Young participants and speakers from several countries had a weekend of thought-provoking presentations, creative teamwork and productive workshops. With an introductory presentation given by Kris Vleugels on Friday (Vice-President of the European Christian Political Movement, ECPM), the series of sessions started with young Christian democrats being asked why we should all help Greece survive this crisis and keep an EU member country in the community. His main point was solidarity – a much-needed word that could provide us Christian politicians with a solution for Europe’s financial problems. Being open-minded European Christians, we should find ways and means to help other brothers and sisters who are in need, and encourage others to do so. A brief synopsis of the current state of play with an apt comparison between Europe and the speaker’s home country Belgium made the session simply stunning for all of us. Following the session we had time for a one-on-one discussion on the topic and liaise with each other while enjoying a hot cup of coffee à la Belgique.

A friend in need is a friend indeed – how to plug the Greek budget gap
The Saturday session started with one of the most challenging workshops of the conference: a business simulation game on how to allocate resources on a European scale. Players were financial decision-makers from four eurozone countries – Greece, The Netherlands, France and Germany – and on-the-spot analysts, who were given the task to set up a state budget divided into ten segments. It almost immediately became clear that Greece was the weakest point in the system, and so it was imperative for its counterparts to negotiate a win-win strategy and make resources available from their own budgets for a bailout action plan for the country. Real fun, much experience and edifying sessions made us realise that –under certain preconditions – decision-makers throughout Europe have to make every effort to stand by Greece.

The Bible and the economy: a good reference point for a clear view
In the afternoon of the second day a presentation by Marie-Caroline Leroux, representative of World Alliance, provided an invaluable insight into the situation arising from an increasing world population and how we are to curb worldwide birth-rates. After an impressive presentation, her clear conclusion was that birth-rates should not be affected by global decision-makers, because we need all people to maintain a high level of welfare in several ways around the globe.

In the afternoon Jannes de Jong, representative of the Brussels Office of ChristenUnie (the Dutch party ChristionUnion), gave a presentation about the crisis and politics, based on the Bible. After he pointed out what some experts had to say about the crisis, a logical link was made with the Bible, and one could at once realise how purely Holy Scripture can provide us with a clear view and a moral compass in the turbulence of the current economic crisis. The audience was divided into four groups and discussed several statements – this was highly informative and gave everyone a lot of fun, especially with the witty metaphors used in discussions to describe the burning topic of the euro crisis.
In the evening participants went out to wine and dine in a local restaurant, with lively conversation and a great surprise for Jeannette Dorothea Schoonderwoord (Deputy Secretary of ECPYN), who was celebrating her 20th birthday.
The Sunday programme began with a church service in the heart of the lovely town. It was impressive for a group of young people from different nations to give praise to God and join in common prayer.
There was time to have a last cup of warming tea and then say goodbye to everyone.

St. Vith, the Belgian centre of German-speaking minority offered a unique location and a great opportunity for ECPYN associates to gather together, enjoy each other’s company and most importantly to have a closer, Christian-minded look in depth at the different challenges faced by EU countries within and outside the eurozone at the present time.

Did you miss this event? Be sure you attend next time – you are warmly welcome!!