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<\/p>\nFollowing his assumption of office, the MKV magazine ‘Couleur’ invited Philipp Jauernik, the Federal Chairman of Paneuropa Youth Austria, for an interview.<\/p>\n
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Europe must be an area of freedom, security and justice<\/p>\n
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Kbr. Philipp Jauernik (FRW) was elected as the new Federal Chairman of Paneuropa Youth Austria in April. ‘Couleur’ met him at the Penn\u00e4lertag in Baden for a discussion about Europe, fundamental values and future developments. <\/p>\n
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What does ‘Paneuropa’ mean in 2016?<\/p>\n
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Less about 2016, it is a long-term matter. I believe that especially in this day and age, when we look at the political state of the European Union and its member states, there is an even greater need for values-based politics that knows where it is headed. <\/p>\n
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Speaking of ‘values’: what are the central values of the Paneuropean Movement?<\/p>\n
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As an organisation, we are close to the MKV in many respects \u2013 the worldview, which is clearly based on Catholic social teaching, subsidiarity, and the freedom of the individual and the freedom of peoples. It is about every region, every country preserving its traditions and culture, because that is what enriches Europe \u2013 and we lead Europe jointly where it makes sense. The world is changing, so it is all the more important that regional characteristics are preserved. The foundations of Europe are Christianity, Roman law and Greek philosophy. That is a very solid basis. <\/p>\n
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How well are these values sufficiently realised in the European Union?<\/p>\n
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Mediocrely. On the positive side, I can highlight that there is a very democratic fundamental attitude in the European Parliament. If you compare it with the Austrian National Council, for example, we can see that there is no party discipline, but a truly free mandate. At the same time, the Union has a problem with subsidiarity; thinking is too centralist and intergovernmental. <\/p>\n
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How does less centralisation fit with a united Europe?<\/p>\n
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Europe’s strength lies in its diversity, but its preservation can only be achieved through subsidiarity. Europe simply cannot function with centralism. I consider it a major problem, even in Austria, that the question is always ‘how do we regulate something’ and never whether the regulation is even necessary. If it is necessary, the right level must be found. <\/p>\n
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So, devolution, actually?<\/p>\n
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Yes. Currently, most things are done at the national or European level. Yet, districts or federal states could often act more precisely. This means that, for instance, the construction of a swimming pool or a small road is best decided in the respective district. <\/p>\n
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Why do we even need European unity?<\/p>\n
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This becomes apparent when one thinks in longer timeframes and larger units. Europe, especially in the second millennium AD, always held a global leadership role. But the Portuguese, Spanish and British empires collapsed; their places were taken by the USA, Russia and China. We live in an increasingly globalised world. The old European nation-states, as we knew them in the 20th century, are no longer capable of fulfilling this role alone. We can only do this together. <\/p>\n
The second aspect is that Europe has a common cultural tradition with regional diversity. Nationalism, built on language, a fatal construct of the 19th century, led us into two World Wars. Instead of cooperating, we almost destroyed ourselves. <\/p>\n
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What developmental steps would be needed for a more efficient and effective shaping of common foreign and security policy?<\/p>\n
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The European Parliament already adopted a resolution in 1998 to coordinate border protection jointly. It failed, as so often, due to the member states. They did not want anyone interfering, but in the end, they only delivered botched jobs everywhere. <\/p>\n
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Let’s change the subject: what does ‘home’ mean to you in a united Europe?<\/p>\n
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Home has a lot to do with identity. This identity is based partly on the area I come from, but also has a cultural and religious component. Karl von Habsburg once said that a European city can be recognised by the fact that it was built around a house of God. That is not necessarily the case in China or America. <\/p>\n
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Speaking of the USA, Russia and China. How do you see Europe’s role in the field of tension with these states? How should Europe position itself here? <\/p>\n
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In the recent past, we have increasingly seen a debate about whether we want to align ourselves with Washington or Moscow. I find that utterly absurd \u2013 why such low self-esteem? We Europeans, in particular, like to point out that we have a much longer cultural diversity and more traditions than the USA, and that civil rights, democracy or freedoms are much more developed than, for example, in Russia or China. So why are we talking about which of them should lead us? Let’s do it ourselves! <\/p>\n
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How do you explain this lack of self-esteem?<\/p>\n
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There is too little understanding that we are not just Viennese, Tyroleans, Bavarians, Italians, but also Austrians and Europeans. We still think in very fragmented, old structures. Russians and Americans see themselves as part of a great power; we underestimate our own strengths. <\/p>\n
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Back to Paneuropa Youth: what contribution can you make to the issues discussed?<\/p>\n
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We see ourselves as part of civil society, bringing our values into the discourse and using our network to bring young people together. We are represented in over 20 countries, both within and outside the Union, and each member organisation regularly holds gatherings on regionally and Europeanly relevant topics, to which we specifically invite young people from other countries. We seek contact with decision-makers and ventilate our ideas at the political level. <\/p>\n
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You spoke of principles earlier. The MKV also famously has four principles \u2013 where do you see the parallels here? What role do the MKV’s principles play in a united Europe? <\/p>\n
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I believe that the MKV, with its principles, is enormously future-oriented, because with the principles of religio and patria, it gives people their anchoring. At the same time, further education and lifelong learning, the scientia, are precisely the things a young person needs to be able to thrive in the future. Education is the key. <\/p>\n
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What does your Europe of the future look like? What is your vision? <\/p>\n
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We cannot be satisfied with the current state. We must make decisions more regionally, strengthen freedoms, and think globally in foreign policy. The Union needs clear, lean structures, less internal regulation and more external strength. Common border protection, but no light bulb regulation, to put it banally. Europe must be an area of freedom, security and justice. <\/p>\n
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One also notices that politics is doing a lot to further restrict individual freedom, and much of this happens insidiously, without the population even being aware of it\u2026<\/p>\n
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I believe that awareness of the value of freedom, especially in our latitudes where we are truly very well off, is paradoxically no longer as strong. However, one gets a better sense of one’s own privileged situation when travelling to countries in the Western Balkans and the former Warsaw Pact, where freedom and peace have not been taken for granted for long. Tyrol is also a good example: it is paradoxical that precisely more nationally-minded circles are now jubilant when passports are once again being checked in the middle of Tyrol. On the other hand, this is a consequence of the lack of common border protection and thus a temporarily necessary measure. But it cannot be a permanent situation that a South Tyrolean travelling to Innsbruck has to suffer because the Italian coast guard is unable to do its job. That clearly affects the wrong people. <\/p>\n
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Infobox:<\/p>\n
The Paneuropean Union was founded in Vienna in 1922 by the Austrian Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi. It stands for a united Europe based on subsidiarity and Christian values. Today, the organisation is represented in 20 countries. The president of the Austrian branch is Karl von Habsburg; internationally, it is the Frenchman Alain Terrenoire. Its more well-known members include Albert Einstein, Franz Werfel, Charles de Gaulle, Konrad Adenauer, Franz Josef Strau\u00df, Paul R\u00fcbig, Bruno Kreisky and Otto von Habsburg. In early October, a major anniversary congress will take place in Vienna to mark the 90th anniversary of the first Paneuropean Congress in 1926. <\/p>\n