U-Impact

The project “From Citizen Involvement to Policy Impact” (U-Impact) coordinates citizen involvement with decision-makers at national and European levels in eight EU member states and one candidate country in order to create an inclusive, long lasting network for policy debate and impact involving citizens across borders building on their cultural diversity and promoting the development of a common European public space.

The project builds on the positive experience of the partners in the implementation of the project “Joint Citizen Action for a Stronger, Citizen-Friendly Union” (JoiEU), under which participants have debated and developed policy recommendations in several areas related to European citizenship. U-Impact fosters a meaningful debate with policy-makers, including the European Parliament, and helps create mechanisms for turning citizen involvement into effective citizen influence on EU policy.

March 2015 – July 2016

Past and upcoming debates:

• 7 April 2015: Project Launch Conference in Sofia (Bulgaria)
• 29 May 2015: Ending the „limbo1 “in Europe Initiative for improved implementation of the rights of the EU citizens residing in another country of the Union (Sofia, Bulgaria). Watch the video recording here
• 18 September 2015: EU Citizens’ Rights Abroad: Know your rights and act upon them! (Bucharest, Romania). Watch the video recording here
• 6 November 2015: Citizen Participation: Initiatives and Opportunities (Nicosia, Cyprus). Watch the video recording here
• 22 January 2016: Cross border initiative on EU Citizenship – Education for Participation (Merida, Spain). Watch the video recording here
• 10 February 2016: The Voice of the Citizens in the European Refugee Crisis (Tallinn, Estonia). Watch the video recording here
• 26 February 2016: Social Enterprises Development (Tirana, Albania). Watch the video recording here
• 4 March 2016: Improving patients’ rights in the age of the Cross Border Healthcare Directive (Rome, Italy). Watch the video recording here
• 12 March 2016: What role for European Development Aid in today’s Migration crisis?(Lyon, France)
• 18 May 2016: Final conference in Brussels: 24 Years of EU Citizenship: What We Stand to Lose

• Participates in the debates on-line, providing the European perspective to the topics discussed.
• Actively participates in the campaigns promoting the enforcement of European fundamental freedoms.
• Organises a concluding conference (DDD Digital Democracy Day) in Brussels in April 2016 to present the project’s outputs and outcomes and advocate for enhanced digital democracy at EU level.
• Organises an exhibition in Brussels on citizen participation.