Welcome to my blog for this semester! My first post is going
to be about my choice of 5 EU-related topics. Our task was to decide on 5
topics which are in some way related to the EU and explain why we think they
are interesting. This should help us to decide on one topic we want to write
our SUK3 paper about. Since the EU is a very complex topic I think this is a
great idea and will help us to find one aspect of the EU we are really
interested in.
These are my top five:
Currencies of the EU
When we talked about what the first thing is that comes to
mind when you think about the EU, a lot of people said the euro and as a reason
that it is the currency of the EU. But that is not exactly true, is it? The euro
is the principal currency since it is adopted by 17 EU members as their common
currency but there are 12 other currencies within the EU. However, all of the
remaining states have to adopt the euro too once they meet the criteria to do
so. Except for the United Kingdom and Denmark, which have a de facto permission
to keep their currencies. And that is where it is getting interesting. Why are
the UK and Denmark allowed to keep their own currencies and what is the advantage
of it?
The Erasmus Program
This is probably a topic all of us are interested in since a
lot of us are planning on spending a semester abroad. Thanks to the Erasmus
program it is less complicated to study abroad since you do not have to pay
fees to the foreign university and you even receive financial aid. For these
and a lot more reasons I would like to find out more about Erasmus, its history
and how it is working exactly.
Schengen Treaty and Schengen Area
This is also one topic we came across while talking in
class. I think it is a really interesting topic because probably all of us have
already heard about the Schengen Treaty but only a few really know what it is
about. It is the same with the states that signed the treaty and are therefore
members of the Schengen Area. When I think about the EU member states I am not
exactly sure which ones are in the Schengen Area. That is why I am interested
in finding out more about the Schengen Treaty and its members.
The EU youth conference
A friend told me about this topic and I instantly thought
that it is really interesting and that I would like to know more about it. I have
heard about it before but I never concerned myself with it. That is why I
choose it as one of my topics. The idea of teenagers between the age of 15 and
28 who are attending at a meeting once a year and discussing serious issues about
the youth in the EU really appeals to me. I think it would be fascinating to
get deeper into this topic.
EU Nobel Peace Prize
In 2012 the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This was a
sensation within the EU countries. But what were the reasons that the EU was honored
with it? It goes without saying that the EU plays an important role for the long
period of peace but why exactly is the EU that important? I am sure that a lot
of research would be necessary to really understand what the EU achieved to
earn the Nobel Peace Prize but it would certainly pay off.
I think your last two topics. the EU Youth Conference and the Nobel Peace Prize, are really interesting. I have never given much thought to the EU being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but it does seem a bit queer for an international organization to win such an award. I also don't know all that much abou the EU youth conference, so I think there could be a lot of hidden, intersting information in that topic as well. You might find some information on the EU homepage, otherwise I will look into it a bit and let you know if I ever come upon some helpful links :)
ReplyDeleteSorry I somehow overlooked your comment .. thanks for your opinion and it would be great if you'd let me know in case you find something that could be useful for me (:
DeleteHey Julia :)
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion you chose five very interesting topics. I really like your first topic about the currency of the EU. I also considered this topic and thought that it would be too broad. But I really like your idea of asking why Denmark and the UK can keep their currency while other countries have to adopt the Euro. The EU Nobel Peace Prize is in my opinion also a very interesting topic. I think it was unusual that an international community wins such a prize and it would be very interesting for me to get some background information about it. Like what are the criteria to win the Nobel Peace Prize, why EU, maybe any relations to other Nobel Peace Prize winners.
I am sure you will choose the best topic for you! :)
Hey Julia :)
ReplyDeleteI think your first topic is very interesting because many people complain about the Euro and say that everything got so expensive because of it. I knew about the fact that Denmark and the UK are allowed to keep their currency, however, I don't really know why. Therefore, in my opinion, it might be a really interesting topic to do some research on. You could also consider writing about the economy in aspect of the Euro or rather if the Euro launch is partly to blame for our economic crisis and draw a comparison between Denmark/UK and the rest of EU member states which already introduced the Euro.
The EC website could definitely help you find out more about the topic ;)
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/why/index_en.htm
Thanks for your comment and the link Carmen ((:
DeleteHey Julia :)
ReplyDeleteI think that one of your most interesting topics is the second one. I've also chosen "Erasmus", as I think that it's a great program that will defintely help us if we want to spend one semester abroad. I'd also would like to hear more about your last topic, as the Nobel Peace Prize is an important award and I'd really love to hear more about the reasons why the EU won this award. ;)