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SU2019: Teaser Interview

First Impressions: What happened at this year's Summer University on European Citizenship? Interview with the organizers by European Alternatives' Gosia Wochowska

Masterclass: Making European Citizens, SU2019

This training took class in Brussels on 2nd September 2019. The Masterclass 'Making European Citizens' was broadcasted live online for the online audience of Transeuropa Caravans and registered for the Summer University. The trainers were: Petar Markovic - Director of ECIT Foundation, Jesse Colzani - Legal Manager at the Good Lobby,   Gosia Wochowska - European Alternatives, Coordinator of Transeuropa Caravans.

First transnational Citizenship of the modern era

The summer university held on 2-3 September brought together civil society activists, academics and policy makers. There was consensus that there must be a commitment to a more ambitious citizenship bringing together rights, participation and belonging in the appointments to the new Commission and the work of the European Parliament. The demands to the EU Institutions emerging from this event can be found here below in the downloads section.


The IV edition of the ECIT Summer University on European Citizenship was in collaboration with The Institut des Etudes Européens /ULB.


WHO? Students & researchers, civil society activists and policy makers.


WHY? This year the summer university comes at a time when there is a real chance to influence the European agenda. The newly elected European Parliament will be setting its priorities and preparing hearings for the appointment of the new President and members of the European Commission. The shape of the EU budget for the next legislature should soon be emerging from protracted negotiations. 


WHAT?  Please find the programme here at the bottom of the page.


The event also helped to shape ECIT’s work over the next year:


1) Make European more popular. A book will be produced for the general public with input from experts and editors to cover as many languages as possible and reach the unreached; 72 % see themselves as European citizens but is there really an explanation of what this means? Creating a resource on European citizenship, regularly updated, should follow this publication.


2) Deepen knowledge of European citizenship. This will be done with a training programme on European rights, how to defend claims more effectively or promote initiatives backed by 1 million signatures in order to build a citizenship of networks across the continent. This training module can also be developed for citizenship education in and outside school.


3) Demand full political rights for EU citizens on the move. A citizens’ initiative will be launched for universal suffrage. This will aim to extend electoral rights in European elections and local elections in one’s country of residence to regional, national elections and referenda.


4) Help build a European public sphere. Building on transnational activism which boosted turnout in this year’s European elections among young people, ECIT will work on reforms to make it easier to vote in the next European elections and create transnational political parties and lists of candidates. This work will be carried out in cooperation with the new wave of other organisations fighting for citizenship and democracy at SECO.



For more info, please contact: info@ecit-foundation.eu

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