Generation EU

By Kevin Peel / @kevpeel

Young people in Britain need to change the terms of the debate on Europe.

It’s time for the euro-sceptics to make like a banana and split. For too long those who shout the loudest in Britain have been those who seek to divide and derail Europe. Aided by our notorious euro-bashing media, the sceptics would have us believe the EU is irrelevant and out of touch, spending its time debating the shape of bananas and disengaged from its citizens.

These outdated views do nothing to assist the debate about how we take Europe forward. For Generation EU, Europe is the solution and not the problem.

We are living in a time of great change, both at home and across the world. This rapid change requires a Europe that is moving with and adapting to the times we live in and providing innovative new solutions to the problems we face.

The Europe of its founding fathers was built upon a desire for peace. That aim has been achieved, but the Europe we live in today is in danger of losing the legacy of the past by focusing too much on an internal debate about institutions and structures rather than the challenges of the future.

For Generation EU, Europe is more than just institutional naval gazing, with countries squabbling over the number of votes they get on the Council of Ministers. It’s about people. It’s a place where people of common values come together and work towards a common good.

The legacy of the European idea – of a Europe that looks outwards – is a reality, but now we need a Britain that’s open and European in outlook. Our task as progressives is to change the way that Britain views Europe and the way Europe views itself.

For too long the questions has been ‘What has Europe done for us?’ but the debate now needs to be about what we can do for Europe.

The first step on the road to creating the Europe of Generation EU is getting out and campaigning ahead of the elections on June 4th to fight for the Europe we believe in.

We need to put Britain at the heart of Europe. As a nation we need to defeat our euro-scepticism and be unashamedly pro-European.

The Europe of Generation EU will only be achieved by becoming more than the sum of its institutional parts – A Europe that is outward looking and relentlessly focused on effectively tackling head on the major challenges of our time. Challenges like climate change, globalisation and the economic downturn.

It’s over to you…