ONLINE SYMBOLIC VOTE:
NOW OPEN!
- Should votes at 16 be spread throughout the EU?
- Should EU citizens be able to vote and stand in all elections in their country of residence?
- Should the political rights of EU citizens be extended to all residents?
ONLINE VOTING IS OPEN 26 APRIL – 9 JUNE 2024
OR FIND OUT MORE FIRST
In the run-up to the European elections, ECIT and Voters Without Borders (VWB) have been on the Esplanade of the European Parliament on 26 April — International Voting Rights Day — collecting votes on these three important questions above.
We want you to vote online for 3 reasons:
With AI and international conflict on the rise, sure democracy has to be protected from external threats, but that’s not enough! Democracy is a better system than its alternatives but far from perfect. It’s our duty to keep pushing for internal improvements and universal suffrage.
The track record of the outgoing European Parliament is good with reports on the uniform European electoral system which proposed the introduction of transnational lists and, together with other reports, ways to improve turnout of mobile EU citizens. E.g., you can rewatch Alin Mituța MEP at an ECIT/NewEuropeans event explaining the reforms demanded in his report on “Parliamentarism, European Citizenship and Democracy”. However, the governments in the EU Council have yet to implement European electoral reform, so the pressure must be kept up after the elections by the new EP.
Voting rights initiatives are on the rise, especially at city level where a large proportion of the mobile population are either disenfranchised or face obstacles to voting. Such initiatives are scattered and need to be brought together. This is why VWB works closely with VRAR (Voting Rights for All Residents). Shouldn’t your town be signing this too?
The Symbolic Vote is organised and supported by:
Avec le soutien du Bourgmestre, de la Première Échevine en charge des Événements, de l’Échevine de l’Europe, et des membres du Collège des Bourgmestre et Échevins de la Commune d’Ixelles.
NEWS
From 10.00 to 18.00 on 26 April 2024, ECIT Foundation, Voters Without Borders, and Stand Up for Europe will hold a Symbolic Vote in Brussels on the Esplanade of the European Parliament and Place de la Petite Suisse, close to ULB-Solbosch. There will also be an online version. For the first
https://ecit-foundation.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Should-votes-at-16-spread-throughout-the-EU.mp4 This question is bound to be a key feature of our half-day event on 24 January 2024: European Citizenship in the run-up to the European elections. The reason for this is that Votes at 16 is THE innovation for the organisation of the elections in Belgium on 9 June
Our ECI demanding European citizenship education for all has been successfully registered today. The Commission — in a decision taken on 8 November 2023 — confirms that it can act without changing the Treaties. This is pleasantly surprising news. It should put an end to a period where more demands
At ECIT Foundation, our mission is to further develop EU Citizenship.
Citizenship Statute
Since it was established in 2015, ECIT was alone in demanding and putting forward proposals for a Statute on European Citizenship — our attempt to codify and redefine the rights constituting what it means to be a European citizen. It is a success that the idea of a citizenship statute has now been supported by the European Parliament and the Conference on the Future of Europe, but there is still some way to go.
Political Rights
EU citizens have the right to vote and stand as candidates in local and European elections but not in regional and national elections, or to participate in referendums in their country of residence. The ECI ‘Voters Without Borders’ failed to collect enough signatures, but the campaign for full voting rights connected to freedom of movement and migration continues.
Citizenship Education
Our proposal ‘I’m Going European’ for a new ECI is developed with the idea to guarantee the freedom of Europe for every child. This ECI aims for a Europe of equal opportunity. In theory, young people have the freedom of Europe, but there is a gap between the fine principles of the law and the barriers to access. If one third of EU citizens have the civic education and skills to take advantage of Europe, the majority miss out.
Upcoming Events
Symbolic Vote
ECIT Annual Conference 2024
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Thanks to your generous donation our initiatives can continue to grow, working towards our mission to further develop European Citizenship, and set positive goals for the future of Europe. We are so grateful for your continuing support.