Take a look at the ideas that our participants aim to transform into tangible policy proposals. The workshops, guest lectures and panel sessions that make up FELF’s programme are designed to help them to that end. For five days, our participants have worked intensely to forge the most innovative yet nonetheless feasible solutions for some of Europe’s most pressing issues.
The 2020 cohort decided to particularly tackle issues with:
- The multi-level governance of environmental matters
- A (mental) health union
- Digital crime
The first proposal, “Strengthening the role of regional leaders in the green transition”, brings our attention to the importance of acknowledging regional differentiation in the implementation of the EU’s environmental policy. Underscoring the importance of smart specialisation strategies, this idea calls for the empowerment of local authorities, greater support for the most disadvantaged regions, and the development of stronger cross-border interregional networks.
Building on the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the second brief aims to streamline the cooperation on mental health issues across the Union. Their proposal “Combating the invisible pandemic: A unified strategic mental health program for Europe” calls on the Commission to develop a Union-wide long-term strategy on mental health, beef up the allocations for the EU4Health programme, and in close cooperation with the youth launch a comprehensive pan- European communication platform.
Lastly, in “Regulating the cryptocurrency industry to tackle criminal activities”, our participants set out to tackle financial crime connected to cryptocurrencies. Pointing to the laggard regulation of this booming field of finance, the idea is to set up an EU agency that would govern cryptocurrency transactions to pre-empt their potential malicious use.
We invite you to give these youth-driven, uncanny ideas a thoughtful consideration. And should you wish to share your comments with its creators, they will surely appreciate it.