Active Citizenship: Policy Developments at the EU Level

Abstract

In this chapter, I provide an overview of the policy developments on active citizenship at the EU level emerging during the three time periods under consideration. The analysis is first of all focused on the results of fieldwork conducted in Brussels in 2008/2009 with representatives of the European Commission. The scope is to evaluate the orientation of policy-makers in regard to the establishment of active citizenship, the needs associated to the building of communicative structures in order to solve the democratic crisis and the policy solutions put forward in order to overcome such crisis. This phase of the research maps the core policy objectives and priorities pursued by the European Commission in order to stimulate engagement and participation. Following on from this, a number of policy documents targeting young people, women, minorities and migrants, have been analyzed in order to map the policy reflection of the European Commission about the best modalities to make active citizenship an institutionalized and working practice. Core issues, such as the stimulation of empowerment and structured dialogue are driving the agenda, with varying degrees across the three social groups under consideration. The analysis in the final part of the chapter focuses on the emerging social problems and policy interventions across the financial and migration crises.