Call for proposals to improve the awareness on EU citizenship rights and inclusion of mobile EU citizens and to support coordination among national authorities competent in electoral matters - REC-RCIT-CITI-AG-2019

Deadline: Apr 11, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

Priorities and activities to be co-financed

1. Priorities

1. Actions aim to promote awareness on EU citizenship rights and foster inclusion of mobile EU citizens and democratic participation of mobile EU citizens and under-represented groups, including women, Roma, young people and EU citizens living in another EU Member State than their own. These actions should support the efforts of Member States and civil society organisations in this domain, complementing and not duplicating the work being funded elsewhere by the Commission. The actions must be operational and practical and must either support citizens directly or support the work of groups and/or organisations tasked with supporting the participation of citizens.

2. Actions aim to support the establishment of national election networks, involving authorities with competence for electoral matters and authorities in charge of monitoring and enforcing rules related to activities relevant to the electoral context, including data protection authorities, media regulators, cybersecurity authorities etc. Actions will create fora for facilitating the swift, secured exchange of information on issues capable of affecting the elections, including by jointly identifying threats and gaps, sharing findings and expertise and liaising on the application and enforcement of relevant rules in the online environment. These networks should, whenever appropriate, in accordance with national law, consult and cooperate with the relevant national law enforcement authorities. The action will also provide for national contact points to liaise at the European level, to facilitate the sharing of expertise and best practices among Member States including on threats, gaps and enforcement. The overall purpose is to support the integrity of free and fair elections in Europe, preserving the democratic institutions and citizens’ participation in them. Coordination within and among such networks could serve in particular to alert on threats, exchange on best practices among national networks, discuss common solutions to identified challenges and encourage common projects and exercises among national networks.

2. Description of the activities

Whereas several measures and initiatives are listed, it is not requested to include all of them in a single project. Projects with a strong focus are very much valued.

1. To promote awareness on EU citizenship rights and foster inclusion of mobile EU citizens and democratic participation of mobile EU citizens and under-represented groups

Activities may consist of any of the following: training, awareness raising, community outreach, capacity building or support (for officials or citizens), pilots or development of tool/processes or training material and exchanges and dissemination of best practices amongst public authorities and civil society organisations. This could involve, in particular, any of the following:

• ways of fostering engagement in the democratic life of the European Union (through e.g. skills and capacity building among candidates, community championing, access to cross-border political information and facilitation of access to local political information) and representation as well as participation in local and EU elections, including of young people, women and EU citizens living in another EU country than their own (through e.g. digital, interactive, innovative tools, and/or through making the process more accessible, identifying and removing obstacles or supporting group empowerment);
• inclusion policies and best practices which do not solely focus on one profile of mobile EU citizens, but rather take into account both the different needs of these EU citizens as well as the challenges cities are facing when welcoming them (e.g. housing, schooling, inclusion to the job market, involvement in community decision-making and volunteering etc.), and which promote multiculturalism;
• dissemination of practical information and advice on what are the rights, including voting rights, and responsibilities of mobile EU citizens in a given country/region/city and assistance in seeing them through.

Indicative amount: € 730 000

2. To support national coordination electoral networks and a European coordination of these networks

Activities may consist of workshops, seminars, conferences, expert meetings at various levels as appropriate (high level meetings may be needed to coordinate on policy approaches, while technical exchanges among experts may be needed to implement such policies); mutual learning, cooperation exercises; analytical studies; awareness raising activities, as well as information exchange platforms.

Indicative amount: € 770 000

Activities must take place in countries participating to the REC Programme to be eligible for funding.

3. Expected results

Whereas numerous results are listed below, it is not expected for a single project to produce all of them. Projects bringing limited, but effective results are very much valued.

1. To increase awareness rising on EU citizenship rights as well as to foster inclusion of mobile EU citizens and democratic participation of mobile EU citizens and under-represented groups, in particular through:

• improved availability, awareness and participation of mobile EU citizens in civic activities in their host communities, such as volunteering groups and local decision making bodies, including school boards and community organisations;
• increased capacity of national, regional and local experts to enable and facilitate the participation of mobile EU citizens in the political and social life of their host communities;
• strengthened cooperation and exchange of information between competent public authorities in relation to enabling mobile EU citizens' participation in their host Member States and local communities.

2. To support national coordination electoral networks and a European coordination of these networks, in particular through:

• improved monitoring and understanding of the system challenges and risks to the administration of elections and to the wider regulatory framework which sets the conditions needed for preserving the integrity of democratic elections in Europe, also from a cross-border perspective;
• increased capability and awareness of authorities and relevant bodies involved in elections of their respective roles and responsibilities in this domain and their better collaboration.
• streamlined and effective European level coordination in electoral matters.