To celebrate the launch of the “On Our Watch” platform, the European Movement International together with the Youth Forum and the IHECS School of Journalism and Communication organised an informal get-together on 30 March in the heart of Brussels. The aim of this after-work event was to gather interested civil society organisations from various fields to present the On Our Watch platform and encourage them to participate in our joint project.

In the Op-ed published by EurActiv, Allan Päll, Secretary General of the Youth Forum and Petros Fassoulas, Secretary General of the European Movement International, argue that our participation in European democracy is not, and should not, be limited to a brief debate and ballot cast every five years. With the On Our Watch website, civil society organisations get the opportunity to examine how MEPs are working on the causes they were mandated to champion in 2014 and to invigorate the relationship between citizens and the EP.

The website serves as a platform for civil society organisations to examine the progress the European Parliament has made halfway through their governing term. Ahead of the European elections in 2014, many civil society organisations published a manifesto or pledge campaign calling on the European Parliament to work on specific issues. We now want to stimulate debate and enable dialogue between involved and active organisations and curious citizens. Further, and even more importantly, we want to have a look at what has still to be done in the upcoming years – before the next elections in 2019.

A number of civil society organisations, such as the European Women’s Lobby, Transparency International, Democracy International and the European Anti- Poverty Network have already contributed to the website and there are many more to come. Having received many positive responses to the launch, we are further encouraging interested civil society organisations to get in touch and participate. Only by assessing as many different issues as possible, together we can provide a critical analysis and start a debate!

See the photos of the event: