The Programme "Europe for Citizens 2017"
In 2007, the European Commission initiated the programme “Europe for citizens,” calling on all organisations engaged in European politics to pursue actively and persistently programmes suited to make the European Union, its institutions, committees, workings, and representatives, more visible and comprehensible to Europe’s citizens. This initiative by the European Commission has made a major impact, something that became even more pronounced after the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Today, the European Union is a democratic, transparent, and highly efficient body, defending and protecting its citizens’ fundamental rights, as well as their freedom, solidarity, and security.
This year the programme “Europe for Citizens” aims to deepen the European ideal in the following ways:
- strengthening European citizenship by promoting the democratic participation of citizens in EU processes
- promoting the appreciation of the EU, its history and diversity
- strengthening historical consciousness and an awareness of our shared history and values
The Heinrich Böll Foundation along with its project partners will continue its involvement in these programmes with their ambitious yet worthwhile goals.
The leading actors within the 2017 programme “Europe for Citizens” are
the Heinrich Böll Foundation with its Berlin headquarters; its international offices in Brussels (seat of the EU Commission and many EU institutions), in Thessaloniki, Greece, Prague, Czech Republic, Warsaw, Poland, Zagreb, Croatia, and Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the Grüne Bildungswerkstatt in Vienna, Austria. Many project partners in EU member states are also participating.
Through their activities, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and its project partners want to promote public discourse in Europe by offering a forum for differing points of view while also identifying what we have in common. The overall goal is to encourage people to get actively involved and to think of themselves as citizens of the European Union.
The programme “Europe for Citizens” is supported by the European Union
Main themes
Web Dossiers and Blogs
Dossier: The State We're in – Europe 60 Years After the Treaty of Rome
60 Years after the signing of the Rome Treaty, Europe is not a pretty sight. Will six decades of European cooperation and integration come to a grinding halt or will Europe find its second wind and move forward resolutely? In this web dossier we offer articles that deal with the current state of Europe as seen from all sides and corners of the Union.
Blog "Reconnecting Europe"
The European Union is drifting apart. Bloggers from Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and the UK share their ideas for the reconnection of Europe.
Blog "Friends or Foes"
In spite of its internal crisis, the European Union will have to (re)define its relations with its powerful neighbours Turkey and Russia and come to terms with the new political situation across the Atlantic.
International conferences and events
The Treaties of Rome Sixty Years on: Moving Forward with Europe!
Sixty years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, Europe finds itself at a crossroads. The conference offered a platform fpr the question how Europe could revive the spirit of solidarity and cooperation.
UniverSSE 2017: 4th European Social & Solidarity Economy Congress
The conference offered a plattform for the exchange of ideas, practices and experience, where a common narrative and strategy for SSE at the Greek and European level could be developed.
Work in Progress – Energy Transition: The ecological modernization of power, transportation and heating
The conference sees itself as a platform for dialog and networking intended to inspire everyone working for the success of the transition to renewable energy.
