Individual member of the European Free Alliance, MEP Tatjana Ždanoka (Latvia) has launched a campaign in order to support non-citizens of Latvia - persons belonging to Russian-speaking linguistic minority. One half of this minority (or one-fifth of Latvian residents) has such status.

Non-citizens of Latvia are now fighting for their right to participate in local and European elections to be held simultaneously on June 2009. The Committee of Petitions of the European Parliament after having examined corresponding submissions has to decide on preparing the own-initiative report concerning the situation of Russian-speaking community and non-citizens of Latvia.

Everyone is invited to support this proposal. In order to do this you have to put your name under the text below and to send it to the following address:

tatjana.zdanoka-assistant2@europarl.europa.eu

Date:
Name and Surname of the sender (Name, Surname and position if sent on behalf of organization:

Also see the news item below, which can also be accessed here.

EFAy President, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, has supported the proposal on behalf of the EFAy and would like to encourage others to also show their support.

“Appeal to EP for support for Latvian non-citizens’ voting rights

We hereby ask the members of the European Parliament to induce the Latvian authorities to allow non-citizens to take part in local and European elections. We see the consideration of special EP report concerning the situation with Russian-speaking community and non-citizens of Latvia would promote the normalization for non-citizens’ legal status. We see the securing legal equality for Latvian non-citizens with EU citizens in the field of voting rights could become the first logical step in solving the non-citizens’ problem".

The European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy), along with the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) have been lobbying the EFA Members of the European Parliament (MEP) and others to sign a written declaration on “Youth Empowerment” at an EU level.

The declaration, which has been drafted by several MEP’s, calls on the European Commision to take into account the interests and voice of young people in all EU policy areas and not just those that traditionally refer to youth policy.

The content of the declaration reads:

"...1. Calls on the Commission to consider and incorporate the impact on youth and the results of the structured dialogue with youth organisations when preparing legislative proposals, in particular in the policy fields referred to in recital A;

2. Calls on the Member States to focus on youth when implementing the Lisbon national reform programmes and to take youth into account in the relevant policy fields;..."

So far EFA MEP's, Tatjana Zdanoka and Jill Evans have signed the declaration and the Efay will be calling on the other members of the group to do likewise.

For more information and how you can get involved, click here.

The European Free Alliance Youth is appalled by the behaviour of airline company Air Berlin in its recent response to the request of the Government of the Balearic Islands to also use Catalan in its operations.

While the request of the Government was based on a constructive approach, by offering airline companies with a base on the Balearic Islands help in providing information in Catalan to its customers, the Air Berlin CEO responded by publishing an article in the company's in-flight magazine that disparages the Catalan language and accuses the Government of wanting to divide up Europe in small states "just like in the Middle Ages".

The European Free Alliance Youth does not understand the reasoning by Air Berlin. Passengers expect quality service from the companies they fly with. Addressing customers in their native language is a good way of accommodating them. Simply rejecting the existence of their language on the other hand, is not. Air Berlin has through its behaviour not only hurt the feelings of the millions of Catalan speakers, but has foremost also hurt its own reputation as a company.

Hopefully, Air Berlin will see the error in their judgement and change its position after a meeting with the Government of the Balearic Islands. The European Free Alliance Youth meanwhile stands by its member organization Joves d'Esquerra Nacionalista in forcefully rejecting the statements made by the Air Berlin CEO and requesting an apology. Especially in this year of the intercultural dialogue, an airline company that brings people in Europe closer together should know that linguistic diversity is a strength and not something to mock about.

European Free Alliance Youth is hiring:
Coordinator (m/f)
based in Brussels

For the full profile, see full post.

Read the rest of this entry »

The EFAy has written to the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, to draw his attention to a number of points in the EFAy resolution passed at its 2008 AGM in Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca.

In the letter EFAy President Rhisiart Tal-e-bot says:

“Over the coming months, the EFAy will be following up the different aspects of the resolution in various ways. Meanwhile we would appreciate it if you could respond by informing us of any recent developments, relating to the issues raised above, that have been undertaken by the Israeli Government to further the peaceful coexistence between the Israeli and Palestinian people.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.