Policy debate "Ahead of the European elections - active citizens, information and misinformation about the EU" - activecitizens4eu

About the project

The project addresses the challenges of low awareness and involvement of Croatian citizens in European Citizen Initiatives and EC public consultations on draft EU policies, as well as the lack of academic research, teaching and public debates about those challenges. It aims to promote excellence in teaching and research on active European democratic citizenship and strengthen the understanding of how the EU works as a precondition for active citizen engagement in EU policymaking. Given the low trust of Croatian citizens in the EU institutions and trends of disinformation about the EU, the project aims to contribute to the societal resilience to democratic backsliding tendencies and growing threats to fundamental European values.

By combining innovative teaching methods, students’ community engagement, research, and multi-stakeholder public debates, the project will enhance the active European citizenship competencies among students of political science and journalism at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb and encourage them to share their knowledge about the EU among Croatian citizens. Through conducting communication campaigns on European citizen initiatives and EC public consultations and through participating in a simulation of negotiations on selected EU legislative files, students will develop their critical thinking skills and learn how to actively engage in European democratic life. Various events on active citizen engagement in EU policymaking will be organized to mobilise the participation of representatives of the academic community, civil society, media, and business, as well as local, state and EU-level policymakers. Drawing on the empirical evidence gathered during the project, a series of research papers will be published and the findings widely disseminated. The project should provide an impetus to increasing the number of Croatian citizens participating in European citizen initiatives and EC public consultations. The duration of the project is from September 2023 until September 2026.

The policy debate "Ahead of the European elections - active citizens, information and misinformation about the EU" was held on 7 June 2024 at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb, as a third event planned by the Jean Monnet Chair project „Active European Democratic Citizenship for Resilient Society“.

This public debate was used to conclude the academic year at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, but also to wrap up the European Parliament's official communication campaign on EU elections in Croatia, in cooperation with the EP Office in Croatia.
The workshop aimed to discuss with wider group of students and guests key challenges related to the active citizenship, and the spread of information, and misinformation about the EU in Croatia.
An excellent contribution was provided by the European Parliament Office in Croatia, namely Maja Ljubić Kutnjak, Marko Boko, and Ivo Antunović who openly shared their experiences and lessons from the campaign.

Students attending the courses covered by the Jean Monnet Chair, showed high level of engagement in the critical analysis of the European Parliament’s communication strategies.
Besides, the event provided an opportunity to listen to some of the key findings from students’ EU factchecking activities focused on statements of MEPs on the EU green and digital transition.

Lastly, a valuable input to the discussion was provided by Helge Klouman Marstrander, deputy Head of Mission of Norway to Croatia, who shared perspectives from outside the EU, especially lessons from failed Norway's EU accession referendums.

As the discussion was held right before the EU elections, this debate served as a useful reminder on how the 2024 European elections can shape the societies we want to live in and why it is important for citizens to make their voices heard.

Jean Monnet Chair "Active European Democratic Citizenship for Resilient Society"

About the project

Key staff members from the Faculty

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Policy debate "Ahead of the European elections - active citizens, information and misinformation about the EU"