Kraków, 21stMay 2019
EYDC Poland National Finals
The youth debate organised in Kraków was the fourth of 7 planned events of the European Youth Debating Competition (EYDC), organised by the European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) and PlasticsEurope. The three winners from Warsaw of the debate will represent Poland at the European Finals that will be held in Berlin at the beginning of October, during the 53rd EPCA Annual Meeting.
The Polish National Finals of the European Youth Debating Competition (EYDC) 2019 took place on 21st May in Kraków, where over 70 young students from secondary schools from all over Poland discussed their sustainable future and the role of petrochemicals and plastics will play. During debating this important challenge, the participants focused their speeches on the importance of resource efficiency, as well as on the role of innovative technologies in solving future challenges.
The three winners of the Polish debate were:
1. Kamil Petryczkiewicz (V LO im. księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego, Warsaw)
2. Maja Cortinovis (V LO im. księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego, Warsaw)
3. Julia Kubiak (Merridian International School, Warsaw)
They all won a ticket to the European Finals in Berlin, held as part of the 53rd EPCA Annual Meeting, the largest gathering of the petrochemical industry in Europe, where they will debate with young winners from other European countries on the theme: „Rethink, Reuse, Recycle: how would you shape a sustainable future with plastics and petrochemicals?”
The main objective of the European Youth Debating Competition – a joint project organised by EPCA and PlasticsEurope – is to offer a unique opportunity for students to acquire new skills, by interacting and expressing themselves about societal and industry linked topics. For the industry, it is an opportunity to connect with the new generation, listen, learn about their views, as well as their visions for our future. All the debates organised in Belgium for a joint “Benelux” Finals, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, including the final debate in Berlin, follow the same standardized structure, and all students will be assessed according to the
same criteria.
Kazimierz Borkowski, Managing Director of PlasticsEurope Polska underlines: “The topic of this year’s debate was not easy – sustainable development is a very complex issue. It is becoming more and more present in the public debate, especially among young people and we are really happy that our debaters perfectly coped with it. Young people are aware that the most important challenges of the future, such as limited resources and growing world population, need clever solutions. Such solutions can be brought by petrochemicals and plastics.”
Tomasz Piec (Chief Commercial Officer SYNTHOS SA, Member of Steering Board of PlasticsEurope) adds: "I am happy that this year’s European Youth Debating Competition was run in Kraków, thus this prestigious project was easily accessible to students from our region, including Oświęcim. Topics related to industry and environment always raise emotions and it is of great value that young people are able to address these emotions in well-founded speeches. The winners showed best debating skills by presenting clear and logical arguments, and we hope that they will also win in Berlin”.
Further information about the EYDC is available at www.eydc.eu, www.epca.eu, www.plasticseurope.org and Twitter: #youthdebate2019.
Media Contacts
Fundacja PlasticsEurope Polska
Anna Kozera-Szałkowska
Communications Manager
Phone +48 (22) 630 99 01; 695 915 917
anna.szalkowska@plasticseurope.org
The European Petrochemical Association
Nathalie Debuyst
Communication & Education Manager
Phone: +32 (2) 741 86 66
nathalie.debuyst@epca.eu
PlasticsEurope AISBL
Camelia Vasile
Media Relations Manager
Phone: +32 (2) 792 30 21
camelia.vasile@plasticseurope.org
The European Petrochemical Association (EPCA)
Based in Brussels, EPCA is the primary European Business Network for the global petrochemical
business community consisting of chemical producers, their suppliers, customers and service providers. It
operates for and through more than 700-member companies from 54 different countries. EPCA hosts
events in Europe offering members all over the world the opportunity to meet industry leaders and selected
external stakeholders and stay abreast of international market developments as well as technological and
societal trends. EPCA also assists members on specific topics that underpin the sustainable
development of the global petrochemical industry. EPCA promotes STEM education, with a clear focus on
gender and diversity inclusion. EPCA also highlight the multidisciplinary approach and the variety of
challenging career paths that the petrochemical industry offers.
PlasticsEurope is one of the leading European trade associations with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt,
London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. The association is networking with European and national plastics
associations and has more than 100 member companies, producing over 90% of all polymers across the
EU28 member states plus Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.