citizens summit

◄	CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

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One of the EU’s overarching objectives is to generate economic prosperity, which was expected to increase well-being and social cohesion, create quality employment, reduce poverty and advance environmental protection. The economic crisis and the subsequent response of fiscal consolidation have created a situation where fundamental rights are portrayed by some as a unaffordable luxury and “social” spending is being dramatically cut. This creates a schism between the ‘European project’ and the people who live in it which could prove fatal to the future of Europe. Such may become part to initiate populism, separatism, ethnic nationalism, obscurantism.

Development of citizenship

"to go together":
The Ethics of Comity

identity

In Europe are many European (grassroot) movements, working building the future and to strengthen awareness for the idea Europe. Initiated by notables (and the oldest) is the European Movement International (EMI), and from citizen initiatives (the latest) Volt, a pan-european, progressive movement aiming to revolutionize the way politics is done across Europe. In addition, there are still citizens' movements as Stand up for Europe, Pulse of Europe, DiEM25, and Friends of Europe, a leading think tank that connects people, stimulates debate and triggers change to create a more inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking Europe.

Also European Institutions intent to make Europe fully fledged and want to develop into a strong player in the world. In order to better involve the citizen, Europe wide consultations were held to promote engagement with citizens and contribute to the debate on the future of Europe.

Europe, one of the continents of planet earth, is populated by about 500 million citizens. Citizens in EU-member-states have European citizenship and have therefore opportunity to help with preparation of texts, decision-making and the evaluation of the EU's work. Europeans have the disposal of more than 300 languages, a diversity of capital cities and distinction between inhabitants.

Europe and its institutions are fundamental for the interests of the European people.

CITIZENS' DIALOGUES and CITIZENS' CONSULTATIONS

CITIZENS' DIALOGUES and CITIZENS' CONSULTATIONS and PREPARATIONS FOR THE STRATEGIC AGENDA

It is not just the grassroots, movements and individuals who intent to make Europe fully fledged and want to develop into a strong player in the world. European institutions are focussed in the similar direction.

In March 2017, the Commission published a 'White Paper on the Future of Europe' presenting five possible scenarios and called for 'an honest and wide-ranging debate with citizens on how Europe should evolve in the years to come'. In less than four years, more than 1,200 Citizens' Dialogues (town-hall style debates) have been organised by the European Commission all across the European Union. In parallel, several Member States and European institutions have launched other initiatives. In April 2018, all but European Union Member States (except the United Kingdom) have agreed on a Joint Framework on Citizens’ Consultations, appreciating the central role of the Commission in this exercise.

At their informal meeting in Sibiu on 9 May 2019, Heads of State or Government will discuss priorities for the next institutional cycle, with a view to agreeing on the next Strategic Agenda in June 2019. During this meeting, EU leaders are expected to commit to an EU that delivers on the issues that really matter to people, sending a strong message for the upcoming European Parliament elections. A year ahead of this event, in May 2018, the European Commission launched an unprecedented process of participative democracy.

The European Council welcomes the holding of Citizens' Dialogues and Citizens' Consultations, which was an unprecedented opportunity to engage with consultations and dialogues. The joint report prepared by the current and the incoming Presidency, together with the different national reports and input from the other European institutions, identify a number of concerns and expectations on the part of the participating citizens in terms of concrete results from the EU.

Citizens' Dialogues

The online consultation on the Future of Europe is based on a questionnaire developed by citizens through a participatory panel. It aims at exploring citizens’ concerns, hopes and expectations regarding the future of the Union. The panel was a two-day event organised by the European Commission in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee, held in Brussels on 4-6 May 2018. It brought together 96 citizens from 27 EU Member States (2 to 5 participants per country), from different age brackets and with varying socio-economic status. Strict recruitment criteria were applied to ensure that the panel reflected the diversity of European citizens. For two days, participants had the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas on the topics they wanted to be tackled in this consultation. The result of this panel is the questionnaire used in this online consultation. On 9 May 2018, three days after the end of the panel, the citizen’s consultation was made available online in all EU official languages (9 May 2018). The questionnaire consists of five open-ended questions, and seven closedended questions.

R A D I O
AGORA

At their informal meeting on 23 February 2018, the European Heads of State or Government discussed the initiative presented by the French president to launch a pan-European process of citizens’ consultations. The proposed initiative was intended to promote engagement with citizens and contribute to the debate on the future of Europe. Member States agreed to participate voluntarily in this process and to conduct the consultations according to their national context and practices.

The aim of the citizens’ consultations was to involve a significant number of European citizens and identify their main concerns, hopes and expectations, in order to inform deliberations by the Heads of State or Government and help them to set out priorities for EU action over the coming years. The consultation process was designed as a means of identifying concerns and gathering ideas. There is a longstanding tradition in Member States of using dialogue with citizens as a way to ensure and enhance public participation in the political process. The commitment made by the Member States represents the first time such a collective and coordinated effort to perform simultaneous consultations with citizens all over Europe has been agreed, and a unique contribution to the ongoing reflection process on the future of Europe.

The joint report, together with the different national reports and input from the other European institutions, may usefully feed into the debate leading to the informal meeting of the Heads of State or Government on 9 May 2019 in Sibiu and to the new Strategic Agenda 2019-2024.

The EUROPEAN MOVEMENT INTERNATIONAL

The EUROPEAN MOVEMENT INTERNATIONAL is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. The origins of the European Movement date to July 1947, when the cause of a united Europe was being promoted by notables such as Duncan Sandys in the form of the Anglo-French United European Movement (UEM). The UEM acted as a platform for the co-ordination of the organisations created in the wake of World War II. As a result of their efforts, the congress of The Committee for the Co-ordination of the European Movements took place in Paris on 17 July 1947 incorporating "La Ligue Européenne de Coopération Economique" (LECE), "l'Union Européenne des Fédéralistes" (UEF), "l'Union Parlementaire Européenne" (UPE) and the Anglo-French United European Movements. They met again on 10 November 1947 and changed their name to The Joint International Committee for European Unity. They retained this name until after the 1948 Congress of The Hague.

From 7 to 11 May 1948, 800 delegates from Europe and observers from Canada and the United States gathered in The Hague, the Netherlands for the Congress of Europe. Organised by the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity and presided over by Winston Churchill, the Congress brought together representatives from across a broad political spectrum, providing them with the opportunity to discuss ideas about the development of European Union. Important political figures such as Konrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill, Harold Macmillan, Bertrand Russell, François Mitterrand, Paul-Henri Spaak, Albert Coppé and Altiero Spinelli took an active role in the congress and a call was launched for a political, economic and monetary Union of Europe. This landmark conference was to have a profound influence on the shape of the European Movement, which was created soon afterwards. A proposed flag to replace the original federalist 'Green E'.

The European Movement was formally created on 25 October 1948, when the Joint International Committee for European Unity decided to change its name. Duncan Sandys was elected President and Léon Blum, Winston Churchill, Alcide De Gasperi and Paul-Henri Spaak were elected as Honorary Presidents. The U.S. policy was to promote a United States of Europe, and to this end the American Committee on United Europe committee was used to discreetly funnel CIA funds to such organisations as this.

principles of peace, democracy, liberty, solidarity, and respect for basic human rights

The first major achievement of the European Movement was the setting up of the Council of Europe in May 1949. The European Movement was also responsible for the creation of the College of Europe in Bruges and the European Center of Culture in Geneva. One of its major functions during the 1950s through to the 1990s was the setting up of think-tanks and a network of discussion groups across Europe, in countries both democratic and Communist. Since 1948, the European Movement has lobbied for further integration, on numerous subjects. It worked in favour of the direct election of the European Parliament by all European citizens, in favour of the Treaty on the European Union (the Maastricht Treaty) and also for a European Constitution.

The Movement's stated objective is to "contribute to the establishment of a united, federal Europe founded on the principles of peace, democracy, liberty, solidarity, and respect for basic human rights. It seeks to provide a structure to encourage and facilitate the active participation of citizens and civil society organisations in the development of a united Europe". Its various Councils and Associations, under the co-ordination of the European Movement International (EMI), work to influence major decision-makers across European civil society - its multitudinous associations, governments, politicians, political parties, enterprises, trade unions and individual lobbyists - to achieve these ends. The Movement focuses its attentions on seeking further integration in the political, social and cultural arenas, using its network of lobbyists to achieve those ends. The EMI also works as a study and information group operating through various projects and activities. It tries to involve larger segments of the public in the European project by disseminating information on European affairs and activities and getting them involved in its projects. The association attempts to remain pluralist, and integrates into its management political personalities from both the Right and the Left.

How 'things' went in the '70s / '80s: one of the most famous and powerful protest songs of all time is probably 'People have the power'. The song could easily adapt to any cause and eventually inspires optimism in those who sing the song, clearly stating that we have the individual power to realize our dreams of a better society by standing together.

Volt, a pan-European, progressive movement

"We believe in a united Europe that value its citizens and residents, who are able to fulfill their unique potential and continiously strive to achieve together the highest standards of human, social, environmental, and technical development. We dare to innovate the way politics is done and inspire citizens in dreaming of and fighting for a better future. We connect and organize all the passionate and energetic, and hopeful Europeans who dare to challenge the status quo. We are a young progressive pan-European movement"

Volt is a pan-European, progressive movement that offers a new way of doing politics. The movement want to change the political dynamics in the European Union by implementing measures that:

invest in the potential of EU citizens; make our public sector efficient and our economies fairer & stronger, and that
protect human rights and our environment, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

Brainstorming session about our organizational implementation strategy:

the deployment of people and resources in the period 2023-2025 by (the board of) Volt NL.

Nov 18, 2022

"Policies that are driven by evidence, empathy, and integrity, not misled ideology. To achieve this change, we are convinced that a solution to our joint problems can only be a pan-European one that puts citizens at the center. Some of our claims include a clear path toward a Federal State of Europe, a thorough digitization of the State, a push for freedom and support for Entrepreneurs & SMEs, an education system to provide a modern, practical, and innovative 360° preparation to pupils from every background, and the prioritization of a “Climate Revolution” to counter climate change."

With this European vision in mind, we aim to shape politics in individual European countries and local communities by prioritising and adapting policies according to the specific context and citizens’ needs.

The plan is ambitious:

Create a political program, informed by as many progressive and informed voices as possible, that speaks to the dreams and needs of young Europeans while ensuring progress and economic renaissance in Europe; Form a fully fledged pan-European party that connects the local, national, and European political spheres across EU member states and local communities;
Launch a campaign to run for the 2019 European Parliamentary elections with quality candidates on Volt lists in as many EU Members States as possible.

_	how to create a fairer, more socially-focused and sustainable future for Europe

discussion telling a new story for Europe, the way it should be

The EUCS2013 assembly

24 and 25 June 2013, have seen a unique gathering of European citizens and NGO representatives from all major civil society sectors discussing how to create a fairer, more socially-focused and sustainable future for Europe. Organised by the Civil Society Contact Group (CSCG) and DEEEP (ended December 2015 after having provided support to the European development education community over 12 years), this assembly brought together the ultimate stakeholders of decision making, the citizens, just days before the European Council of Heads of State and Government met in Brussels.

The Summit brought together 400 leaders from our different sectors: civil society, partners, policymakers and journalists, young people and the media from across the European Union. The event draw upon the 'Open Space' and "Appreciative Inquiry' techniques to foster dialogue amongst participants with the aim to harness the creative and innovative potential of a diverse group of citizens. The summit brought together non-Brussels based participants to interact with those in the ‘Bubble’ to generate recommendations that are applicable and understandable to those working outside of the policymaking environment.

The event challenged the current state of play in Europe. Our social framework ‘mops up’ the inefficiencies and inequalities of our current economic model but what we urgently need is a new socio-economic model that works to deliver social, cultural and environmental objectives. We cannot afford to give up the gains achieved in freedoms, equality, including equality between women and men, life expectancy, education, solidarity with other countries and expression. We must look at the flaws and shortcomings in our public institutions, processes and ideologies that allowed us to reach this crisis point and exacerbated tensions between the different groups in society.The event also addressed different questions to those taking place elsewhere in Brussels. Whereas the official European Summit will mainly focus on short-term solutions, the Citizens’ Summit will look at the long-term; where the prevailing economic and social model accepts inequality as an inevitable outcome of development, this event discussed moving to greater societal well-being, equality and equity.

Whereas current EU policy focusses on its 500 million consumers, the Summit will focus on its 500 million citizens, and the many non-citizens living within the EU borders. As the limits of competitiveness as a driving force for European development have been reached, this event will examine where the boundaries of the free market should lie; whereas the political focus is on cuts and growth, the event will focus on social cohesion, investment and development; finally where political debates skirt the issue of the growing anti-EU, anti-integration, anti-immigration sentiment, this event will tackle these issues directly and ask the question if not this EU, then what EU do we want and need?

The event built on the political momentum of 3 processes and in response to the call of Commission President Barroso to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of EU citizens: the call of the European Parliament asking ‘the Commission to ask civil society and social partners to contribute an annual shadow report on the progress of the Member States regarding the headline targets and the implementation’, in its resolution of 1 December 2011 on the European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination (2011/2071(INI)),

the European Commission recognition that the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy should be based on partnerships that extend to ‘EU committees, to national parliaments and national, local and regional authorities, to social partners and to stakeholders and civil society so that everyone is involved in delivering on the vision’, and
the 2013 European Year for Citizens.

The first European Citizens’ Summit filled a democratic gap in European decision-making by adding a participatory, inclusive debate long neglected by European Summits. Citizens are becoming increasingly disillusioned - unhappy with politics and decision-makers. Yet, and as the Summit’s 400 attendees showcases, given the opportunity, people want to be involved in the processes that shape their lives.

Today only 33% of EU citizens trust the European institutions. This is a legitimacy crisis and a failure. It is time for European leaders to wake up to what matters to real people, and to ensure that their hopes, fears and priorities are put above Big Business and the language of unaccountable and faceless markets. “All across Europe our environment, our health, our social protection, our gains in gender equality and human rights, our education and healthcare systems, our culture and our role as global citizens are being eroded in the name of economic crisis and austerity.
We believe this is a false dichotomy and urge our political leaders to stop it and listen. Re-connecting to citizens is about first listening to them, and acting to take on their priorities and defending their interests,“ said Monika Kosińska, spokesperson for the EU Civil Society Contact Group.

"This initiative was unique because it brought together organisations active in a variety of sectors such as social, environmental, developmental, gender, public health, education, human rights and culture. There is an urgent need to re-connect citizens with the European project. Brussels’ credibility does not only lie on its ability to address economic and financial challenges," pointed out Paul Dujardin, Director of the Bozar Center for Fine Arts.

Today’s counter Summit examined where the boundaries of the free market should lie. It reminded that one of the driving aspirations of the EU is to generate the type of economic prosperity capable of delivering well-being, social cohesion, and quality employment – within and beyond Europe’s borders - in a way that reduces poverty and advances environmental protection. “The EU is bound to look back at the peace-building project that brought it together right after the Second World War and start thinking of Europeans as 500 million citizens, not as 500 million consumers,” concluded Saskia Sassen, Professor of Sociology from the University of Columbia (US).

This Citizens’ Summit has, for the first time in the 60 years since the creation of the EU, managed to channel Europeans’ voices and concerns into concrete, urgent demands directed to EU leaders: minimum income; political and economic transparency; adequate public care; reduced inequalities and enhanced integration; real and lasting gender equality; higher levels of environmental protection; a fair and human-faced global trade; and the full respect of the citizen’s right to participate in the cultural life. Business as usual is not an option. Europe is heading down a dead-end street and citizen engagement is necessary for a much needed U-turn in the right direction. It is high time for Brussels to reconnect with people by reinforcing active citizenship, democracy and participation in decision-making.

“We keep losing our rights for the last 20 years!” With this sentence, Saskia Sassen started an engaging and political speech about citizenship and economy at the European Citizens Summit.After Isabelle Durant' and Martin Schulz 's videos, it was time for the citizens to be in the center of the discussions. The event kic ked off with a plenary session from Saskia Sassen (University of Columbia). Her hobby: find all the elements in which citizens are losing their rights. “Defined usually as consumers, we don’t know how to be citizens”. She studied the microelements that alter the citizens from their political position. In terms of economy, she claimed for a local economy away from the current plutocracy managed by the financial bubble.After the plenary session, parallel discussions will take place, using innovative methodologies. There will be one “open space” to discuss 10 selected topics and one “appreciated inquiry”, a place for personal experience as European citizen to be expressed and for a dream to come true: imagine Europe in 2020. The content and the methodology are far away from the EU Summit practices. At this summit, we want to be away from the European bubble in terms of process and content, “we want to be the 99%”, said the Civil Society Contact Group.So many different topics are discussed right now at the European Citizens Summit... From transparency and participative democracy to human rights, gender or globalisation, participants are defining their own Europe, the one they dream for 2020 of.

The insights discussed the day before in each group were shared and highlighted. Radical thinking was the keyword, dreaming was the process. In only 3 hours, a new Europe was shaped! Participants highlighted a Europe based on shared values as equality, diversity and social justice. Even if the topics were different in each group, all dreamed about a Europe where citizens were empowered and politically included in the decision process.