Velika Nedelja, 26.03.2012
Dear young ladies and gentlemen, dear young potential members of the European Parliament.
Welcome to Slovenia, a young European country, a land of health and tourism. As a Member of the European Parliament, I was happy to accept your invitation today.
The blight of the crisis is no longer new. Yet, it is shocking that there are 5 million unemployed young people. It is you, the young who are a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. The youth, who know how to take advantage of broadband networks, master several languages ??and grow up in a peaceful and creative environment. The idea is the essence of every beginning and young people have fresh and unfettered ideas; you just need the knowledge and courage to realize them. In spite of the crisis being more pronounced in Europe in 2012 than elsewhere, the majority of young people around the world want to have a comparable quality of life to that of Europe.
We devote most of our attention in the European Parliament to managing the crisis, with tackling youth unemployment as the top priority. How can we introduce a greater entrepreneurial spirit into education?
Risk is an integral part of entrepreneurial culture. To master this, we need supportive knowledge and a supportive environment. This is what we politicians are responsible for. There is too little entrepreneurial spirit in the European educational process, and that is why you young people have too little confidence in this; in putting your ideas into practice in business. All pupils and students should perhaps have at least one year of education abroad. Even work experience in an international environment is becoming critical for an individual’s competitive advantage. The education system should closer follow global development trends. Only these are focused on information technology, mobility, environmental protection, energy, health, social entrepreneurship, tourism and food.
As a Member, together with my young team, I launched the “Start-up Europe” initiative. The aim of the initiative is to encourage you young people to better understand the importance of our European family, the work of the Parliament and to get actively involved in the discussions. In order to realize the benefits that we have in a common Europe and to be aware of its roots and values.
I welcome your Model European Parliament and I hope there are some budding European Members amongst you. I wish you many new ideas and friendships that you will create today for tomorrow.
As Steve Jobs said, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”. Never stop dreaming and do not be afraid of trying.
