by Anna Gregoletto (scientifico)
Being a young person today means having spent our entire lives in a time of peace. We too often take this fact and the advantages that come with it for guaranteed. But, exactly, how was this long period of peace and prosperity possible? Well, the answer is clear: it is because of the European Union, the best political idea of all time. The European Union, now constituted of 28 member states, was founded after the II World War to safeguard peace and international cooperation, and to prevent armed conflicts between its nations. And the last 70 years of the western history show clearly how successful the EU has been in achieving its goals. In fact, Europe is today the leader of scientific research, the third strongest military force and the best example of political and economic cooperation. Despite the many advantages brought by the EU and its achievements, numerous doubts are nowadays haunting the people living in its territory. With the imminent exit of the United Kingdom, the rise of many authoritarian leaders in different countries and the loss of trust and political participation showed by surveys, the EU is undoubtedly going through one of its darkest times. It seems to me, that, sadly, too many young people see the EU as something complex and distant and therefore don’t get involved in its functioning. Maybe, this happens because we have never experienced war at first hand, or because not enough information is spread among the youngest generations. Young people often naturally raise the question “is it worth it?” To provide one of the many possible answers to this question, we can say that the EU is not perfect and a lot of work still needs to be done. However, this union of countries gives us peace, security and a sense of shared identity. To conclude, we can see that the EU is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, political achievements of all time and only working together we will be able to make it better and better.