How can citizens concretely influence decisions concerning their local area? What tools does the European Union provide for participating in democratic life and contributing to public policies?
These questions will be answered by the free webinar “EU Rights and European Citizenship”, scheduled for 11 June 2026 as part of the European MOVES project – Mountain Voices for Engaged and Sustainable Democracy, promoted by ANCI Lazio together with partners from Italy, Albania and Portugal, with the technical support of Norema Srl.
The initiative is born with the aim of bringing citizens, young people, local administrators and civil society organisations closer to European institutions, fostering more informed and active participation in democratic life. In rural, mountainous and remote areas, the relationship with Europe is often perceived as distant, even though many decisions made at the European level have direct effects on the daily lives of local communities, influencing issues such as the environment, mobility, public services, opportunities for young people and territorial development.
During the webinar, participants will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of European citizenship, learn about the rights recognised to EU citizens, and discover the tools that allow them to actively participate in European decision-making processes. In particular, some concrete tools for democratic participation will be illustrated, such as the European Citizens“ Initiative, Petitions to the European Parliament, the ”Have Your Say" platform, and the European Ombudsman.
The meeting will alternate between training sessions and practical, collaborative activities, including exercises, case studies, and real-life experiences that will enable participants to acquire skills immediately transferable to their own local contexts. The objective is to provide useful tools for transforming community needs and ideas into concrete proposals, fostering more active citizenship and a greater capacity for dialogue with European institutions.
The webinar is aimed at local public officials, representatives of civil society organisations, active citizens, young people aged between 18 and 30, and students with an interest in the topics of democratic participation and European citizenship.
Upon completion of the activity, a certificate of participation, training materials, a recording of the meeting, and an operational toolkit will be issued. Participants will also have the opportunity to continue their journey within the MOVES project, contributing to subsequent activities of discussion, co-creation, and development of proposals for the territories through the project's digital platform.
Applications must be submitted by 12:00 on 8 June 2026 via the following link:
Application
A concrete opportunity to get to know Europe better, understand your rights, and become agents of change in local communities.
