On 1 March 2018, the European Movement International held an event to discuss how organised civil society can bring citizens and the EU closer. The discussion kicked off with Luc Van den Brande, author of the report “Reaching out to citizens – Seizing the opportunity”. Mr Van den Brande’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion with representatives from civil society such as Anna Widegren, Secretary General, European Youth Forum, Kélig Puyet, Director, Social Platfom and
Stephen Boucher, Author of  the ‘Little manual of political creativity’ and CEO of consoGlobe.com.

Europe is in the midst of intense debate about the EU’s future direction but citizens are feeling left behind. Low turnout in elections only intensifies the sense of disconnect. With an eye towards the European elections in 2019, stakeholders from across society can play a crucial role if we are to innovate new ways of engaging EU citizens and to bridge the gap between voters and EU decision-making.

Read the full event report here.