'European Train' stops for young people 

European Commission and Parliament officials invited young people to get on the 'European Train' at the launch of the "in transit" project on 29 November 2006. The project began with a debate and presented the interactive website and upcoming film.

"Europe is at a crossroads, the direction of Europe is at stake," Project Co-ordinator Kumardev Chatterjee emphasised. "In transit is the best and simplest way to for European citizens to express what they feel," he added.

The debate focused on European identity, labour mobility and communication and included contributions from an interactive chat.

Christian Democrat MEP Thomas Mann said it was a pleasure to support young people on this creative project. He added “I am confident that it will succeed and bring Europe closer to the citizens, especially the young ones.”

Andrew Fielding from the Commission’s DG Communication explained that the problem was that 70% of citizens and young people in particular, know little about Europe. He said the Commission was trying to tackle this “communication gap” following three principles: listen more, communicate better and go local.

Conservative MEP Ingo Friedrich emphasised that “young people are the most important passengers on the European train” and that “politicians could not decide without asking the passengers”. He added: “We need to make this European train more efficient and reliable.”

Christian Democrat MEP Manolis Mavrommatis shared his own experience on getting on the “European train” and said this train should be a truly inter-European one,  running through the whole of Europe.

Orsolya Balogh  from the student organisation AEGEE said that “providing a forum for debate is not just an opportunity for stakeholders to take stock, but also for young people to discover the European in us.”

Karel Bartak from the Commission’s DG for Education and Culture underlined that “this is the kind of communication Europe needs today.”