Today the Committee on Culture adopted an important report, which I helped to draft on behalf of my Renew Europe Group.

The already much debated subject of the COVID-19 pandemic remains one of the most important issues on the EU agenda. And rightly so. Over the last two years, we have been actively trying to tackle the acute immediate problems we have been facing across the Union, but now the focus is turning to tackling the long-term consequences the pandemic is leaving in its wake.

Young people, who have been marginalised and, in some places, completely forgotten during the pandemic, will be the most affected by its long-term consequences. They are among the most vulnerable groups in our society, given the importance of this developmental period in an individual’s life. External factors have a profound impact on the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of adolescents, and their effects are felt throughout life.

As such, young people have been hit hardest by the coronavirus, which was accompanied with the closures of educational, cultural and sports institutions. This obviously had a negative impact on their socialisation, the quality of their education and their mental health.

Therefore, in order to improve the situation, the Committee on Culture and Education has drafted a report on the impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU. It is structured around three key pillars: education and mental health, culture and sport, and digital literacy and digital inclusion. Below, I will highlight some key points for each of them.

Education and mental health

The report highlights the need to return to in-person learning, while remote education should remain an alternative when in-person education cannot be delivered in a safe manner. It also stresses the need to recruit highly qualified teachers and educators who will promote mental health literacy in their work.

It calls on the European Commission and Member States to break the silence on mental health issues and launch a Europe-wide mental health awareness campaign in educational and vocational settings, which must give young people access to relevant information on mental health. This is the only way to overcome the stigma attached to mental disorders. In the meantime, it urges Member States to develop national action plans to tackle mental disorders in children and adolescents through cross-sectoral investments, ensuring their implementation at the regional and local levels.

Culture and sport

As cultural institutions were the first to close and the last to open, young artists were deprived of opportunities to develop their careers. The report therefore calls on the European Commission to ensure that the Resilience and Recovery Fund provides young creators with adequate co-funding for projects and the appropriate conditions to develop their skills, and to support young artists’ entrepreneurship, including by granting them the professional status of cultural and creative workers. At the same time, the report calls for greater inclusion of all forms of creative expression in the educational processes of young people, as this has an important impact on the development of critical thinking and interdisciplinary skills.

Digitalisation and digital literacy

Technology and digital tools have – and will continue to have – an enormous impact on our daily lives. It is right that we use their potential to our advantage, which is why the report highlights that digital technology has great potential to support education as a tool for both teachers and learners, as it can provide accessible, open, social and inclusive learning pathways for all through innovative teaching methods. It can strengthen the role of teachers and equip citizens with key competences for later life.

And of course, the report does not ignore the need for adequate regulation to protect users, both in terms of personal data protection and in terms of controlling digital learning, which can lead to addiction and mental health problems. It also calls for digital literacy to be integrated into the educational process and for all pupils, especially those from economically vulnerable households, to be provided with appropriate digital equipment.

Unfortunately, as the full impact of the pandemic is still unknown, the European Commission is invited to carry out a study with a comprehensive assessment of the long-term effects of all pandemic-related preventive measures taken by Member States on children and young people. Such a study will allow us to develop appropriate and effective measures and to be better prepared in the event of future crises.

I have highlighted just a few important parts of the adopted report, which covers much more and is a good basis for developing concrete solutions through legislative initiatives or action plans. I am proud to have been involved in its preparation and am confident that the calls and solutions proposed will be well received and, above all, that they will make a real contribution to tackling the consequences of the pandemic.

On Monday, 23 May 2022, MEP Irena Joveva attended the Studio Europe: Volunteers, Heroes of European Solidarity event, where she and the participants discussed the challenges of volunteering and addressed the question of its future, including in the light of the epidemic and the war in Ukraine. Joveva highlighted the fact that volunteering organisations bear a heavy burden of responsibility in crisis situations, and at the same time provide the lion’s share of aid, which must be acknowledged without reservation.

The participants agreed that in Slovenia volunteering has a long and strong tradition. This form of philanthropic assistance is especially visible in times of severe crises when the work of volunteers and NGOs becomes particularly important for the well-being of people and communities in need. Still, the successful operation of volunteering organisations also hinges on the financial and material support of the competent authorities, which must enable them to work as efficiently and smoothly as possible.

As rapporteur on behalf of Renew Europe for the European Solidarity Corps, Ms Joveva presented a few details about this programme, for which a separate budget line has been foreseen for the first time and much more funding envisaged than in previous years. The European Solidarity Corps allows young Europeans to volunteer or participate in projects in an EU Member State or a partner country. She called for a greater promotion of the high-quality and diverse programme that shows that the European Parliament appreciates volunteering and wishes to ensure that it is as inclusive and accessible as possible for those in need.

“Financial support for volunteering organisations may have decreased during, say, the financial crisis, but despite the obstacles, the human side of volunteering has been reinforced. In times of need, Slovenians will step together to organise help in any way we can. And often those who have less help more. The promotion of volunteering has also received a big push from the social networks.”

Asked by the moderator how best to strengthen the cooperation of volunteering organisations with the EU institutions and other Member States, Joveva said that crises know no borders. Therefore, in her view, it would make sense to introduce more coherent and integrated cooperation between all of the above, and to give volunteering organisations more space, as they know the problems in the local environment and are in daily contact with the most vulnerable.

“Cooperation needs to be strengthened at all levels, both in the volunteering sector as well as at the level of national institutions. This will facilitate wider European support for adequate funding for these organisations, as well as for their promotion.”

Finally, Joveva expressed her wish that volunteering should not be taken for granted, which might be happening under the influence of the growing individualism in society.

“Volunteers need financial and material support, but they also need respect and encouragement, because volunteering is the backbone of our society. Education of young people is also key, and I would like to see volunteering promoted in a way that gives up the patronising attitude towards young people, which can drive them away.”

In addition to MEP Joveva, the event was attended by Gregor Gomboši, Commander of the Ljubljana-Vič Volunteer Fire Brigade; Tjaša Arko, Head of the Volunteering Programme at the Slovenian Philanthropy; Sandi Curk, Commander of the Notranjska Regional Civil Protection Headquarters; and Miha Zupančič, President of the Youth Council of Slovenia.

Volunteering is not just about doing unpaid work. It is about contributing to the building of society, about a sense of one’s fellow humans, which we must value highly. That is why, on the occasion of National Volunteer Week, the office of MEP Irena Joveva would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to each and every volunteer.

You can watch a video of the event HERE.

For the third time in her term of office, on Tuesday, 10 May 2022,  MEP Irena Joveva met with secondary school students from Novo mesto Gymnasium. On the occasion of Europe Week and the Year of Youth, she spoke about youth issues and current events in Slovenia and beyond. She considers it important to talk to young people in order to raise awareness about the importance of their participation in shaping the policies that affect their future, something which should also be fostered at home and at school.

First, she explained how she has been manoeuvring between her work as an MEP and motherhood over the past year, as it was noticed that her then nine-month-old daughter Mila was keeping her company in the European Parliament chamber during the vote: “I gave her some papers to distract her, some toys and some water, and that was it. Nobody minded her presence, everybody was happy with her being there and it was all very positive –she only made the atmosphere more pleasant.” She also described what her job is like: “It’s a 24/7 mission, both motherhood and being an MEP. Even if you are not working at a given moment, you can never switch off.”

According to Joveva, political discourse in Slovenia is currently at its lowest point. The culture of dialogue in the European Parliament is better, but even there you find some MEPs who are very extreme, manipulative and dangerously populist. They are, however, much more marginalised.

“No one in the European Parliament works with the MEPs from extreme political groups with hideous positions. It is clear who is OK and who isn’t, while in our National Assembly it is unfortunately much less clear cut. I cannot imagine the President of the European Parliament or the President of the Council communicating in the way that top-level politicians do here.”

She said that her colleagues in Brussels find it inconceivable that this could be happening in Slovenia.

Joveva also pointed to the extremely hostile communication on social networks, where she, too, has been criticised for her looks, her background and, more recently, her motherhood and her career. “I am sure that if I were a man, there would be less of this. Nobody discusses male colleagues, who are also fathers to young children, this way,” she added. She has also been criticised for her youth and alleged inexperience. But she entered politics also because she believes that the future of young people should be decided by people who are not burdened by the past, scandals, extreme views, or who are advanced in years. “Young people are increasingly important, not least in EU policies. The fight for young people is very prominent in the context of environmental issues and employment,” she said, adding that political education should be cultivated both at home and at school, and that she is always happy and pleased to respond to invitations to meet young people. She impressed on the audience to make use of all the programmes available in the framework of EU projects, especially the Erasmus exchange programme. She feels it is important to foster curiosity and consideration: “This is crucial, politicians and people in general should become more considerate. Considerate people see and feel other people more and can distinguish right from wrong.”

A large part of the discussion was devoted to current events in Slovenia and Europe. Joveva explained that the elections in France and Slovenia showed that people do not want extreme policies and division. She repeated how important it is to exercise the right to vote, otherwise one should not feel entitled to be critical of the elected representatives of the people.  She also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the campaign had been run and with the political messages directed at young people: “I don’t think there was enough focus on young people. Apart from the platitudes that are heard time and again, there wasn’t much substance.”

Joveva is worried about the war in the heart of Europe: “It is very difficult for me to express anything but condemnation – what is happening is horrific, but also extremely dangerous. We all hope that the situation will calm down soon, but we have to be realistic – it doesn’t look like it will. The European Parliament and the MEPs are doing everything we can to at least make the situation easier for people, although we acknowledge we cannot solve it.” The war is also resulting in a new wave of refugees, and the MEP stressed that all refugees and people fleeing dangerous areas must receive equal help. She was critical of Poland and Hungary, which among other things have been blocking the adoption of the legislative package governing the EU’s migrant policy in the Council for several years.

“I do find it somewhat ironic that Poland and Hungary, which are holding up the adoption of migration legislation, are now bearing the brunt of the refugees from Ukraine.”

Multiculturalism is one of Europe’s most important values, as the EU’s motto is ‘United in diversity’. Coming from a multicultural family, she sees this as her advantage. “I have always said that I am proud of my origins and of my homeland, which is Slovenia. I was born here, my father is Bulgarian and my mother Macedonian. This is reflected in everything else: if you have lived with people of different religions, backgrounds and, after all, political beliefs your whole life, this is reflected not only in your personality but also in your profession – especially in my case,” she concluded.