Education and training of Europeans are the key parts of the project “Upgrading Europe 2012-2015”, which, along with a substantial improvement in communication and collaboration between the institutional levels of state members, make up the main nexus when increasing the role of citizens in the process of building the European Union.

Representative democracy means not only to exercise the right to vote every four or five years; that behaviour repeats more frequently among citizens, when the European Parliament elections take place; the remoteness of Brussels and complication of the European process make Europeans sceptical and often disassociated to the process.

Participatory democracy, however, broadens the horizons of representative democracy enabling interaction of administrations and people, making it

more regular and fruitful, not only dependent on the electoral process and the renewal of the legislative or executive presidencies, but also, dependent on regular communication with citizens about political management throughout the policy term.

Transnational democracy quality that comes with the EU, implies the ability to adapt to major global challenges posed by twenty-first century and that - as part of this project- will be analysed university professors and students, political leaders, journalists, bloggers, associations and foundations members.

Therefore, main European actors in this field are linked and integrated in the project working together in a network to make of the project a catalyst for a new European policy that gives priority to the value of citizen participation, cultural diversity, development of skills beyond mere training, improve

The best way to guarantee the reassessment of the European unification process, its renewal and updating is giving greater visibility and prominence to the achievements of Europe, as well as promoting procedures of citizen participation and interaction with institutions and community organizations

Strategy DocumentsI35/2012

European citizen participation: increasing citizen identification with the European Union

Public Affairs

Insights

This document was prepared by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Repuation Leadership and contains references, among other sources, to the statements made by Jaume Duch, spokesman of the European Parliament and director of media; Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, secretary of State for the European Union; Pablo Zalba, MEP from the Partido Popular; Antolín Sánchez, Socialist MEP; Cristina Manzano, Foreign Policy Director in Spanish; José Ignacio Torreblanca, European Council on Foreign Relations Director in Spain; Susana del Río, director of Upgrading Europe 2012-2015, during the session “Citizens and New European Policy: Upgrading Europe 2012-2015” held along with the European Commission and Parliament office in Spain, in Madrid on September 20, 2012.

Insights 2

European citizen participation: increasing citizen identification with the European Union

the Erasmus project and, above all, the exchange of views and ideas to support European integration.Europe, a successful brand

According to Susana del Río, director of the project “Upgrading Europe 2012-2015”, explaining the achievements of the European Union is an essential aspect since citizens tend to forget –especially in times of severe crisis like nowadays– the achieved advances thanks to the process started more than 60 years ago.

Hence, to support the European branding is the necessary way if the goal is to engage citizens with Europe. The best way to create a European space more and more solid is to generate an open, honest and paneuropean debate including all the Union countries.

The brand Europe represents a project of crossing national borders at all levels and, compared to other models of growth and unification, it means the creation of a political superstructure: the European Union, from a more integrative perspective in human and social terms, personal welfare and trade and economic exchange. This is the project of Europeanism, according to Antolín Sánchez, Socialist MEP.

The solution to the financial crisis problems is a stronger European brand, a model change and a commitment to economic and political unification, following the leadership models of other strong brands as the United States, according to Pablo Zalba, MEP from the Partido Popular.

The European Citizens’ InitiativeUpon entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009 was activated a new important mechanism for participation, the European Citizens’ Initiative, a possibility that allows citizens (one million) to take active part in the development and political decisions of EU, to be able to request the Commission to submit a proposal for legislation that eventually will have to be approved by the Parliament.

The purpose of this initiative is giving more voice and power to people and compensating the excess weight of lobbies and pressure groups or large corporations; it seeks to raise interest of ordinary citizens by the debate on Europe, about its construction process and its future, beyond the current economic and political vicissitudes.

This new tool is organized through a committee of seven citizens residing in each of the countries where the initiative is entered in the register and collected one million signatures for the countries concerned, to detail and present it publicly in the European Parliament. Only then, is when the Commission decides whether the initiative is considered or rejected.

From technocratization to participationOne of the process that has been gradually developed in the EU and that citizens have probably not seen enough -when compared to its real importance- is the fact that the power within the Union has been displaced by the Community institutions, countries and their structures according to José Ignacio

“Participation is the best

way to fight effectively

against a widespread perception of the EU

deciding not taking

into account citizens”

Graph 1: How does the European Citizens’ Initiative work?

Source: My Voice, 2012.

Prepare your initiative and set up your citizen’s

committee.

Register your initiative.

You wish to collect online? Get your system certified.

Collect statements of support in at least 7 EU

countries.Get statements of support certified

by national authorities.

The Commission examines your initiative and

replies.

You have at least 1 000 000

signatories? Submit your

initiative to the Commisssion.If the Commission

decides to follow your initiative: the legislative

procedure starts.

Commission answers within

2 months

National authority answers within

1 month

Max. 12 months

National authorities answer within 3 months

Commission answers within

3 months.

1

2

3

4

5

76

8

Get started! Collect!

Submit!

Insights 3

European citizen participation: increasing citizen identification with the European Union

Torreblanca, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Spain.

Parallel to this process, there has been a progressive technocratization of European institutions, their policies and their leaders, which has distanced citizens from Europe and decisions taken here, and has deepened in disaffection towards the Union and its politicians.

Participation is a good solution to the problems of this technocratization. It reduces the democratic structural deficit of the EU that has existed since its inception as CECA and its subsequent conversion into European Economic Community (EEC).

According to Jaume Duch, spokesman of the European Parliament and director of media, this is the best way to fight effectively against a general widespread perception, according to which the European Union decides on the side-lines of the citizens interests, without listening them or taken them into account. This is the best reflection of the political crisis in the EU.

At the same time, the euro, the single European currency, has become the main symbol of EU identity, the most important sign of unification and the achievements. It is no coincidence, in that sense, that, according to research carried out by

European institutions, the countries belonging to the euro are the ones that show a higher degree of positive identification with the EU.

Conclusion: overcoming disaffectionIf something is hurting the process of European integration nowadays -even more than its financial crisis- is a political crisis that underlies a democratic deficit that has been dragged on since its inception and has been exacerbated in recent years when a silent transfer of powers from Member States to Community institutions occurred.

The solution to this important problem is to strength participation mechanisms within the political structures of the EU and training and achievements that the European Union has put on the table in favour of improving the quality of life and opportunities for its citizens.

Finally, the improvement in the citizens identification with the Union is the other cornerstone necessary in which the euro played an important role, hence the importance of maintaining it; a process that will live its next test in the Parliament elections to be held in 2014 and will serve to check whether citizens still are tuned with the European project.

“The euro has become the

main symbol of EU identity,

the most important

sign of unification and achievements”

Graph 2: The Eurozone

Source: Wikipedia, 2012.

Finlandia

Countries of the Euro.

EU countries not in the Euro zone. Spain

France Austria

Italy

Grecia

Finland

Portugal

Ireland GreatBritain

Denmark

Belgium

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Sweden

Poland

Czech Rep.

Slovakia

Hungary

Slovenia

Greece

Germany

Latvia

Lithuania

Leading by reputation

©2013, Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation LeadershipBusiness foundation created by large companies to professionalize the management of intangible assets and contribute to the development of strong brands, with good reputation and able to compete in the global market. Its mission is to be the driver which leads and consolidates the professional management of reputation as a strategic resource that guides and creates value for companies throughout the world.

Legal NoticeThis document is property of the Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership and has as its objective to share business knowledge about Brand, Reputation, Communication and Public Affairs Management.

Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership is the owner of all the intellectual property rights of the images, texts, designs and any other content or elements of this product and has the necessary permission for its use, and therefore, its copy, distribution, public release or transformation is prohibited, without express authorization from the owner.