Homo Europeanus

TITLE: Homo Europeanus – Overcoming the Knowledge Deficit

FOUNDING PROGRAM: Europe for Citizen 2014-2020

SUB-PROGRAMME: Democratic engagement and civic participation

ACTION: 2.3: Civil Society Projects

PERIOD: 1st of September 2015 to the 31st of December 2016

PARTNERS:

• Europe House Slavonski Brod, Croatia
• YouNet, Italy
• European Information Centar Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
• Centre for Civic Education, Montenegro
• Educational Center Kruševac, Serbia
• Asocijacija za napredok, edukacija i lobiranje, Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Stowarzyszenie Edukacji Pozaformalnej "Meritum", Poland
• EDUCIVIS, Slovakia
• Change it!, Czech Republic
• Inštitut za družboslovne in humanistične raziskave (IDH), Slovenia
• Daugavpils Universitate, Latvia
• Promocion Educativa Sociedad Cooperativa, Spain
• Civic Initiatives – Citizens Association for Democracy and Civic, Serbia
• MHD UMKA Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

OBJECTIVES:

The project's overall objective is spreading more knowledge about EU particularly in the context of the economic crisis, a general rise in antiimmigrant sentiment and xenophobia – to citizens of the member states and EU candidate countries, in order to overcome democratic deficit.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

• to increase the motivation and build the citizens capacities and competences from current and potential MSs to participate actively in building future Europe.
• to enhance the interactive relation between citizens and institution, encouraging a bottom up approach to allow citizens to express their views on the EU – on what they perceive to be the EU urgent issues relevant to the development of Europe.
• to encourage citizens to use exited democratic instruments and to develop innovative one.
• to enhance participation in debate to build the capacity of civil society organizations.
• to foster European citizenship and ownership of the Europe.

The action will be implemented by 14 NGOs from 9 MSs (Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Latvia), and 3 CC (Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM).

During 16 months project events will involve 500 direct participants and numerous wider local public who will overcome the "knowledge deficit" and gain better understanding about EU – necessary ground for their more active involvement in creating future Europe.