Wednesday morning, 10.14 am, Social Education. Our teacher did not really feel like giving serious lessons for the last couple of weeks, so we were to search for information about the institutions of the European Union on the Internet. That day, we were comparing our results in class, passing on from the Commission to the Council of the European Union, when finally arriving at the European Parliament. A parliament that represents the interests of all European citizens. A parliament that is our chance to participate in European politics actively. But when do we receive this chance for the next time? Every German senior pupil knows that the next elections to the Lower House of the German Parliament will take place this autumn, but when will the next elections to the European Parliament take place? No idea!

Evidently, I am not the only one in class being helpless with this question. How can that be? How has our society come to that point? How can the situation be improved?

When thinking about the European Union in 2030, I imagine a European Parliament which is present in everyone’s mind. Whose issues, competences and tasks are general knowledge like the multiplication tables.

Currently, the Parliament has not reached such a status yet – at least from my point of view. I will become 18 in spring, so I will be allowed to elect the deputies for the next Lower House of our parliament. As I am ordinarily interested in politics, I have already made up my mind which party I am going to vote for. Not long and the different parties will stand in the pedestrian zone of my hometown under sunshades in their characteristic colours, informing about their agenda and distributing sweets and balloons to children. Although it might sound a bit ridiculous, this strategy, in fact, is effective. I know the faces and the names of the different candidates aiming to become the deputy representing our region. But do I know the faces and the names of the deputies of the European Parliament representing our region? Honestly not. Probably the only one who does that is my Social Education classmate. He is our year’s politician, always on the way to party conferences, going to be the next Franz Josef Strauß one day. On his birthday, he receives congratulation posts on Facebook from people who call themselves deputies of the European Parliament in their profiles.

To tell the truth, the only German deputies of the Parliament I know are Silvana Koch-Mehrin and Monika Hohlmeier. Both have not appeared with positive news in the German media for the last years – if they have appeared at all.

Why are we not aware of the policy of the European Parliament? Is it because of the detailed guide-lines it has set on everything but on the basic rights? On the Internet one can read jokes like “The Ten Commandments count 279 words, the Declaration of Independence counts 300 words, the EU-act on the import of caramel drops counts 25,911 words”. This speaks for itself.

In order to be more present in people’s minds, the European Parliament has to re-focus on the basic values of our union. It must not stick to such irrelevant details; it has to concentrate on social equality and prosperity, on stability and safety. These fundamental goals have been threatened over the last years, due to economic difficulties and their consequences on society.

Apart from that, the competences of the European Parliament have to be strengthened. Since the 1950s, the countries of the continent have been growing together constantly. This process brought peace and unity. We must not abandon these achievements and move back to nationalism. In order to bring the Union forward, national parliaments have to hand over competences to the European one – voluntarily. This enables common European politics in essential domains, such as finances and social affairs – issues that affect us in everyday life and make us aware of the influence of the European Union. We have to become not primarily an economic union, but also a political one. A democratic area with a democratically elected government. A European government.

This belief lies close to the belief of a European genius: Immanuel Kant. He imagined a federal worldrepublic defined by democracy, parliamentarianism and equality. Why not fulfil Kant’s dream on a European basis?

Maybe, by the year of 2030, we will be conscious of the policy of the European Parliament. That would be my vision of Europe – even if this will mean for deputies to stand in pedestrian zones and distribute sweets and balloons. But no caramel drops, please!

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