until I took my beard off, those watchmen would not let me go because they thought I was a terrorist from the Axis of Evil’. ‘I was shocked, and I was angry’ admits resentful Basque Lightyear.

Sadly, his misadventure followed on in Europe: ‘Eu-rope is said to be a free land, where skin color does not matter. Yet, I got arrested when I arrived, becau-se I am a green and purple toy!’

Despite these first disappointments, Basque re-mains optimistic. ‘Nothing can beat an EYP session and I am sure that I will find what I need here’.

Who is Basque Lightyear?Kensa Traoré

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Two years after the civil war in Syria broke out, a quarter of its population is on the run. Jordan and Lebanon alone host close to a million refugees, and Iraq, Egypt and Turkey host another 474‘000 peo-ple. These numbers are growing exponentially, and refugee camps are already well above their inten-ded capacities.

So where does the EU stand in all this? About 30‘000 refugees have sought asylum in the EU so far, most of them arriving in Greece, which sees major civil unrest due to refugees being seen as moochers. The problems they are facing there stand representative of a failed EU asylum policy.

It was back in the 1950s when member states first pushed towards unifying asylum legislation. Throu-ghout the 1980s and 1990s, further steps were taken, with the Dublin II Regulation representing the latest development in this area. Overall, the cooperation between countries was strengthened and certain standards adapted. However, recent crises have shown that we are still far from a sys-tem adequate to respond to asylum seekers.

For quite some time, the debate mainly focused on whose responsibility it is to examine an asylum application. Especially in the wake of the Arab Spring - when tens of thousands fleeing to Lampe-dusa - countries like Italy were accusing the EU of leaving border states without support, forcing them to shoulder the full financial strain.

The current Dublin II Regulation puts asylum see-kers subject to the legislation of the country they first enter. In the case of Greece, refugees are trea-ted as illegal immigrants - with many ending up in jail - and they can be held there for up to 18 mon-ths under Greek law. Not only does this pervert the idea of people seeking refuge from war-zones, it also creates human rights violations.

The EU now enables asylum-seekers the right to request asylum in the member state of their pre-ference. Not only does this weaken the strain on border countries, but it also supports family unity, with Syrians having family in France and applying for asylum there, for example.

The EU and war refugeesMathieu Lohr

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Unfortunately for those in need, the reality on the ground is grim. Thanks to media-pressure, Syrian asylum-seekers have it easy, with an overwhelming majority being accepted. For those from other re-gions of the world, transfer rates to a country of their choice are rather low, between 2009 and 2010, as low as 26%.

To get a better grasp at this number, one needs to take a look at the criticism the EU draws from its current asylum politics. Human rights organisa-tions accuse the EU of not caring enough about the protection of but rather the protection from asylum seekers. Also, not to be overlooked is the fact that the EU actively supports third-countries, like Turkey for example, as to decrease the refugee flow to the EU.

If the EU wants to further pride itself on values such as the Human Rights, certain changes have to be made. For once, it is unacceptable to leave border-countries to shoulder the full weight of refu-gees, whilst standing by idle. Apart from occasional financial aid, not enough is done to help the situa-

tion on the ground. With the financial crisis in mind, this is can be understood, but not tolerated.

The implementation of Dublin II is so far optional, which explains why it is not yet working EU wide, even though all member states have signed it. Le-gally binding contracts would finally bring harmony into EU Member States politics that politicians have sought after for so long.

Finally, Dublin III already promises bringing impro-vement over current legislation, yet we are still far away from legally binding, working asylum legisla-tion for war-refugees. However, we must remind ourselves what the EU stands for. It is unacceptable that because of a financial crisis, certain principles the EU was built upon are disregarded.

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MAthieu & TIM

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Why not compare the relocation of European in-dustries to the cooking of a Spanish tortilla? With sarcasm you are invited on this trip to Asia to get to know the hidden face of relocation and the possi-ble solutions to it.

The base ingredient for this recipe are peeled pota-toes; peeled and deforested as are the rural areas of Cambodia where companies such as Minebea Co. have relocated. To this add several chopped onions, representative of the 266 million people of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) - comprising Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the Chinese pro-vince of Yunnan, who despite their countries’ eco-nomic growth still have few labour rights and suffer from the sour taste of air pollution -. All must be mixed with eggs, and here we go. Olé.

One of the common mistakes in the carrying out of this recipe is to believe that more stringent envi-ronmental regulations will reduce competitiveness. The effects of relocation on the environment are devastating, this we all know. There are immedia-te impacts, such as air pollution, and less visible consequences such as solid waste, loss of biodi-versity and climate change. Higher environmental standards and trigger innovation may solve this situation. This is commonly known as the Porter Hypothesis (1995), which suggests that this tighter

regulation will stimulate the use of more advanced technologies, thus lower product costs and ultima-tely raise productivity.

To add a pinch of salt to our tortilla, a spotlight must be put upon educating people so that they, in turn, demand an environment-friendly society by putting pressure on their governments and encou-rage ethical shopping amongst consumers. Com-panies such as Fairtrade, which offer sustainably grown products, cannot function without a change in the public conscience.

For the last 20 years the tortilla has been cooking in the pan. It’s now burning hot with Beijing’s air pollution levels 2-3 times higher than what is con-sidered safety by the World Trade Organisation, for example. As if it were nothing to do with us, we have abandoned it to its own mercy. It is hypocritical for Western politicians to only urge Asian governments to take responsibility for their actions, since it was our countries that set up polluting industries in Asia, and now buy their products. Thus, we are to be held responsible for many of Asia’s environmen-tal problems. We must lend a helping hand to Asian governments - not a chastising one - in order to ad-dress the moral debt we have with Asia. We must tidy up the kitchen after cooking.

Cooking Spanish tortillaCristina Crespo

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Welcome to the wonderful world of EYP

EYP is a non-partisan and independent educatio-nal project. Since its inauguration, many tens of thousands of young people have taken part in EYP events. Now it’s your turn. You are expected to show a willingness to achieve consensus, good rhetoric and leadership skills. The spotlight is on you. It’s your turn to shine.

Now, come on, we all know there is another side to eyp. You have been given the opportunity to have a fantastic experience, with open-minded, witty and extroverted people. Work hard but find the time to get to know those around you. It is the most enri-ching part of the eyp journey. Welcome aboard.What makes a good EYP session? EYPers! The peo-ple that make this session what it is are your fan-tastic officials team – take the opportunity to get the know them, and their roles.

Organisers: Those men-in-black backstage who will ensure the successful functioning of the session. They are everywhere, they know everything. Beware the orgas!

President: The orchestra’s conductor, the game’s refe-ree. He will greet you with a smile and inspire you with his words. He’s not a bad guy.

Chairpersons: Supportive and energetic, they will guide you through the session. They are the ones who will be your closest link to the EYP world, the ones not only helping you write a resolution, but also passing on the EYP spirit to you.

Jury: They will randomly creep into your committee to observe you and take notes... Apart from that, they are actually nice people.

Press team: Camera on the right hand, notebook on the left, they will pivot around you, taking pictures and interviewing you. They are the ones who will provi-de you with your most precious Bilbao souvenirs: videos, pictures and journals of the session.

Delegates: This is where you come onto scene! The session is all for you. Our advice - make the most of every moment.

Having outlined the session’s roles, we will conclu-de with some words you will hear many times on GA.

With all votes in favour, zero abstentions, zero against, we have the pleasure to announce 8th Na-tional Selection Conference of EYP Spain in Bilbao has started!

1988: B

ettina Carr-A

lison, a

teach

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dation of th

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ntainebleau, France

. It was

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1988, 1

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e three fir

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ons

were held in th

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1991:

The orga

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n slowly e

xpanded and moved

to Witn

ey in Oxfo

rdshire

where it beca

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recogn

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national.

1992:

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1993-2003: EYP grew immensely during this period and expanded to a number of countries where National Committees were established.

Nathalie, Cristina & Kensa

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Doro from AFET tells us how chairing feels like:

‘It feels so nice! I spent the whole day doing teambuilding with

my lovely delegados. And that was good thing because I do love a

nice snowball fight!’ says Doro, the chair of AFET.

Gonzalo tells us how being an organiser feels like:

‘It is a lot of pain and suffering, but it is the best fit-

ness program I have ever been through. It consists in

running all over the place, for at least 20 hours out of

24…It is the first day and I already lost three kilos! Next

time I go to the swimming pool I can exhibit my dream-

body all around.’

The Press-Team tells us how being a journalist

feels like.

‘I feel free’ says Cristina. ‘Free and flexible.’

‘I especially love our very unique way to be there

for the delegates. We participate both directly

and indirectly in the session’ Carles adds.

The editresses tell us how editing feels like:Maria, the video-editor is speechless. She cannot even express

herself: “Too much awesomeness to handle”.As for Anna, her computer is her one and only EYP love. ‘He is

more than just a best friend to me’ she confesses.

Mr President tells us how presiding feels like:

‘I have the power’ declares Alexandre, with an evil gleam in

his eyes…

How it feels to be

Head-Organiser:

‘I left my social life behind four years ago to

set this session up’ says David.

‘I cannot remember when the last time I

slept was’ remarks Marta pensively, when

the interviewer interrupts her counting of

the bags under Carla’s eyes.

1993-2003: EYP grew immensely during this period and expanded to a number of countries where National Committees were established. 200

7:European Yo

uth Parliament E

spaña

(EYPE) orga

nised its

first

National S

es-

sion in

the beautifu

l city o

f Giro

na!

2009, 2

011, 20

12: EYPE orga

nised th

eir Inter-

national F

orums, known as t

he Iberia

n

Forum in

Girona!

2012,

2013: E

YPE hosted 12 fru

itful R

egio-

nal Sessi

ons, therefore in

troducin

g the

conce

pt to new place

s all o

ver Spain!

April 2

013: T

he 7th National S

ession of

EYP Spain in BILB

AO is happening!

Summer

2014:

76th Internatio

nal

Session in

Barcelona

18

Yesterday’s Europe is History, Tomorrow’s Europe is a Mystery, Today’s Europe is a Gift, That’s why it’s called the Present.

The recent history of Europe can be described as belligerent, full of prejudice and discrimination. These adjectives also apply to the North of Spain, the Basque area and Bilbao, where our session is set. As future’s possible power players, we can change Europe towards becoming a more equal place to live, where such things will not happen again and we can lead the world towards stability.

The Spanish Civil War started in Bilbao at the time of the Second World War and also for the same re-asons; economic crisis of the 20’s, inequality, want for freedom. The Basque area wanted independen-ce from Spain, like many other countries wanted their areas back after losing them in the First World War. Many lives were lost in the following years and bitterness grew in the minds of people. These ha-ppenings changed the lives of our Great Grand - and Grand-parents. The governments of their time made their best and clearly did not succeed, but

they sacrificed their lives and made the mistakes from which we can learn from. Their generation created the EU, an organization all of our countries are dependent on – and so is our future.

“There is no hope in Europe!”, “European Union will lead us to ruins!” are sayings often read in riot placards. If we abandon Europe here, what would happen? Would we discard all the effort that has been made for the good of our Union and continent, throw it all away? Maybe some would, but there is hope: us. We have gathered here, in the city of such a colorful history, to change to this time and the future. The best of this is that we can.

To make Europe and ideal place to live in for the future generations, there have been already major steps made. A good basis have been set for us to start creating a Europe that has been dreamt of for decades. We need to grasp the opportunities given to us – that is why we are in EYP! Enjoy every mo-ment like it is your last and do your best, do your best for the sake of our common Europe.

Today’s Europe is a giftCharlotta Lahnalahti

19

Tim &

Math

ieu

20

Bilbao 2013 is sponsored by