Period: 01-03-2013 – 28-02-2014 (extended to 31.08. 2014)
Action 1, Measure 2.1. within the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Commission
Description of the project:
The ongoing economic and political crisis has brought to the forefront new divisions among European citizens and EU Member States, undermining social cohesion in Europe.
Current proposals for reform lack a comprehensive long-term vision for the new rationale of European integration. In order to reinvigorate the European project, rebuild its legitimacy and implement effective policies, it is necessary to encourage citizens’ participation in decision making and consultation processes.
The aim of this project is to collect the opinion of citizens, and of professionals, verify them against each other and encourage and facilitate the dialogue between the EU institutions and civil society in three main areas:
First, the impact of current policies on the economic model, assessed in the wider context of the need to reduce unsustainable consumption, decrease public expenditures and the debt burden while taking stock of their impact on societies.
Second, the impact of the austerity measures on social policies. We will collect citizens’ opinions in the context of the long-term challenges - ageing, growing inequality and unsustainable social systems – in order to identify opportunities and challenges for the desired social model in Europe.
Third, the narrative for the renewed European project. The reasons for closer integration have to be discussed and internalized by EU citizens and the best way to find a convincing narrative is through a direct involvment. Presenting current policies against the long-term challenges is key to understanding the current mood of scepticism among the EU public.
The project comprises a survey among European citizens, an expert seminar and three major public events in Warsaw, Brussels and Athens, aimed at reaching out to citizens and facilitating their dialogue with EU institutions. The final reports will contain a set of recommendations for European policy makers. These will be distributed widely and promoted through an enhanced media activity.
The report from the project you can see here:
Period: March 2013 - August 2014
Coordinators: Antoinette Primatarova
Financing Organisations: EACEA, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission
Leading partner: demosEUROPA
Partners: European Policy Centre (EPC), Brussels; EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Prague