EDS Chairman Francesco Sismondini shares key updates and plans at EPP Political Assembly
Today, January 14, at the first Political Assembly of the European People’s Party (EPP) in 2025, Francesco Sismondini, Chairman of the European Democrat Students, shared our highlights of 2024 and ambitious plans ahead in 2025.
Read the full speech here:
I was elected alongside Secretary General Vladimir Klajic and the new Bureau in Malta this summer, and we immediately got to work to ensure that our delegates could participate in events that would leave them richer in ideas and energy once they returned to their countries.
In October, we organized a skills training session with the co-chairs of our working groups. We also held various roundtables with META on the digital act and political campaigns, and we taught the new co-chair how to draft motions and editors how to write articles for our in-house magazine, Bullseye.
Following that, we worked to bring EDS back to Brussels after many years. We hosted an excellent Council meeting in Brussels in December with almost 80 delegates, focused on four key topics: the future of EU-US relations, artificial intelligence, the digital market, and the dire situation in the Middle East. We achieved this thanks to the extraordinary guests we had the chance to have with us during the event, such as top European diplomats, the new Commissioner for Youth, and the heads of the Brussels offices of OpenAI and Spotify.
Addressing the most pressing issues for our generation—such as the future of the labor market, the right to privacy, the fight against disinformation, and thus the fight for the right to a mature democracy—is essential. Being able to do so alongside leading figures from the digital industry and European politics is a privilege we are proud to have offered our delegates in these past months.
We are happy to say that EDS is growing. Next month, our dear friends of GERB will host our Winter University in Sofia. We will welcome a new organization, the Swedish Christian Democrats, and several new organizations from Portugal and the Netherlands, who will be invited as guests.
We are also organizing a study visit to Italy next summer, during which we will engage with and visit several excellent technical and vocational institutes. We strongly believe that, as the EPP, we must support the skills and education paths that have made European industry great and will continue to do so in the future.
Regarding our international relations, we are in contact with the United Nations to become part of the Major Group for Youth and are collaborating with the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the Council of Europe.
Also, the European Commission recognised EDS as one of the key stakeholders in the field of youth, and we became members of the newly formatted committee coordinated by the European Commission and European Parliament. In this committee, EDS will continue to contribute to the new EU youth strategy, which will greatly impact future European policies.
I am very satisfied with the Bureau's work and grateful to the EPP for its constant support. See you in Valencia!
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