+++ Click here to apply before Tuesday, 27 August 2024 at 14h00 pm CEST (Brussels time)! +++

This event is set to take place in Skopje, North Macedonia, from 11 to 13 October 2024.

Register through the following form available here before Tuesday, 27 August 2024 at 14h00 pm CEST (Brussels time)! 

The Liberal Hack 2024 aims to challenge young liberals like you to explore the pillars of the European Common Agricultural Policy. As the CAP is the policy framework that governs agricultural practices and subsidies across the EU, the Liberal Hack 2024 seeks to foster teamwork and innovation among young liberals from all over Europe, by bringing them together to generate creative solutions that are applicable and beneficial on a European scale. 

Our target audience is young European liberals (aged 18-35), primarily members of LYMEC Member Organisations and Individual Members, but also ELF members, NGOs and think tanks and the general public. 

At the Liberal Hack, you will increase your knowledge on the various pillars of the Common Agricultural Policy by tackling them from different angles through an engaging Hackathon format. In order to express your team preference, you will be able to rank the topics here, in the registration form.

The five main pillars the teams are going to deal with are:

Jobs and growth in rural areas: 

The past years, many young people have moved from rural areas to big cities. In this pillar, you will explore strategies to stimulate economic development, job creation, and increasing attractiveness of rural areas across the EU. You will dive into the EU’s rural development policy, give a critical analysis, and most importantly present your liberal, innovative ideas. 

Agriculture, climate adaptation and mitigation:

Agriculture accounts for roughly 11% of the EU’s total emissions. In the 90s and 00s emissions of agriculture already decreased significantly, but this has come to a standstill. In this working group you’ll explore ways of how to adapt to climate change and which mitigation strategies could be used

Increasing EU farm productivity:

Examine methods to boost the productivity of EU farms while maintaining sustainability and environmental standards. Space in Europe is becoming more scarce while demand increases. In this pillar you will examine innovations in agricultural technology (such as vertical farming) and efficient resource use

Financing the CAP: 

The Common Agricultural Policy is one of the biggest expenditures on the European budget. It is financed from two funds and mainly based on the size and share of farms. With prospective enlargement this current scheme might not be the best option anymore. We would like you to come up with ideas to change the financing, more focused on stimulating innovation and green farming.

Biodiversity and farmed landscapes:

The Landscape Farm project is about creating a new approach to farming by fundamentally changing the mindset of farmers, from only being producers of food to becoming landscape managers. Integrating food production into social and environmental aspects such as preserving biodiversity. We would like you to examine the results of this EU project and how this initiative could be improved and implemented on a bigger scale

Expected outcomes: 

• Gain a detailed understanding of the goals of the CAP, while discussing areas for improvement 
• Your ideas will be featured in a booklet distributed to relevant policy-makers to help shape both LYMEC’s and broader European policy
• Challenge yourself: get a special prize and a trip to Brussels to present, develop and discuss the main conclusions of the Hackathon with MEPs!

Applications: 

• Please complete the following form available here before Tuesday, 27 August 2024 at 14h00 pm CEST (Brussels time).
• The applicant must be between 18 and 35 years of age.

Participation fee: There will be no participation costs, meals and accommodation will be fully covered.

Travel reimbursement: There will be travel refunds by ELF after the event to at least partially reimburse your travel expenses to and from Skopje. Participants must buy their own tickets and request a reimbursement after the event. Please keep all original receipts, tickets, invoices and boarding passes. If those are missing, the travel refund cannot be processed.

Participants need to be at least 18 years old at the start of the event. By registering for this event you agree to our updated privacy policy and understand that your personal data will be shared with the European Liberal Forum and hotels for administrative purposes. You also agree your name to appear during the online event to other participants and to a broader public during live-streamed sessions.

We are happy to look into alternative ways of participating in our events for economically difficult, disabled or less literate participants in order to maximise the opportunities for all. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to look into the possibilities available. 

The event is organised by the European Liberal Forum. The event received financial support from the European Parliament. The sole liability remains with the organiser. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.  

By participating in an ELF event, you commit to abide by the European Liberal Forum’s Code of Conduct, which includes a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of harassment, violence, bullying, discrimination, or any similar harmful behaviours.

Link to the Code of Conduct: https://liberalforum.eu/elf-code-of-conduct/

Events organised by European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and ELF (European Liberal Forum) may be audio- and video-recorded as well as web-streamed. A photographer and/or a cameraman, contracted by LYMEC, may have access to the meeting room in order to take pictures and videos for communication and publication purposes. Videos and pictures taken by the photographer and/or cameraman, contracted by LYMEC, may also be published on the LYMEC website and on related social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.). They may also be used in other media and means of communication in order to pass on information about the event and activities of LYMEC. The European Liberal Forum might also use the pictures, video or audio in their communications. 

***Disclaimer: By registering for this event you give your permission for LYMEC and European Liberal Forum to use your picture in their promotional campaigns and materials and communication about the event. Please make it clear in advance if you do not wish your picture to be used by LYMEC or ELF.***