European citizens generally recognise the benefits of the EU and its contribution to Europe’s success and its standing in the world. However, European citizens feel somewhat alienated from the Union’s institutions and do not understand well how they function. This is partly due to a lack of effective communication between the EU and ordinary citizens. The ‘Together for Europe’ action tackles this issue.

Although most Europeans consider EU issues to be quite complex and distant, they believe in the Union’s democratic credentials. They would also like to see the Union becoming a more integral part of their national political landscapes. Nevertheless, millions of Europeans are held back from playing a more active role at EU level through a lack of knowledge: in fact, nearly four-fifths of citizens have admitted that they do not understand the structure of the EU and are unsure to whom they could turn with an issue or concern.

In order to help address these and other citizen concerns, and to bring citizens closer to the Union, the Commission has been working hard in recent years to provide better and more accessible information on Europe, with the aim of empowering citizens, engaging them in a debate on European issues and encouraging them to help shape the Union’s future.

This action seeks to deepen understanding of the concept of ‘active European citizenship’ so as to bring Europe closer to its citizens. This will be achieved through three sets of measures:

1. High-visibility events seek to raise awareness of the EU by attracting public and media attention across Europe and involving all those who wish to actively participate in a debate about Europe. This measure supports events which are substantial in scale and scope, and which help develop a greater sense of belonging to a European community among EU citizens.
   
   These occasions – such as forums, commemorations, celebrations, artistic events, conferences, prizes, open days, etc. – will be organised by the Commission, in collaboration with Member States and other relevant partners.
   
   
2. Studies help the Commission to gain a better understanding of active European citizenship and related issues. With the aid of this tool, studies, surveys and opinion polls focusing on different issues will be commissioned and carried out.
   
   
3. Information and dissemination tools help the Commission and individual projects and initiatives to communicate the Europe for Citizens programme’s activities and results, as well as related national and local activities. Tools include websites and internet portals, leaflets, reports, newsletters, as well as video, audio and multimedia products.

• These activities are directly managed by the European Commission and no project applications will be considered.
• Responsible entity: European Commission - DG COMM – Unit C2