EUROmad- What to expect?
Excitement sparks among the delegates of EEB1 going to the EUROmad conference as they prepare for their debates about several relevant topics.
EUROmad is a conference modeling the European Union’s institutions, organized in the French Lycée of Madrid. Students represent permanent EU member states or countries invited to the meeting that are not members. There are multiple committees, which each have a separate topic to discuss. Our school’s students will take part in the conference between April 24th and 27th as part of the Spanish, Greek and Egyptian delegations, and will debate about various topics like drought relief, tourism, immigration and justice.
Before EUROmad, there are various things a delegate needs to do. Firstly, there is a position paper to write, which explains the country’s current political situation and its standpoint on the issue being discussed. The next step, according to our delegates, is doing research by reading political papers and other reliable sources, going to the meetings organized by the teachers at the school, and exchanging ideas. They must also start reading the position papers of other countries in the same commission, prepare some points to mention and think about what the opposing countries might argue for.After long preparations, our delegates are almost ready for EUROmad to debate these interesting and relevant topics.
The Blue Deal
The committee working on water management is proposing the support of the Blue Deal, which is a drought-prevention plan proposed by the Netherlands. “The new blue deal, we think it is a very important topic who needs to be spoken about. This applies even more to our county, Spain, where people massively suffer of the lack of water and droughts. Something indeed needs to be done euro-while about this life-threatening issue and EUROmad is the perfect occasion. We are very honored to have been invited and hope this debate to be very productive for all parties.” (Lilo Le Saux Loudes, Representative of Spain, Committee of Environment)
Water scarcity impacts many European countries, but especially the Mediterranean ones because their climate has naturally low precipitation and high temperatures, and this is exacerbated by climate change. The soil in these countries does not hold water well, which also aggravates droughts. Their water management practices are also inefficient. In this debate, our Spanish, Greek, and Egyptian delegations have the important job to represent countries that are highly involved in this topic.
As a solution, with the Blue Deal, water management would be planned more carefully regarding the drought situation. This would be achieved by encouraging citizens and tourists to save water, reusing water more efficiently, and economizing water in agriculture. The Blue Deal looks for support from governments, companies, and citizens. It promotes investments in water management, research about it, its legislation, and raising awareness about droughts. Is the Blue Deal realistic? Is it applicable to all Mediterranean countries? If it were implemented, would it solve water scarcity? These are just some of the questions we can expect our delegates to debate.
Mediterranean cooperation with the Middle East
Another interesting topic that will be discussed is Europe’s cooperation with the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. This is an interesting and complex topic that involves environmental protection, immigration, conflicts, and terrorism. Should Europe take a standpoint in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and if yes, how? Is trading with Middle Eastern countries beneficial to Europe? How do we support and enforce green initiatives in these countries?
Our school represents countries with highly relevant standpoints in these issues According to one of our delegates: “Greece is exploring the cooperation with the Arab world, especially the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, which have opened the way for green projects and renewable energy initiatives. Greece aspires to become the « bridge » between the Middle East and Europe in terms of renewable energies. Greece is also a pillar of stability in a region facing some of the most pressing problems: conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa region, such as the refugee issue and global warming.” (Leah Guichard, Representative of Greece, Committee EuroMed)
Conclusion
Therefore, as the EUROmad meeting is only a few days away, those going are soon finishing their preparations. There is a broad range of themes that will be discussed, like current politics, the environment, and sports. We wait impatiently for these pressing issues to be debated and are curious about the end results. Thank you to those who helped with this article by answering questions, and to the EUROmad team for all their work. Hopefully, the meeting will be productive and create many positive memories.
Lena Csigo / S5HUB / EEB1 Uccle
