20 years ago in September 1991, when ECAS was initially established as an international non-profit organisation, its first success was a citizens’ week of conferences from which several new European civil society networks and associations sprang. By accentuating the citizen dimension in civil society, this event marks the next step: to create a home for a genuine and more inclusive European citizenship. 

To upgrade skills as an advocate of the citizens' general interest, 2 master classes on European funding and European Citizens' Initiatives were proposed. 

The other side of the coin for the anniversary was what can done by civil society and a more active European citizenship over the next 20 years. ECAS has part of the answer with its flagship project – the European civil society house,  which will be launched in 2011 as a virtual house for the citizen with a one-stop shop covering five instruments: complaints, access to documents, petitions, requests to the European ombudsman and initiatives – the one million signatures. These are under-used and scattered.

The Europe for citizens’ programme has provided support to test this one-stop shop on the users with a project called Carrousel . By the time of  "European Citizenship in Action", mixed panels of citizens and civil society representatives in Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and France had examined the one-stop shop and what should be done to make what is designed genuinely accessible, easy to use and above all effective and results-driven. This project ended with the citizens from the national panels coming to Brussels, with a clear message for the Institutions.

 

In cooperation with the EESC 

 

ECAS is thankful to the Europe for Citizens Programme and ING for their support.