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Scenario di una lezione di lingua livello A2 sebiana

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The colonies by Alessandra Santonastasssio and Sofia Giugiommolo

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The colonies by Alessandra Santonastasssio and Sofia Giugiommolo

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Introduzione al teatro forum (claudia g)

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Warm-up: cabs and vampires A1.

Lavoro di Alessandra Santonastasio e Sofia Gentiluomo

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Lavoro Chiara

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Lavoro blog ''about us'' di Lorena e Angela

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Gaia DiBenedetto, Lorena Leanti.

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Heart of Darkeness Text to read and analyse

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Heart of Darkeness Text to read and analyse

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The old river in its broad reach rested unruffled at the decline of day, after ages of good service done to the race that peopled its banks, spread out in the tranquil dignity of a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth... Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth!...The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealth, the germs of empires.

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The old river in its broad reach rested unruffled at the decline of day, after ages of good service done to the race that peopled its banks, spread out in the tranquil dignity of a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth...

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Heart of darkness. Alessandra santonastasio

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Gaia DB., Gaia M., Lorena L.

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who is responsible the migration flow.docx

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 Storytelling by Sofia Gentiluomo on Logo creation 

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 Storytelling by Sofia Gentiluomo on Logo creation 

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Manifestazione giorno 9 maggio 2018. Giorgia Baglieri

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Manifestazione 9 Maggio (Claudia e Denise

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Manifestazione 9 Maggio (Claudia e Denise

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articolo di giornale by Claudia e Denise.docx

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Alessandra Santonastasio-Sofia Gentiluomo

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We are responsible for the immigration mess

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We are responsible for the immigration mess

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Europe's inability to humanely handle the ongoing crisis in the Mediterranean should not surprise us. It is the result of the anti-immigration rhetoric and policies championed by its leaders and supported by a growing number of people, writes a Maltese journalist.

The despicable British celebrity and columnist Katie Hopkins managed to sink to ridiculous lows through her column in The Sun when she compared migrants to cockroaches and advocated using gunships to stop them from entering Europe.

Only recently when we uploaded the satellite phone conversation of a migrants' boat in distress a certain "Galea" posted a comment suggesting: "Landa pitrolju u suffarina" (get a jerrycan of paraffin and light a match).

Why am I mentioning this? Because for too long political leaders have inhaled and taken note of the toxic smoke of hatred of the likes of Hopkins and Galea, because sadly they reflect a very big number of our sorry society.

The result? Borders came before people. Italy's Mare Nostrum mission, which saved 140,000 last year, folded up because there was no money for it. It was replaced with EU Frontex patrols whose sole aim was to protect borders.

The timing couldn't have been worse. The numbers of people fleeing war is unprecedented. The West's intervention in Libya turned it into a vacuum state run by warlords leaving tens of thousands of desperate migrants fearing for their lives. There's reason to believe that some migrants are even being pushed out to sea by criminal gangs.

Today we are witnessing reports that as many as 700 have died in the latest boat tragedy off Lampedusa. Should that figure be confirmed it would be the biggest sea disaster in the Mediterranean since World War Two. Humanitarian organisations' predictions have now been confirmed.

EU leaders are today in a flurry to fix the umpteenth meeting to discuss the situation in Brussels. Forgive my cynicism, but for the 13 years I've been covering this issue closely, I've only seen talking shops of rhetoric which lead nowhere, while the Mediterranean turns into a watery grave.

Let's be realistic - nobody has a solution to stem the horrific numbers of migrant deaths and crossings. To achieve that you need to eliminate wars and poverty, which is nigh on impossible in today's world.

What angers me is that several politicians argued that rescue patrols were acting as a pull factor. What angers me is that for too long politicians put the politics of populism before lives because they don't understand what's really going on. What angers me are European leaders who feel the problem is not close to their borders.

Upon being elected, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat flexed his muscles and threatened to push back a group of migrants to Libya. Today, he's acknowledged that threat was a mistake and along with Italy's Matteo Renzi, he has become one of Europe's strongest voices to try to drum up support to stop the deaths.

EU leaders simply cannot take months to hammer out some sort of rescue mission to stop the bloody mess.

As Amnesty International pointed out, merchant vessels and their crews have bravely attempted to fill the gap left by the chronic shortfall in specialist search and rescue teams, but they are not designed, equipped or trained for maritime rescue.

It is time for European governments to urgently set up a multi-country concerted humanitarian operation to save lives at sea.

Europe cannot expect the heroic work of private organisations like MOAS to clean up the mess.

The problem is also the media, which continues drumming up the figures of arrivals, forgetting there are lives behind every statistic. I'm writing this from Italy where the horrific story of Christian migrants thrown overboard by Muslims dominated the Italian headlines for three days. The news of the 400 who died earlier in the week is off the radar. The NGOs I met in Italy are justifiably livid.

We are a selfish society bristling with suspicion of anything that is different to us. Small countries like Malta should not be expected to use its limited resources to save migrants, but we cannot keep complaining that we are being invaded when let's face it, it is Italy which is almost single-handedly feeling the brunt.

The likes of Hopkins and Galea can stick to their racist sentiments. The rest of us need to do our little bit, and we can start doing that by showing some solidarity and attack the broken system rather than the victim.

Factual or translation error? Tell us.

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Refugee crisis in the Mediterranean: We are responsible for this humanitarian mess

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Europe's inability to humanely handle the ongoing crisis in the Mediterranean should not surprise us. It is the result of the anti-immigration rhetoric and policies championed by its leaders and supported by a growing number of people, writes a Maltese journalist.

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Claudia e  Denise

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HERE YOU WILL FIND THE REASONS OF IMMIGRATION

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Can you explain this Acronym : ' IS' ?if you do not know its meaning look for it in this link, How did IS spread across Iraq and Syria?, WHO IS THE PRESIDE...

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What songs, dances, food do you want to share during our meeting with the local community?

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Sofia Gentiluomo

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Evaluation rubric on twinspace conference 

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Evaluation rubric on twinspace conference 

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Rubric valutazione live twinspace 2nd marzo.docx

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questions on the live event for next 2nd march 

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questions on the live event for next 2nd march 

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what can you visit?
what facilities  are there in Noto?
where can we eat breakfast or dinner?
will we have meals with families ?
what can we do in the evening afetr school?
will we able to take photos or videos?
what is the unforgottable thing in Noto?
what does "united in diversity" (EU motto) mean to you?
how can we promote this motto in Noto?
what would you like to achieve in Noto?
what do you fear? what are your doubts?
what are you anxious about?
how can people spend one day in Noto in May?

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some information on Assad,: is he an oppressor or opprossed?

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Denise Quartararo e Claudia Gambuzza

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Recommendation for a Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme with Turkey for refugees from Syria

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Recommendation for a Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme with Turkey for refugees from Syria

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Ahead of the European Council, the European Commission has today presented a Recommendation for a voluntary humanitarian admission scheme to create a system of solidarity and responsibility sharing with Turkey for the protection of persons displaced by the conflict in Syria to Turkey.

The scheme should be flexible to take into account the sustainable reduction of numbers of persons irregularly crossing the border from Turkey into the European Union as a result of Turkey's actions. Member States are invited to participate in the scheme on a voluntary basis taking into account their capacities. The scheme presented today will only apply to persons who have been registered by Turkish authorities before the EU-Turkey meeting on 29 November.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: " Being a great continent comes with great responsibilities. Today we are recommending that our Member States offer temporary protection to vulnerable people fleeing violent conflict in Syria, in line with their individual capacities. This scheme will help establish a fair sharing of the responsibility for the protection of displaced Syrian refugees in Turkey. Turkey is a key partner in our efforts to support these unfortunate people in a dignified way. Many of these people are already being given protection by Turkey, and some will now be protected by the European Union. We agreed with Turkey to reduce together the human misery which comes with irregular migration and to bring order into migratory flows to the European Union."

If the irregular flows into Europe through Turkey are successfully reduced, Member States are invited to admit from Turkey persons in need of international protection who have been displaced by the conflict in Syria. Schengen associated states are also invited to participate. Given the unpredictability of the migration flows within the region, the number of persons to be admitted will be regularly determined taking into account the processing capacity of the UNHCR, the overall numbers of displaced persons staying in Turkey, including the impact on these numbers of the sustainable reduction of irregular border crossings from Turkey into the EU. A review clause and monitoring mechanism provides for the suspension or adaptation of the scheme if there is no substantial reduction in irregular border crossings from Turkey to the EU.

Distribution among participating States should be based on absorption, reception and integration capacities, as well as population size, GDP, past asylum efforts and national unemployment rates. The persons benefiting from this scheme should be granted subsidiary protection or an equivalent temporary status, for no less than one year.

The Commission is proposing an expedited process where Member States would admit persons in need of international protection based on a recommendation by the UNHCR following a referral by Turkey. Identity, security and health checks will be carried out, and candidates' vulnerability and existing family ties will also be assessed. A standardised admission procedure should take place prior to the admission, and should be a collaborative effort between Member States, Turkey, the UNHCR, and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). While individual Member States should take the final decision on admission, participating States should cooperate through common processing centres and mobile teams working in Turkey. The admission procedure should be concluded as soon as possible, at the latest within six months.

To prevent secondary movements within the European Union, candidates will be informed of their rights and obligations before admission and will receive cultural orientation support before they leave Turkey. Participating States would also commit to take back persons they have granted protection on their territory, in the case of secondary movements by these persons.

In addition to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon are the other two major refugee hosting countries in the region. It is essential that a comprehensive approach is taken which should also include further specific measures of support for Jordan and Lebanon. The Commission will work with the Member States, the authorities in Jordan and Lebanon and the UNHCR to develop innovative partnerships, including with the private sector, to address the needs of refugees in the region. The implementation of this scheme should form part of this comprehensive approach and once started would allow the existing resettlement efforts to focus on Jordan and Lebanon.
Background
Turkey is currently hosting more than two million persons displaced by the conflict in Syria. Over 750,000 asylum seekers and economic migrants have crossed into the EU from Turkey in 2015.

Humanitarian Admission is an expedited process by which countries admit displaced persons, based on a limited set of criteria, from third countries to provide them with protection. It is an alternative approach to resettlement which is a more resource intense process which usually takes around 12 months to complete.

When today's proposals for a voluntary admission scheme with Turkey take effect, the resettlement efforts under the July Recommendation may be focused primarily on Jordan and Lebanon.

On 15 October the Commission presented to the European Council a Joint Action Plan negotiated with Turkey by First Vice-President Timmermans to jointly manage the Syrian refugee crisis. The Council endorsed this Action Plan, and convened an EU-Turkey Summit on 29 November which activated the Action Plan and re-energised the EU-Turkey relationship. The European Union has committed to increasing political engagement with Turkey, providing Turkey with significant financial support, accelerating the fulfilment of the visa liberalisation roadmap and re-energising the accession process with Turkey. The proposed humanitarian admission scheme is an important flanking measure of the mutual commitments contained in the Joint Action Plan with Turkey.

On 24 November the Commission proposed a legal framework - a Refugee Facility for Turkey - to coordinate and streamline financial actions to deliver support to Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey and their host communities.
For more information Commission Recommendation for a Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme for Refugees from Syria staying in Turkey Council Conclusions on Resettlement of 20,000 persons in need of international protection EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan EU-Turkey Summit Joint Statement Refugee Facility for Turkey
FACTSHEET: EU Support to Lebanon and Jordan since the Onset of Syria Crisis

The European Agenda on Migration
IP/15/6330

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Commission presents Recommendation for a Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme with Turkey for refugees from Syria

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European Commission - Press Release details page - European - Press release Commission Strasbourg, 15 December 2015 Commission presents Recommendation for a Voluntary Humanitarian Admission Scheme with Turkey for refugees from Syria Ahead of the European Council, the European Commission has today presented a Recommendation for a voluntary humanitarian admission scheme to create a system of solidarity and

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Visitors' services of the European institutions

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For more information about the Parlamentarium

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If you are a citizen of a Member State of the Union or reside in a Member State, you can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman. Businesses, associations or other bodies with a registered office in the Union may also complain to the Ombudsman.

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The small island of Lampedusa is closer to the coast of Africa than to continental Europe. In 2016 alone, 180,000 migrants landed on its shore. But is 180,000 people an invasion? Are there so many that we can't help them? Doctor Pietro Bartolo has seen tens of thousands of migrants pass through. He has invited us to meet in this strange graveyard where the migrant's boats are left behind. I have been working with immigration for 27 years. I have seen everything pass through and I have met them all. There are more than 300,000, I don't know how many exactly because to me they are not numbers. I do not count them. If we are a community, the European Union, then all of us have to address this phenomenon. Because it's a phenomenon, not a problem. The work of Dr. Bartolo has been the subject of an award winning documentary screened at the European Parliament, For years, the phenomenon of migration has challenged MEPs as much as European citizens, for whom it has become a major concern. We are a union of 28 member states and, the situation as of today, it's the front-line member states facing the Mediterranean sea that we need to show solidarity to. To better understand the reality of migration, several parliamentarians went to border areas: the Balkans, Greece, Sicily. The immigrants refuse to have their fingerprints taken, as they want to move on to other countries in Europe and not stay in the country they arrived in first. The reception of asylum seekers is accompanied by measures to protect the borders of the Union. The fishermen of Lampedusa see the patrols of the coast guard every day. Now, since the immigrants and illegals have been coming, the checks are almost every day, one day there is one the next there isn't. I think that the checks by the Coast Guard patrols are an excellent thing, especially for the border. Italy and the other countries don't do it because there are so many. If you ask me you should help them if you can, while you can, in their country. Europe needs to help. We need to offer shelter to people who are fleeing civil wars. On the other hand, we need to maintain control. Therefore, we need to work on setting up additional border protection. Why are we not strengthening Frontex? For migrants who are granted refugee status, work is the best way to integrate. There are three people working in my studio one of whom is Bacca who arrived in Sicily and has worked with me sculpting Arenaria sandstone for the last three years. He arrived from Gambia, on one of the famous boats, making landfall at Pozzallo and we got him to come to Lampedusa. My dream, when I have documents: I would love to travel the world to experience the movement of the world. Working and living conditions and access to education for workers, migrants and their children, regardless of their status, are an essential factor for their social and economic integration in the host country. The EP wants a permanent mechanism to handle the phenomenon of migration, based on solidarity between member states. We should stop clinging to this myth of 'Fortress Europe' and start managing migration. People who have the right to international protection should not be left on the shores of Europe.

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Over 180,000 migrants landed on the island of Lampedusa in 2016 alone. For years, migration has challenged MEPs as much as European citizens, for whom it has become a major concern. Meet the citizens of Lampedusa - fishermen, a doctor and an artist - and see how the migrant crisis has affected them.

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The principal characteristics of SPRAR are:

1. the public nature of the resources made available and the bodies with political responsibility for reception services, namely the Ministry of the Interior and local authority institutions, according a multi-level governance model;

2. the synergies available locally with so-called managing bodies, voluntary sector organisations - associations, NGOs, cooperatives - that make an essential contribution to the implentation of the various interventions;

3. the decentralisation of the 'integrated reception' actions, throughout Italy;

4. the promotion and development of stable, solid and interactive local networks, with the involvement of all stakeholders and priority partners in order to ensure the success of the reception, protection and integration measures implemented for indivduals who are seeking or have been granted international protection;

5. the voluntary participation of local institutions in the network of reception projects;

6. the reinforcement (or implementation) of local services, designed to profi t the entire community, both indigenous and migrant.
Local institutions, in partnership with the voluntary sector, implement local reception projects, bringing together SPRAR's guidelines and standards with the characteristics and specifi c factors affecting the local area. Depending on the purpose, capacity and expertise of local stakeholders and taking into account the available resources (professional, structural and economic), the welfare tools and the social policy strategies adopted over the years, local institutions can choose the type of reception services to be provided and the recipients that can best be supported. Projects may therefore be focused on individual adults and nuclear families, or on single-parent families, single pregnant women, unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, victims of torture, individuals needing continuing care or those with psychiatric problems or physical disabilities. Specific dedicated projects are available for individuals who are vulnerable as a result of mental health issues.
In any case, for each of the individuals provided with reception services, a fundamental element of those services is the temporary nature of reception, which is intended in all cases to ensure the independence and integration of recipients.

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The principal characteristics of SPRAR are: 1. the public nature of the resources made available and the bodies with political responsibility for reception services, namely the Ministry of the Interior and local authority institutions, according a multi-level governance model; 2.

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These are the 4 students and two teachers taking part to the  first mobility of the project from the 3rd December to the 9th December 2017

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The US-led coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS) says 98% of territory once claimed by the jihadist group across Iraq and Syria has been recaptured.
Iraq's government announced in December 2017 that its war against IS was over, almost four years after the group first seized parts of the country.

That month also saw Russia's President Vladimir Putin announce a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria, after IS was left controlling only a few pockets of land.

The capture of Raqqa by a US-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters in October was seen as a major victory in the battle against IS. The city was the de facto capital of the "caliphate" the group declared.

A few months earlier, in July 2017, Iraqi government forces retook the second city of Mosul, which fell to IS in 2014 when militants routed the Iraqi army.

At its peak, some 10 million people were living in territory under IS control.

The battle for Raqqa

An intensive aerial bombardment by the US-led coalition helped secure victory in Raqqa for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which was formed in 2015 by the the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia and a number of smaller, Arab factions. Since early June, coalition planes have carried out almost 4,000 air strikes on the city.

Estimates of the number of casualties vary. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said at least 3,250 people had been killed, among them 1,130 civilians. Other groups say the total was higher.

The UN estimates about 270,000 people fled their homes during the SDF offensive.

The immense task of rebuilding the city may take years. Clearing operations are already under way to uncover any jihadist sleeper cells and remove landmines.

Rebuilding Mosul is being seen as a major challenge for the Iraqi government. One Iraqi official estimated it would cost $1bn, others have put the figure far higher.

Who cleans up after hurricanes, earthquakes and war?

The top US commander in Iraq has also urged the government to "reach out and reconcile with the Sunni population" to prevent "ISIS 2.0 from emerging".

How did IS spread across Iraq and Syria?

The jihadists exploited the chaos and divisions within both Syria and Iraq.

IS grew out of what was al-Qaeda in Iraq, which was formed by Sunni militants after the US-led invasion in 2003 and became a major force in the country's sectarian insurgency.

In 2011, the group joined the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where it found a safe haven and easy access to weapons.

At the same time, it took advantage of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, as well as widespread Sunni anger at the sectarian policies of the country's Shia-led government.

In 2013, the group began seizing control of territory in Syria and changed its name to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis or Isil).

The following year, Isis overran large swathes of northern and western Iraq, proclaimed the creation of a "caliphate", and became known as "Islamic State".

A subsequent advance into areas controlled by Iraq's Kurdish minority, and the killing or enslaving of thousands of members of the Yazidi religious group, prompted the US-led coalition to begin air strikes on IS positions in Iraq in August 2014.

As IS is now being forced out of Iraq and Syria, another problem is the likely resurgence of hostilities between rival groups. In October 2017, Iraqi forces pushed Kurdish Peshmerga fighters back from land they took during the fight against IS around Kirkuk.

Casualties

Exact numbers of casualties from the conflict with IS are not available.

The UN says at least 3,298 civilians were killed in acts of violence in Iraq in 2017, fewer than the 2016 total of 6,878 - although the true figure is likely to be higher as the organisation has been unable to verify some reports of casualties in the Mosul area.

According to Iraq Body Count, the total number of civilian deaths in Iraq since 2014 stood at 68,260 up to the end of February 2018. The annual number of casualties has decreased slightly each year since 2014, from a high of 20,218 in that year to 13,187 in 2017.

The UN no longer keeps track of casualty figures in Syria due to the inaccessibility of many areas and the conflicting reports from the various parties to the war there.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported in March 2018 that it had documented the deaths of more than 353,900 people, including 106,000 civilians, since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 2011.

But it noted that the figure did not include 56,900 people who were missing and presumed dead. It estimated a further 100,000 deaths had not been documented.

Who is fighting IS?

The US-led coalition has conducted more than 13,300 air strikes against IS targets in Iraq since August 2014.

Most attacks have been carried out by US aircraft, but those from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the UK have also taken part. By the end of 2017, 74 countries were said to have joined the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria.

In Syria, the air campaign began in September 2014. Since then, more than 14,600 strikes have been carried out by coalition forces, which include Australia, Bahrain, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the UK.

The number of strikes each month rose steadily in Iraq up to a peak in January 2016 and then began to fall as the number of strikes in Syria increased dramatically, reaching a high of just over 1,400 in August 2017.

Russia is not part of the coalition, but its jets began air strikes against what it called "terrorists" in Syria in September 2015.

There is little information from official sources about the Russian air strikes. The Institute for the Study of War said evidence suggested Russian planes targeted deep into opposition-held territory, and helped Syrian government forces to retake control of the city of Aleppo in December 2016.

However, Russia warned the US coalition that it would treat its aircraft as targets after the US shot down a Syrian military plane during the assault on Raqqa. The incident led to a suspension of communications between the two sides aimed at avoiding clashes in the air.

Global reach of IS

With the proclamation of a caliphate at the end of June 2014, IS signalled its intention to spread beyond Iraq and Syria.

By August 2016, IS was reported to be operational in 18 countries across the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to evidence seen by the US National Counterterrorism Center. It also found signs of what it called "aspiring branches" in Mali, Egypt, Somalia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Since 2016, IS has claimed attacks in a number of countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, France, Belgium, Germany, the US, Finland and Bangladesh. In 2017, IS claimed to be behind at least two attacks in the UK.

The proclamation of the caliphate triggered a surge in the number of foreign fighters travelling to Syria and Iraq to join IS.

According to the head of the UK's intelligence service, MI5, more than 800 people have travelled from UK to join the conflict in Iraq and Syria - and 130 of them had died.

How does IS get its funding?

Oil was once the biggest single source of revenue for IS. The group seized control of many oil fields in Syria and Iraq, and sold oil on the black market.

But revenue has fallen since IS lost control of oil-producing areas in northern Syrian and western Iraq, and US-led coalition and Russian air strikes began targeting oil infrastructure.

Income from taxes and fees has also fallen as IS has lost control of major cities like Mosul and Raqqa.

Money obtained by looting and fines initially increased, especially when IS seized Mosul in 2014, but has since declined.

At one point, IS was reported to be so short of funds that it was imposing random fines for offences like driving on the wrong side of the road.

According to a report by IHS Markit, territorial losses are the main factor contributing to IS's loss of revenue. It says the group's ability to compensate for financial losses by increasing the fiscal burden on the population it controls appears to have reached its limits.

The struggle to stay rich

Where are the refugees?

More than 5.6 million Syrians have fled abroad to escape the fighting in Syria, according to the UN. Most have ended up in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Almost one million Syrians applied for asylum in Europe between April 2011 and July 2017, according to UN figures.

There are also estimated to be 6.1 million Syrians who have been displaced inside Syria and are living in camps or other makeshift accommodation.

For the first time since the beginning of the crisis in Iraq in December 2013, the number of people returning to their area of origin in the country has surpassed the number of people displaced in the country. By the end of 2017, some 3.2 million people had returned home, while a 2.6 million remained displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

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The war against 'Islamic State' in maps and charts

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The US-led coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS) says 98% of territory once claimed by the jihadist group across Iraq and Syria has been recaptured. Iraq's government announced in December 2017 that its war against IS was over, almost four years after the group first seized parts of the country.

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1945 - From war to peace

At the end of the World War II, Europe was destroyed, left in ruins, and a lot of people were killed. Everything needed to be rebuilt and it was imperative that the European nations prevent another World War.

The difficulty was finding a way to build conditions of a lasting peace between countries that had been bitter enemies for years on end, to build healthy foundations for the future relations between those States.

The biggest problem lay in the relationship between France and Germany, who had been arch enemies for decades. The primary objective of Euroepan reconstruction was to create a lasting bond between those two countries, a bond that would spread between all the free countries of Europe, in order to build a permanent, peaceful community together.

1950 - The Schuman Declaration

On May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs stated: "Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity."

1951 - The European coal and steel Community

Along with Jean Monnet, Schuman made a proposal (known as the Schuman Plan) to pool France's and Germany's two most important resources-- coal and steel-- together, into an organization that would also be open to other European countries. This plan was signed on April 18, 1951 with the Treaty of Paris, establishing,the first European community, the ECSC: the European Coal and Steel Community. The decisions of this body would be made by a higher authority, a cooperative, multi-national body whose members were appointed by the member governments. Six countries signed the treaty: Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The United Kingdom refused to join and challenged the nature of this new supernational European Community.

The Schuman Plan was a milestone in European integration and construction because it marked the beginning of reconciliation between France and Germany, a vital first step to building any international organization in Western Europe. War between France and Germany was no longer possible, because the two countries had to cooperate to produce weapons, or any other materials, from their shared steel and coal.

1957 - The creation of the European Economic Community and of the European Atomic Energy Community

Robert Schuman's proposal gave birth to a community that specialized in managing coal and steel, which was very important, but also quite limited. To further European integration, the six member countries decided to enter into economic cooperation as well. With this goal in mind, the same six countries signed the Treaty of Rome, which established the EEC (the European Economic Community), and Euratom (the European Atomic Energy Community). The goal of the EEC was to create a large common market in Europe. characterized by a customs union and the gradual removal of tariffs, so that people and goods could move freely betwen all the member countries. The EEC also sought to impliment common policies in all of the member countries, particularly in the field of agriculture. The principle aim of the European Atomic Energy Community, meanwhile, was the joint development of peaceful atomic energy in Europe.

To facilitate the work of the fledgling European Community, four new institutions were established in 1958 : the European Commission, a Council of Ministers, a Parliamentary Assembly (later titled the "European Parliament"), and a Court of Justice.

1968 - Elimination of customs duties

By July 1, 1968, the customs union had become a reality; tariffs had completely disappeared between the member countries. The effect was amazing. Between 1957 and 1970, intra-community trade increased six fold, and the EEC's trade with the rest of the world had tripled. Consumers benefited directly from the union as well, because they were offered an increasingly varied range of imported products. The European community was becoming a reality.

1973 - Elargement to countries of Northern Europe

The first enlargement of the EEC was in 1973. The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark entered into the EEC, increasing the number of member states from 6 to 9. Norway rejected membership in a referendum.

1979 - The European Parliament's first elections with universal suffrage

In June 1979, the deputies of the European Parliament, then chosen by the national Parliaments of the different countries, are elected for the first time to direct universal suffrage by the European citizens.

1981 - The accession of Greece in European Community

After the fall of the regime of the Colonels, Greece enter in the European Community in 1981

1986 - Elargement to countries of Southern Europe and the Single European Act

Greece is followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986. This brought the number of member countries up to a dozen.

In 1968, the Single European Act (SEA) set a deadline for the creation of the Single Market: January 1993. This new treaty required the member states to commit to establishing a Europe without internal borders by that date. No restrictions, whether regulations or taxes, could delay the establishment of a genuine European internal market. The SEA was signed and ratified by the twelve member states of the Community on July 1, 1987. Some 300 measures were taken to eliminate the various obstacles impeding the free circulation of goods and people: physical barriers, technical barriers, fiscal barriers, etc.

1989 - A new Order

The fall of Berlin Wall

1992 - Maastricht Treaty

The Maastricht Treaty, signed on February 7, 1992, took European construction to a new level. It established the European Union (EU) and added a political dimension to the Community. The "House of Europe" now rested on three pillars:

A community pillar (which comprises the European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community). This pillar focuses on the transfer of sovereignty from the member states to the European institutions.

A political pillar, which focuses on foreign and security policy (CFSP), and sets the procedures for intergovernmental cooperation in all matters of foreign policy. This pillar does not involve a transfer of sovereignty.

A pillar that focuses on cooperation in the fields of justice and interior affairs. It provides procedures for intergovernmental cooperation in the fields of immigration, asylum, the fight against organized crime, etc. This pillar does not involve a transfer of sovereignty.

Another innovation of the Maastricht Treaty was the creation of EU citizenship. From then on, every person holding the nationality of a EU country automatically became a citizen of the EU. Moreover, the EU citizenship provided rights, such as the right to move and reside freely within the EU, the right to vote for and to stand as a candidate in European Parliament and municipal elections, the right to register a complaint with the European Ombudsman, etc.
Finally, the Maastricht Treaty called for the establishment of a single currency by January 1, 1999, and of a European Central Bank (EBC). The Maastricht Treaty, therefore, put the finishing touches on the economic and monetary union.

Criteria were established (the "Maastricht criteria"), which facilitate economic convergence between the Member States. European Union members also have to meet the following criteria before they can adopt the euro as their currency:

The national inflation rate cannot be more than 1.5% higher than the average of the three best-performing Member States of the European Union (the three States with the lowest inflation).

The ratio of annual government deficit to GDP must not exceed 3%, and the ratio of gross government debt to GDP must not exceed 60%. These criteria were reasserted in 1997, when the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed, through the adoption of the Stability and Growth act. Thus, the obligation to avoid excessive budget deficits became permanent.

Long-term interest rates must not be more than 2 percentage points higher than the average of the three best-performing Member States of the European Union (the three Member States with the lowest long-term interest rates).

Member States must show stability by participating in the exchange rate mechanism (ERM II), for at least two years, without deviating too much from the ERM II central rate.

In January 1, 1999, eleven of the countries in the european economic and monetary union decided to adopt the euro: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

1993 - The adoption of Copenhagen Criteria

The Single Market finally became a reality on January 1st, 1993. The year 1993 hinged on the process of enlargement of the European Union, which was entering into a new phase. The European Council of Copenhagen, in June of 1993, defined the criteria that any Candidate Country wishing to enter the European Union must meet before its accession. These so-called "Copenhagen Criteria" were aimed mainly at the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, who, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, were seeking to become part of the European Community.

There are three main Copenhagen Criteria: political, economic, and compliance with community rights.

The political criteria requires that the State has stable political institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect for minorities.

The economic criteria requires that a candidate have a functioning market economy that is able to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within Europe.

The community rights requirement dictates that the countries must have the ability to assume the rights and obligations of the EU system, which includes all legislation adopted and revised throughout the European construction (the founding Treaty of Rome as revised by the Single European Act, the treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam, and Nice, all of the regulations and directives adopted by the Council of the Union, and all of the rulings of the Court of Justice)

Now that the membershp criteria was clearly defined, the question was no longer if the European Union would continue to expand, but when. Following the Copenhagen European Council, the Central European countries submitted their official candidature for accession to the European Union. The accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia took place eleven years later on May 1, 2004, the date Cyprus and Malta also joined the Union.

1995 - Elargement of the European Union and entry to force of the Schengen Agreement

It was also in 1993 that accession negotiations started with Austria, Finland, and Sweden. These negotiations ended one year later and on January 1, 1995, the European Union welcomed three new members, making it a Europe of 15.

The Schengen Agreements enter into force in seven Member States: Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal. The travelers, of all nationalities, can go in these countries without identity check to the borders. Other countries since joined the Schengen zone. The agreements authorize the free movement of persons and harmonize controls of the travelers within the space consisted these States.

Measures adopted by the Member States as part of cooperation under Schengen
Key rules adopted within the Schengen framework include:

Removal of checks on persons at the internal borders;

A common set of rules applying to people crossing the external borders of the EU Member States;

Harmonisation of the conditions of entry and of the rules on visas for short stays;

Enhanced police cooperation (including rights of cross-border surveillance and hot pursuit);

Stronger judicial cooperation through a faster extradition system and transfer of enforcement of criminal judgments;

Establishment and development of the Schengen Information System (SIS).

1997 - Treaty of Amsterdam

On October 2, 1997, the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed, which was the "follow-up" to the Maastricht Treaty. The new treaty improved the organization of intergovernmental cooperation between the Member States of the European Union. It also brought new areas to the community field, namely police, justice and employment. Social policy was also incorporated into the treaty and all states are thus bound by the common social rules adopted in this Treaty.

The Amsterdam Treaty created "a space of freedom, security and justice" within the European Union. The Schengen Convention, signed by 13 member states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden), allowed free movement of persons without border control and organized police cooperation between the Member States. The signatory countries are required to increase (in an intergovernmental manner) their efforts against terrorism, organized crime, pedophilia, drug and weapons trade, fraud, and corruption. The Schengen Convention was completely integrated into the Amsterdam Treaty and therefore applied to all of the Member States of the European Union. Special conditions apply, however, for Ireland and the United Kingdom (who have still not signed the Convention), as well as for Denmark.

The Treaty of Amsterdam also introduced. for the first time, the concept of "enhanced cooperation," an idea that allowed a limited number of able and willing Member States to move forward in deepening European construction. The treaty entered into force on May 1, 1999.

2001 - Treaty of Nice

The Amsterdam Treaty also provided for an intergovernmental conference (IGC), to be held one month before the EU expanded to 20 members. The IGC opened on February 14, 2000, and ended in Nice in December of the same year. The Heads of State or Government agreed on a new treaty- the Treaty of Nice- during the European Council in Nice on December 7-11, 2000. This treaty was signed on February 26, 2001, by 15 countries. Its primary aim was to change the institutional and decision-making processes of the European Union, to allow for the enlargement to 25 Member States. The Treaty of Nice became effective on February 1, 2003.

2002 - The Introduction of the Euro

Since January 1st, 2002 the Euro is the means of official payment in 12 of 15 Member states (alone Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom are not part of the euro area). More than 80 thousand million coins are put into circulation. Negotiations for an European single currency had already begun in 1993 with the treaty of Maastricht.

2004 - A historical elargement of the European Union

The Treaty of Nice opened the door to a historical enlargement, unprecedented in the Union, which was held on May 1, 2004. After a long process of negotiations between the Union and individual countries, ten new countries joined the European Union: Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

A treaty for a European Constitution and a reflexion phase

The Treaty of Nice was, however, insufficient for a Union of 25 Member States, with new accessions on the horizon. A Declaration on the Future of Europe, part thie Treaty of Nice, started a major debate on the future European Union. The inaugural session of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which specifically addressed this issue, opened on February 28, 2002. After 16 months of work, the Convention agreed on a single text, a draft of a constitutional treaty.

On October 4, 2003, an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) met, and, in June 2004, the Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States reached a unanimous agreement on the text of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution of Europe. This text offered a series of measures to make the Union more transparent, more efficient, and closer to its citizens. It specified the Union's competencies and powers, simplified the legal instruments, and re-defined a qualified majority in the Council. It also added a permanent president of the European Council and a Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Union, reduced the European Commission, and introduced a citizen's right initiative.

The text, signed by the 25 Member States on October 29, 2004, was expected to enter into force on November 4, 2004, after ratification by all the Member States according to their respective national procedures, either by referendum or by parliamentary vote. However, it was more difficult than expected. Due to the failure of both the French and the Dutch referendums in 2005, the ratification of the draft was slowed, and the European Union was caught in a period of reflection on the process of reforming the EU treaties and its future. For two long years, the European Union tried to find a solution to its problems of internal reform and navigating between state's positions that were sometimes in conflict with one another.

2007 - The treaty of Lisbon and the elargement

The fate of the constitutional process was finally clarified by the European Council on June 21 and 22, 2007. It called for an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to draft a "Reform Treaty," which introduced some technical and institutional changes into previous treaties, instead of creating a "Constitution of Europe." The constitutional process was, therefore, abandoned.

After an agreement reached by the Heads of State and Government in October of 2007, the "Reform Treaty" was signed on December 13, 2007, in Lisbon. The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on December 1, 2009, after ratification by all the Member States of the European Union.

Many elements in the text of the Constitutional Treaty were included in the Treaty of Lisbon, such as the stable presidency of the EU, the new system of voting by qualified majority, the involvement of national parliaments in framing legislation, etc. However, some of the points were not included, such as a reference to the symbols of the Union, and the establishment of free competition and fair objectives in the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon also ommitted a clause that would integrate of the text of the Charter of Fundamental Rights into the Treay. However, the Charter is still binding, even though it was not integrated into the text,

During the discussion of the process of treaty reform, the EU continued to expand. After signing their accession treaty on April 25, 2005, Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on January 1, 2007. On July 1, 2013, Croatia became the most recent country to join the European Union, making it a Union of 28. A further five countries are currently candidates for membership: Albania, the Former Yugoslave Republic of Macedonia. Montenegor, Serbia, and Turkey. In order to join, these countries must meet the various "Copenhagen Criteria" and conduct negotiations with the EU. Finally, the acts of accession must be ratified by the Member States and the Candidate Country in question. Three other countries are considered to be "potential Candidate Countries" by the European Council: Bosnia-Herzegovina since 2003, and Kosovo since 2008.

The financial crisis in European Union

Europe today is in the midst of an economic and financial crisis which has touched the whole world, and which hit Europe especially hard in 2010. Many countries in the Euro Zone have gone through financial difficulty, including Greece, Portugal, and Ireland, constituting a real threat to the stability of th Euro Zone. Financial aid mechanisms such as the MESF (European Mechanism for Financial Stability) and the FESF (European Funds for Financial Stability) were created to help countries experiencing economic difficulty.

But the crisis got worse: these mechanisms proved insufficient to help Greece, and the crisis spread to other European countries, including Spain and Italy.
The Member States of the Euro Zone therefore decided to establish a stronger, independent support mechanism called the MES (Mechanism of European Stability), with a total capacity of 750 billion euros. The MES was approved by an intergovernmental treaty, then by the European Council on December 16-17, 2010, then was finally voted on by the European Parlliament in March 2011. It entered into force on September 27, 2012.

These difficulties have sparked debates relating to the capability of the Euroepan Unoin. Some of the countries of the European Union, especially Germany, have called for a strengthened federal budget program, which would forbid national debts and include surveillance mechanisms for the most important budgets. A bold step in this direction was taken when the Treaty on Stability, Coordination, and Governance in the European Union was adopted by the European Council on March 1st and 2nd, 2012, and was signed by 25 out of the then-27 Member States. Only the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic refused to sign. Article 3 of this Treaty would impose the sanctions on European States who did not keep their budget in check.

In contemporary debates, the question of establishing a banking union to coordinate and control financial activity in the European Union is also being considered.

According to current assessments, the crisis seems to have lessened slightly. However, the crisis has caused a rift between the countries in the Euro Zone, who tend to favor more integration and the strengthening of federal budget and banking programs, and the countries outside the Euro Zone (particuarly the UK), who want to distance themselves further from the Euro Zone.
In the midst of this economic difficulty, it is especially important to pay attention to the path that the European Union is taking. After all, the biggest steps towards the construction of a European community are often taken during hard times (at the end of World War II, during the economic crises in the 1990's, etc.) It is possible, therefore, that the European Union will bounce back, and use the crisis as an opportunity to strengthen federalism and the bonds between the Member States.

Europe today

The Euro Zone has also grown. Greece joined the Euro Zone in 2001, Slovenia in 2007, Malta and Cyprus in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia on January 1st, 2014,and finally Lithuania in 2015. This makes a grand total of 19 Member States in the Euro Zone.

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At the end of the World War II, Europe was destroyed, left in ruins, and a lot of people were killed. Everything needed to be rebuilt and it was imperative that the European nations prevent another World War.

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Theatre Forum Paris  Product 7th December 2017

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Theatre Forum Paris  Product 7th December 2017

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ERASMUS PARIS 2017 THÉÂTRE FORUM La Turquie L'Italie La Pologne et La France tous ensemble pour faire tomber les murs de l'ignorance, du racisme de l'irrespect et construire des ponts vers la fraternité le dialogue et la générosité. Spectacle de théâtre Forum en Image au Lycée Galilée.

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The route to Europe  by Claudia e Denise

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The Syrian question  Turkey _EUs by By Seby

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Noemi Garofalo ,Angela Agricola Monica Frazzetto

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Gaia Dibenedetto;Lorena Leanti Gaia Mollica , Giulia Groppi

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erasmus migrations by Gaia Di benedetto Gaia Mollica &