JEF Finland President Iiris Asunmaa has been invited onto Yle’s A-studio to discuss Europe’s future after Brexit. The discussion will be broadcast live on the Yle TV1 channel on Monday 3 February, starting at 21:00.
”Friday was a dark day for the whole of Europe. With Brexit, uncertainty about the future is intensifying, especially among young Britons. It was sad to follow British young people’s social media posts about how they spent their final moments as citizens of the European Union,” comments Asunmaa.
Europe faces something new now that Brexit has happened. Europe must redefine its relationship with the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the departure also gives the EU an opportunity to look ahead.
“The negotiations now beginning on the future relationship between Britain and the EU are certainly not going to be easy. At the same time, we need to secure the most flexible cooperation models possible that benefit both parties, while on the other hand avoiding a ‘cherry-picking’ scenario. From young people’s point of view, opportunities for mobile studying are important, since the United Kingdom is one of the most popular exchange destinations for Finns,” sums up Asunmaa.
”I see that the European Union now has an opportunity to take bold steps forward. Combating climate change, for example, is a topic on which young people expect decisive, joint action from the EU quickly,” concludes Asunmaa.