This page has been set up for the communication and dissemination of the project "Democratic Ownership and Civic participation in EU" - DOCPIE, which has a basic purpose to encourage the active participation of civil society in the EU. Project DOCPIE is part of the program Europe for Citizens, and is Co-founded by the Europe for Citizens programme of the European Union. Decision No. 2014-2796/001-
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Europe for Citizens Programme adopted for the period 2014-2020 is an important instrument aimed at getting the Union’s 500 million inhabitants to play a greater part in the development of the Union. By funding schemes and activities in which citizens can participate, the Programme is promoting Europe’s shared history and values, and fostering a sense of ownership for how the Union develops. General features of the Europe for Citizens Programme are:
• Equal access
• Trans nationality and local dimension
• Intercultural dialogue
• Volunteering - expression of active European citizenship
The Programme is implemented through two Strands:
• Strand 1: European remembrance: Raise awareness of remembrance, common history and values and the Union's aim.
• Strand 2: Democratic engagement and civic participation: Encourage democratic and civic participation of citizens at Union level. Measures in this strand are:
• Town Twinning
• Networks of Towns
• Civil Society Projects
In order to achieve its goals, DOCPIE focuses on the improvement of mutual cultural understanding and intercultural dialogue, through the exploration of the notions of European Identity, European History, European Modern Democracy as well as the qualities of active citizenship in an inclusive society. Current data on vote abstention in the European Parliamentary Elections of 2014 as well as the various local results which show a rise of extreme- right movements in the modern political scene, indicate a low level of citizens’ involvement in the Union’s values and vision. In an effort to research the reasons of election abstention and lack of interest for European politics, DOCPIE investigates the perceived role of European citizenship and European identity in the lives of groups with different backgrounds – from students to senior citizens, the participants are invited to exchange their views and express their hopes and dreams for the Europe. Most important is that they are invited to feel ownership from 13 member States in 5 events, and aims to:
• Research the current trends and views on EU and its future in diverse target groups, including senior citizens and students.
• Develop guidelines for the creation of ownership of EU identity and citizenship among various target groups.
• Create bridges of cooperation between the participating towns in order to enhance the idea of common integration and European identity, while remembering our common past.
• Raise awareness on volunteering and active citizenship. During the project DOCPIE there will be 5 events. The first event (Kick-off meeting) has already taken place between 6th and 8th February 2015 in Hungarian city of Kistarcsa. The purpose of the meeting was the development of professional relationships between partner organizations from different parts of Europe, because this kind of cooperation is crucial to maintain and increase the impact of this project. Within the first meeting was to develop advocacy strategy, hailed the cooperation of the community, monitoring and evaluation of the results and the method of realization of all activities and setting deadlines. Another four meetings will be taking place in Dresden (Germany), Seress (Greece), Slovenia (Šmartno pri Litiji) and Brescia (Italy).
