Towards a European Charter of Active Citizenship

n the framework of the project promoted by the Active Citizenship Network and the Foundation for Active Citizenship on European civic participation, CAN and Fondaca organised a conference in Vienna on May 22 and 23. The aim of the event was to present and discuss the European Charter of Active Citizenship. This document is the result of a transversal research on documentation and concrete experiences regarding this issue. The feedback of the nine civic organisations that were partners in the project and of the 22 entities (such as civic organisations, public institutions and researchers) that participated in the open consultation in April was also included.

Conference contents

During the conference, the reviewed version of the charter was vividly discussed with some 70 participants coming from 25 European countries and representing civic organisations, public institutions, think tanks and trade unions. Several controversial points arose such as the definition of ‘autonomous civic organisations’ (ACOs) – the new concept put forward in the Charter-, the unbalance between ACOs’ rights and duties, the juridical status of the document, the need (or the lack of it) for selection criteria and the need for a more participative approach in the writing of the document. However, the majority of the participants are willing to take part in future initiatives regarding this project, and especially to disseminate the Charter at the local and national level and to advocate for its implementation.

Cecília Fonseca, Active Citizenship Network / Cittadinanzattiva Onlus, Rome