“Europe live!” debate involving students from the Hanover region.
LONDON – How does the young generation view Europe? Does the idea behind the European Union still appeal to them today? The TUI Foundation has launched a new series of discussions to provide young people with the opportunity to discuss questions relating to the European Union with experts from politics, society and European institutions.
At the kick-off event held last week, around 120 students from the Hanover region discussed opportunities and challenges facing the younger generation in the European Union with Doris Schroder-Kopf, Member of the Lower Saxon Parliament and Regional Officer for Migration and Participation.
In her opening speech, Doris Schroder-Kopf emphasised the central role played by the young generation for the development of Europe: “If you are convinced of the European idea, you have to seek to improve it, tackle problems and jointly develop solutions. This task primarily needs to be addressed by the younger generation.” Doris Schroder-Kopf had replaced Stephan Weil, State Premier of Lower Saxony, who was unable to attend due to a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Volkswagen Supervisory Board convened at short notice.
The event was hosted by television journalist Till Nassif (who works, e.g. on the “ARD Morgenmagazin” morning show), moderating the evening for the around 150 guests with expertise and a sense of humour. Based on two videos on Europe they had shot themselves, six students from IGS Roderbruch and Albert-Einstein-Schule Laatzen took part in a panel discussion with Doris Schroder-Kopf as panelists, discussing questions relating to “Homeland Europe”, “Dealing with refugees”, “The rise of right-wing populism in the EU”, “Youth unemployment” and “The financial crisis”. One of Doris Schroder-Kopf’s appeals was to integrate refugees faster into the German labour market in order to counteract the shortage of skilled labour.
Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Foundation, drew a positive conclusion: “It is time for us to strengthen our joint commitment to Europe – to promote democracy, freedom, diversity, tolerance and understanding. We should focus on the opportunities offered by the European Union and strengthen young people’s enthusiasm for a common Europe. Tonight we have taken an initial step in that direction.”
Following the successful opening event, four “Europe live!” events are to be held every year in future.
Breezing ahead: Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten is positioning itself for the future
TUI Group subsidiary Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten is picking up steam. The comprehensive restructuring efforts are taking effect and the Group now considers itself able to operate Hapag-Lloyd at a very attractive earnings level in the long term. In line with the fresh economic breeze, the website at www.hl-kreuzfahrten.de (link is external) has also undergone a comprehensive facelift.
At the ITB travel trade fair Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten, revealed the initiatives launched to set the Company on a good course for the future:
As announced, Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten is expected to break even in the current financial year 2014/15. This will also be driven by the acquisition of Europa 2 in January and the associated termination of the charter agreement. TUI Group expects Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten to improve its EBITA by around 20 million euros per annum from financial year 2015/16.
The relaunched website underpins the sharpened product profile of the shipping line in the luxury and expedition segment. The responsive design website, offering a new structure and enhanced user navigation, pools contents for customers, prospective cruise passengers, journalists and distribution partners.
The company’s own social media channels such as the passage blog and Facebook site have been integrated in the website in a prominent position and are directly accessible via a link on the home page. As before, prospective cruise passengers immediately find a quick overview of all cruises via the first navigation item “Find cruise” in the main menu. Travel agencies will continue to have access to information in a separate partner section in order to provide them with effective support.
Photo caption (From left to right): Elke Hlawatschek (General secretary of the TUI Foundation), Thomas Ellerbeck (Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Foundation), Doris Schroder-Kopf (Member of the Lower Saxon Parliament and Regional Officer for Migration and Participation), Anette Strempel und Horst Baier (both member of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Foundation).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
