Students from 33 schools across Europe will hold an online European Youth Summit on Climate on 18 and 19 March 2021. The event is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and modelled on a United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP).

After its cancellation due to the COVID outbreak in March 2020, the 2021 Committee flagship event for young people, Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS), will take place on 18 and 19 March 2021. Students from 33 secondary schools across Europe will come together to discuss the best ways to protect the environment, under the slogan “Our climate, our future!“. The list of participating schools is available here.

During the opening session on 18 March the participants will have the opportunity to talk with Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal, and the EESC president, Christa Schweng. EESC vice-president and green economy expert, Cillian Lohan, will chair the summit’s plenary sessions.

Over a hundred 16-18 year old students and more than 30 teachers will take part in the virtual YEYS 2021.The aim of the event is to listen to students’ innovative ideas for dealing with the current climate crisis and to progress towards achieving our goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. Students will be asked to represent a sector, industry or bloc of countries and negotiate with each other. They will discuss their proposals using the model of a Conference of the Parties (COP) from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Representatives of international youth organisations such as Anuna de Wever, a Belgian climate activist, will help them convert their ideas and proposals into specific recommendations. These recommendations will be conveyed by the EESC to international environment policymakers and discussed at conferences around Europe throughout the year, such as the European Parliament’s European Youth Event  in May 2021.

On Saturday 20 March, in line with the COP model, the EESC will hold a public side event for young people live on social media, entitled Designing Systemic Change. The event will bring together several young experts, activists and influencers to share their knowledge and expertise on climate change in the context of systemic change. This will provide the young audience with valuable new insights and, importantly, the opportunity to express their views and ideas. In addition to the discussions, the audience will have the possibility to discover systemic change through art.

In preparation for the debates, a member of the EESC will visit each participating school ‑ in person, where possible, or by videoconference ‑ to talk about the European Union and the EESC and the work they do for young people, and to explain the structure of the event and what will be expected from the school. The visits will take place in February and March.

Background

Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS) is an event organised by the European Economic and Social Committee, the voice of civil society in Europe. YEYS is the Committee’s flagship event for young people. It started in 2010 with the aim of connecting Europe’s youngest citizens with the European Union.

The 33 schools chosen to participate in this initiative were selected randomly from 800 applicant schools from the 27 EU Member States, the United Kingdom and five candidate countries (Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey). Every year, 16-18 year old students come to Brussels for two days and work together to draw up resolutions, which are then passed on to the international policymakers. These resolutions contain the students’ ideas, proposals, and hopes for their future as European citizens.

Any secondary school in Europe can apply to send three students to participate in YEYS. Through this initiative, the EESC hopes to ensure that the views, experiences, and ideas of Europe’s younger generations are taken on board in the EU policymaking process.

Further details about YEYS 2021 are available on the event’s official page. 

The Council working group that oversees the implementation of the EU’s code of conduct on business taxation has reappointed its chairperson. Lyudmila Petkova, director of the tax policy directorate at the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance, has been chairing the group since 2019. She will continue in her position for a further two years.

The working group, established in 1998, is responsible for implementing the code of conduct on business taxation, which sets out criteria for assessing tax measures that potentially encourage harmful tax competition. While the original focus of the code of conduct was on EU member states, the group is now also working to promote good tax governance at international level. One of the group’s main tasks is to carry out preparatory work for the review of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.

The chair of the group, supported by the general secretariat of the Council and with the technical assistance of the Commission, is responsible for liaising with third-country jurisdictions on the EU listing process.

February 01, 2021 About the EUIPO

Alicante News January 2021

The latest edition is out now.

The aim of Alicante News is to provide up-to-date information on EUIPO-related matters, as well as on other general IP issues, to the users of the EU trade mark and design registration systems.

In this issue:

• EasyFiling – the start of a journey
• Bulgaria joins Authenticities network
• Public consultation on EU geographical indications scheme
• TMview’s visual search extended to Denmark
• OSIM enhances its front and back office systems
• International Cooperation: Norway in TMclass
• IP Mediation Conference: 22-23 March 2021
• Statistical Highlights
• IP vouchers for SMEs: first window now closed
• Ideas Powered for Business Network continues to grow
• New Decision on technical requirements for annexes submitted on data carriers
• Academy webinars
• Case Law

Last week, EASO carried out a targeted needs assessment mission to the Canary Islands in order to quickly begin implementing effective reception support to the Spanish authorities in the region. 

On 1 February 2021, the Spanish State Secretary for Migration, Hana Jalloul Muro, accompanied by the Spanish Ambassador to Malta, Consuelo Femenía, visited the Headquarters of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Valletta. During the visit, the State Secretary met with the Executive Director of the Agency, Nina Gregori, as well as with EASO’s senior management. Part of the discussions were also joined remotely by José Luis Escrivá Belmonte, Spanish Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

During the meetings, discussions with the Spanish delegation focussed on  EASO’s new operation in the country in support of the national reception system. The Agency’s fifth ongoing operation – together with those in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta – was launched in January following the signing of the Operating Plan in December 2020. 

The agreement was reached following a Joint Rapid Needs Assessment (JRNA) carried out by EASO and the Spanish Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, between mid-September and the end of October 2020. 

Commenting on the visit of the State Secretary, Nina Gregori stated: It was a great pleasure to welcome Ms Jalloul Muro to our premises today. The discussions built on the excellent cooperation we have fostered over the past months, allowing for the swift launch of a new EASO operation in Spain. EASO is wasting no time in quickly operationalising its plans to support the Spanish authorities in strengthening the reception system for asylum seekers.

Within the context of the new Spain operation, last week a multi-disciplinary EASO team carried out a needs assessment mission at six sites in the Canary Islands, which have received a high number of persons with international protection needs in recent months. The mission was carried out in order to enable the Agency to tailor its support to the specific needs in the region, and the results were discussed with the State Secretary during her visit.

In addition to providing enhanced capacity to the reception services in the Canary Islands, EASO’s operation in Spain will also support in the transition towards a new model for reception; enhance structural processes in support of the reception system; contribute to strengthening capacity within the reception system through professional development, tools and materials; and support the Spanish authorities in the area of resettlement.

Any further information may be obtained from the European Asylum Support Office on the following email address: press@easo.europa.eu