“Would we be able today to recreate a long-term European project such as the single market?” With this provocative question, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson addressed over 80 young leaders in Stockholm during the conference “A Safe and Competitive European Union”, a YEPP initiative organised in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies (WMCES), and hosted by MUF and KDU.
Between the 28th and 30th of November, delegates from across Europe gathered for 3 days of discussion on compelling topics for the young Europeans, while meeting with top politicians, including the Prime Minister of Sweden.
President of YEPP, MEP Sophia Kircher, opened the event addressing the young audience with a key message: the importance of building a Europe closer to its citizens and of fostering youth participation on electoral list, especially at a national and local levels. After welcoming all participants to Stockholm, the President accompanied Prime Minister Kristersson into the room for his keynote speech. The Prime Minister shared with participants his perspectives on Europe, noting that while the EU has shown unwavering support for Ukraine, it still faces challenges in establishing itself as a geopolitical actor capable of influencing international affairs, especially in the Middle East and with China. Domestically, Kristersson also underlined the significant efforts his government is making to enhance security in Sweden.
During the conference, other prominent speakers took the floor. Fredrik Reinfeldt, founder of YEPP and former Prime Minister of Sweden, reflected on the core values that led to the organisation’s creation and addressed the challenge of fostering economic growth amid the current delicate balance between productivity, demographic trends, and labour market needs. Tobias Billström, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, offered a comprehensive overview of the geopolitical challenges confronting both the EU and the United States, noting in particular the potential implications of a divided government following next year’s mid-term elections.
Two insightful panels animated the discussions on Friday and Saturday. The first, “Security and Privacy in the Digital Age: A Turning Point?”, was moderated by Alicia Montes de Oca Lopez, Project Officer at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies. The panel brought together EPP MEP Arba Kokalari, Member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and former YEPP Vice-President, YEPP Treasurer Carl Gustav Pfeiffer, and Magnus Berntsson, Member of Parliament and Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The speakers explored a range of pressing issues, including chat control, encryption, and the delicate balance between safeguarding security and upholding privacy—both online and offline.
The panel “Nutrition and Health in the EU: Avoiding Overregulation in the Single Market”, moderated by YEPP Secretary General Edelmira Ferri, featured Pietro Paganini, President of Competere, Nike Ornbrink, Stockholm City Commissioner, and Nicklas Amelin, Director of EU Affairs at the Swedish Food Federation. The discussion highlighted that obesity is driven more by lifestyle and physical inactivity than by individual food products, and that terms such as “genuine” or “ultraprocessed” can be misleading. Rather than introducing further regulation or taxation, the speakers emphasised the importance of strengthening nutritional literacy and supporting informed choices, including through digital tools that make reliable information widely accessible.
A special thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies for organising this project. YEPP also expresses its gratitude to Oliver Andersson and Douglas Thor, International Secretary and President of MUF, and to Myden Tanriver and Louise Hammargren, International Secretary and President of KDU, for hosting the event.
The initiative highlighted the value of bringing together young European leaders to exchange ideas, engage with policymakers, and contribute to shaping a stronger and more united European Union.
