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The EU wants to keep delivering on citizens’ rights – therefore the Commission has dedicated a full year to the EU-citizens’ relationship. 2013 has been officially named «The European Year of Citizens».

2013 has been officially named «The European Year of Citizens». 20 years after the introduction of EU Citizenship into the Union’s policies, the year will focus both on what has already been achieved for citizens and on meeting citizens’ expectations for the future.

One year before the European elections 2014, it is also the right moment for a broad debate about the future. All the activities through „the citizen’s“ year will be financed from the EU budget in the approximate amount of €1 million.

The notion of „European citizenship was introduced into the EU law in 1992, in the Maastricht Treaty.

The decision by the European Parliament and the Council on the proposal by the European Commission was published in the Official Journal today.

Events throughout the European Year will explain how people can directly benefit from their EU rights and which policies and programmes exist. The European Year will also stimulate an EU-wide debate with citizens about what the European Union should look like in the future and which reforms are needed to improve their every-day lives.

Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU-Commissioner responsible for Justice and Citizenship said that „it is time to reflect on where we stand and what the future should bring“. People expect concrete results from the „European Union“ as an organization, e.g. cheaper roaming charges, better rights for crime victims and easier shopping online for consumers, to name a few.

The EU wants to keep delivering on citizens’ rights – therefore the Commission has dedicated a full year to the EU-citizens’ relationship.

The European Year of Citizens is an opportunity for EU and member states’ authorities to listen and learn from citizens on how the EU future is to be built, she added.

The European Year of Citizens coincides with the 20th anniversary of the introduction of EU Citizenship (the Maastricht Treaty came into force in November 1993).

In 2013 the Commission intends to adopt the EU Citizenship Report, which will present further targeted EU initiatives to remove the remaining obstacles that hinder citizens from fully enjoying their rights. A year before the European elections in 2014, it is also the right moment for a broad debate about the EU’s future.

To prepare the ground for the European Year, the Commission held a broad public consultation between 9 May and 9 September 2012 asking citizens what problems they have encountered in exercising their rights as EU citizens.

The contributions, which are currently being analysed, will feed into the Citizenship Report to be published on 9 May 2013.

During the Year’s activities, politicians would convene debates with citizens directly about the future of Europe. Such debates will be held all across the Union over the course of 2013.

The first debates already took place in Spain, Austria and Germany and many more are still to come.

The European Year of Citizens will be officially launched by a debate with citizens in Dublin on 10 January 2013, coinciding with the start of the Irish presidency of the Council.

The publication of the decision to make the 2013 the European Year of Citizens in the EU’s Official Journal, the EU’s statute book, follows the adoption by the European Parliament and the Council to a Commission proposal from August 2011 (see IP/11/959).

This Decision indicates a budget for the European Year of €1 million. The final level of the budget allocated to the European Year is subject to ongoing negotiations about the EU Budget for 2013.

The European Year communication campaign will make the most of existing tools and materials (such as websites, portals, videos, brochures, events etc) to raise awareness about, and promote the use of, existing multilingual information and participatory tools (including Europe Direct, Your Europe, SOLVIT, Interactive Policy Making, the European Citizens’ Initiative, Petitions) to address citizens’ concerns and make a real difference in their every-day lives.

To achieve this, the Commission is working closely with the other EU Institutions, member state authorities (at national, regional and local level) and civil society organisations.

An EU-wide alliance of civil society organisations has set itself up expressly to collaborate with the Commission on the European Year.

This ’European Year of Citizens Alliance’ (EYCA, https://ey2013-alliance.eu/) is a key strategic partner representing civil society.

Eugene Eteris, BC, Copenhagen, Baltic-course.com