Table of Contents

In recent years, there has been a growing sense of disconnect between the European Union and its citizens. On the one hand, people doubt the legitimacy of the Union, often stating that their voices are not heard or that they do not matter. On the other hand, the EU has not visibly done much to convince them otherwise. And with Euroskeptics and populist movements able to nestle comfortably in between, the sustainability of the European project as such is increasingly threatened.

The current COVID-19 crisis has further highlighted this gap in European solidarity and inequalities in the political system. However, the response to its consequences, based on recovery AND reconstruction, is an opportunity to effectively address these issues. This must involve all stakeholders - from the European institutions and member states to business, civil society and citizens themselves. The latter group must be offered meaningful methods to contribute so that their relationship with decision-makers becomes more of a partnership for the co-creation of future policies.

Drawing on its expertise and extensive research in the context of various projects, ECU has prepared a set of eight stakeholder recommendations that we believe will bring us closer to a "citizen-centered European Union. The recommendations address issues that fall under our two focus areas, EU rights and European democracy.

Each recommendation is accompanied by a video explaining the background and rationale for its inclusion.

EU Rights

European citizenship is at the heart of the European project and free movement is one of the most cherished rights of European citizens.

17.5 million Europeans currently live and work in another EU country, but many of them face serious problems and administrative obstacles. These prevent them from exercising their rights "in objective conditions of freedom and dignity" and in practice undermine the fundamental status of their rights.

ECU believes the new Commission and Parliament must do more to ensure that the practical implementation of free movement and other EU citizenship rights is consistent with the spirit of the European legislative framework and the values of solidarity and non-discrimination it promotes.

ECU asks:

The European Commission should eliminate any ambiguity in the interpretation of free movement legislation by providing structured guidelines (new communication) to Member States to codify the rulings of the European Court of Justice since 2009 and clarify the "gray areas" subject to controversial interpretation at the national level.
The European Commission and member states should provide resources for ongoing training of public administrations on EU citizenship rights. The results of such training should be regularly evaluated and communicated to the European Parliament.

The European Commission should eliminate any ambiguity in the interpretation of free movement legislation by providing structured guidance (new communication) to Member States to codify the rulings of the European Court of Justice since 2009 and clarify the "gray areas" subject to controversial interpretation at the national level.

The European Commission and member states should provide resources for ongoing training of public administrations on EU citizenship rights. The results of such training should be regularly evaluated and communicated to the European Parliament.

EU and national policymakers should develop and implement a monitoring system to ensure that mobile EU citizens cannot exercise their political rights due to incompatible national and local rules or administrative barriers.

All relevant stakeholders (EU institutions, civil society, businesses, academics) should work together to promote the exchange of good practices to facilitate free movement in the EU and strengthen the rights of EU citizens.

European democracy

A major societal transformation is taking place across Europe and around the world.

On the one hand, a new model of consultation and cooperation in the field of e-democracy is emerging that can contribute to a more open and inclusive form of policy-making by involving citizens through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). On the other hand, Europeans face increasing threats such as populism and online disinformation that undermine the foundations and institutions of our democratic societies.

ECU believes that the EU should explore more thoroughly the potential of ICT to narrow the gap between political elites and citizens in order to create engaged citizenship through civic tech.

We are convinced that only by understanding populism will the EU better understand how the voice of citizens can be taken into account in our democratic political system.

ECU also believes that the challenge of online disinformation must be addressed by ensuring that citizens have access to quality and objective information as a basis for healthy public debate.

ECU asks:

The European Commission to divide the existing online consultations on EU policy making into two parallel channels: one designed to better gather the views of organized interests and one tailored to gather the insights of citizens through crowdsourcing mechanisms.

decision-makers at all levels to complement representative democracy with cooperative elements of participatory democracy to narrow the gap between political elites and citizens and transform their relationship into more of a partnership, especially for policy co-creation.

EU institutions and national and regional stakeholders should promote the development of a European public space and restore the public space of dialogue and debate in local communities, especially in non-metropolitan and rural areas, to help overcome the feeling of abandonment and disconnection among citizens and reduce the space for populism. This implies strengthening European political parties, civil society organizations and civic networks, as the COER of representative democracy.

The EU and national governments should invest in formal and informal civic education on active citizenship, democracy, European and national powers, populism, online disinformation, EU fundamental rights and values, and especially respect for minorities and their role in an inclusive democratic society, which is undermined by populists.