The first European leadership programme
Read more...The "40 UNDER 40" - European Young Leaders, led by EuropaNova and Friends of Europe, is a unique, inventive and multi-stakeholder programme that aims to promote a European identity by engaging 40 of the European Union’s brightest minds in initiatives that will shape Europe’s future. The "40 UNDER 40" represent the future of European leadership, coming from all around the continent, with a wide array of backgrounds like politics, business, civil society, arts and culture, academia and the media. The programme was launched in 2011, with seminars having already taken place in Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Athens.
Brightest European individuals
Accomplished young Europeans
A new community of leaders
The aim is to try and synthesise ideas from the Young Leaders for a Europe that has lost its way.
In the world today, the more connected a bloc of countries is, the more successful it will be. The problem in Europe is that we do not speak with one voice.
Our generation has an important role to play, to revive the spirit of humanism in the EU project.
The issue is not choosing between austerity and growth. It is a question of which European model to choose. This should be on the top of our agenda as European Young Leaders and it could be one of our achievements.
Europeans, especially young Europeans, lack confidence. The contrast between the confidence and hope that you find in a country like India, or even China, is amazing. In order to build this confidence, we need to build up the transnational dimension of civic participation, democracy and politics, which is the missing link.
People do not seem to recognise what the EU stands for. They have no idea what is in it for them. To improve citizen trust, we need to reflect on how to demonstrate the value of Europe.
We cannot be satisfied and cynical. If we want Europe to lead, we have to inspire people to want to change the world.
We need leaders with more intuition and less rationality, with more bravery and less fear.
If we want strong EU leadership, we must not seek to find it at a national level but from those people with a European perspective. Young Europeans, who have been raised in a European context, need to work together and with other Europeans.
Brussels is seen as too remote from the ordinary citizen. We shall only succeed in developing the future of the EU along positive lines if we can manage to present the EU in a more positive light.
It is precisely youth, invigoration and decisive action that we need in the EU, and we need it right now.
The fact that there is even a blogger making a presentation at this event probably says something about the change in the generations.
We need strong leadership to speak the truth and share a vision about why the EU is important and necessary. Conserving the extraordinary achievement of the EU is worth the struggle and sacrifice.
We have to think together how we can invent our common future, and combine our nationalities and our identities for Europe's common good.
We are looking at the end of an era in European integration. The present leaders are unlikely to break out of their moulds, so we need new thinking and fresh leadership.