Why the topic of Europe?
In view of the forthcoming European elections and the appointment of a new European leadership, it is important to engage in the public debate on the future directions of the EU as well as to discuss the forms and mechanisms of civil participation. That motivated MOVE.BG to devote the last three months to the topic of Europe and the Bulgarian purspective.
The planned activities and initiatives within the programme were meant to contribute to the ongoing discussion in Europe on the need of feasible reforms to be adopted and implemented so that the European Union could be more effective in tackling the social, economic and political challenges, taking into account the national and public specificities. Being deeply convinced that as Bulgarian and European citizens the European Union is our responsibility, we also believe that we must be active participants in the formulation of clear recommendations and messages on the future of Europe.This is why, our efforts within our three-month program were focused on raising awareness and civic engagement on important European issues.
Strategic media partner of the programme is euinside.eu, an online media focused on EU affairs, the Western Balkans, global politics and the place of Bulgaria and the Balkans on the global scene.
What Happened?
The programme includes the organization of several in-house debates with the possibility for online participation and attendance in the course of the last three months. The topics covered the main issues of the European democratic process and the dimensions of European citizenship, the opposite views on further European integration as well as the benefits and costs for Bulgaria and its citizens. We also sought out the youth perspective on the opportunities and initiatives that Europe and Bulgaria offer young travelers and European citizens.
As part of the European Program, MOVE.BG carried out a online promo campaign “You Move Europe", which encourages Bulgarian citizens to describe their idea of how they move Europe forward by uploading a photo on our website. In the course of the campaign more than 50 ideas for the country's contribution to Europe were displayed, which were presented at the exhibition on the Day of Europe on May 9th, 2014 at the MOVE.BG's home .
The cycle of debates culminated with a conference on the "Visions for Europe" that took place on 16th May 2014 with the participation of Bulgarian and international experts and partners, which focused on the Bulgarian perspective on challenges and possible solutions confronting Europe.
You can see all the events within the MOVE.BG European Program "You Move Europe" here:
- 25th March 2014 - Online lecture "Europe of citizens or how Europe contributes to the democratic process?"
- 3rd April 2014 – Debate “Europe as a federation of states vs. Europe of nations”
- 10th April 2014 - Discussion: Euro Train: Next Stop… ?"
- 16th April 2014 - Discussion "Benefits and costs of being part of the European Union"
- 24th April 2014 - Discussion: "Euro Train 2: Station Bulgaria"
- 9th May 2014 - "You Move Europe" Exhibition
- 16th May 2014 - International Conference "Visions for Europe"
In MOVE.BG we believe that the European path is the only way for Bulgaria, therefore we will continue to work on the topic of Europe and we hope you will continue to be active participants in our future intitatives.
