Almere 2024
Innovating Europe’s future
#AlRC’24
Welcome to Almere 2024, the fourth Regional Conference of EYP the Netherlands in 2024!
5-7 APRIL
Friday: Officials Training (Officials only)
Saturday: Teambuilding & Committee Work
Sunday: General Assembly
100 participants
Delegations from Dutch high schools
Almere
Het Baken Trinitas Gymnasium & De Nieuwe Bibliotheek Almere
Media
Pictures, videos and media projects created by the Media Team, led by Elisabeth Gienapp
Sponsors
Session 2024 is supported by the following organisations:
Venues
Teambuilding, Committee Work and overnight accommodation
Teambuilding & Committee Work
General Assembly
Travel information
for international officials and participants
The Netherlands is one of the central rail and bus hubs of Western Europe. In addition, chronic delays at Schiphol Airport have resulted in additional travel time, both to and from the Netherlands. What may have been a four hour travel time (airport-flight-airport) might now be six or seven hours. At this travel time, bus and rail travel are more competitive time wise.
General information
The NS is the main provider of rail services within the Netherlands. Train travel within the Netherlands is the quickest and easiest way to get around, with frequent train services connecting all areas of the country. Information about train travel can be located from the Official NS App, or through the third-party 9292 app.
Tickets can be bought on the NS App, or at stations, where a €1 surcharge applies for printed tickets. It is also possible to purchase a travel card – called the OV Chipkaart – for €5 at these kiosks. Using the OV Chipkaart allows you to avail of discounts and avoid paying for surcharges.
When travelling in the Netherlands on NS services during non-peak times, it is possible to avail of a 40% discount when travelling with a subscription holder. This can be activated in the NS App (for registered cards) or at a kiosk through the ‘Joint Journey Discount’ or ‘Samenreiskorting’ option.
Rail
Amsterdam, which is less than half an hour away by train from Almere, is one of the most well connected European capitals, with a wide variety of international connections through both Amsterdam Centraal and nearby Utrecht Centraal. The Eurostar has five daily trips between London and the Netherlands (3h 30), hourly Thalys services between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, and Paris (2h 30), as well as high frequency Intercity Direct services between Belgium (Antwerp and Brussels) and Amsterdam (1h 30). There are also a number of ICE high speed connections between Amsterdam and German cities, including Cologne, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Nuremberg, and eight direct services a day to Berlin.
There are also Nightjet services – overnight rail connections between Amsterdam and other cities across Europe, including Vienna, Prague, Basel, and Zurich. These can be more costly, but may well be cheaper (and less stressful!) than flying.
Bus
If you’re coming from elsewhere in Europe, a bus connection may also be an easy and cheap travel option, especially for cities without direct rail service to Amsterdam. Flixbus, the main international bus company, offers bus travel between Amsterdam and cities in Northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. Do be aware of longer travel times compared to rail travel.
Many of these begin or terminate from other rail stations in Amsterdam, such as Amsterdam Sloterdijk or Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA, so be sure to double check the details. Other transport hubs are easily accessible from Amsterdam Centraal (less than 5 minutes by train, or 15 by Metro), but you don’t want to find out too close to departure time!
Air
Schiphol Airport is the main airport of the Netherlands, as one of the busiest airports in Europe with daily flights to dozens of European countries. There is a direct rail connection between Schiphol Airport and Almere Centrum, with direct connections every 10 minutes, and journeys lasting less than 15 minutes.
WARNING – Schiphol Airport has been experiencing severe security delays, upon both arrival and departure. It is recommended to get to Schiphol at least 3 hours before your flight to ensure sufficient time, especially if you have a tendency to get lost, if you’re checking in bags, or if you want additional buffer time.
Eindhoven Airport is the secondary airport of the Netherlands, mostly containing budget airline carriers, such as Ryanair and Wizz Airways. Destinations include Dublin, Vienna, Barcelona, Rome, Budapest, Bilbao, Riga, Sofia, and others.
There are also flights from The Hague Rotterdam Airport and London, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Lisbon and other seasonal destinations. These are fewer in number than flights to Schiphol or Eindhoven, but it is also worth researching.
Packing list
Essentials
- ID and/or passport
- Health insurance card
- Food for Eurovillage (delegates)
- Money to spend on the (non-obligatory) non-alcoholic drinks and/or snacks during other Evening Programme events
- Reusable waterbottle and/or coffee cup
- Sleeping bag and sleeping mat
Clothing
- Casual clothing for Teambuilding
- Smart casual clothing for Committee Work
- Business formal clothing for General Assembly
- Pyjamas
- Enough underwear/socks etc. for two days
- Shoes
Academics
- Research material & Topic Overviews for Committee Work (digitally available, preferably not printed)
- Pen, notebook, paper
- Laptop & charger if you have them
Personal
- Any (emergency) medication you may need
Please note: we are not allowed to provide you with any form of medication. This even includes coughing tablets or painkillers. If you think you may need these, please bring them yourself! - Toiletries
- Towel
- Phone & charger
- Lots of excitement and a good mood!
Resolutions
The following resolutions were written by the delegates of the Almere Regional Conference 2024. These were written under the guidance of the academic team.
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AFCO
“Radical Right Challenges to Europe’s Cohesion: The latest elections and polls in different Member States have revealed a rise in the political representation of far-right ideologies, which openly call for the dissolution of the EU or repeatedly undermine its values as outlined in the Treaty on European Union. With euroscepticism on the rise, what can…
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AFET
“A Relationship in Crisis: While the EU faces difficulties in asserting influence in Africa, other countries’ impact continues to strive, as seen in projects like the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. However, African nations remain pivotal for the EU in addressing, amongst others, migration and economic interests. How can the EU fortify and rejuvenate its…
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AIDA
“Job Killer Artificial Intelligence (AI)?: With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimating that up to 60 % of all jobs in industrial countries will be impacted by rising AI technology, the fourth industrial revolution is disrupting the European job market. However, while AI poses dangers to some jobs, it certainly has benefits for others. How…
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EMPL
“Don’t You (Forget About Me): Europeans with a disability are at a greater risk of social exclusion. Furthermore, half of the disabled persons feel unfairly treated and discriminated against in day-to-day life, with a further 1 in 5 being victims of violence and abuse. Given that the EU is home to an estimated 100 million…
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ENVI
“There is No Planet B: With the devastating impacts of climate change becoming increasingly visible, the EU faces the challenge of reducing carbon emissions and transitioning towards sustainable energy sources. With the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, how can the EU accelerate the adoption of green technologies and encourage global cooperation to combat…
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FEMM
“My Body My Choice: While sexual and reproductive rights are widely acknowledged as human rights in many Member States, women continue to witness limitations or denials of their access to reproductive healthcare. Considering the legal restrictions on abortion in Member States like Malta and Poland, as well as the persistent practical barriers in other Member…
Academic Topic Overviews
With support of the President and Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons of Almere 2024 have written extensive Academic Topic Overviews for their Committees. It is mandatory for all delegates to thoroughly study the paper, follow the links and answer the guiding questions in research of their own topic. If you want to further understand other committees’ resolutions, it is also recommended to explore the corresponding Topic Overview. Good luck with your academic preparation!
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AFCO
“Radical Right Challenges to Europe’s Cohesion: The latest elections and polls in different Member States have revealed a rise in the political representation of far-right ideologies, which openly call for the dissolution of the EU or repeatedly undermine its values as outlined in the Treaty on European Union. With euroscepticism on the rise, what can…
-
AFET
“A Relationship in Crisis: While the EU faces difficulties in asserting influence in Africa, other countries’ impact continues to strive, as seen in projects like the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. However, African nations remain pivotal for the EU in addressing, amongst others, migration and economic interests. How can the EU fortify and rejuvenate its…
-
AIDA
“Job Killer Artificial Intelligence (AI)?: With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimating that up to 60 % of all jobs in industrial countries will be impacted by rising AI technology, the fourth industrial revolution is disrupting the European job market. However, while AI poses dangers to some jobs, it certainly has benefits for others. How…
-
EMPL
“Don’t You (Forget About Me): Europeans with a disability are at a greater risk of social exclusion. Furthermore, half of the disabled persons feel unfairly treated and discriminated against in day-to-day life, with a further 1 in 5 being victims of violence and abuse. Given that the EU is home to an estimated 100 million…
-
ENVI
“There is No Planet B: With the devastating impacts of climate change becoming increasingly visible, the EU faces the challenge of reducing carbon emissions and transitioning towards sustainable energy sources. With the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, how can the EU accelerate the adoption of green technologies and encourage global cooperation to combat…
-
FEMM
“My Body My Choice: While sexual and reproductive rights are widely acknowledged as human rights in many Member States, women continue to witness limitations or denials of their access to reproductive healthcare. Considering the legal restrictions on abortion in Member States like Malta and Poland, as well as the persistent practical barriers in other Member…
Safety & Welfare
In the European Youth Parliament we work hard to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of all participants and volunteers. At all our conferences, there will be individuals committed to safety and welfare: trained Event Safe Persons (Vertrouwenspersonen) & licenced Emergency Response Officers (Bedrijfshulpverleners – BHV’ers).
Additionally, there is a National Safe Person for back-up and extensive Safety & Welfare policies on an international level.
Team
Almere 2024 is run by a group of dedicated volunteers. All are previous participants of the European Youth Parliament, from the Netherlands and abroad. Each team is responsible for a different aspect of the conference and led by an experienced member.
Head-Organisors
Kik Maassen
Madelief van Poelvoorde
The initiators and project managers of Almere 2024