Mr. Mark McNulty:

It is still a little aspirational and like a bit of a mission statement when it should be more clear at this stage. Moving to another point, we are trying to put a shape on it ourselves at a national level and within different organisations. We are trying to make people aware of it and this would be much easier if it had been led from a European level. If towards the end of the year it is led from that European level it will be much easier to do with such outreach. That outreach is important not only within this year but going forward.

I recently met MEPs and had an acronym thrown at me and I could not tell members what it meant. The Deputy mentioned the acronyms as well. I had to ask about the meaning and I am very engaged with European issues. I attended another event recently with a round table of other students and qualified majority voting, QMV, came up. Nobody around the table knew what it meant, let alone what it involved. At the most basic level, the EU should have outreach so that every young person understands such matters. There have been some calls for this to be done in schools but it still needs to be done later because there are people in their early 20s and late teens who do not understand how all this works. There is an opportunity this year to provide education around that.

On access to Erasmus+, there should not just be access to the programme in the sense of college but rather it should be in the sense of other opportunities as well. The National Youth Council of Ireland is keenly involved with Erasmus+ projects. In October I was in Luxembourg meeting 13 other youth councils on different issues we are facing, speaking about policy areas, etc. It was done through Erasmus+ and it would not have been possible otherwise. Some councils that are well-funded might have the money but others just do not. It is important to protect that funding at a European level. We should also advertise it so more organisations - and not just the big organisations - go after that funding every single time. The application process is quite difficult and many organisations worry about getting approval and putting out money. It is important that Erasmus+ is looked at this year and we make sure every single organisation, large and small, can get it in that context. It should also be accessible to young people.

Going back to the wider point, this is about outreach and approachability. It is about really making sure we can get to as many people as possible. The EU should not be a big black box, of which everyone is wary. It will be a big challenge this year, especially where we are now, as members know. If we want to speak about a good outcome at the end of the year, every young person should be aware of one more thing about the EU. That would not be a terribly ambitious outcome to look for and it would be meaningful. There is a great lack of awareness out there.