Action Plan to Promote the Commitment of Citizens in Europe

CONVENTION DES JEUNES CITOYENS EUROPEENS 2013

Action plan to promote the commitment of citizens in Europe

ENGLISH VERSION

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the animation team for their perfect supervision and for those 10

fascinating, enlightening and positive days. This convention created some wonderful

memories for us all, thanks to this great team.

We have learned a lot, developed our opinions and exchanged our different points of view.

We would also like to thank the Centre de Conférences Internationales de Cluny and the

Ecole des Arts et Métiers Cluny for having welcomed us in their school.

Thank you to the co-presidents Christine Chevignard and Aurélien Besnard.

Thank you to Serge and Mireille for their warm welcome and the flawless organization of

this week.

We thank the mayor of Cluny, Jean-Luc Delpeuch, for supporting the convention the way he

does.

Thank you to the experts who came to share their experiences with us: Diana Wallis, Willem

Maas, Martine Méheut, Chiara Palieri, Philippe Lambert and Francesco Marchi.

Last but not least, we thank the cooking team who prepared very good meals for us every

day.

We are all very happy with this experience, and think it will be a very valuable asset for us in

our future endeavors.

We strongly encourage other young people to participate, because we believe they can help

us create a bright future for Europe.

Thank you all.

The Cluny convention participants.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 8

Institutional Setting .................................................................................................................. 11

Description ............................................................................................................................ 11

Tasks ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Financial Support .................................................................................................................. 12

Tasks of our Association ........................................................................................................... 13

Youth policy ........................................................................................................................... 13

Education ........................................................................................................................... 13

Employement..................................................................................................................... 15

European Citizens Rights ....................................................................................................... 17

Communication ..................................................................................................................... 19

Media ................................................................................................................................. 19

Citizens ............................................................................................................................... 20

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 25

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FROM THE 7TH TO THE 17TH OF JULY 2013, THE CONVENTION OF YOUNG EUROPEAN CITIZENS GATHERED 33 PARTICIPANTS FROM 20 EUROPEAN AND EXTRA-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

This year’s topic, “Europe: a citizen's choice” has given the participants an opportunity to

engage in interesting debates and fruitful discussion about different perspectives of

citizenship not only within the member states of the European Union but also outside.

This dynamic group of young citizens was joined by many experts from the European

institutions and public space during the ten day program. Thanks to the special technique of

the “open space”, students discussed various topics and learned how to listen to others

while exchanging different kinds of ideas.

The participants are very pleased to present you the results of their discussion, the common

project, which is supposed to influence young people in the EU: the Action Plan to Promote

the Commitment of Citizens in Europe.

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INTRODUCTION

2013 is dedicated to the citizens of Europe, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the

establishment of European citizenship under the Maastricht Treaty. The main challenges

proclaimed by the European Commission are raising awareness of citizenship rights,

stimulate citizens’ active participation in EU policy-making and develop a debate about the

impact as well as the potential of the right to move freely.

We, the young inhabitants and therefore citizens of Europe, feel the need to express our

ideas on the promotion of the European citizenship, because we strongly believe that it is

one of the most important projects of the European Union. We also perceive that the right

to move freely is the basis for our common evolution and a united future.

Although we are painfully aware that a genuine European identity has not developed yet, we

are convinced that our generation represents the beginning of one such identity. We all feel

European at some level, and a growing number of people already identify themselves as

Europeans when travelling outside of our continent.

The foundation of Europe is solidarity. However, there are many centrifugal factors at work

in the Union, and outside, at the moment which are threatening this principle of friendship

and cooperation. Especially during these troubling times, it is therefore of the utmost

importance to remind ourselves of what Europe is all about. Europe is our future, and that is

why we came here and drew up this action plan.

Thus, we have to move beyond the current concept of retribution and contempt triggered by

the financial crisis, and focus on the greater good that Europe can help us to achieve

together. Citizenship is at the heart of the Union, but it has to be strengthened to contribute

to our everyday life.

Right now, Europe is losing touch with its citizens. The gap between institutions and people

is becoming ever greater. European citizens have to get more involved and dedicated.

Hence, we propose this action plan to promote the commitment of citizens in Europe.

The plan focuses on raising awareness, as the crucial overall principle. As part of that, Europe

has to emphasize its interaction with the ordinary citizen, portray itself in a more attractive

way, and advertise citizens’ rights on a greater scale. While looking at various ways of

engagement, we mainly focused on active citizenship. So what can each of us do?

Due to the apparent failure of the EU to engage with its people, citizens therefore have to

become active themselves. In this light, we perceive the need for building a bridge between

the EU institutions and the European citizens, in order to make them feel like their voice is

heard.

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Our main action thus consists of the establishment of a nonprofit association of Young

European Citizens, registered in Belgium, which is open to everyone. It will organize events

at the local level and EU-wide, centralize and circulate information. Meetings will take place

at least twice every year, and the board of directors shall keep frequent contact.

This action plan therefore proposes the principal actions of our association, which focus on

youth policy, citizens’ rights and communication. Each of these topics is developed in turn.

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INSTITUTIONAL SETTING

Our goal at the Young European Citizen’s Convention in Cluny was to tackle the problems

that impede the European citizens to ‘feel’ the EU to be a support and not only some

external entity far away. With the outcome of the public space sessions we did in the last

couple of days and after synthesizing the various contributions we arrived to the conclusion

that in order to reach our goals in an effective and coherent way the best choice is to

establish an association.

Bearing in mind the concreteness of the actions we propose and the vast and encompassing

dimensions of the challenges, we realize that our actions will be a drop in the ocean but

even the most daring enterprise starts with one small step.

DESCRIPTION

The proposed Association will be a “not-for-profit association” named “#######” and will be

registered in Brussels, due to its closeness to the EU institutions and to the flexibility of the

Belgian legislation in terms of the activity abroad.

The Association shall be registered for an unlimited duration.

The principal goal of the Association is to create a bridge between the EU institutions and

the citizens by addressing their needs in a concrete way and to enhance the feeling of a

Union that supports and promotes citizenship rights. In order to do so, the Association will

focus on the areas of education, communication and legal affairs, which are developed in the

later chapters. The Association’s finality is not set, and therefore open to other realms which

may be included in a more mature stage.

Membership of the Association is granted to the founders of the Association and can be

extended to everyone who is willing to commit to the goal of the Association according to

the accession rules that are still to be defined.

The Association will be run by a group of young and enthusiastic Europeans who will

coordinate themselves principally by online sessions and eventually meet for plenary

sessions not less than twice a year in the home country of one of the members. During these

plenary sessions, the general direction of the Association will be discussed. Taking advantage

of these meetings, the Association will also organize a series of events for the locals to

promote and discuss about EU citizenship.

The principal tool of the Association will be a web page on which the visitor can find the

following:

- A menu of services and freely downloadable informative material according to the

different thematic areas.

- A blog/ short articles on current EU issues.

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- A counseling service on citizenship rights in the EU.

- Contact information.

TASKS

In order to achieve its objective, the Association will be entitled to the following not

exhaustive set of tasks:

- Apply for EU Funds

- Lobby on all political level in order to raise awareness

- Initiate and support petitions

- Organize events

- Engage in partnerships

- Perform tasks appropriate to the goals, as long as they are not contradictory to the

law

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The Association will be supported by:

- Yearly membership fees

- EU Funds acquired for the projects

- Private sponsors

- Voluntary contributions of like-minded citizens

- Fees of the seminars proposed

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TASKS OF OUR ASSOCIATION

As we stated in the previous chapter, the tasks of our association are divided into three main

areas of interest, which are crucial to achieve our goals. In this chapter, we present the

principal actions of our association which will help raise awareness among the citizens of the

European Union.

YOUTH POLICY

The main objective of this division is to promote the widespread knowledge of what their

citizenship entails amongst European citizens. We decided to focus on education and

employment issues within Europe and find ways to integrate a more European framework in

our education systems. We believe that the ERASMUS and other exchange programs provide

the necessary international experience, promoting the essence of European citizenship.

The first four actions improve the general context of education in Europe, whereas the

others are set to achieve concrete goals.

EDUCATION

ACTION 1: TO MODIFY THE ERASMUS & OTHER EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Certain aspects should be reconsidered and need further development to enhance the study

experience.

For this purpose, we suggest to petition the EU on the following subjects:

- Altering the reputation of exchange programs by promoting a more professional

approach. We suggest eliminating exchange courses made primarily for exchange

students, to encourage integration and interaction.

- Adjusting the distribution of money by allocating the financial support after the final

selection of all exchange students.

- Introducing a common credential system (ECTS) avoiding a prolongation of study.

ACTION 2: TO IMPROVE THE COOPERATION AMONG NATIONS AND RAISE THE LEVEL

OF COMMUNICATION

Considering that language is the foundation of communication and understanding, we

focused on several different aspects of language education that would improve the

coherence within the European Union. Furthermore, there should be a greater emphasis on

ventures that contribute to the understanding of institutions and provide European citizens

with academic experiences.

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For this purpose, we suggest:

- Supporting language education at a young age, due to the fact that children

assimilate more easily to new languages.

- Facilitating connections between schools to encourage exchange programs and

organize international summer camps.

- Organizing a short stay in cities in which institutions of the European Union are

residing.

- Promoting bilingual school programs.

- Encouraging internship networks and job forums to expand job markets for first and

second year Bachelor students looking for the opportunity to gain working

experience.

- Supporting start-up businesses through the implementation of entrepreneurship

courses in Universities.

ACTION 3: TO EXTEND EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION


- Campaigning for an improvement in recognizing diplomas/qualifications from other

Member States, or at least set out clear rules: make the information accessible to

everyone, on how their qualifications will be perceived, for better predictability.

ACTION 4: TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATION OF EUROPEAN UNION HISTORY,

INSTITUTIONS AND ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

For this purpose, we suggest to introduce Europe-wide seminars as part of the curriculum

and extracurricular activity in secondary schools, concerning EU history and institutions, and

active European citizenship which will promote social and political participation among

young people.

The seminars concerning the topics of European History and European Identity will be a

compulsory component of the curriculum schedule, while schools will be able to decide

whether to include the topics concerning European Economic Foundation, Introduction to

European Union Institutions and Youth Involvement and Employment approaches as a part

of the curricular or extracurricular schedule of the students.

The seminars will be accessible to every willing student, offering academic recognition for

their involvement and participation. Member States will be free to decide on the amount of

extracurricular seminars per school year, the time at which they are held and their duration.

Possible topics include:

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- Understanding European History: Effects and Consequences (compulsory

curriculum): In this topic, students will be given an insight into the European history

and its link to current European events.

- European identity (compulsory curriculum): An interactive presentation for better

understanding of the different levels of identity –national identity and European

identity.

- The Concept and Practice of European Citizenship: Many students are not familiar

with their rights as European Citizens. In this topic, students will discuss their rights

and will build and share their vision for the future of Europe.

- Introduction to European Union Institutions: In this topic, students will gain an

understanding of the different institutions of the European Union and their individual

roles in the EU decision-making process.

- Youth Involvement and Employment approaches: In this topic, students will be

encouraged to engage in continuous dialogue with policy makers, to participate in

various democratic institutions and to engage themselves in as many activities as

possible.

- Basic European Economic Foundation: As European Citizens we need to be aware of

our current economic situation in order to engage and to understand the difficult

measures needed to recover our economies.

ACTION 5: TO CREATE A LIAISON BETWEEN YOUNG EUROPEANS AND THE FEELING

OF BEING PART OF THE EU

As the imaginary gap between the institutions and the citizens is widening, we believe it is

extremely important to use this situation to bring especially young citizens closer to the EU

and to actually get in touch with the EU institutions.


- Liaising with the Comité des Stagiaires of the European Commission in order to

organize other social and cultural activities in Brussels

EMPLOYEMENT

ACTION 6: TO STRENGTHEN THE COOPERATION BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES AND

CORPORATIONS/BUSINESSES


- Lobbying more businesses to offer their services in exchange and internship

programs (Double degree programs, traineeships and graduate programs).

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ACTION 7: TO REWARD UNIVERSITIES WITH HIGH GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT RATES


- Petitioning the EU to collaborate closely with national governments in equally

distributing monetary incentives to universities according to the employment rate of

their students immediately after graduation.

ACTION 8: TO PROMOTE EU-WIDE ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITIONS

Since the start of the global economic crisis in 2008, the youth unemployment has been on

the rise in most European countries. Possible solutions lie with entrepreneurship, individual

projects seeking outside funding, salary mechanisms and renewable energy – in which the

youth of each member states could have an important role. The overall goal is to: create

new jobs in the field of renewable energy, make member states more energy independent,

emphasize interdependency among member states as well as through innovation in

research, raise the competitiveness of Europe with respect to USA and Asia.


- Creating competitions on the local level for young business starters and social

entrepreneurs with the support of local (national) budgets and external funds such as

the European Social Fund (ESF). The participants should be: freshly graduated new

entrepreneurs planning to set up their own business, aged from 18 to 30, residents of

any EU member state. The decision about the winner of the competition will be

made by local commission according to the profitability and competitiveness of the

project.

- Starting a citizens’ initiative or directly finding lobby organizations revolving around

renewable energy/cleantech:

Sharing the know-how between member states: e.g. Finnish engineers and Greek

solar power.

Involving the governments as well as private enterprises into the joint venture to

guarantee the effectiveness of operations, directing generated revenue to the

respective member states (instead of revenue flow out of the participant member

states) and to make sure worker’s legislation is followed accordingly.

Funding for the joint venture may also come from EU innovation and youth

unemployment funds

- Promoting an action plan for better stimulation of youth employment: Costs of young

employees (which includes salary, health insurance and social security) should be

shared by the employer and either local or national government, or from a European

fund, who would pay about 25 or 30 % of the full costs. Young employees can apply

in the age of 18 – 26, if they are no more than 1 year from graduation. Support will

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be provided for 1 year. The minimum duration of this work relationship is 18 months,

and their job has to be connected to their studies.

EUROPEAN CITIZENS RIGHTS

Our goal is to direct the European Union's actions towards a more unified citizenship, all the

while protecting national identity and diversity. We want to ensure that every citizen can

effectively exercise his/her rights fully and equally.

For that purpose, the legal affairs commission identified several issues in which there is

room for improvement.

ACTION 9: TO RAISE AWARENESS ON EU CITIZENS’ RIGHTS AND HOW TO EXERCISE

THEM

In order to make EU citizens active participants of the community, they need to be well

informed of the possibilities attached to their EU citizenship. It should be clear that they

have a crucial role to play, and that their participation does have an impact.


- Creating citizen guidelines documentation: collect information and present it in a way

which is accessible to a wide variety of individuals, and adapted to the targeted

audience. It should be available in all 24 official and working EU languages (e.g.: guide

book, posters etc.). Anyone who is interested could then use this documentation and

present it in schools/universities/town halls etc.

- Actively promoting European Parliament elections to come: organize conferences,

meetings, presentations in the local communities, if possible with MEPs or other EU

representatives.

- Informing EU citizens of the actions and projects of the EU: at a local level, organize

regular public conferences and workshops, with the participation of EU or state

officials.

ACTION 10: TO EQUALIZE EU CITIZENSHIP SO THAT ALL EU CITIZENS CAN BENEFIT

FROM THE SAME RIGHTS IN THE SAME MANNER

We need better integration in several areas in order to achieve equality between citizens.

We have indeed noticed that although all Member States share the same set of fundamental

rights (Charter of fundamental rights, European Convention on European Rights and other

general principles), they are not implemented equally in all Member States, which leads to

discrimination amongst citizens. We believe all EU citizens should be able to enjoy the same

rights, no matter where they reside in the EU.

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- Petitioning the EU and Member States to unify the EP voting systems in all Member

States for an equal access to democracy.

- Encouraging productive debate within and between Member States, by organizing

trans-national events.

ACTION 11: TO MAKE EP ELECTIONS MORE EUROPEAN

The EP should represent EU citizens as such, rather than national citizens, in order to achieve

a true European identity. The distinction and complementarity of EU citizenship should be

put forward.


- Petitioning for the idea of European lists of candidates for elections, so that citizens

can vote for a candidate who truly represents them, without regards for his

nationality.

This implies European-wide information about the candidates and their parties, for example

by the creation of adequate documentation and the organization of events, such as

teleconferences with candidates or their representatives, visits from the candidates or

representatives in other Member States, easier access to contact the MEPs directly.

EP elections should also be held at the same time in each Member State.

ACTION 12: TO INTRODUCE NEW RIGHTS AND DUTIES

To ensure that the EU continues developing in a democratic manner, citizens need to be

more active.

For this purpose, we suggest petitioning to:

- Make voting mandatory.

- Implement a more direct democracy by directly electing the commissioners and

holding more referendums concerning EU affairs.

- Instate a more powerful control over the implementation of fundamental rights, by a

body independent from the States.

- Establish a mandatory 3 months internship in an EU institution or the administration

of another Member State, for students or other young citizens who finished school.

This would enable them to truly understand the challenges which are raised at the

EU level in any field they are interested in.

This “European gap year” could be either paid or compensated by covering living expenses

(accommodation, food, transport etc.).

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COMMUNICATION

Our main goal is to reduce the distance between European citizens and the European

Union’s institutions and officials. We want the citizens to be informed, interested and active.

To reach an interactive relationship between those two actors, we want media to show

transparency, to criticize in a constructive way and to promote the advantages of the

European Union.

MEDIA

ACTION 13: TO PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE WAY OF INFORMATION FOR THE

POPULATION

Mostly, media is focusing on negative aspects of the European Union instead of informing

people about the European Union to make them reflect about it. We want media to be an

objective source of information.


- Campaigning for more constructive media coverage:

Media should create public pressure on politicians in order to make them act by proposing

solutions and criticize them in a constructive way instead of just blaming them. This will have

an impact on both politicians and citizens who will start reflecting about current issues

instead of just agreeing on media’s denunciations.

ACTION 14: TO STRENGTHEN THE VOICE OF EUROPEAN CITIZENS

In order to assure that the citizens’ opinion will be heard by the politicians, we propose a

more intensive coverage of grassroots projects that are organized by the civil society.


- A department monitoring different activities of citizens concerning European issues

to show that people try to contribute to the well-being of Europe and to implement

European policies.

ACTION 15: TO PROMOTE THE IDEA OF EUROPE THROUGH BRAND AMBASSADORS

Our main goal is to construct a European identification between ordinary people and

celebrities from different European countries.


- Finding and encouraging brand ambassadors:

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Brand ambassadors are famous persons who have an influence on media and whose

popularity can be used to promote the advantages of being a European citizen and to

improve the unity among European countries. This can be famous actors, leaders, singers,

politicians, sport players, etc. European citizens should be able to identify with the people

they admire and who share the same European values. They should give an honest example

of active European citizenship and induce European citizens to reflect about the European

Union.

ACTION 16: TO REINFORCE THE FEELING OF A EUROPEAN IDENTITY

We want to give a broader range of political, economic, but also cultural information about

the European Union’s member states that is not biased on national convictions.


- Campaigning for the launch of a European channel, in the manner of the Franco-

German channel Arte:

Arte television is a partnership between different European countries. We would like to

transform this channel to a partnership that includes every member state of the European

Union. Each country will share its own culture with the rest of Europe. Each program will be

translated or subtitled to avoid any exclusion, but at the same time to make people hear

other languages. It will help people to become more open and interested in other people’s

work and lifestyles. The European channel will be focusing on general European matters

such as brief news from different countries but also on political and economic matters. Point

of views from each member state will be shared. It will be a news program for European

citizens and not for “national citizens”. The European channel will become a vector of the

European movement’s works, ideas and authors. Europe and the member states will

subsidize this program and they will divide the airtime equally to each country.

CITIZENS

ACTION 17: TO REDUCE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN POLITICS AND THE WIDE PUBLIC

Interaction of politicians with the citizens is necessary because, due to the democratic

system of the European Union, they are accountable to the public who gave them their

power and whom they represent.


- Petitioning to appeal to the politicians to make a move towards the citizens:

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Politicians should visit public institutions and public places in order to interact directly with

the citizens and to share their personal views with the public. They should listen to the

citizens and take their ideas and suggestions into consideration.

ACTION 18: TO COUNTERACT THE DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT

Since the problem of the democratic deficit in the EU is a sensitive issue deeply concerning

European citizenship, it should be treated by the enhancement of representation of EU

citizens. The main goal is not only to change the perception of an exclusionary EU, but to pay

attention to citizens whose ideas could contribute to our development.


- Creating The Citizens’ Forum for Democracy:

The Forum would be an international, democratic forum for the discussion of ideas and

proposals concerning the EU and would provide the infrastructural conditions and a largely

accessible lobby organization for those self-organizing local or international civil

associations, NGOs, non-profit organizations etc., which could offer a proposal concerning

the EU.

The Forum could be financed by the European Foundation for Democracy, which defines its

goals as: “building broad coalitions with transnational organizations” and “supporting

through discourse: democracy and freedom, human rights, rule of law, gender equality,

security, stability, and peace.”

ACTION 19: TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE YOUNG PUBLIC ABOUT CITIZENSHIP AND

EUROPEAN COMMITMENT

The aim is to entice young Europeans to develop a critical point of view on EU citizenship, on

its advantages and its weaknesses.


- Extending the application of “serious gaming” to a wider public (30-60 years old

Europeans with kids) and to educational environments.

- Petitioning to assure a better communication with the Ministry of Foreign and

European Affairs concerning the insertion of this type of educational support in the

educational program.

This will be realized through a playful approach, based in the concept of classic games.

During the different stages of the games, people will discover different projects and systems

like the Erasmus program, the elections of the MEPs, the introduction of the Euro, the

freedom of movement, the common agricultural policy, the main treaties, the Charter of

fundamental rights and its application. This will lead to a reflection on the future of

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European identity and engagement. Without idealizing the European Union, the term of

Europeanness will be brought closer to the citizens in a simplified way which will result in a

more visible and stronger expression of the European citizens’ engagement.

ACTION 20: TO SUBSIDIZE COMMUNICATION CENTERS IN DIFFERENT REGIONS AND

LOCAL PLACES

European actors have already understood that they are too far away from the citizens.

That’s why they have decided to work in a more local aspect. To respond to this problem,

Europe has created a network of information centers, documentation centers and speakers

in every EU country. However, many people are not aware of their existence. Nowadays

European actors are too passive, they are waiting for people to ask for information. We want

them to get more active in the local society thanks to local European events, games or

contests.


- Improving the structure of Europe direct.

We would like to give more money to it, in order to guarantee a bigger impact of Europe

direct in local places. Actors will interact with the local public administration to help them be

present at any local event and to organize many discussions about European matters.

ACTION 21: TO MAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS EUROPEAN CITIZENS AND TO

GUARANTEE EXCHANGE

We want to reach out to the Eurosceptic population and to facilitate an exchange of ideas

and opinions. We want to create a participatory campaign that travels directly to the people,

into their villages and towns.


- The travelling caravan:

The caravan is a mobile meeting space where citizens can express themselves and exchange

their hopes and fears concerning Europe. The hosts of the travelling caravans, young

European citizens (for example former participants of the Cluny Convention) invite to

discussions in public spaces in their country, libraries, universities, old age homes,

community centers etc. They listen to people’s stories to find out why Europe is leaving so

many people indifferent. At every destination, new testimonies are added, creative ideas for

the future of Europe are shared. We will involve a maximum of people through art

workshops and welcome parties (similar to the European evening of the CCIC Convention)

accessible to everyone and promoted by the media as well as in social networks. The

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caravan will become a symbol for European mobility, bringing people from different

backgrounds together.

ACTION 22: TO ENHANCE AND PROFIT FROM DIVERSITY AND TO REDUCE THE

DISTANCE BETWEEN THE EU AND EU CITIZENS

Our common European future depends on our ability to openly accept and encourage our

different cultures, which are making the European Union unique and exceptional. The media

only shows a narrow vision of EU Member States. Even worse, they completely disregard

some of them. Citizens don’t feel concerned and connected to other Member States.


- Creating European Cultural Centers.

These centers will aim to establish a common European idea based on a cross-cultural

understanding and tolerance. They should be established in every major city in Europe and

should be set in an easy-access location. The centers will serve European cultural interests

by hosting a variety of events. Potential future projects of the Cultural Centers include:

- Cultural Festivals: Everyone will be able to come together and celebrate and explore

new and exciting cultural differences.

- Explore EU Cuisine: Cooking Seminars in which participants will get to try a variety of

different European foods as well as the opportunity to exchange recipes and present

their own masterpieces.

- Language Cafés: These ‘café sessions’ will offer the unique opportunity for language

exchange. Participants will exchange common knowledge, and the dialogue will be

conducted in a multitude of languages from all around Europe.

- The week of Europeanness: This project unites local, national and European initiatives

concerning European aspects of solidarity and the European citizens’ initiative.

Inspired by the « semaine de la Francophonie » and « semaine du goût », this annual

event would be a chance for citizens to discover how the EU works, to think about

the notion of Europeanness, and to get a better idea of EU workers. The activities

proposed are aimed in priority at citizens aged between 12 and 25 years old, but also

at extra-curricular entities working with young people (such as associations, local

communities, youth centers etc.). Most activities should be free of charge. During a

week, several activities and events will take place, to bring EU institutions closer to

the citizens: open days, debates, conferences, concerts, contests, exhibits,

discussions, workshops etc.

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CONCLUSION

The main goal of the Association is to raise awareness amongst young citizens of the

European Union. We want to tackle this issue by targeting activities at young people, as we

believe they are the future of the European spirit. We propose these actions as a way to

strengthen the position of the EU, inform the public about their rights, and most importantly

to reduce what is perceived as a gap between the institutions and young citizens. With these

propositions, we hope to make EU institutions closer to citizens, and make them feel like

their voice is heard.

All of these actions can be accomplished with a little bit of motivation by anyone interested

in participating in these projects. We want to create a platform of young people who believe

in the European goals and want to be involved. They would become organizers of these

activities within their own countries and also at the European level. The Association

proclaims to work on the basis of equity and equality. For the more technical points,

petitions to the EP should be made.

To help us achieve this project, the support of anyone already involved with EU affairs or

with decision-making powers at a more local/regional level would be greatly appreciated.

European citizenship is the first link for an ordinary citizen to feel the presence of the

European Union. We therefore appeal to our fellow citizens to take the initiative and try to

create a better Europe for all of us, and especially for the next generations.

Action Plan to Promote the Commitment of Citizens in Europe

Education

Transcript of Action Plan to Promote the Commitment of Citizens in Europe