Monday, May 19, 2008

European Parliament members' school visit


On Friday (May 16) MEP Tunne Kelam was in Kuressaare Gymnasium. Lot of questions was asked about future of EU.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

What unites Europe is its diversity (F. Braudel)

The future cannot be a forecast. It’s prepared. But we want to be sure that this future will be nice, a well – miraculous. Even though the European enlargement process was positive it might have negative consequences We still looking a strategy for united Europe, which will solve our problems. At same time I know that the variety of cultures, or in other words, the variety or diversity of attitudes and world views, has become the most powerful productive force of our time. Let use it to deal it with our challenges!

Every time when we have got something important, we want something else. Is it same with EU?
European Union has already 27 member states, it creates a single market by a system of laws which apply in all member states. EU provides human aid to developing countries, in 2006 its budget was 671 million euro, EU is the largest aid donor in the world. This is very necessary because a lot of countries have problems that they can’t rid off themselves. So many countries are hoping on EU’s help. The EU is also peacekeeping in many countries for example in the Balkans.
We can compare EU with historic Hansa - and know that the efficiency of this historic union was above all based on a legal system. Law and the welfare of citizens have a central position in our historical experience, and the accession negotiations just give a modern form to these values. The EU has developed a role in human rights protection, its against all kind of discrimination, whether its racial, religion, age etc.
Being in the EU to me is a good thing, though not all what comes with it. Sometimes we are concerned that EU’s tendency towards bureaucracy and centralization has some similarity to the Soviet system. Also here is possible to find some new “old” ideas which will be useful for future – and we “easteuropeans” can give some lessons on this subject.
We must learn from history and remember what were those factors that have pushed Europe, a peninsula poor in natural resources, to the top of the world economy, made it to the global driving locomotive? The answer is - the large variety of different cultures on a comparatively small area.

Global warming has become a major issue in the world and of course EU is going to help the world. Creating campaigns or arranging meetings to fight with the global warming, EU is there for the world. Now, when we’re living in Schengen area, we don’t forgot that we are also the ciitzen’s of the world!
Only the diversity of opinions could further initiate and produce new ideas that can help to export security and better future to the whole world.

EU unites countries sharing same values. But also Estonia gets more known in the world, which is certainly a good thing, more people are coming to Estonia, maybe learning our language, getting familiar with our culture etc. we’ll learn about others and others will learn about us. Not everything we’ve learned, we don’t like – but one of the greatest lessons from EU that I have learned is – be tolerant - to different people, to different values, to different countries, to different views on history. To compare all those differences and diversities we can see that there is as much difference between us and ourselves as between us and others (Michel de Montaigne).


Students of 10th grade, Kuressaare Gymnasium:
Matis Oolup
Mari Jõgi
Henek Tomson
Anni Kadakas
Elisabet Arge
Piret Spitsõn
Jaana Smidt
Mart Varik
Sass Pääsk
Triin Notton
Kertu Salujärv
Karl-Kristjan Raik
Häli Nelis
Epp Mänd

The Sixth International Young Chefs Cooking Contest by Bilfen

2 girls from Kuressaare Gymnasium: Minni Meisterson and Laura Oolup participated in The Sixth International Young Chefs Cooking Contest by Bilfen (Turkey)on April 17-20.
Minni and Laura with teachers and friends from Turkey.