Category: Resolutions Breda 2021

  • Resolution ENVI

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY

    Loneliness is being increasingly recognised as a public health concern due to its detrimental effects on individual wellbeing and social cohesion. According to a report conducted by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) in 2018, 18% of Europeans experience social isolation. In this regard, what steps should the EU take to combat loneliness?

    Submitted by: Fay Mills, Ensar Esen, Dewran Murad, Luying Wang, Beverly Boahene (Chairperson, NL), Maro Kaisaridi (Chairperson, GR)

    The European Youth Parliament aims to ensure that loneliness and its consequences are recognised as the serious public health issue they pose. It hopes to ensure that policies dedicate adequate focus to this issue, and alleviate the stigma surrounding it, taking into account all affected groups,

    because

    1. Loneliness and social isolation pose a serious threat to public health, proving to be as dangerous as smoking and alcohol consumption,
    2. There is a lack of awareness and public dialogue  around loneliness, which is tightly connected to the stigma that surrounds this issue, discouraging affected people from acknowledging their state and reaching out for support,
    3. Current policies do not take into account loneliness or its impacts,
    4. Usually loneliness is wrongly associated with illnesses or old age, exacerbating the reluctance of affected individuals towards seeking help,
    5. Loneliness has rapidly increased in the European Union (EU) after the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Therefore, the European Youth Parliament,

    1. Calls upon Member States to provide adequate support to citizens severely impacted by the negative effects of loneliness through the establishment of public support centres with trained experts on loneliness;
    2. Encourages Ministries of Education of Member States to incorporate loneliness courses in their school curricula, in order to ensure that citizens are aware of the issue from a young age;
    3. Encourages Member States and their local communities to create public events that include mental health workshops and activities directed towards lonely people;
    4. Urges Member States to launch loneliness awareness campaigns targeted at young adults as the age group that is most at risk, in order to alleviate the stigma surrounding the issue and introduce them to organisations, such as loneliness in Europe, that can offer support to the lonely;
    5. Requests the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect) to partner with TikTok Europe and influencers for a social media campaign on loneliness in order to address stereotypes surrounding loneliness and to encourage people to open up about thei0r struggles;
    6. Requests Member States to allocate funding from the European Social Fund + (ESF+) to programmes that encourage connections between lonely people in all Member States, such as the Dutch initiative Ventilen – Gør ungdommen mindre ensom;
    7. Urges the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion to create a website that holistically and interactively presents the issue of loneliness;
    8. Calls upon Member States to make it mandatory for healthcare workers to receive adequate training on loneliness in order to properly care for their patients.

  • Resolution FEMM

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY

    With some European countries applying up to more than 20 percent tax on feminine hygiene products, classifying them as non-essential goods, what steps should the EU take to further fight the pink tax and period poverty?

    Submitted by: Lieveke Schoordijk, Nikki Hollander, Raven Staal, Mike Roelofs,  Pol Sanmartí (Chairperson, ES)

    The European Youth Parliament aims to put an end to gender-based tax discrimination, acknowledging the need to work towards reducing economic and social setbacks for women and menstruating people. We want to increase provision and accessibility to feminine hygiene products, while ensuring equal standards of life for all European citizens,

    because

    1. Some Member States[mfn]Hungary (27% tax), the Scandinavian Region (25% tax), Greece (23% tax), Croatia (⋝20%) and Latvia (⋝20%), amongst others.[/mfn]  tax up to 27% on feminine hygiene products, still classifying them as non-essential goods, instead of applying reduced rates created for essential goods,
    2. On average, menstruating people spend between €1500 and €7500 on menstrual products during their lifetime,
    3. This higher economic burden on women leads to period poverty,
    4. Period poverty results in social exclusion, hampering school attendance, social life, and future development,
    5. The European Union (EU) has no competence in Member States’ taxation policies, resulting in there being no binding EU-wide regulations on the premises of period poverty,
    6. The pink tax can be linked to indirect gender discrimination.

    Therefore, the European Youth Parliament,

    1. Encourages the national Red Cross Societies to distribute period product vouchers to citizens living under the Member States’ poverty line;
    2. Calls upon Member States to contribute to high schools’ and universities’ budgets to distribute free menstrual products for their students;
    3. Asks all Member States to classify menstrual products as essential goods and tax them as such, following the example of Ireland;
    4. Calls on the European Commission to modify the VAT Directive, allowing for more than two reduced VAT rates of 5%, while further encouraging Member States to include menstrual products within the reduced rates;
    5. Implores the European Commission to restrict gender-based marketing strategies on hygiene products perpetuating gender stereotypes and price discrimination;
    6. Proposes that the European Commission oversees a publicity campaign regarding the free distribution of period products, with the goal of waiving taboos and raising awareness on the newly adopted measures.

  • Resolution AIDA

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN A DIGITAL AGE

    Recent  advances  in  AI  systems  in  Medicine  and Healthcare present  extraordinary  opportunities  in many areas of social interest together with significant questions and drawbacks, calling for a close consideration of their implementation. What stance and/or steps should the EU take in the near-future applications of AI in this particular sector?

    Submitted by: Yutaro Yamamoto, Thomas Otter,  Sinead de Visser, Marcus van Strien, Nida Abraitytė (Chairperson, LT)

    The European Youth Parliament aims to promote the exploitation of artificial intelligence (AI) to its fullest potential in healthcare, while taking into account the risks associated with it. It seeks to use scientific knowledge to create a flexible and all inclusive framework that prevents biases and discrimination. It also wants to promote development in the field to bring benefits to the society at large and make Europe a world pioneer in AI regulation

    because

    Therefore, the European Youth Parliament,

    1. Calls upon Member States to urge AI developers to make  patients’ data as anonymous as possible to prevent possible discrimination;
    2. Requests the European Commission to create guidelines on the data that is used to train the AI in healthcare;
    3. Directs the European Commission to aid AI companies through programmes such as the Digital Europe Programme in implementing AIA regulations by providing funding and expertise;
    4. Requests Member States to ensure that AI developers make the process of developing and training AI more transparent in order to reduce citizens’ unwillingness to provide access to their healthcare data that is to be processed by AI;
    5. Urges Member States to provide means to exchange best practices on AIA adoption;
    6. Calls upon Member States to allocate more funds to the development of AI, in order to boost the development and the uptake of AI technology in healthcare;
    7. Asks the European Commision to cooperate with EUROCHAMBRES in informing European companies on existing and future AI regulations including the AIA regulations.

  • Resolution SEDE

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE (SEDE)

    The 2020 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) stated that existing problems regarding cybercrime have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With cybercriminals taking advantage of the crisis situation, what further steps should the EU take in the fight against internet crime?

    Submitted by: Sudenaz Kalkan, Madelief van Poelvoorde, Mika Schukken, Julia Nijgh, Jennah Said (Chairperson, NL)

    The European Youth Parliament aims to propose practical and feasible steps to limit the success of cyber attacks, taking into account the rise in cybercriminal activity over the course of the pandemic. The purpose is to protect individuals, institutions, and organisations against cybercrime and ensure that law enforcement agencies are able to effectively apprehend cybercriminals,

    because

    1. The number of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has continued to climb as a result of the rising usage of video paid chat apps protected by hard-to-access, encrypted communication networks,
    2. Victims of cybercrime seem to be hesitant about reporting to law enforcement agencies, making it harder to create an accurate overview of cybercrime prevalence across the EU,
    3. While modern encryption has significant security benefits, cybercriminals have quickly taken advantage of these benefits to attack the private sector,
    4. Due to the adaptive and expandable nature of complex modular malware, it has become more difficult for law enforcement to apprehend cybercriminals who use these forms of malware,
    5. Due to the lack of awareness of EU citizens on cybercrime, the majority of social engineering and phishing attacks are successful.

    Therefore, the European Youth Parliament,

    1. Advises the European Commission to lessen the successfulness  of phishing[mfn]Phishing is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent message designed to trick a human victim into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software on the victim’s infrastructure like ransomware.[/mfn] scams by looking into the development of  certifications on messenger applications, such as Whatsapp, that only recognise verified companies;
    2. Encourages Member States to provide education about cybersecurity to all citizens in cooperation with the CyberPeace Foundation, by offering:
      1. masterclasses at workplaces, given by experts once every year to keep up with the rapidly changing internet landscape, with a special focus on phishing and personality fraud,
      2. simplified classes about cybersecurity to young children in primary schools,
      3. specific classes for the elderly  to properly learn how to deal with cybersecurity;
    3. Asks major social media platforms, such as Google and Meta, to implement systems that are able to recognise CSAM, similar to content ID[mfn]Content ID services are used to allow copyright owners to easily identify and manage their content on Youtube by scanning databases for content that matches theirs.[/mfn], in order for the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) to deal with such content more easily;
    4. Recommends the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)  to create an expansion of the EC3 that specialises in uncovering underground platforms specifically designed for the distribution of CSAM, in order to tackle CSAM on those platforms;
    5. Encourages Member States to create public service announcements about the existing ways to report cybercrime to help victims of cyber-attacks to come forward in order to create an accurate overview of crime prevalence across the EU;
    6. Urges Member States to implement regulations that allow temporary access to the data of customers of companies that deal with data exchange in order to facilitate ongoing investigations in cybercrime.

  • Resolution LIBE

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

    A 2020 European Parliament statistic revealed that more than 700,000 people sleep rough every night in Europe, an increase of 70% over the last 10 years. What measures can the EU adopt to reach its goal of ending homelessnes in Europe by 2030?

    Submitted by: Nailah Hofstetter, Stijn Muusse, Martijn Moolhuizen, Peter Schalke, Bebel Piersma, Martha Barlogianni (Chairperson, GR), Carlos Drexhage (Chairperson, ES)

    The European Youth Parliament aims to propose realistic measures and steps that could decrease the number of people that sleep rough and protect them from the consequences of homelessness. The goal is to  prevent homelessness and achieve better living conditions, if not adequate housing, for all European citizens,

    because

    1. Homeless people often lack education and usually face a large amount of  employment discrimination,
    2. Inadequate housing and isolation can deteriorate people’s mental health,
    3. There are major financial barriers for homeless people to have access to decent healthcare, increasing the risk of the spread of contagious and infectious diseases among them,
    4. Homeless shelters often have poor hygiene and lack of financial resources,
    5. Paying for housing accounts for more than 41% of the budget of low-income families,
    6. Poverty, domestic violence and unemployment are the main causes of homelessness.

    Therefore, the European Youth Parliament,

    1. Calls upon the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion to facilitate homeless people’s integration in the labour market through:
    1. further promoting fair job opportunities for people in, or at risk of, homelessness by increasing funding for the European Social Fund,
    2. providing opportunities for paid internships,
    3. educational programs and trainings where they can develop skills that are useful in the search for employment;
    4. Encourages the Mental Health Europe organisation to organise and offer free educational courses regarding mental health issues to homeless shelters;
    5. Calls upon FEANTSA, the Social Protection Committee, and Member States to facilitate homeless people’s integration in society by establishing residences where they will be temporarily provided with adequate health and social support by medical and social care experts;
    6. Highly recommends the European Commission to allocate more funding to homeless centres in order to improve living conditions for the people living there;
    7. Encourages  the European Food Banks Federation and Caritas Europa to distribute essential goods on a monthly basis to low income households to ease their burdens in covering housing costs;
    8. Applauds the International Union of Tenants for advocating for more affordable housing for low income families;
    9. Calls upon Member States to raise awareness on homeless people by acknowledging and  promoting World Homeless Day, on which they campaign for solutions against homelessness;
    10. Calls upon Member States to promote the construction of eco-friendly tiny homes[mfn]Tiny houses are moveable dwellings up to 50m2 that are suitable for residential use.[/mfn] as a temporary solution to homelessness;
    11. Encourages the European Commission to tackle domestic violence by making it a crime under European Union (EU) law;
    12. Calls upon all Member States to ratify the Istanbul convention on preventing and combating domestic violence following the example of countries like Spain, France and Belgium.

  • Resolution EMPL

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (EMPL)

    One in three workers worldwide are anxious about the future of their work due to the automation and digitalisation of increasingly complex tasks. How should the EU adequately equip citizens with the skills needed to adapt to the transformation of the job market and what should social welfare models look like in the future?

    Submitted by: David Cvetkovski, Jason der Kinderen, Amy Tarling, Rebekah Tewelde, Daksh Khanna (Chairperson, NL)

    The European Youth Parliament aims to propose feasible measures that aid workers in the  transition to an increasingly digitised and automated job market in order to prevent employment inequality. We want to ensure that all workers benefit from equal opportunities to enter the job market, including those partaking in non-standard employment,

    because

    • Many medium skilled workers are at risk of losing their jobs due to automation and digitalization in the workplace,
    • The welfare schemes of traditional workers are not equal to those of gig workers[mfn]Gig work is a type of employment wherein the worker is not consistently employed by someone, who pays then a periodical wage. Instead, they are ‘’independent contractors’’, who take on jobs as high-skilled workers. Some examples include writing or graphic design.[/mfn], putting the latter at a disadvantage in working conditions,
    • Workers lacking technological and digital knowledge will experience limited employment opportunities,
    • The automation and digitisation of jobs presents the risk of increased inequalities between EU citizens on the basis of their education levels

    Therefore, the European Youth Parliament,

    1. Asks Member States to focus the implementation of new technologies on sectors such as healthcare, in which they will improve productivity and quality, rather than instantaneously replace jobs;
    1. Encourage the European Commission to further invest in the development of Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems[mfn]VET system: Vocational Education and Training (VET): responsible for the development of skills people need to be active in the workforce. Through teaching skills, but also reteaching skills, VET helps to lower dropout rates and the transition from school life to the labour market.[/mfn], such as those created by CEDEFOP, to equip citizens with the skills needed to partake in platform economy[mfn]Platform economies are circulations of the work that is based online. This work can be divided into two parts. The first one being platforms for companies to request work, and platforms for people who are offering their services.[/mfn];
    2. Strongly encourages Member States to further develop their social welfare systems by adequately supporting previously self-employed and disabled unemployed people into increasingly digitised labour markets;
    3. Invites Member States to enforce a minimum wage for gig workers in order to ensure that they benefit from a decent standard of living;
    4. Calls upon Member States to aid in the training of future generations of workers by offering:
      1. courses in primary schools focusing on the usage of technology, for instance through computer science classes,
      1. high school students the opportunity to focus on more digital-oriented curricula;
    5. Requests Member States to further increase the taxation of higher-income workers in order to redistribute more funding towards the training of less educated workers.

  • ITRE

    ITRE

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRY, RESEARCH AND ENERGY

    A fashion forward approach: With the EU’s 2019-adopted Circular Economy Package in mind, how can the EU ensure a competitive yet resource-efficient development of the fashion industry in Europe, working towards sustainable consumption patterns?

    Submitted by: Roemer Declercq (NL), Livia Draaisma (NL), Madelijn Gould (NL), Sophie Hellebrekers (NL), Elaine Janssen (NL), Carolina Martins (PT), Wessel Meekel (NL), Mare Vries (NL), Margarida Conceição (Chairperson PT)

    The European Youth Parliament,

    1. Regretting that inferior costs incentivise fast fashion companies’ production to often take place in countries with low environmental standards,
    2. Conscious that considerable economic costs of switching raw materials refrain fashion companies from employing environmental-friendly alternatives, leading to:
      1. Water scarcity through farming and handling of natural fibres,
      2. Discharge of microplastics into water resources due to non-decomposable synthetic fibres,
    3. Pointing out that the location of production facilities in less-developed countries causes a significant release of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) during the distribution process,
    4. Concerned by the consumer pressure to take part in fast consumption rhythms brought about by the continuous release of a high number of collections,
    5. Recognising that the lack of available information regarding the fast fashion industry’s supply chain results in consumer obliviousness of the consequences of their consumption choices,
    6. Alarmed by the growing global middle-class’ effects on the increasing fast-fashion clothing demand,
    7. Aware that deficient quality and durability combined with low prices lead to a short usage time of garments,
    8. Bearing in mind that most fashion brands destroy and dump clothing due to overproduction,
    9. Reminding that fashion suppliers have little obligation to recycle or reuse unsold clothing,
    10. Emphasising that consumers are unaware of the environmental benefits of recycling and reusing garments,
    11. Noting with regret that due to a lack of available technology most clothes have to be down-cycled;

    Companies’ environmental standards

    1. Asks the European Commission to propose higher environmental standards for the production of  garments sold in the EU;
    2. Further asks the European Commission to oversee that these standards are followed in the countries where the clothes are manufactured;
    3. Suggests the European Commission to subsidise companies who wish to switch to a production model that uses environment-friendly fibres, such as bio cotton or manmade cellulosics;
    4. Invites Member States to create Special Economic Zones (SEZ)1 in their national territories in order to shorten  companies’ supply chain and decrease CO2 emissions;

    Consumers’ Conduct

    1. Further suggests the European Commission to subsidise fashion companies’ transition to more sustainable business models;
    2. Urges fashion companies to be more transparent regarding their supply chain; 
    3. Strongly recommends the European Commission to establish an eco-labelling system detailing the garments’ environmental footprint;
    4. Endorses the European Commission to financially support more environmental-friendly clothing products and companies;
    5. Recommends the European Commission to set higher standards for the quality of garments;

    Reusing and Recycling

    1. Further invites the European Commission to support the implementation of the Just-in-Time principle2 to reduce overproduction;
    2. Calls upon the European Commission to propose legislation on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)3;
    3. Encourages Member States to inform the public through a social media campaign about the perks of recycling and reusing, incentivising it to donate or re-sell their garments;
    4. Requests the European Commission to invest in research and development of upcycling methods.

    Footnotes:

  • LIBE 1

    LIBE 1

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS AND HOME AFFAIRS 1

    A free space for all: With social media platforms becoming a breeding ground for the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories online, influencing the offline, is there a new need for censorship? Should digital discourse remain a place of complete freedom of speech or is there a responsibility to be taken up by tech companies themselves or the EU?

    Submitted by: Costanza Emanuele (IT), Eylül Eren (TR), Benthe Hauzendorfer (NL), Storm Kamerbeek (NL), Annahita Koot (NL), Piet Pankratz (NL), Charlotte Rutte (NL), Tiemen Tolsma (NL), Tatum van Dijk (NL), Paula Vermaas (NL), Maud Wood (NL), Jochem Zandbergen (NL), Gabriele Rimkute (Chairperson IE)

    The European Youth Parliament,

    1. Concerned by misinformation1 and disinformation2 in media,
    2. Further concerned by the problems arising from the ambiguous difference between the terms misinformation and disinformation,
    3. Further noting with regret the lack of awareness amongst governmental experts regarding the difference between misinformation and disinformation,
    4. Deeply concerned by the influence fake news has on citizens’ decision-making process, especially in times of crisis, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic,
    5. Acknowledging the delicate balance between eliminating fake news and infringing citizens’ right to freedom of expression,
    6. Realising that social media censorship can become unreliable and biased when unregulated,
    7. Taking into account the influence of filter bubbles3 on social media users,
    8. Alarmed by 57% of Member States’ citizens choosing social media platforms as their main source of information,
    9. Aware of the lack of transparency social media platforms provide to users regarding how their algorithms affect suggested content and censored posts,
    10. Deeply alarmed by 75% of social media users coming across disinformation campaigns at least once a week;

    Education

    1. Requests Member States to introduce age-appropriate social media education4 by:
      1. building upon or creating curricula for primary schools,
      2. incorporating such curricula within existing lessons in secondary schools such as computer studies, civic studies and career guidance courses;
    2. Encourages the European Commission to continue funding initiatives such as the European Media Literacy Week5;
    3. Further encourages the European Commission to promote educational events, such as the European Media Literacy Week, aimed at educating senior citizens on media literacy;
    4. Suggests  Member States improve social media literacy by:
      1. hiring government staff with adequate knowledge,
      2. providing further schooling to existing government staff;

    Regulation of Information in Social Media Platforms

    1. Supports the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE)6 to further   regulate the factuality of news posted on social media;
    2. Call upon the European Commission to further build upon the Digital Service Act to create a more unbiased algorithm focusing on regulated information;
    3. Congratulates social media platforms for providing  factual sources alongside posts picked up by the algorithm;

    Availability of Information

    1. Invites Member States to ensure the accessibility of traditional media7 as a primary source of information;
    2. Calls the European Commission to further expand on data protection regulations8 by:
      1. providing opportunities for users to limit the tracking of their online activity,
      2. making information available on the workings of algorithms and active censorship;

    Requests Member States to fund non-profit organisations such as Disinfolab to limit the spread of disinformation campaigns.

    Footnotes:

  • SEDE

    SEDE

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE

    As warfare moves online, cybersecurity becomes relevant to our defense and security as a continent. With the reliability of cryptography being challenged by the potential invention of the quantum computer, coupled with the increasing threat of hackers, how should the EU proceed to ensure its cyber security?

    Submitted by: Quinten Baan (NL), Giada Chessa (IT), Goos Kuijper (NL), Harsh Mishra (NL), Jurgen Pels (NL), Victor Peutz (NL), Ruben Rosaria (NL), Jennah Said (NL), Stella Naudts (Chairperson NL)

    The European Youth Parliament,

    1. Alarmed by potential data leaks due to quantum cyberattacks in combination with the lack of potential defense mechanisms, 
    2. Noting with deep concern the ever growing risk of the EU being sidelined in the race for quantum supremacy1,
    3. Concerned that the invention of quantum computers in the future may cause unfair competition between companies,
    4. Deeply disturbed by signs of computer illiteracy amongst legislators and politicians in Member States,
    5. Emphasising the need to ensure and stimulate further cooperation between Member States with regards to:
      1. laying down a Quantum Communication Infrastructure2 in order to stimulate a fully capable Quantum Key Distribution3 to protect EU citizens,
      2. ways to protect EU citizen data from hackers and other foreign entities,
    6. Aware of the fact that the accelerating progress of the invention of the quantum computer does not currently play a comparative role in legislative decision-making;

    Digital Literacy

    1. Hopes that the European Commissionwill provide  ENISA4 and EuroQCI with a more prominent advisory role in decision-making on cybersecurity and quantum cryptography;
    2. Strongly encourages Member States to cooperate with ENISA and EuroQCI on matters such as education of government officials on quantum technology and cybersecurity;

    Cooperation

    1. Asks the Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology5 (DG CONNECT) to assess the risks and opportunities of quantum technology in the EU in cooperation with the Council of Europe and relevant non-governmental organisations;
    2. Requests the European Commission to impose financial sanctions on Member States in the case of power abuse regarding unauthorized surveillance of citizens;
    3. Calls upon the European Commision to establish an accord with the USA for exchanging knowledge on quantum computers and the QCI system;

    Protective Infrastructure

    1. Urges the European Commission to increase funding into the Quantum Technologies Flagship project for development pivotal to quantum infrastructure and communication;
    2. Implores the European Commission to strengthen the ties between Member States’ cybercrime agencies by expanding ENISA;
    3. Strongly urges all Member States to critically evaluate existing cyber security of government appointed organisations holding citizens’ vulnerable data;
    4. Requests Member States to facilitate easy and transparent access to information  between European academic institutions regarding quantum technology.

    Footnotes:

  • AFCO

    AFCO

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

    The Great Hack: In recent years the potential for social media to be used as an instrument for influencing the manipulation of consequential elections has become abundantly clear. How can the EU ensure the integrity of its own and its Member States’ elections whilst keeping in mind the freedom of political parties to advertise and promote themselves?

    Submitted by: Matthieu Chiagano (IT), Roya Compier (NL), Yusuf Khalid (NL), Lesley Kwa (NL), Zara Nijzink-Laurie (NL), Christina Sandved (NL), Nynke van der Veer (NL), Hidde van Vloten (NL), FinnVries (NL), Joshua Kramer (Chairperson NL)

    The European Youth Parliament,

    1. Noting with regret that political micro-targeting1  manipulates voters and creates unfair competition during elections,
    2. Considering that the option to opt-out of data collection becomes unavailable when data is collected anonymously,
    3. Observing the lack of digital awareness due to unclear cookie policies on social media,
    4. Seriously concerned by the lack of transparency on data usage by data analytics and social media companies,
    5. Acknowledging the lack of enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)2 such as the lack of application and jurisprudence,
    6. Regretting the lack of responsibility taken by social media platforms in limiting political micro-targeting,
    7. Alarmed by the number of political parties that apply micro-targeting in their campaigns,
    8. Recognising that the fast development of methods for data collection used by data analytics corporation results in legislation lagging behind,
    9. Aware of the abuse of the core principle of data mobility by data analytics companies;

    Legislation

    1. Urges the European Commission to ensure that data collecting companies grant users control over their data when it is collected anonymously;
    2. Advises the European Commission to amend the GDPR to differentiate between the necessary and unnecessary types of data;
    3. Proposes the European Commission to initiate legislation that:
      1. allows users to clearly understand that a political advertisement is micro-targeted,
      2. gives users the option to view other advertisements that were posted by the profile that posted the advertisement;
    4. Requests Member States to create legislation allowing users of social media platforms to see who paid for political advertisements, similar to the Dutch Social Media Advertising Code;
    5. Suggests the European Commission creates legislation to hold social media platforms accountable for irresponsible political micro-targeting, punishable by fines;
    6. Calls upon the European Commission to create legislation obliging social media platforms to openly disclose information regarding micro-targeting of political parties on specific user groups; 

    Policy

    1. Calls upon the European Commission to increase financial support to the National Data Protection Authorities 3 of Member States with major European social media headquarters;
    2. Invites Member States to institute a common education program on digital awareness in regards to micro-targeting;
    3. Encourages the European Cooperation Network on elections4 to monitor the budget political parties can spend on micro-targeted advertisements for their campaigns;

    European Data Protection Board (EDPB)5

    1. Urges the EDPB to create a policy that obliges social media platforms to summarize and simplify the terms and conditions regarding the treatment of users’ data;
    2. Calls upon the EDPB to create a committee of experts in charge of revising legislation to advise Member States and companies on compliance with data protection rules.

    Footnotes: