The Erasmus Debating Society (EDS) of Rotterdam hosted a public debate on the question: “Should we always put ecology before economic growth?” on the 14th of May, a week before the Netherlands will go to the voting booths for the European Parliament elections. Partij van de Arbeid (Labour) candidate for the European Parliament Gerard Oosterwijk and EDS member Sezen de Bruijn presented the proposition case, while the d’66 (Liberal) candidate Paul Breitbarth and EDS member Daniel Fayoyin argued for the opposition side. The newly built Paviljoen Theatre on the Erasmus campus was filled with 52 enthusiastic audience members. Marike ...

Kai Dittmann began cautiously. “It often is not easy to argue for free trade,” said the 2014 World Champion in the category English as a Second Language (ESL). “But it is the marginal benefits that sum up.” Together with John Eltringham, who works at the American Academy in Berlin, he represented the government side in a public debate on the first evening of the Berlin Intervarsity. The question debated was: “Does Europe need the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)?” Speakers at the public debate (from left to right): John Eltringham, Kai Dittmann, Christoph Krakowiak, Rebecca Irvine and Philipp Stiel (c) ...

The elections for the European Parliament are right around the corner. This year’s elections promise to be different. For the first time, the citizens of the European Union can directly vote for the President of the EU parliament, while the rise of far right groups could create tensions in the EU. Under these impressions, the coordination meeting for the European Debates took place in Berlin this weekend. Right in the heart of Berlin, at the Allianz Foundation Forum next to the Brandenburg Gate, 23 young Europeans gathered to plan and discuss the series of upcoming debates. The association Bürger Europas e.V. ...

Europe shall be subject to debate. That is the spirit that drives the International Series of European Debates. The VDCH* and the society Bürger Europas e.V. initiated this series of debates about European topics. In cooperation with different local debating societies, public debates with European politicians have already been organised in a variety of cities in Germany and Austria. This year, in the run-up to the 2014 elections to the European Parliament, the European Debates will be hosted not only in German speaking countries, but all over Europe. Christoph Krakowiak, person in charge for the European Debates, has announced that ...