Vassiliou lost in translation?

This week, designate European Commissions are invited to public hearings on their plans for the upcoming five years by the appropriate committees of the European Parliament. Last thursday, the Cultural Committee questioned Cyrpiote candidate Androulla Vassiliou. ECOSY Vice President Katatina Nevedalova, MEP, asked one of the questions. Read her report here.

As the new year in the European Parliament started with the hearings of the Commissioners-designated in the parliamentary Committees which will decide if the candidates are the right persons for the positions, also the Committee on Culture and Education, Youth and Sport held a hearing of a candidate for the Commissioner on Culture, Education, Youth and Sport who is a Cypriot candidate Androulla Vassiliou (ELDR).

Katarina Nevedalova, ECOSY Vice-President and Member of the European Parliament asked the question about the vision of Ms Vassiliou about the future of the youth policy and its place in the new European Commission policies.

"We are facing the situation when the young people are not so much interested in the decision-making process of EU and generally feel that the EU is not taking care of them and do not listen to them. I asked her what is her vision of some European framework of the next cooperation in the field of the youth policy of the EU and the position of the youth policy in the new strategy of EU 2020", said Katarina. "Vassiliou replied, to me that the youth policy is very important and the involvement of the young people in all the political level, also. But she did not presented any concrete future steps,.dDspite my urging, the commissioner designated just repeated that we have enough tools to do so. I was very much disappointed about the answer."

The positive part of the hearing was the promise of Ms Vassiliou to strengthen the cooperation in the exchange programmes and to support the mobility for the students. In general the Commissioner-designated left very mixed feelings in the members of the Committee and they will very critically and carefully follow her next steps if she is approved as a Commissioner for the Education and Culture, Youth and Sport.