Welcome to Citizens For Europe e.V.

 

The association Citizens For Europe e.V. (CFE) was established in 2010 by an international group of committed and young citizens in the European Union. Based on our common belief in the need for a new paradigm for European citizenship and for more political particpation opportunities, we have combined our skills and personal and professional networks in order to define, promote and finally establish a new EU citizenship and new forms of binding political participation opportunities, free of discrimination and exclusion. Based on our strong belief in the European project, we set up innovative projects and events to express and promote our ideas.

Citizens For Europe e.V. is a nonprofit, non-partisan, non-commercial and non-governmental association that acts on the basis of mutual trust, recognition and equality among partners and friends.

 

“towards cosmopolitan citizenship and full political participation in the EU” – What does that mean?

 

The ongoing integration process of the European Union and the increasing cross-border mobility of its peoples challenge the classical legal and political construction of citizens as national entities. As more and more people in the Union choose a transnational lifestyle by living in a country of which they are not nationals, national citizenship loses the ability to fully coordinate people’s lives.

European citizenship based on the classical national paradigm ironically signifies exclusion and discriminates against those EU citizens who choose a transnational lifestyle and against third-country nationals. It is the first group that actually expresses the process of European integration and the latter on which the future of the EU is built. Unfortunately, the Treaty of Lisbon does not address this problem adequately.

Right now more than 11 million EU citizens residing within the EU but outside their country of origin are discriminated on grounds of their nationality. This affects their political participation at regional and national level in particular. A growing part of the EU population is thus excluded in their permanent place of residence from the most fundamental form of political participation and the very essence of democracy: the right to vote at the regional and national level. The situation is worse for long-term residents not holding an EU passport, who are entirely excluded from political and social participation on all levels.

 

Re-defining EU-citizenship

 

The resulting and increasing democratic and legitimacy deficit at the regional and national level shatters the sense and rationality of current electoral laws in EU Member States and the current definition of European citizenship.

To fully realize the European vision and live up to the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, this democratic deficit has to be overcome. To accomplish this, we have to develop a new and modern form of transnational and residency-based EU citizenship free from national and cultural attributes and able to empower citizens in the EU to participate more fully the political process: independent of their national, cultural, ethnic or religious background. With its projects and activities, Citizens For Europe e. V. addresses and seeks to raise awareness for these problems. Its main objective is to recognise and guarantee equal political participation for all EU citizens. By establishing cosmopolitan electoral laws and defining a modern, non-national European citizenship, CFE aims to enhance the development of a European Union of citizens.

Therefore CFE strives towards a progressive European citizenship, cosmopolitan electoral laws and more binding political participation opportunities for all citizens in the European Union from local to the European level.

 

Mission

 

• With the awareness of the discriminating effect of the national construction of citizenship in Europe,
• with the awareness of the growing democracy and legitimacy deficit on national and European level,
• with the awareness of an ongoing disaggregation of societies and a resurgent (ethno)nationalism in Europe,
• with the awareness of national governments weakening the functionality and capability of the European Institutions,

Citizens For Europe e.V. conducts together with its partners and friends projects and activities to counter these developments and to boost their true believe and common vision in a European Union designed for freedom, peace, plurality, tolerance, participation and democracy.

 

General Aims and Purposes

 

• Promoting transnational citizenship and political participation in Europe
• fostering political commitment of citizens on local and European level
• broadening the scope of discourses in national political parties to a European level
• advancing the discussion in public and politics on a cosmopolitan approach of European citizenship
• establishing a vivid and cross-border community of politically interested and committed people, who exchange and reflecttheir political knowledge and convictions on European level
• providing citizens of the EU tools and the right to exert their common desire for full political participation, integration and recognition in their local communities and state of residence.
• triggering a change of current regional and national electoral laws in Europe towards the application of a cosmopolitan approach of European citizenship.

 

Code of Conduct

 

For all projects and activities, as well as for the internal organisation, we hold true to the following values:

• no discrimination, no matter on what grounds
• highest safety and security standards for all participants
• highest data integrity and data security of all private data; abuse is strictly prohibited
• highest ecological standards
• efficient use and no squandering of any resources

The initiative and all its projects and activities are devoted to the promotion equality, tolerance, plurality, participation and democracy.