» Ten observations on the outcome of the 2009 European elections

They cover much ground — from the low turnout to the composition of the new parliament, from the losses of left-wing parties to the emergence of a stronger anti-EU far right — and while much of what the FEPS-team has to say may be disputable, it is certainly worthwhile a read.

To add some additional perspective, here is, first,

» Europe has voted | Overview of media reactions by euro|topics

and second, a few thoughts on the elections from the European blogosphere:

• Reflections by Stanley Crossick | Blogactiv
• What the European election results reveal | The Euros
• Two mainstream majorities | Grahnlaw
• Analysis by Conor Slowey | The European Citizen
• Julien Frisch turns EU-sceptic | Watching Europe
• Thoughts on the results | Jon Worth
• Ugly but interesting in Strasbourg | Financial Times Blog
• Eurosceptic triumphant | BBC Europe Blog
• What do the election results reflect? | Open Europe Blog
• Record abstentions | Charlemagne’s notebook
• Reflections on election week | A view from the outfield
• What did the low turnout change? | New Europe
• Improving voter turnout in the European Elections | Th!nk about it

Third, a link to a quick glance outlining the results, a link to a cool interactive flash illustration by the BBC on the seats in the new EP, as well as a link to

» The detailed election results

on a site maintained by TNS Opinion for the European Parliament.

And — last but not least — a graphic of the seat distribution, courtesy of euro|topics:

Consequently, the Council of Europe is celebrating its sixty years of history in 2009, and in remembrance of the treaty — which was signed on May 5, 1949 in London by the Governments of the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Denmark, the French Republic, the Irish Republic, the Italian Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — a commemorative event was held on May 5, 2009 at Lancaster House in London.

The reception not only featured the host David Miliband — Britain’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs holding one of the four ‘Great Offices of State’ — and the Chair of the UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe — John Prescott — and Terry Davis — the Council of Europe’s Secretary General — but also all our training course participants!

The day before the gathering at Lancaster House, the Secretary General joined the training course for a memorable session on European identity and what it means to be a European. When asked to describe moments in which he felt European, Terry Davis remembered historical moments that also held a strong personal meaning, in particular the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the Prague Spring of 1968. Every participant appreciated the opportunity to listen to these experiences — connected with strong emotions and much before their time — as much as to share their own associations in a remarkably afternoon that brought to life the past sixty years of Europe and its people.

Thanks to the effort of many colleagues at the British Council, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the National Archives, all participants were presented with a copy of the original “Treaty of London”.

Many more insights await the curious among you at the interactive website accompanying the NEF’s report “National Accounts of Well-being: bringing real wealth onto the balance sheet.”

Trust and belonging is one of the indicators for social well-being. It measures experiences of trusting other people, being treated fairly and respectfully, and feeling a sense of belonging with and support from people in your community.

NEF was created in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) — among others Ed Mayo — and describes itself as an independent think-and-do tank. In 2006, the foundation introduced the Happy Planet Index, an index of human well-being and environmental impact, as an alternative to measuring development and success, which is commonly expressed through the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or the Human Development Index (HDI).

Following the success of the Follow-up Seminar on European Citizenship in November 2007, the Partnership and several National Agencies have set up a strategy to support former participants of the European Citizenship training courses to become active multipliers and remain motivated and informed.

From the follow-up seminar:

Report | More Info

Publication » What should European Citizenship in youth work look like?

This very platform is one element of the strategy, but there is also some additional support from follow-up trainers available to help former participants to integrate European Citizenship elements in their daily youth work and projects.

So if you are a former participant in one of the European Citizenship Training Courses in 2007 and 2008, and if you have any question regarding European Citizenship in youth work, training, or policy — don’t hesitate to get in touch!

For each EC TC, one follow-up trainer is in charge of helping you — if needed and wanted — to go through the first difficulties when implementing European citizenship projects or integrating European Citizenship in youth work.

01 — EC-UK (United Kingdom, October 2007): contact Erzsebet
02 — EC-TR (Turkey, November 2007): contact Paola
03 — EC-DK (Denmark, November 2007): contact Elena
04 — EC-HU (Hungary, December 2007): contact Erzsebet
05 — EC-PL (Poland, January 2008): contact Elena
06 — EC-IT (Italy, February 2008): contact Xavier
07 — EC-DE (Germany, April 2008): contact Xavier
08 — EC-FR (France, September 2008): contact Xavier
09 — EC-IS (Iceland, October 2008): contact Erzsebet
10 — EC-BE (Belgium-Flanders, March 2009): contact Paola
11 — EC-RO (Romania, April 2009): contact Nuno
12 — EC-UK (United Kingdom, May 2009): contact Erzsebet

So you are a veteran, you say, from any of the many previous trainings?

No problem, drop us a line anyway and we’ll see what we can do!

Here is how they describe their own philosophy:

«Whenever European culture is discussed today, its diversity is evoked with near euphoria. The true challenge is to take diversity seriously and make room for new perspectives — whether in word or thought. Only a rich and free- wheeling dialogue has the potential to forge a common identity and put it to the proof.»

Among the many different articles on Eurozine, there are some that are particularly relevant for the discourses around European citizenship.

Here is a small selection of articles — enjoy reading!

Who’s afraid of Europe? by Slavenka Drakulic

Slavenka Drakulic, a committed European, expresses doubts in the continuing momentum of European integration amidst rising anxieties about a loss of national identity. Mirrored in the success of right-wing and populist parties across Europe and concerns being voiced in the post-communist countries queuing for “entry” as well, this anxiety, however, focuses on a cultural construct, the author argues. To make the project Europe work, a new kind of imagined community will need to be created - is Europe ready for that?

Who are the citizens of Europe? by Rainer Bauböck

Current citizenship laws in the European Union vary dramatically. The tension between freedom of movement and national self-determination of citizenship within the EU has the potential to create serious conflicts in the future, writes Rainer Bauböck. Taking European citizenship seriously means a shared understanding of who the future citizens of Europe are to be.

Citizenship as a learning process by Gerard Delanty

In the dominant liberal discourse on citizenship, learning processes have tended to be reduced to citizenship classes and formal membership of the polity. In an article first published in 2003, Gerard Delanty contrasts this type of “disciplinary citizenship” with a notion of “cultural citizenship”. Delanty develops the notion of cultural citizenship in terms of learning processes at both the individual and collective levels; such processes, rather than merely demanding cognitive competence, have a developmental and transformative impact on the learning subject.

Mobile citizenship? by Ivaylo Ditchev

Approaches to migration often fall into one of two camps: anti-neoliberal hostility or euphoria at “flows”. Yet the “new mobility” implies new freedoms as well as new privations. Researching the biographies of Bulgarian migrants, Ivaylo Ditchev finds that the horizon of departure has become a basic dimension of the world. Mobility, he writes, will need to be taken more seriously in the anthropology of citizenship.

Elusive Common Dreams by Ales Debeljak

Western Europe lives like an isolated family without any feelings for the post-communist states on the same continent, says the Slovene poet and essayist Ales Debeljak. He explores the perils and hopes of a European Identity and tries to formulate a defense for a broader conception of Europe and seeks a European “master narrative” that makes the creation of a real European identity possible.

All images in this post are from the Eurozine Gallery about suprealist Leonhard Lapin, an Estonian artist and architect.

Since 2001, the EU-COE Youth Partnership developed and implemented training courses and training modules on European Citizenship.

As of 2006, these courses are hosted and co-financed by the National Agencies for the Youth in Action Programme, jointly co-ordinated by the Youth Partnership and the SALTO Training and Co-operation Resource Centre.

If you are interested - why not go ahead and
have a glimpse at the history of the courses!

Following the success of the training courses in 2007 and 2008, a new series of six European Citizenship Training Courses is going to be implemented from September 2008 to May 2009.

1 — France | 2 — Iceland | 3 — Spain
4 — Belgium | 5 — Romania | 6 — United Kingdom

A little further below we re-publish aims, objectives and target group, but first the immediate information of where and how to apply. This depends on your country of residence — in the language of the «Youth in Action» programme the main distinction is made between programme countries and neighbouring partner countries.

As a citizen of a nieghbouring country (South Eastern Europe, East Europe and Caucasus), apply via the website of the partnership. The deadline is June 30, 2008.

As a citizen of a programme country (if you are not sure, check here whether a national agency exists in your country), apply via the website of SALTO. Please keep in mind that deadlines do vary from course to course!

Good luck should you apply — and see you soon!

Here is the aim of these trainings:

The series of network training courses on European Citizenship aims to support the professional development of youth workers and youth leaders by extending their critical understanding of European Citizenship, exploring and experiencing its potential and by enabling them to recognise and integrate European Citizenship in their youth work.

The objectives of the trainings are:

• To critically explore the meaning relevance and implications European citizenship in youth work in all its dimensions;
• To promote and facilitate the active use of programmes and structures in support of youth work on European Citizenship, including the Youth in Action programme;
• To experiment and explore the potential of European Citizenship for active democratic change in society;
• To associate the participants with the current discourse on European Citizenship (its concepts, formal meanings and expressions);
• To exemplify the connection between European Citizenship, Human Rights, Democracy and ICL and the underlying values.

The trainings are organised for interested persons who:

• have experience in developing and managing directly a project with and for young people;
• have organised or co-organised at least one youth project with an international dimension;
• are committed and motivated to work directly with young people on issues related to European Citizenship;
• are supported by their organisation in their current and future work;
• have a general knowledge and understanding of youth and youth work realities in their contexts;
• are motivated to undergo training and able to attend the course for its full duration;
• are able to work in English, and
• are resident in a member state of the Council of Europe or in another country signatory to the European Cultural Convention.

Curious? Why not apply yourself?

The Slovenian EU Presidency has pushed some things forward in relation to young people, youth policy and intercultural dialogue that are noteworthy for everyone dealing with European Citizenship.

The promotion of dialogue between cultures, beliefs and traditions in the context of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue is one of the main five programmatic priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency; and Youth policy is part of the policy field Education, Culture and Youth, one of 10 policy areas the presidency has concentrated on.

«The voice of young people must not only be heard but also taken properly into consideration,»

said Zorko Škvor, the Slovenian Director-General for Youth, during a meeting with his 27 EU colleagues following the presidency’s youth event entitled

Promoting the Participation of Young People
with Fewer Opportunities in Society.

As reported here (for example), all actors in the youth policy field call for a fundamental change in youth policies, finally beginning to address the increasing poverty and unemployment of young people. According to the Slovenian presidency, youth unemployment has risen to more than 38% — that is 4.7 million young people without a job (source).

There is a summary of the youth event’s main conclusions here, the final declaration is online here and available as a document as well. The conclusions of the working groups can be found here (pdf), and a press release is here.

It goes without saying that the youth event has its own website, too, highlighting the aim to be the provision of

• a valuable opportunity for young people to meet and discuss the need to promote the participation of young people with fewer opportunities in the society

and pointing out the objectives of the youth event, namely

• to draw attention to the key challenges of the participation of young people with fewer opportunities in the society,
• to enrich structural dialogue with the European and national authorities responsible for youth,
• to develop conclusions which represent ideas, solutions and lines of action to ensure the participation of young people with fewer opportunities in the society, and
• to look at the role young people can have in the intercultural dialogue and to develop a contribution to the implementation of the European Year of Intercultural dialogue.

Quite excitingly, Orange — the event magazine of the European Youth Press — reported from the youth event, covering the different discussions around young people with fewer opportunities in relation to mobility, employment, non-formal education, integration and intercultural dialogue.

You are most welcome to read the articles and enjoy the gallery.

Need a little teaser? Here you go:

Head on over!

Last but not least we want to share with you that on 21 April 2008, five Members of the European Parliament tabled — following an initiative of the European Youth Forum — a written declaration

More youthful EU policies!

calling on the European Commission to take young people into account when developing policies that affect them, and to ensure that the main policy areas that affect young people are taken up in the dialogue between youth organisations and the European institutions.

More information on the declaration is available here.

All photos taken by Thomas Alboth and copyright Orangelog.

Hello everyone!

We are really glad that you are here — and we are really excited about the possibility for you to finally be here! At long last, this platform on European Citizenship has arrived… And while much remains to be done, it’s not so bad is it?

Thanks for coming by!

» A new platform around European Citizenship

Where does this come from?

The topic of European Citizenship has gained a high political importance in the youth policies and programmes of both the Council of Europe and the European Commission over the past years. Given the growing importance of this topic for both partner institutions, the Partnership on Youth has developed a large number of training activities, publications and research activities in the field of European Citizenship.

The flagship activities in this field are of course the training courses on European Citizenship — and over the years, hundreds of youth professionals took part in different pilot courses, modules and network trainings.

It was about time for a platform around all this activity, don’t you agree?

The aim of this website

Through this portal, the institutions and their partners would like to offer a central point of information, exchange, feedback, and reflection to former and future participants of trainings on European Citizenship as well as social workers, NGO activists, researchers, policy makers and citizens.

The forces behind this website

This website on «European Citizenship» is a joint initiative of the Partnership on Youth, Salto, Connect Youth and Frankly Speaking. You can read more about the partners here.

While they have provided the financial, administrative and technological incentive, support and expertise for this portal to come about, the contents of this website comes from many different groups, courses, experiences and people, including you.

How to use this website

Well, who would be better able to decide that than yourself? We hope to have organised the information on this website in self-explanatory and easy-to-navigate ways. We will continue to add information, to stay up-to-date with recent developments and discussions.

There are two easy ways to stay up-to-date: you can use the RSS feed — and your feedreader of choice will notify you automatically about new contents on the site — or you can subscribe by email to receive notifications about additions and changes directly into your inbox.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch. We appreciate your ideas and suggestions!

Through this portal, the institutions and their partners would like to offer a central point of information, exchange, feedback, and reflection to former and future participants of trainings on European Citizenship as well as social workers, NGO activists, researchers, policy makers and citizens.

You may have been wondering about this, asking yourself whether most of the information available here isn’t available somewhere else…

It is. But the difference is: we only start from here, whereas other sites stop with the provision of information.

This portal is meant to become a place of exchange and discussion — and this is, indeed, the main difference: here you can leave comments, here we can discuss.

On the websites of the Partnership or SALTO this isn’t an option — which is fine, of course, but for the theme of European Citizenship we thought something else, something additional was needed — isn’t European Citizenship most and foremost about being active, and having the chance to be?

In this spirit, we sincerely hope that you will be able to make use of the possibility to discuss, argue, agree, disagree, point out, reflect, and ask.

Use the commenting function to your liking!

If we can do better, let us know.
This is, we wish, no one-way street…

Together with the Partnership on Youth, the SALTO Training and Co-operation Resource Centre currently organises network trainings on European Citizenship in support of quality and sustainability of youth work in Europe.

These trainings are based on extensive experience shared by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, which goes back as far as 2001. Below you can download and enjoy reports of all institutional trainings and seminars on European Citizenship, as far as they exist. We have also included links for further information, where available. But first, let’s have a look at the current generation of network trainings!

Here is the aim of these trainings:

The series of network training courses on European Citizenship aims to support the professional development of youth workers and youth leaders by extending their critical understanding of European Citizenship, exploring and experiencing its potential and by enabling them to recognise and integrate European Citizenship in their youth work.

The objectives of the trainings are:

• To critically explore the meaning relevance and implications European citizenship in youth work in all its dimensions;
• To promote and facilitate the active use of programmes and structures in support of youth work on European Citizenship, including the Youth in Action programme;
• To experiment and explore the potential of European Citizenship for active democratic change in society;
• To associate the participants with the current discourse on European Citizenship (its concepts, formal meanings and expressions);
• To exemplify the connection between European Citizenship, Human Rights, Democracy and ICL and the underlying values.

The trainings are organised for interested persons who:

• have experience in developing and managing directly a project with and for young people;
• have organised or co-organised at least one youth project with an international dimension;
• are committed and motivated to work directly with young people on issues related to European Citizenship;
• are supported by their organisation in their current and future work;
• have a general knowledge and understanding of youth and youth work realities in their contexts;
• are motivated to undergo training and able to attend the course for its full duration;
• are able to work in English, and
• are resident in a member state of the Council of Europe or in another country signatory to the European Cultural Convention.

If you like, you can now happily dive deep into the history of these trainings!

Curriculum Development

The first curriculum (pdf) was developed by the so-called «Quality and Curriculum Development Group» in 2000 and 2001, the second curriculum (pdf) was developed by a team of three consultants in 2007 and 2008.

2001-2003

Pilot activities

European Citizenship in Youth Work
Pilot courses, duration of 10 days

2001: Report (zip) | More Info
2002: Report (zip) | More Info
2003: Report (zip) | More Info

Impact Study of these 3 courses
2001-2003: Impact Study | More Info

Modules on European Citizenship: 1

2004-2005: More info in chronological order here and here.

1 — Citizenship in Europe: Report | More Info
2 — Concepts and Visions: Report | More Info
3 — Youth Participation: Report | More Info
4 — Diversity & ICL: Report | More Info
5 — Institutions and Politics: Report | More Info
6 — Human Rights: Report | More Info

Evaluation report of the first set of three modules (pdf).
Evaluation report of the second set of three modules (pdf).

Seminar on European Citizenship

2005: Report | More Info

Modules on European Citizenship: 2

2006: More info here.

1 — Institutions and Politics: Report | More Info
2 — Visions and Concepts: Report | More Info
3 — Citizenship: Report | More Info
4 — Intercultural Learning: Report | More Info
5 — Human Rights: Report | More Info
6 — Youth Participation: Report | More Info

Training Courses on European Citizenship

2007-2008: More info here.

1 — United Kingdom | 2 — Turkey | 3 — Denmark
4 — Germany | 5 — Hungary | 6 — Poland | 7 — Italy

An overview of the evaluation of these training courses is available here.

2008-2009: More info here.

1 — France | 2 — Iceland | 3 — Spain
4 — Belgium | 5 — Romania | 6 — United Kingdom

More information on how to apply for this current generation of training courses will be available soon. Watch this space, or subscribe by email for further information.