Every year, on Sleepyhead Day, JEF Finland awards its Europe Wake-Up Call prize to a Finnish actor that should better take into account the significance of EU themes in its activities and participate more actively in the debate on Europe. This year, the prize goes to the Finnish Government.
Dear Prime Minister Antti Rinne and the Finnish Government
Finland has set ambitious goals for the EU presidency that has just begun. However, Finland’s EU influence must not be forgotten after the presidency ends — ambitious EU policy must continue throughout the electoral term.
Global warming will not pause for Finland’s EU presidency, so swift action is needed afterwards too. We do not have time to fail. According to the Youth Barometer published in the spring, young people’s concern about the climate has risen sharply over the past ten years. According to a survey published by JEF Finland the previous spring, young people see combating climate change as precisely the most important issue where cooperation at the European level should be increased. In addition, we must boldly defend the rule of law by holding firm to tying EU funding to compliance with our common rules.
It is wonderful that young people’s voter turnout in this spring’s European elections more than doubled from the roughly ten percent result of the previous European elections. However, the rise in young people’s voter turnout is still not enough, since only about a quarter of young people used their vote in the European elections. Young people have a positive attitude towards European cooperation, since according to a JEF Finland survey, as many as 81 percent of young people consider EU membership a good thing for Finland. Young people’s trust in European cooperation is strong. Finland must, for its part, ensure that this trust in the Union’s future is preserved. Finland must hold firm to the goals it has set.
In order to get most young people to vote in the next European elections, it is not enough to talk about the Union for the month before the election. European themes must be discussed actively throughout the entire electoral term. And that is where you, dear ministers, are in a key position. Discussion of the EU must not remain behind the closed doors of cabinet meetings. Bring your views into public debate, raise the themes being handled in the EU, be bold visionaries, and set out your position on the future of the European Union. Involve young people in the discussions, because we have a huge amount of knowledge, skill, and vision about what kind of world we want to live in. Europe needs its defenders.
With these words, we want to award JEF Finland’s traditional Europe Wake-Up Call prize to the Finnish Government.
With cooperative regards,
Iiris Asunmaa
President
JEF Finland
[email protected]
050 918 7390