Past Events

1–2 December 2020
Putting European Citizenship on the Agenda

Final Report on ECIT's Annual Conference 2020
  • *How* to reconnect Europe to its citizens by upgrading the first transnational citizenship of the modern era?
  • *How* to create a sense of community among more than 500 million individuals?
  • *How* to make European Citizenship education central to the recovery plan?
The European added value of Union citizenship — what, why and how?

18 November 2020
#ELFevents

Past events

  • Did you know that…

    …Europeans possess two levels of citizenship: national and European citizenship? But what does it really mean in our daily lives? Going further than solely creating a feeling of common belonging, EU citizenship grants a whole set of fundamental rights to Europeans, such as the right to vote and stand in European and local elections in your country of residence within the EU.

    To date, European citizenship is a worldwide unique concept. However, a recent report by the European Parliament, the substantial research carried out by Voters Without Borders and all the stories collected with the help of all of you, reveal that its substantive effects for average citizens as very limited, underlining the need for reform and joint efforts for a full use of EU citizenship provisions. Building onto this untapped potential, this event seeks to gather innovative thinkers, citizens’ lobbyists and European politicians around the question of how to make EU Citizenship future-proof.

6 November 2020
The Future of Democracy and the 14 Million: The Democratic Reforms on the Agenda of the COFOE

What are the chances for democratic reform in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe?

Is this the right context to address such issues and how to mobilise civil society and a wider public behind a European democratic reform process? With the German Presidency of the European Council and the strong civil society ecosystem working around voting rights and democracy, it is vital that the campaign takes off in Germany and reaches the threshold of 67,680 signatures and 13,905 in Austria. How do we put a loose coalition together and who do we target?

19 October 2020
Young Changemakers Academy 2020

The Young Changemakers Academy is a programme aiming to prepare young people to take active part in their respective communities by shaping their future in given policy areas, by means of three seminars and networking support with other young people and senior political figures from all over Europe with similar interests and objectives.

The Young Changemakers Academy shall be a platform to connect young changemakers engaging in political advocacy.

The Voters Without Borders team took part in this first webinar to describe their own experience as young changemakers in the field of European democracy.

16 October 2020
ErasmusDays2020: The Erasmus Generation Shaping European Democracy

Past events
Erasmus+ makes European citizens, ECIs make European Citizenship better!
As a contribution to #ErasmusDays2020, Voters Without Borders organised a webinar to exchange views on how Erasmus students can have an impact on the modern functioning of European democracy.
Our experience promoting citizens and voting rights in the EU, in particular through our European Citizens’ Initiative, was presented.
In addition, President of ESN Spain Juan Rayón González shared the experience of Erasmus Student Network in order to give a clear example of how the Erasmus generation is already having an impact. Room for improvement is still there, as highlighted by participants as well as by the ESNsurvey on turnout of Erasmus student in elections, as reported by researcher João Pinto.
You can replay the webinar via this link.

26 September 2020
Let the 17 Million EU Citizens Vote!

Past events

Voters Without Borders took part in the Online Forum on Modern Direct Democracy with a panel on the importance to innovate democracy in Europe.

The talk was part of the Forum’s Track 4: Democracy in Crisis. It included data about cross-border voting, testimonials, as well as considerations about the improvement of voting rights, in a moment in which the pandemic seems to threaten some of the most basic principles of European democracy.

1 September 2020
Voters Without Borders Launch Event

Past events

Voters Without Borders was officially launched on 1 September at the Press Club in Brussels. The Task Force presented the Initiative, then MEPs as well as other supporters explained the importance of extending voting rights in the European Union. Download the Event Report to know more about the interventions. 

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
Past events