The better the men and women of Europe understand their rights as EU citizens, the more informed the decisions they can take in their personal lives, and the more vibrant democratic life in Europe can be at all levels.

This is the vision for the European Year of Citizens 2013, which will provide an opportunity for people throughout Europe to:

• learn about the rights and opportunities open to them thanks to EU citizenship – particularly their right to live and work anywhere in the EU
• stimulate debate about the obstacles that prevent people from fully using these rights and generate specific proposals for addressing them
• encourage people to participate in civic fora on EU policies and issues.

The Year's activities will be organised as much as possible at the grass-roots level, by citizens and civil society organisations themselves.

Activities organised by the European Commission:

• a centrally managed communication campaign with a multilingual website, communication toolbox, press kit and promotional material.
• opening & closing conferences for the Year and thematic conferences
• participation in national, regional and local events across the EU.

Official website of the Year: http://europa.eu/citizens-2013/en/home

Target groups:

• EU citizens
• Policy makers at all levels of government
• Civil society organisations

Budget:

European Year of Citizens 2013: €1 million
Preparatory actions during 2012: €750 000

Strategic partners:

European Commission:

- Responsible for the Year: DG Communication (COMM) (contact: COMM-EYC2013@ec.europa.eu)

- Other departments: Justice and Fundamental Rights (JUST), Employment (EMPL), Education and Culture (EAC), Internal market and services (MARKT), Health and Consumers (SANCO), Regional policy (REGIO),

Research & Innovation - Science in Society 2013 Work Programme

- Outreach in the EU Member States (cooperation with governments, media and civil society): EC Representations offices, Europe Direct Information Centres (EDICs)- Europe Direct Centres

Other EU institutions:

- European Economic and Social Committee

- Committee of the Regions

- European Parliament

External partners:

- National coordinating bodies (NCBs) - responsible for planning, coordinating and organising events and activities in each EU country, and liaising with the EU level partners responsible for overall planning.

- Civil society organisations and their networks

- EYC2013 Alliance (members of the Alliance)

Proposal

PDF(76 KB)
PDF(78 KB)
PDF(80 KB)

Press release

Ex ante evaluation(278 KB)