Essay
- Details
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018 20:16
- Written by denmark
As the world famous danish author Hans Christian Andersen once said: “To travel is to live”, and the EU promotes that very quote. Thanks to the European Union´s laws it is now easier to move between EU-countries than ever before. Many Europeans are taking that opportunity to visit new countries and study in new cultures.
The world is changing, and it is changing fast, and in order to keep up with it, we must change with it. Therefore it is good that more and more people choose to study abroad and move to new countries. Globalisation is roaring and people are getting more connected with the world outside their own country. This makes it crucial that the EU comes up with laws to help make it easier to integrate into new cultures.
We are moving towards a more global world, and it has almost become a must to have international experiences, because the more international experience you have, the more attractive you are in the labour market. Those experiences has with other words become an absolute necessity.
Just the idea of living or working in another EU-country, feels challenging, but at the same time it also feels exciting. What seems attractive and fascinating is, all the new things there are to experience. Having worked in another EU country will not only give you experience in affiliation to business, but also in relation to people. You certainly get out of your comfort zone: the culture, norms, food and language are all different from your own. In a way you start from the bottom with nothing, but your own knowledge and therefore need to establish a lot from start, like finding a place to live and building relationships with new and different people. Moving to another country to work or to study is without doubt a big decision to make.
Furthermore, is the distance that one might want to travel. Obviously there will be a change in one's everyday life if you choose to move to another EU- country, but it also depends on which country it is. We are from Denmark, and moving to Sweden will not be as overwhelming, since we are very familiar with the country, and we are similar in many aspects. Therefore it also depends on which EU-country you decide to move to.
But how can the EU help inspire citizens to study or work in another European country?
Many are startled by the thought of moving to another country to study or to work, but one can do many things to improve this situation. For instance the EU has the “Town-twinning” plan, which puts two towns from different countries together, and makes them official towns of friendship. This can inspire one to visit one´s “friendship town”, because one may hear many great things about it. Thus making the thought of visiting new countries more appealing.
Moreover is the fact that the EU organises several international civil society projects promoting the people in the EU´s power to participate concretely in the EU policy-making process. This project stimulates debates that can lead to solutions through international European cooperation.
Working or living in another EU-country is a chance that most of us at some point have the opportunity to grab. With the EU-treaties like the treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, it has become much easier to move and settle between various EU countries. You gain and have more or less the same rights as the citizens of the country you move to. It can even make as big of a decision as moving to a new country more easier. Due to this European law you do not have to fulfil strict requirements in order to get residence permit and the tax law is also even and straightforward.
Moreover, you will gain amazing memories which will last for life. The level of development one will go through is amazing. Not only will you learn about new cultures, languages and ways to live, but you will also get to know more about yourself and therefore be able to find yourself through travelling. Your mind opens up for new ideas and differences which will enable you to relate and bond with people, who you at first thought were different from you. The social network that you will have will not only make the world seem smaller, but it will also help different countries to understand each other better, and thereby reduce the amount of racism that we see today. Understanding and respecting one another is key to assembling the people in the EU despite our differences, because we can unite on one common front. That front is our willingness to learn about new ways of living and explore the diverse cultures in the EU.
Therefore we strongly believe in and support the idea of travelling across borders, because there are so many new things to explore and discover among the various nations in the EU. We can all benefit from learning from each other, and get different views from our own on for example the social challenges that we face. It is obvious that globalisation is happening all over the world, and therefore it is essential that the EU keeps providing its citizens with new and more possibilities to travel and study across borders. It is a mutual advantage that we all should be able to be a part of, not only by learning what we are taught in our home countries, but also what is being taught across borders in the EU. It is an inevitable fact that the world is becoming smaller, not in size but in a social view, and therefore it is crucial that Europe changes with it. Studying abroad or travelling broadens our vision for the different cultures and people. Thereby it may help efface disagreements by simply getting to know our fellow humans in this world.
The cultural clashes will be many when we meet each other, but ten points of views always beats one. As we get to know each other, we will not be foreign to cultural differences and have a much richer life and worldview. And with common understanding and respect, we will be more efficient in working together. We believe, that united we stand stronger and with unity we have the power to make world better.