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Eighty students from 46 American universities and one European college gathered on campus Friday and Saturday to attend the first annual European Student Conference.

Participants came to campus to discuss the future of the European Union and to create a student-led think tank for EU policies during the two-day event. They arrived from colleges across United States including Harvard, Stanford and the University of Florida and a small cohort hailed the College of Europe in Brussels. The event, according to the conference website, was created in order to give American and European youth a voice in pivotal transatlantic debates. Through a series of five workshops and keynote addresses by European Union political figures, issues such as borders and immigration, democratic participation and European solidarity were discussed and debated.

The impact of the conference lies in the fact that students around the United States of America will start a debate on their campuses about which kind of Europe they would like to live in, and which kind of Europe they would like to contribute to I think that is something that hasnt really happened, said Igor Mitschka 15, ESC team president.

The five workshops, which were led by an amalgam of Yale University professors, scholars and European policy-makers, concentrated on the vital issues and challenges impacting the European Union. Workshops consisted of much more than idle discussion, according to conference organizers. Students presented policy papers on specific issues, which were then critiqued and discussed by presiding policy makers and professors. Each workshop then worked collaboratively to produce a cohesive collection of strategies, individual talking points and a specific policy recommendation, which were all presented at plenary sessions.

We didnt just want this to be a conference, a one-time event that participants went to, attended, had fun at and forgot which is why we integrated this conception of a think tank into the project itself, so the impact of the conference really doesnt end with this specific conference, said Alicia Tee 16, ESC director of logistics.

Tee added that ideally, students would establish branches of the ESC think tank which they called European Horizons at their home universities, and Yale would become the umbrella group for these different organizations. The groups would meet annually for future iterations of the ESC conference.

Speakers included former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair who participated via video message, and members of the British, Austrian and Italian parliaments who flew to campus for the conference.

Lapo Pistelli, Italian vice minister of foreign affairs spoke about the impact of immigration in Europe and the need for common standards of protection new common European policies to address human rights violations in immigration. Pistelli emphasized that immigration is not always a negative phenomenon, and said that in many cases the influx of new citizens leads to increased economic development.

Mobility and the freedom to move is one of the fundamental freedoms, Pistelli said.

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European Student Conference encourages activism on campuses

Special to WorldTribune.com

LONSON The European Union has expressed concern over the prospect of a Jewish exodus.

A senior official has warned that the flight of European Jews could harm member states. European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans acknowledged rising anti-Semitism and said a Jewish exodus would challenge the core of European integration.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.

In some [EU] states the majority of the Jewish community is not sure they have a future in Europe, Timmermans said.

In an address in Brussels on Jan. 21, Timmermans compared the prospect of Jewish flight to the future of the Euro, Middle East Newsline reported. He did not elaborate.

We can talk till kingdom come about the euro, about internal markets, about whatever initiative we take, Timmermans, a Dutch national, said. But if this fundamental value in European society, which is that there is a place for everyone whatever your creed is, whatever your background is, your race is, the choices you make in society if that is challenged, we have to answer that challenge by a policy that offers hope and prospects for everyone in European society.

Officials said tens of thousands of Jews were fleeing Europe for Canada and Israel. They said the biggest flight was in France, with the largest Jewish community in Europe.

France is your homeland, French President Francois Hollande said. The government is taking measures to make sure synagogues, as well as Jewish businesses and schools, are protected. But I want to go further than this.

Jewish leaders have confirmed the prospect of massive flight amid rising anti-Semitism. They said many Jews view Europe as being similar to that on the eve of World War II.

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EU leader worries Jewish flight could threaten future of Euro

Dr Marcus Papadopoulos talks about Ukraine, the European Union and the Customs Union
Dr Marcus Papadopoulos talks about Ukraine, the European Union and the Customs Union Government offices in Ukraine are functioning again, after troops and ri...

By: Dr Marcus Papadopoulos

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Dr Marcus Papadopoulos talks about Ukraine, the European Union and the Customs Union - Video

Algiers European Union Foreign Affairs Council, met recently in Brussels, stressed EU's commitment to international mediation led by Algeria to reach a political, all-inclusive and lasting solution in Mali, the ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday in a statement.

The council underlined that "EU remains committed to the international mediation, led by Algeria," and called on all the parties to get involved in it and respect the ceasefire agreement of 23 May 2014 and the Declaration on Cessation of Hostilities of 24 July 2014, "to reach a political, all-inclusive and lasting solution."

European Union Foreign Affairs Council said it was willing to facilitate "the implementation of the future political agreement, through an active participation of the follow-up committee, in close collaboration" with the United Nations and the African Union (AU), the statement said.

The council stressed the need to implement an "integrated" regional approach to face instability in Mali and urged for a "rapid" finalization of the EU regional action plan for the Sahel.

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Algeria: European Union Committed to International Mediation in Mali Led By Algeria

Dateline Abuja: EU Observer Analyses Nigeria #39;s Preparation For 2015 Polls PT2
The Deputy Chief Observer of the European Union Election Mission in Nigeria, Hannah Roberts, joins us on Dateline Abuja. For more information log on to http://www.channelstv.com.

By: Channels Television

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Dateline Abuja: EU Observer Analyses Nigeria's Preparation For 2015 Polls PT2 - Video