ALDA staff are interviewing MEPs as well as other important stockholders at European level, to hear their views and positions on topics concerning local democracy, and citizen participation in the European Union. Aldo Xhani, Active Citizenship Project Manager, interviewed the new elected MEP Brando Benifei to discuss about the challenges that Europe is facing and opportunities it can offer.
According to MEP Brando Benifei, a general climate of mistrust is affecting Europe. In this sense, the greatest challenge in this moment is recovering the mutual trust not only among ruling class and civil society, but also among the countries of the European Union. Mutual solidarity and cohesion are essential in order to avoid the breaking up of Europe, which is perceived as a real danger. The European Union is not a real Union yet: governments and MEPs do have a fundamental role in building a real integration.
Another great challenge is to reconnect citizens to Europe, promoting their participation at the local level in order to build a common ideal of integration. Europe is often perceived as a distant concept, but at the same time, its decisions concretely influence citizens’ lives, often without people realizing it. The success of activities organised in the framework of Youth in Action and Erasmus + programmes are contributing to this growing feeling of integration and common sense of belonging to Europe, something which is very important in a period dominated by Euroscepticism.
Although Europe offers several opportunities, it has to improve the accessibility to these opportunities, broadening the number of individuals, authorities and associations that can have access to the European funds.
The interview was also the occasion to discuss about the five-year break from the European Union enlargement: actions fostering mutual dialogue and citizen participation among people coming from EU and Neighbourhood countries are essential to establish peace and cohesion also beyond European borders. In particular, international relations with Neighbouring countries are often limited to political and economic agreements, but it should include also exchanges among students, local authorities and civil society associations.
As MEP, Mr. Benifei’s priorities are: the improvement of social integration and union within the European Union, since there is gap between economic and fiscal integration and the convergence of social parameters among the different countries of the EU; the strengthening of Europe as an actor able to represent our interests and values across the world; and the direct commitment in social policies focusing on youth, people with disabilities and European digital agenda.
The complete podcast of the interview is available on our SoundCloud channel
ALDA staff are interviewing MEPs as well as other important stockholders at European level, to hear their views and positions on topics concerning local democracy, and citizen participation in the European Union. Aldo Xhani, Active Citizenship Project Manager, interviewed the new elected MEP Brando Benifei to discuss about the challenges that Europe is facing and opportunities it can offer.
According to MEP Brando Benifei, a general climate of mistrust is affecting Europe. In this sense, the greatest challenge in this moment is recovering the mutual trust not only among ruling class and civil society, but also among the countries of the European Union. Mutual solidarity and cohesion are essential in order to avoid the breaking up of Europe, which is perceived as a real danger. The European Union is not a real Union yet: governments and MEPs do have a fundamental role in building a real integration.
Another great challenge is to reconnect citizens to Europe, promoting their participation at the local level in order to build a common ideal of integration. Europe is often perceived as a distant concept, but at the same time, its decisions concretely influence citizens’ lives, often without people realizing it. The success of activities organised in the framework of Youth in Action and Erasmus + programmes are contributing to this growing feeling of integration and common sense of belonging to Europe, something which is very important in a period dominated by Euroscepticism.
Although Europe offers several opportunities, it has to improve the accessibility to these opportunities, broadening the number of individuals, authorities and associations that can have access to the European funds.
The interview was also the occasion to discuss about the five-year break from the European Union enlargement: actions fostering mutual dialogue and citizen participation among people coming from EU and Neighbourhood countries are essential to establish peace and cohesion also beyond European borders. In particular, international relations with Neighbouring countries are often limited to political and economic agreements, but it should include also exchanges among students, local authorities and civil society associations.
As MEP, Mr. Benifei’s priorities are: the improvement of social integration and union within the European Union, since there is gap between economic and fiscal integration and the convergence of social parameters among the different countries of the EU; the strengthening of Europe as an actor able to represent our interests and values across the world; and the direct commitment in social policies focusing on youth, people with disabilities and European digital agenda.
The complete podcast of the interview is available on our SoundCloud channel