European - local citizens

2026-07-22

"The project European - local citizens focuses on EU citizenship rights and the impact of the Maastricht Treaty on the life of European citizens. The aim is twofold: 1. To increase awareness of EU citizenship rights and associated European common values and common democratic standards, especially for expatriates, migrants, young people, women and under-represented groups, also in the light of the European elections in 2024, but also to increase their participation at the local elections and policymaking. 2. To raise awareness of the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty and spark debates at the local level about its impact on the EU citizens and in relation with the debate on the future of Europe. Using a mixture of international and local events the project will highlight the importance of the Maastricht Treaty, the cornerstone of the European Union as we know it today, that announced ""a new stage in the process of European integration"" and introduced provisions for the concept of the European citizenship, together with a single currency, the euro. In parallel with the debates, an online library with handbooks and other publications produced during the lifetime of the Europe for Citizens and CERV programme -but also some prominent publications from other authors, i.e. the Council of Europe will help citizens better understand how to exercise their rights and local authorities how to support them. The target audiences of the project are young people, women and EU citizens who live outside their home country, as according to all data they are underrepresented in local and EU elections and in some cases, they are also lacking interest to participate. Citizens’ initiatives, NGOs, associations and local and regional authorities at country level are also target audiences of the project. In total, more than 2.500 people will be directly contacted by the project. More than 100.000 will be reached indirectly"

Greece

2025-10-01