Despite a heatwave all over Europe, we have been successfully negotiating, editing and finalising the programme of NECE 2019 - just in time for this newsletter. Please check out the programme here, and enjoy our brand new key visual on inequalities. Any comments are welcome!

Just a few days before Brexit day (October 31, aka Halloween), we look forward to welcoming you to Glasgow in a troubling time in the history of Scotland, the United Kingdom and Europe. European citizenship is more than ever in danger.

In Glasgow, more than 40 speakers (among them Darren MacGarvey, Felica Tibbits, Niccolò Milanese, David Goodhart, Ana Perona-Fjeldstadt and others) and 400 participants from Europe and beyond will be meeting to discuss the role of citizenship education in dealing with young people’s political identity, disadvantaged groups and schools in adverse environments.

Everyone is invited to join these discussions, present their research, their reflections and their examples of good practice. Partners from Glasgow, Scotland and the UK will contribute to the programme, among them IDEAS, WOSDEC and Bridge 47, the City Council of Glasgow and the Rt Hon Lord Provost who will give a civic reception to all participants.

Stay tuned! Have a great summer!

Christoph Müller-Hofstede
Federal Agency for Civic Education, Germany/bpb
NECE Coordination

You feel like joining our next NECE Conference in Glasgow and could use some financial support to cover your travel expenses? In 2019 NECE is offering travel bursaries to all young Europeans aged between 20 and 30 years including Switzerland, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The deadline is 23 August, so don’t miss out!
To apply check out our website at http://www.nece-conference.eu/subsidy/.

Aiming at enhancing the sustainability of civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia with an improved operational environment and amplified linkages to civic education, the EENCE Summit 2019 will be held in Batumi, Georgia on October 4-6, 2019. Addressing stakeholders and influencers in the field of citizenship education, the summit aims to bring innovation in the field, through fuelling up discussions on the influence of donors, financial support possibilities and methodical and didactical issues in the work with various target groups and formats.
Stay tuned and learn more about the event at http://eence.eu!

Since the kick-off workshop in February, focus group members have begun to implement activities aimed at exploring possible uses of RFCDC in their educational contexts. The Evangelische Trägergruppe für gesellschaftspolitische Jugendbildung (et) in cooperation with the Association of German Educational Organisations in Germany (AdB) and Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe have integrated presentations of the RFCDC and feedback on it in train the trainer activities. In a next step, the trainers will use RFCDC elements to plan and evaluate training activities in non-formal educational contexts. More information about the activities will be provided at the NECE conference.
Visit RFCDC’s website.

In this section we strive to assess and analyse the changing political landscape we are confronted with. Please note: Links provided here are meant for information and discussion only. The views expressed there are not necessarily shared by NECE as a networking platform.

Among all European think tanks, the ECIT Foundation (on European Citizens’ Rights, Involvement and Trust) is the only one to concentrate solely on European citizenship. As a repository of know-how, research, and contacts, it is also a resource base that can support civil society organisations, academics and policy makers working on this theme.

Following the appointment of Ursula von der Leyen (UvL) as President of the European Commission, NECE asked Peter Markovic, Executive Director at ECIT Foundation, Brussels (Belgium), to assess of UvL’s capacity to act as leader of the European Union. ECIT advises and supports NECE with respect to its advocacy at the European level.

NECE: What significance does UvL’s tight vote have for her presidency and how will she be able to reconcile the many promises she made in her talks with different parliamentary groups in the European Parliament?

Indeed, the first female President-elect of the European Commission seems to have promised the world in return for the endorsement of the EP. Nevertheless, the resulting programme, “Europe That Strives for More” still has a chance to not fail because the Commission can now finally be held accountable by a stronger Parliament that has gained a popular legitimacy of more than 50% of European voters.

NECE: What significance does the failure of the lead candidate (Spitzenkandidat) principle have for the plan to strengthen the role of the Parliament vis-à-vis the European Council and the European Commission?

Although her unexpected election signals the failure of the Spitzenkandidat system, UvL’s commitment to the EP’s right of legislative initiative and promise of more intensive cooperation between the two EU bodies would strengthen the democratic role of the Parliament beyond mere elections. As always in the EU, transnational public pressure has the potential to transform setbacks of realpolitik into opportunities for further democratization.

NECE: Is UvL the right person to bring the European Parliament and other European institutions closer to the citizens?

While I understand the skepticism surrounding President-elect in Germany, I can only judge her based on her commitment for the ensuing term in office. Her pledge to give citizens “a leading and active part in setting our priorities and our level of ambition” in the Conference on the Future of Europe gives me some hope that she is.

Verena Ringler (European Commons) and Roger Casale (New Europeans) call for the creation of a #EUCitizenCommissioner by President-elect Ursula von der Leyen. On EURACTIV they explain why the EU needs to reframe its relationship with citizens and with civil society in order to harness Europeans’ cumulative civic potential.
Please find the entire call here. Any views on the proposal can be send to New Europeans at
bureau@neweuropeans.net.

Verena Ringler is an EU strategy advisor based in Innsbruck (Austria). She directs the European Commons network and is an advisory board member of NECE.

What is the European Union for and what can all of us do to make Europe a better place? This is explained by children for children (and adults as well!) in this video made by the Luxemburgish Zentrum fir politesch Bildung (ZpB). The video is available in the following languages:
op Lëtzebuergesch: https://youtu.be/U-PAFeqPqmQ
auf Deutsch: https://youtu.be/qarByB1q2RA
in English: https://youtu.be/byC4YPwWCDA
en Français: https://youtu.be/l2hJihGWOgw

The Center for Citizenship Education (CEO, Poland) and Evens Foundation have started the new educational programme „Becoming…ethical journalists”. The idea is to establish partnerships between schools and local media agencies to co-create ethical media and critical thinking competencies. The core educational materials are based on the experiences of the European edition of the “Mind over media. Analyzing contemporary propaganda” educational programme founded by Renee Hobbs PhD, and the Polish curriculum developed within the programme. The project started in May 2019 and finishes in March 2020. Its experiences will be used in implementing ethical journalism educational projects in other European countries.

Out of all types of government, citizens in democracies seem to be the most disillusioned. “Right now, the biggest risk for democracies is that the public no longer sees them as democratic,” states Nico Jaspers, CEO and co-founder of Dalia Research. Conducted by Dalia Research in collaboration with the Alliance of Democracies and Rasmussen Global, the DPI is the world’s largest study on trust in government.
Consult the report’s major findings here.

“For something as unknown as the future, it appears to have become surprisingly predictable.” A new study by the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) assesses some of the key uncertainties that will shape Europe’s future in 2030 in order to support policy and decision-makers in some of their choices. It shows that although it is becoming increasingly urgent, “foresight does not replace the future”.
Explore the full report here.

The report assembles the conclusions from some 1,600 citizens’ dialogues and the online consultation on the Future of Europe. Overall, participants tend to perceive the European Union positively. Trust in the European Parliament and the European Commission each increased by 11 points, to 48% and 43% respectively. Although Brexit was a more regular topic of discussion over the last few months, all in all participants in the Dialogues and online consultation were most keen to discuss the future of the EU27.
For more details, read the full report here.

Paul Butcher, a policy analyst at EPC, co-authored an evaluation report on the consultation campaigns. Speaking to Euranet Plus he outlines to what extent the consultations were delivering for the Union and why their outcomes may be difficult to aggregate.
Find the full analysis here.

40 years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the invasion of the Soviets in Afghanistan and the occupation of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the bpb would like to reflect on how local events affect global developments and vice versa. This international conference will give greater visibility to the historical origins of current conflicts, by discussing the roots, genesis and aims of various internationally active Islamist groups. The conference addresses all those active in prevention. Registration is still possible until 27 September 2019.
Click here for more information.

The success of the European project is an example of how different insights and opinions can tackle complexity as long as they are embedded in democratic rules of play and based on the system of the constitutional state. New initiatives are needed to stimulate the citizens of Europe and give European Citizenship real meaning. A European MBA to manage these complex processes can encourage an interdisciplinary academic approach. This congress will focus on exchanging ideas and practices on the question of how to manage the role of education, culture and identity in the new European context. SAVE THE DATE!
Contact: office@amsu.edu

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The NECE Newsletter is published regularly and distributed via e-mail. It is available to anyone on the www.nece.eu website. The newsletter is published by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education), which is responsible for its content according to definitions laid down by the German Telemedia Act.

Further contact information:
Federal Agency for Civic Education
Adenauerallee 86
53113 Bonn (Germany)
www.nece.eu

Responsible for the content:
Christoph Müller-Hofstede
mueller-hofstede@bpb.de

Editorial support:
Susanne Pöschko & Marie Serwe
nece-newsletter@labconcepts.de

If you have any questions please e-mail to: nece-newsletter@labconcepts.de