It’s time to care. It’s time to act. It’s time to organise. If not us, then who?
CIVICO Europa is glad to annouce its participation to the Citizens Take Over Europe, a citizen participation action starting on the 9th of May, to send out a message of hope and togetherness, and to stand up for democracy.
CIVICO EUropa will join a group of civil society organisations from across Europe calling on others to join an unprecedented common effort to take democracy in Europe forward. While our leaders struggle to find a common solution in the EU, we take our own responsibility to put citizens and residents at the centre of the conversation about the future of Europe. And not only that: we believe it is crucial for people in Europe to self-organise across borders to realise the Europe we want: a Europe that cares and is taken care of.
On the 9th of May we reclaim an open space to discuss current problems and co-develop solutions from a political, social and personal perspective. What are our concerns and our most urgent problems? What is the current meaning of crisis and what solutions can citizens propose and implement? How do we organize solidarity among Europeans and with the rest of the world?
We will bring people together across borders to share stories about how people are taking care of each other and trying to make things better right now – and using this as a blueprint for another Europe, a Europe that cares.
On the 9th of May we kick-off a process for a self-organised European Citizens’ Conference to take place over the coming 2 years, in which people can have their say about our present and future, and ensure that citizen and civil society participation is at the heart of all new initiatives for the future of Europe. We need to introduce a fundamental and bottom-up energy to reimagine our relation to Europe at a moment when top-down governance is threatening the idea of European solidarity and risks dividing our societies even further.
Our actions will be held together online and offline on a kick off day-long marathon taking place on the 9th of May across Europe and in different languages. The programme will include artistic performances, political debates, readings, and podcasts to be broadcasted through our partners’ channels.
Check out below the Press release.
PRESS RELEASE
Citizens Take Over Europe: Civil Society Organizations kick off a Citizens’ Conference on the Future of Europe
9 May, 2020
27 April 2020 - This year’s Europe Day, the 9th of May, is marked by the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, by the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2 and by the terrible Covid-19 pandemia. At a turning point for Europe, civil society organisations across the Union are taking the lead to organise a citizen-led Conference on the Future of Europe, and send out a message of solidarity, cooperation and democracy.
The initiative is launched by means of a joint online mobilisation for the 9th of May under the title “Citizens Take over Europe”. “We are a coalition of European civil society organisations across the EU that puts citizens at the centre of the debate on our future, on the reshaping of our society and our common European project, to set out how we can recover from this health, social, economic and political crisis through solidarity and cooperation.”
“Citizens Take Over Europe” kicks off on the 9th of May presenting a jointly curated “online festival” where different organisations and artistic institutions organise events open to citizens’ active participation.
A rich program of online events will be disseminated through hundreds of organisations from all over Europe, with the participation of internationally-acclaimed political thinkers, artists, philosophers, writers activists, citizens and residents.
The initiative is a joint effort of a continuously expanding group of civil society organisations, currently consisting of: Alliance4Europe, Another Europe is Possible, CIVICO Europa, Democracy International, European Alternatives, European Civic Forum, European Democracy Lab, European Women Alliance, EUmans, Mehr Demokratie, New Europeans, The ECI Campaign, Eurotopia, The Good Lobby, and WeMove Europe.
The “Citizens Take Over Europe” initiative aims to create a fundamental and bottom-up energy to reimagine our European project at a moment when top-down governance is threatening the European values of unity and solidarity. The online festival on the 9th of May is the public launch of this initiative, and a call to action aimed at citizens and civil society organisations across Europe. It is a call to join us in developing leadership from the bottom up, and to organise ourselves - citizens and civil society organisations - by means of our very own Citizens’ Conference in order to shape the Europe we want. If not us, then who?
Noemì Niedermeyer, French school teacher living in Spain
“In this crisis, we need to unite, strengthen and reaffirm the solidarity between countries. All citizens, as sisters and brothers, should enjoy the same rights throughout Europe.”
Saquib Ahmad, British psychotherapist, Belgium
“As the threat of Covid-19 spreads across Europe and the world, so do stress and anxiety, which is why we must stay united and help each other during these uncertain and unpredictable times. We must act together to fight fear.”
Birutė Andruškaitė, SME owner, Lithuania
“The crisis has put a great emphasis on trusting science, thus, we should start trusting science about global warming too. Today there is a great need to be united not only to fight the virus, but to fight its consequences too.”
Reinhold Fredrixon, trains maintenance manager, Sweden
“I feel confident that this horror of the pandemia will even more unite all the Europeans and develop more solidarity”
More info:
Press contacts
European Alternatives: Marta Cillero (English, Italian, Spanish)
m.cillero [at] euroalter.com
CIVICO Europa: Michele Fiorillo (English, Italian, French)
michele.fiorillo [at] civico.eu
European Democracy Lab: Katja Sinko (German, English)
katja.sinko [at] eudemlab.org
resources
Check the official website of the Citizens Take Over Europe initiative : https://citizenstakeover.eu/
Find here the press releases in French, Spanich, Italian, German and Dutch: https://citizenstakeover.eu/press-releases/citizens-take-over-europe/2020/
