Ambassador Paquet on the Launch of the Model EU in Japan: “We can inspire young people to believe that they can change society”

Please tell us about your role here in Japan.

I have been the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Japan since September 2022. My role is similar to the role of the ambassador of a European Member State, except that I represent the EU as a whole.

The EU is a political project. We are a Union composed of 27 Member States, but we also have at the EU level a set of distinct policies — on climate, on energy, on security, on the digital transformation of our societies — which are deployed at EU level and then in our Member States. But they are also part of a dialogue with third countries, in this case with Japan.

My role is to ensure that there is a continuous conversation between institutions here in Japan, with the media, civil society, and also citizens when the opportunity arises, so that we find the areas where Japan and Europe can cooperate constructively. There are many of these.

Why is the Model EU project important at this time?

The Model EU is a great exercise. I'm particularly happy that we are running it for the first time in Japan this year.

This has really a double purpose. Firstly, to give the opportunity to students to experience decision-making at the EU level. We are often observed from the outside and what the media retain are of course divergences, different opinions, and differences between Member States. So, it always looks very confusing, and very complicated, and indeed bringing together 27 different political systems, and different societies, is sometimes challenging.

But as the students will discover, the decision-making process is in reality very robust, and is aimed at convergence and consensus. It starts with preparing an evidence-based proposal; that’s the role of the European Commission as an EU Institution. But then Member States at the technical level, and then at the political level, debate the proposal, and propose to adjust and amend the proposal. Decisions require qualified majority, which creates convergence and consensus and usually improves the proposal.

And this is what these students will experience. They will be sitting around a table taking on the roles of European ministers representing 27 Member States and the European Commission, and experience firsthand how this decision-making process generates outcomes. That's one dimension of the project. I did it myself as a student many, many years ago and it was so much fun.

But then at the same time, we also chose as a subject climate change policies and regulations because the compass of public policies needs to be our green and energy transformation. This is certainly the case in in Europe, but I think also to a large extent here in Japan.

The climate crisis is of such a magnitude that the urgency of public and also private action is acute. And this is also where the EU is putting in place a set of regulations which are highly ambitious. And as the students debate one of these pieces of regulation, they will also get a good sense that, while this is important and necessary, it is not easy, because you need to transform your energy and transport systems, indeed your entire society.

And you start in Europe from 27 different realities, which then need to come together in a new framework, which in turn changes what is happening in these 27 national realities. In terms of decision-making, policy design, and policy objectives around climate change, this really is an interesting exercise.

I'm sure they will learn a lot from it, and I'm absolutely delighted that we run it for the first time here in Japan.

What outcome would you like to see from the Model EU in Japan?

I think it's great that the students joining the Model EU this year and next get a sense of how policy is made in Europe. I also think that by instilling an understanding of the policy design process and the outcome of climate policies, we can inspire young people to believe that they can change society. Yes, fighting climate change is something that needs investment and political capital, and is technically very complex, but it can be done. There's absolutely no reason not to do it. And from scientific point of view, we need to do it very fast. All of these things can be lessons from this exercise.

 

More broadly, how do you view Japan's role in the climate change fight? What areas of collaboration do you see in the future between the EU and Japan?

There is no doubt that Japan is a leader in climate change policy. They have set the goal of climate neutrality by 2050. They also set an ambitious goal at the for 2030, which is really the most important one currently on the horizon.

We need to halve our emissions by 2030. That's what science tells us and the UN tell us. Honestly, with the exception of Europe, I don't think that anyone really is on track. But Japan is really still at the forefront and therefore Japan is a leader on climate change policies here in East Asia and Asia at large.

Japan, the EU and others have an important responsibility to work in the international community under the Kyoto Protocol. We must work together in the COP meetings, with the COP28 taking place this coming November, but also work in the region supporting countries. We have partnerships with Vietnam and other East Asian countries where Japan and Europe and others help them accelerate their energy transformation. And that leadership of Japan is very valued and very important.

 

The climate change fight will span generations. What is the best way for the EU and other political bodies to reach young people and inspire them for the future?

The generations holding decision-making positions today need to make decisions for coming generations.

What we fail to do over the next five years is going to be absolutely disastrous for the next generation. It's not so much what we will do in 2040 that matters, it's what we do between 2025 and 2030.

In Europe in particular, we had what I sometimes call the “Greta Thunberg miracle” with her school strike and the mobilisation she generated with young people. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, she really had a major impact on people’s awareness of climate issues.

In addition, in 2019, we had elections in Europe for the European Parliament. This grassroot movement really shaped the outcome of these elections to an extent, with Green Parties becoming very visible in the European Parliament and mainstream parties taking ownership of the climate and green agenda.

 

This is what allowed the European Commission and Ministers of EU Member States (at the Council of the EU) and the European Parliament to shape and implement the European Green Deal. So, yes, the mobilisation of young people is absolutely critical. But it is even more critical to mobilise those who are in charge right now to really exercise leadership and achieve change here and now.