Group of teachers and students from three high schools in Serbia, together with representatives of the Belgrade Open School and representative of Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia participated in study visit in Eisentadt, Austria. There they have been participated in final conference within project “Debate on the future of the four freedoms of the EU: Freedoms of the EU” which was held on 15th of October 2017.
During the visit, teachers had also opportunity to visit Council of Education of Federal State of Burgenland and to exchange experiences and knowledge with their Austrian colleagues.
Mr. Stefan Lutgenau from Austrian civil society organization Foster Europe, opened Conference and after that gave word to representative of European Commission in Austria Ms. Annegret Eppler. Her speech was followed by panel discussion on different aspects of EU freedoms, importance of freedoms for youth across the EU, risks that are freedoms facing with as well as ways of overcoming those risks. Message of panel discussion was that four freedoms are base of democratic values of the EU and that they are of huge importance for all EU citizens.
Second part of conference was devoted for working groups, where young people from Austria, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia exchanged their thoughts on EU freedoms. Conference was closed with ceremonial address of Gyorgy Konrad, Hungarian novelist and an advocate of individual rights and freedoms.
The previous event within the project "Debate on the future of the four freedoms of the EU: Freedom of the EU" entitled was held on October 24, in Lendava, Slovenia. The project is managed by the Municipality of Hevic (Republic of Hungary) in partnership with the Belgrade Open School, Municipality Hargit District of the Republic of Macedonia, the Municipality of Lendava (Republic of Slovenia) and the organization Foster Europe (Burgenland, Republic of Austria), and is supported by the European Union cultural policy through the "Europe for Citizens and Citizens" program. The project will last from November 1, 2016, to November 30, 2017. More information is available at the following website: http://eu3doms.eu.