November 25th marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. With feminicide still widely spread around the Globe, violence against women remains a huge roblem of the contemporary global world. The Federation of Young European Greens FYEG) calls for raising awareness of violence against women, as this is often forgotten as one f the major causes of death among women. We further call for the global prosecution of violence against women and children as penal cases of utmost seriousness.

The international financial crisis that has hit the global economy has not taken the Green economists by surprise. Greens have been advocating for years that the capitalist economic model, based on unlimited growth, is an unsustainable one. Growth cannot be limitless and the current financial crisis has come to prove this. Young Greens demand from the European Heads of State, meeting today informally to prepare the international conference on the financial crisis on the 15th of November, to look at the roots of the problem. The crisis comes from within the system, and only a change in the system can lead to a sustainable economy.

The phenomenon of greenwashing has been increasing at rapid pace recently.  Companies are more and more promoting how “green” they are through ambiguous advertisements and campaigns that mix their activities with vague concepts associated to a clean environment. In last couple of years a shift has finally occurred in the public opinion - from denying the existence of climate change to the belief that the environment and the climate are crucial aspects of our lives and of the lives of generations to come. Therefore, environmental care has become a competitive criterion and hence a marketing area for corporations, that now engage themselves in a fierce battle to project the most environmental friendly image.

The European Parliament adopted in first reading yesterday, the 24th of September, the Telecom Package – a group of measures meant to update the Telecommunications Framework Directive. This new packet aims to create a single EU Telecom Market which is supposed to reinforce the rights of telecommunications consumers in Europe.

The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) is actively taking part in the European Social Forum, held in Malmo, Sweden, between the 18th and 21st of September. Apart from  participating in different workshops and panels, the young greens are going to the streets of Malmo to demonstrate against the selective migration policies of the EU. The action will take place on Friday the 19th at 1pm.

The Swiss Young Greens, full member organisation of the Federation of Young European Greens, have managed to raise around 150,000 signatures to push forward a referendum on banning large vehicles from Swiss roads. The legislation in Switzerland permits popular initiatives, that is to say calling on the population to vote in a referendum for issues that draw over 100,000 signatures. If accepted by the people, the Government must enforce the legislative change.

Today the European Commission adopted a proposal for a directive which would ensure protection from discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and belief or religion beyond the workplace. This is a great step forward, as it extends protection from discrimination to areas such as health care, education, access to social protection and social security to mention but a few. While millions of Europeans continue to face discrimination on various grounds and in different areas of their lives, this directive comes in the support of the commitment of EU institutions to effect a discrimination-free Europe.

On July 1st, France has taken over from Slovenia the Presidency of the European Council . With Ireland rejecting the Lisbon Treaty through the referendum and with strong signals that the Czech Republic and Poland will not ratify the treaty either, the context for the following six months is a challenging one for a Presidency that aims to strengthen the European Union. Other priorities of the French Presidency are stricter laws on immigration, more money for defence, tackling climate change and securing a consensus on energy, preserving the CAP and EU expenditure on agriculture, and creating employment and growth by deregulating the labour market.

Are you young, green and active? Have to do an internship for your Bachelor or Master? Between study and work and don't want to sit at home waiting for a job? Want to get work experience to have a better chance for your dream job? Interested in politics and youth issues? Interested in the European Institutions?
Then FYEG is what you are looking for and you are what FYEG is looking for!

We are currently looking for 2 highly motivated interns for this Autumn and Winter 2008. Both are full-time positions, but the working hours are flexible and you can therefore fix it according to your studies/other interests. One position is to do an internship with the Green Group in the European Parliament and the other one is in FYEG's Headquarters in Brussels.