As fundamental rights are under threat across the bloc and more extreme political ideologies make their way to the mainstream, it is more important than ever to galvanise youth in France and the whole bloc, French Secretary of State for Youth Sarah El Haïry told EURACTIV France in an interview.
Read the full interview in French here.
During her visit to Marseille for the closing of the European Year of Youth, El Haïry made it clear that it is more necessary than ever to nurture “a sense of belonging to Europe among young people” in France, as the country’s youth are more detached and disillusioned than many of their EU counterparts.
But this malaise is present beyond the country’s borders. She noted that across Europe, “access to abortion or LGBT rights are currently being questioned in Poland and Hungary,” which creates a dangerous situation that the European Union must work to solve.
To do this, it is necessary to make young people understand that Europe “is not just a window of rights, it is first and foremost a political project, which conquers rights and carries an ideal, based on a set of values”.
This understanding and sense of belonging can be fostered by “better learning and understanding of the European institutions” and “celebrating even more strongly the successes of the EU”, namely its projects and the freedoms it affords.
But beyond that, youth across the block needs more opportunities to connect with each other through projects such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, teaching European languages and twinning between children from European schools.
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Rise of the right meets political apathy
But the French minister also sees the rise of the right in Italy as a threat to social cohesion and participation in the EU, especially at a youth level.
“In Italy, we are witnessing the arrival of a government that is very far from our core values”, which “creates tensions”. Therefore, “we must reaffirm our European solidarity and our humanism,” she told EURACTIV.
She noted that this political situation and the rise of the right are exacerbated by political apathy, particularly in France.
In the 2022 presidential elections, 40% of 18-24-year-olds abstained, more than 10 percentage points higher than the general population. This figure rises to 70% for the 2022 parliamentary elections and approaches 90% for the 2021 regional elections.
The minister expressed her frustration that French youth are very political but that this does not translate into votes. “We have to get out of this paradox of a youth that is extremely committed and political but deserts the ballot box,” she said.
Emotions not solutions
Commenting on the rise and almost normalisation of the right in France, as well as youth’s preference for candidates on the far end of the political spectrum such as Marine Le Pen (far right) or Jean-Luc Mélenchon (radical left) than Emmanuel Macron, the minister replied that “it is easier to animate hatred and anger, as populist movements do”, and that the French president’s camp preferred to “promote a discourse of reason, more complex, but fair”.
El Haïry considers that political opponents use extreme views that stir emotions to get votes rather than a more pragmatic and measured approach.
Opponents “come looking for emotions, not solutions”, she said, giving secularism as an example. “The far left racialise the debate and promotes an indigenist vision of society, while the far right twists it into hate speech,” she said.
As for the relationship between secularism and French youth, El Haïry said that “some of them see secularism as a constraint, whereas it is the necessary condition for equal rights and freedom”.
Overall, the minister expressed hopes that “Europe will rise to the challenges of the moment, for the future of its youth”. She called for “the legacy of the European Year of Youth to be perpetuated and enhanced” and for “a link to be made between the voice of youth and institutional decision-making”.
Finally, she encouraged young people to “build the Europe they want” by voting and participating in elections while reminding them that being French and being European are not two opposing identities.
French youth minister calls for more youth inclusion in decision-making
French Secretary of State for Youth Sarah El Haïry on Thursday (24 November) called for young people to be granted a bigger role in political decision-making, ahead of Monday’s EU Youth Council.
Source: euractiv.com
