Körösszakál
The town twinning event, titled “Solidarity and Equality in Changing Times,” took place between August 29 and September 1, 2024, in Meresti, in Romania. This 3-day international program brought together 485 participants from three countries: Romania (Homoródalmás), Hungary (Géberjén, Körösszakál, Magyaralmás, Tokod) and Slovakia (Csemadok Cata).
The event aimed to address several key objectives. These included understanding the origins and principles behind the establishment of the European Union (EU), exploring the benefits of being part of the EU community, and discussing current challenges impacting the EU. Key topics of discussion were centered around the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, rising euroscepticism, and issues of gender discrimination. Another important goal was to promote and raise awareness of the cultural heritage of each participating region, fostering acceptance of cultural diversity while highlighting the importance of preserving cultural identities. Discussions also delved into the future outlook for the EU, along with developing potential cooperation strategies.
The event featured a variety of activities, including presentations and roundtable discussions. Attendees were able to join four roundtable discussions, view six presentations, and engage in conversations on these topics. The 485 participants also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in one another’s cultures through cultural parades, folk dance performances, and collaborative cooking experiences.
On the first day of the event, all the participating localities presented themselves and their implemented projects and investments, which were funded by the European Union. All the settlements have projects which contributed to their cultural, economic, social and even educational development. After this presentation, the delegations tackled Euroscepticism and Europhobia, their causes and effects. Increased immigration, economic concerns, national sovereignty, political disillusionment were discussed as possible reasons of appearance for these phenomenon. The conclusion was that Euroscepticism can have negative effects on the unity of the EU, because tensions can arise and collective decision-making processes can be affected. The second part of the day was dominated by folk programs, the folk costume parade and singing of folk songs.
On the second day of the meeting, the younger participants got acquainted with European Solidarity Corps. The Youth Association from Transylvania presented the ESC opportunities which they annually offer to interested youngsters in European countries.
On this day, the participants also tackled EU challenges – migration crisis and war in Ukraine. We spoke about the fact that EU gave Ukrainian refugees immediate access to social services and residency rights and that significant financial resources were allotted by the EU and individual member states to assist the migrants as well as the host nations.
The delegations also spoke about equality and discrimination in connection with gender, religion, ethnicity, and other factors. We tried to make them aware of the importance of eliminating discriminatory behavior and fostering empathy and solidarity.
During the event, we conducted a campaign on the social platform of our locality, with solidarity messages, these were the following:
"Are you youngster aged 18-30? Become solidary, engage in European Solidarity Corps’ actions!"
"Together, we uphold the dignity of every European citizen."
"United in growth, we build a stronger Europe."
"In solidarity for a greener, sustainable Europe."
"Celebrating our differences, united as one Europe."
"Together, we safeguard peace across all borders."
"Together, we ensure a healthy and resilient Europe."
"United in knowledge, shaping Europe's future."
"In solidarity, we protect and strengthen European democracy."
The day ended with folk dance night, where all the delegations presented their typical dances and tried the dances of the other groups.
On the last day, the participants discussed possible cooperation possibilities for the localities, both in the framework of the CERV Programme, and outside it. Also, the delegations tackled the future perspectives of the European Union. We tried to make the participants aware that the future of the EU depends on them, European Citizens, therefore they have to become more active and committed towards the community.
A gastro festival also took place, where the participants got acquainted with each other’s characteristic food.
Following the main event, dissemination activities were held in each of the participating towns, where the outcomes were shared with the members of the local communities and representatives of diverse institutions.