IMAGINE GIOVANNI FROM ITALY, MAIBRIT FROM DENMARK, CATALIN FROM ROMANIA AND SUSANNE FROM GERMANY…
… want to set up an EU-wide animal welfare organisation, that can be active not just in ONE country, but across the WHOLE European Union. They believe animal protection cannot be achieved successfully on a purely national scale. Did you know that in the EU today these young Europeans are not allowed to set up such an EU-wide organisation? Sounds strange? We think so, too.
On this website, you will find many more examples like this. Unfortunately, the sobering truth is: The European Union today is a half-finished democracy. Even though the European treaties refer to us as “citizens of the Union”, we are kept apart by national governments who mistrust civic cross-border action beyond their national control. So, despite Schengen and all that talk of free movement of citizens, when it comes to civil society EU member states still operate very hard borders in practice. We believe this needs to change for Europe to truly become a Europe of its citizens. What we request is a transnational European democracy.
WHAT WE STAND FOR:
A TRANSNATIONAL EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY
As citizens of the European Union we have our own legal European citizenship status within the legal structure underpinning the EU. But what does it actually mean to be a ‘union citizen’? In our view, it should mean that as citizens we have a right to have a real say on the EU’s future. If we don’t have a say and have ways of making our voices heard on the political stage, through votes or civic actions, many of us might lose our trust in European politics. We don’t want to let it come to that.
We request the same rights we have based on our national citizenships to also hold true for our European citizenship!
WHO WE ARE
We Are Europe!
is a group of European citizens from 25 different countries who want to put the citizen back into the democratic heart of Europe. In 2012, we founded We are Europe! e.V. (an association under German law) which, today, serves as one pillar of a whole number of We are Europe! associations across the EU, all together forming the pan-European WE ARE EUROPE! GROUP.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
TAKE ACTION
You are a passionate European keen to turn the pale EU into a buyoant transnational democracy? Then you’ve got three ways to get involved: You can join us as a regular or a supporting member; you can subscribe to our newsletter; and you can of course get in touch with us directly by sending us a message or calling us on +49 211 9284 1165. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
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News
Take on responsibility, people.
Die heutige Ablehnung des Austrittsvertrags mit der EU durch Westminster ist eine fürchterliche Nachricht für Großbritannien. Mit dieser völlig irrationalen Entscheidung hat sich das Land aus dem Kreis der Weltführungsnationen herauskatapultiert.
Europe, which Europe? – The European Union has yet to be created.
“Why Trump Can Safely Ignore Europe, Its Leaders readily condemn but never act” Jeremy Shapiro, Director of Research at the European Council on Foreign Relations, writes, on May 15, 2018 in Foreign Affairs. Does Shapiro just convey the usual Trumpish anti-European propaganda? Or does he rather pinpoint a symptom of European helplessness, its inability to find a common voice, its unwillingness to strike bold actions.