Experiencing Europe in everyday life
The EU is not as far away as you might think. We encounter it in many ways in everyday life. Travelling without border controls, student exchanges in neighbouring countries or studying without a visa, uniform payment in the euro - as citizens of the Union, we enjoy advantages that we often take for granted. And maybe only notice it when we take the other perspective.
In this module, you will find out what influence EU regulations have on your everyday life and what this everyday life looks like in a country that does not only belong to the EU. You get to know Fatma and Ben. She is a student living in Germany and he is a student from the UK, which has recently left the EU. Click on the audios in the scenarios to hear their stories.
Mobility and free movement of persons
As a rule, anyone who is an EU citizen does not have to show an identity card or passport within the Schengen area. A great privilege. Most EU Member States and some non-EU countries have abolished border controls between their countries. This abolition of border controls is thanks to the Schengen Agreement, named after the village of Schengen in Luxembourg, where it was signed by several European countries in 1985.
In 19 out of 27 EU countries, money does not even have to be exchanged. These are the euro countries.
Roaming charges
An expensive mobile phone bill after your holiday? Thanks to the EU's roaming regulation, that's unlikely. Since June 2017, making phone calls, sending messages or surfing the internet in other EU countries has cost the same as at home.
Thanks to the EU's actions, roaming charges for calls, text messages and data have finally been abolished. This means that people travelling abroad within the EU are using their mobile phones much more often than they used to. In addition, from May 2019, a new maximum price will apply to all international calls and SMS within the EU in order to reduce prices for consumers.
Many European network operators are treating the UK in accordance with EU roaming regulations for the time being, despite Brexit. As a result, regulated EU roaming can continue to be used in the UK for the time being. However, this is only temporary and could change as early as 2025.
Free movement of goods and minimum standards for products and foodstuffs
Across the EU, people benefit from high-quality and safe food and goods. The EU's food safety standards are among the highest in the world. In the EU, mandatory controls are required throughout the food chain to ensure that plants and animals are healthy, food and feed are safe and products are correctly labelled.
As with the movement of people, there has been no free movement of goods in the UK since Brexit. Border controls on food imports have increased. Companies and farmers from the EU need additional documents to prove the origin and quality of the products that are delivered to the UK – in short, more bureaucracy. This repeatedly leads to supply bottlenecks and empty shelves. As a result, certain foods are in short supply.
Environment and Climate Activism
The EU has long been a trailblazer for other nations in the fight against climate change, advocating for international agreements to reduce CO2 and global warming, especially after the 2015 Paris Agreement. The EU now has the highest environmental standards in the world, protecting our habitats, biodiversity, drinking water and air quality. For example, a few years ago, the most common plastic disposables found on European beaches, such as cotton buds, balloon sticks and drinking straws, were banned.
In 2019, EU member states also committed to the European Green Deal, whose goal is to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
In June 2024, the European elections will take place in all 27 states of the EU. Then the people of the EU will decide who will represent them in the European Parliament. For the first time, all EU citizens aged 16 and over will be entitled to vote in the 2024 election.