On 11 August 2011, the European Commission proposed to designate 2013 as the "European Year of Citizens" to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the European Union Citizenship under the Maastricht Treaty in 1993.

EU citizenship confers nationals of Member States a series of rights such as the freedom of movement and residence within the territory of the Europe, the right to access to goods and services in other Member States, to access education, healthcare and the right to vote.However, a survey from 2010, showed that too many people still do not feel adequately informed about the different rights available to them: only 43% know the meaning of the term 'citizen of the European Union' and almost half of European citizens (48%) indicate that they are ‘not well informed’ about their rights.

Due the relevance of the subject of citizenship to the work of foundations the EFC, with a coalition of networks, will bid for the organisation of the European Year as a range of events conferences and seminars will be organised at European, national, regional and local level.

The specific purposes of the Europen Year will be:

• raise citizens' awareness of their right to reside freely within the European Union and of how they can benefit from EU rights and policies;
• stimulate citizens' active participation in EU policy-making;
• build debate about the impact and potential of the right to free movement ;
• strengthening cohesion and people's mutual understanding of one another.

The proposed budget for the activities to take place during the 2013 European Year of Citizens is 1 million euros and the decision will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

To know more about the European Year's objectives, activities and organisation, contact EFC secretariat at eu@efc.b

Background

According to a special Eurobarometer on citizens’ rights, for 48% of European citizens the right to move and reside freely in the European Union is the most important citizens' right. Indeed, more and more Europeans benefit from this right and live in another EU Member State: in 2009, an estimated 11.9 million citizens were living in a Member State other than their own; in 2010 this figure grew to 12.3 million. Yet whilst more than one third (35%) of workers would consider taking a job in another Member State, nearly one in five still considers that there are too many obstacles such as language or lack of information. The EU Citizenship Report of 2010 confirmed that these barriers discourage people from moving abroad and, among the concrete actions to remove them, promotes the designation of 2013 as the European Year of Citizens.

Further information

Europa Press release