THE EUROPEAN GAZETTE 2ND EDITION

The European Gazette

MEC- AES 2024 KICKS OFF: FIRST DAY OF INTENSE AND PROMISING DEBATES!

Chief’ s editor note

Welcome back, esteemed readers! I am Manuela Aguirre and this is the second edition of The European Gazette. Within this edition, we shall thoroughly explore the debates and analyses from our recent discussions. It is my sincere hope that you find this edition enjoyable and that it offers you a fresh perspective on the development of the four councils of MEC meetings.

Welcome everyone to the second edition to the European Gazette! We hope you enjoyed reading our first articles concerning the proposals of each councils for this MEC 2024 and our experience exploring Paris and Strasbourg. In this second edition of our journal, we are delving into various topics, providing you with a sneak peek into the discussions taking place in each council To kick things off, our first meeting with the heads of states provided valuable insights into the diverse perspectives of member states regarding the challenges facing contemporary Europe Recurrent themes emerged during these discussions, including the regulation of AI, immigration, the climate crisis, and the protection of the fundamental rights of the European Union as well as the fear of war Countries bordering Russia and Ukraine are particularly concerned about the Russian-Ukrainian situation, just like all the other European Union members. However, we did not only hear only concerns but also hopeful words In fact, the head of state of Belgium assured us that the European Union is stronger than ever and that it is focusing on strengthening democracy and protection of human rights Finally, we had the pleasure to hear and ask some questions to the head of states of each country. With this first meeting, there is no doubt that this year MEC is going to thrive

TheracetojointheEuropeanUnion:afair pathtotraverse?

In a pivotal session held in Council One today, deliberations surrounding the criteria for the accession process to the European Union (EU) have officially kicked off The meeting witnessed the initial stages of what promises to be a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation of candidate countries' readiness for EU membership One of the standout observations from the onset of discussions has been the discernible willingness among participating countries to fast tracking process However, within the atmosphere of collaboration, concerns have emerged regarding the economic stability of certain candidate countries Slovakia voiced its concern regarding the economic functionality of certain countries and how this could impact their accession Similarly, other countries manifested their concerns about how certain nations are facing economic challenges In this regard, such issues could potentially alienate countries and trigger negative consequences for some states That is why some heads of state emphasize that assistance is essential for those countries to achieve admission, for example, through financial aid However, countries like Denmark clarified that while this assistance will continue, the path to acceptance may be slower until the economy stabilizes

As the debate progressed, the amendment proposed by France was put on the table to change article 1b and achieved the unanimous vote. The representatives debated the proposal to cut a half the economic requirements, which for some countries, such as Poland and Portugal, could cause confusion regarding the obligation to meet this criterion Therefore, for some countries, this had to be modified to achieve clarity and rather emphasize the need to have a stable market After numerous arguments, the economic accession criteria demands a stable market and a supplementary fund from the current IPA will be provided Although the amendment was accepted, concerns about the allocation and oversight of these funds began to emerge Clearly, the current economic situation and a recent recovery from a pandemic of such magnitude demand that countries exercise stricter control over the investment of their capital

In the end, Council One approved the entire proposal, showcasing hard work

Among the final thoughts, it is important for countries to uphold the values of the European Union, and if the country desires, the Euro will be integrated Ultimately, all questions were resolved, although the big question is what does it mean for there to be no conflicting positions; does this mean that the path for candidates will be easy?

At this point, some heads of state began advocating for possible sanctions against countries that might misuse monetary aid However, countries like Slovakia argued that sanctions are unfair and could potentially lead to divisions

Other countries, such as Sweden, appealed to EU values such as trust and transparency to ensure the proper use of monetary aid

At the end of these discussions, the delegations agreed that countries receiving funds from the enhanced IPA III should supply annual reports detailing how the money was used The information will be verified by a member of the EPPO In the event that candidate countries use funds received from the IPA inappropriately, they will be promptly dismissed from the accession procedures

Les problèmes de Frontex, présents même au cœur même de l’agence… Le débat de la délocalisation de ses bureaux.

Aujourd’hui au Conseil des Ministres de Justice et des Affaires Intérieurs, le débat sur la délocalisation des bureaux de Frontex a été particulièrement animé Pourtant, malgré l'obligation d'obtenir un vote unanime pour faire passer l'amendement, un revirement inattendu s'est produit lorsque la Pologne, où les bureaux sont actuellement basés, s'est opposée à la proposition Cette décision a perturbé les attentes et mis en évidence les tensions au sein de l'Union Européenne (UE) concernant les politiques migratoires et la sécurité aux frontières Cela illustre les défis persistants auxquels l'UE est confrontée pour parvenir à une approche unifiée sur ces questions cruciales

26 pays sur 27 s'accordent sur le même sujet pour délocaliser les bureaux, séparer les pouvoirs et même ouvrir d’autres bureaux. Les délégations avaient permis de réjouir tout le monde et le débat était clos Cela était sans compter le renversement de situation que provoqua la Pologne ne voulant surtout pas perdre ce pouvoir qu'est le pays hôte des bureaux de Frontex. Elle se justifiera en disant vouloir utiliser cet argent pour aider les pays Cette délocalisation de bureaux auraient tout changé dans l’organisation de Frontex et aurait peut-être permis de réformer cette agence et de la sauver de ces polémiques incessantes.

Le débat des ministres concernant la délocalisation des bureaux de Frontex hors de la Pologne s'est conclu par l'échec du vote à l'unanimité, en raison du veto de la Pologne Par conséquent, les bureaux resteront en Pologne, permettant au pays de maintenir un contrôle sur l'organisation. Cette impasse souligne les défis auxquels l'UE est confrontée pour parvenir à des décisions unifiées dans des domaines sensibles tels que la politique migratoire et la sécurité aux frontières

Gabin de Meulemeester, Council 2

The Sudoku Strategy

In a council where pragmatism was the order of the day, sudoku apparently holds the key to diplomatic power. It only took a few numbers on paper and a few words in a controversial speech for the Slovenian minister's voice to be isolated from the debate. In an effort to understand this controversy, in our search for information we learned that the Slovenian delegation uses Sudoku as a method of strategic preparation and meticulous planning to achieve these much desired characteristics necessary to be in the corridors of the European Union.

The French proposal to withhold IPA funds until the candidate countries prove their economic soundness was approved almost unanimously by the ministers, as expected, but a lone, firm and controversial voice broke away from the consensus: "we are talking about people, not numbers", she declared. This was percieved as a disobedient and rebellious cry against the dictatorship of unanimity.

Her critique was encrypted in a philosophical aristotelic monologue confused the attendees. The questions, doubts and interrogations diverted the course of the debate and made the ministers nervous, as the sea of the bureaucratic imposition of unanimity was threatened by the unaccustomed controversy.

In a scenario in which the possible European expansion is being considered, the dissonant voices seem essential to question the participation and the voice of the possible new members states. Will they enter their own voice or will be forced to comply with EU policy making process?

Dia de debates y nuevas decisiones

Hoy todo el equipo de ONU Colombia del liceo francés llegamos a nuestro primer día en el MEC de Strasbourg, que llevábamos esperando hace tiempo Bajo presión y estrés de que todo saliera bien llegamos al parlamento europeo donde nos esperaban alumnos de otros lados de Europa con los que nos comunicaríamos y hablaríamos sobre todo en inglés. Esto pudo ser un obstáculo en el camino puesto que no todos tenemos un nivel de inglés tan alto pero igual tampoco nos detuvo

Esta jornada de MEC inició con todos los delegados, presidentes, equipo de comunicación, etc reunidos en una misma sala Antes de empezar formalmente el evento todos hablaban con las personas que los rodeaban ya fuera para pedirles ayuda para terminar algo que por alguna razón aún no habían terminado o solo para distraerse Empezaron los discursos de presentación de cada país dichos por su respectivo jefe de estado. En ese momento se repartió un enorme silencio por la sala dándole espacio exclusivo a estos discursos

Aquí empezamos a notar las diferencias entre un MEC y un MUN que es a lo que nosotros como latinoamericanos estamos acostumbrados Entre ambos hay ciertas reglas que varían, como el pararse al hablar. Podría jurar que el momento en el que intentaba encontrar quien estaba diciendo su discurso me sentía como si estuviese buscando a Charlie Apenas finalizó el último discuso empezó lo interesante: la interrogación por parte de los periodistas a los países. Se sentía la tensión, el miedo de saber que era lo que los periodistas preguntarían que de hecho algunas personas no eran capaces de responder Venia pregutna, tras pregunta, sin pausa. No era algo que tomara realmente mucho tiempo, por lo que las preguntas eran bastantes, eran como bombas orales atacando a cada país

Siguiente al interrogatorio que fue superado con éxito, fuimos a comer algo Como latinos la parte del drama y el coqueteo no puede faltar y algunos miembros de nuestro equipo encontraron por obra del destino algunas “distracciones inesperadas”, pero nada fuera de lo común Alimentamos nuestros cuerpos con más pan y seguimos adelante

BalancingActs:NavigatingtheEU'sEconomic DependenciesandDiplomaticDilemmas

Today, 27 ministers representing the 27 member states of the European Union voted on several amendments concerning their economic and diplomatic relationship with the BRICS

Some European countries state that members of this bloc, such as China and India, are essential to the European economy, therefore severing economic relationships would be problematic Meanwhile, some argue that this bloc´s influence on the European economy ´ s stability is setting aside trade with small European countries such as Malta and Cyprus and strengthening the bloc more than the EU. Additionally, considering the Russian- Ukrainian conflict member states voted to exclude Russia from future treaties

On the one hand, we can see in the case of China, that most of the economic amendments proposed passed, like incentivising the location of Chinese companies within EU member states and encouraging national MEPs to ratify the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment Except from the reduction of tariffs by 20% on electrical and electronic equipment imported from the PRC, because it was decided that freezing the tariffs would be more convenient These decisions clearly illustrate how China is a key player in the EU's economy and even shows the dependency of the EU countries to it.

On the other hand, there is less disagreement concerning a strategic partnership with India because for some, this would ensure a decrease in member states' dependence on China. The council agreed creating an agreement with India before investing it that would go hand in hand with ensuring environmental and labor rights The other member of the block that was mentioned was Brazil But in this case none of the amendments to create a partnership passed

Finally, discussing the diplomatic relationship with Russia Most countries were in favor of its removal from all future EU-BRICS related treaties unless the aggression against Ukraine stops And the ones who voted against explained that because they thought it was useless because even if we removed Rusia, we continued to need them and they were still part of the BRICS and we were making partnerships with other countries of the bloc Nevertheless, there is still a small group of people who consider these measures to be exaggerated, since the war is not with any country in the UE So, are we really “waranoic” and focusing only on a conflict that does not concern us or are we just being careful and protecting our countries?

Manuela Aguirre

Chief’seditor,council4

Hi my name is Manuela Aguirre , I’m 16 years old, I live in Bogotá Colombia, I’m in the Lycée Français Louis Pasteur in Seconde and I’m the chief’s editor of this journal I love the aventures , the animals, meeting people and talking It’s a pleasure and a big opportunity to be part of this excellent group of journalists

Lorenzo Herrera

Journalist,council1

Hello my name is Lorenzo I am 15 years old Im in Seconde, and I'm part of the group of journalists I like reading, sports as soccer and tennis, and I love politics and debating

Avril Sanint

Journalist,council4

Hello there, My name is Avril and I'll be writing for the 4th council Im in “Seconde” or grade 10 and I'm very excited to be your journalist in this year's MEC I hope you enjoy our journal and my articles!

MeetthePress-Team!

Angelica Pardo

Journalist,council2

Hello, my name is Angelica Pardo, Im 15 years old, I live in Bogota Colombia I am at Seconde at the Lycée Français Louis Pasteur in Bogota and I am a chronic journalist for this newspaper I really like volleyball, skating, music, meeting new people and discovering new things I am so excited to meet new people in this model

Sarah Gutierrez

Theprincipaldesignerand Photographer,council4

Hi my name is Sarah Gutierrez, Im 15 years old, I am in Seconde in the Lycée Français Louis Pasteur and I am the principal designer of the Gazette journal I love fashion, reading, sports and political things Hope you like my job

DesignerandPhotographer,council3

My name is Camilo Agudelo, I come from Colombia, I am at Seconde and I am one of the newspaper's designers and I am part of the team of journalists and photographers during the model

Alicia Bernate

Journalist,council2

Hello, my name is Alicia Bernante I’m in Seconde in the Lycée Français de Bogotá, Im 15 years old and I am part of the Council 3: ECOFIN/ Environment and Energy I like cooking, drawing and play the guitar

Gabin de Meulemeester

Journalist,council3

My name is Gabin, Im 16 years old, I’m in Seconde in the Lycée Français de Bogotá, and I’m part of the group of journalism Frontex I like working, playing football and spending time with my friends and family

Hello, my name is Zulma I am a Spanish teacher at the Lycée Français de Bogotá I enjoy reading, traveling, and learning about new cultures