The EC has designated 2013 as the «European Year of Citizens» to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the European Union Citizenship under the Maastricht Treaty. Major European civil society organizations and networks have joined their forces and created the EYC2013 Alliance to put forward proposals aimed at placing European citizenship at the heart of the EU political agenda. Relying on the experience and the expertise of its members who continuously act for citizenship to become a permanent and transversal dimension of European public policies decision-making, implementation and assessment, the EYC2013 Alliance will use this year to promote activities aiming to have an impact on the building of a citizen-friendly European Union which would no longer be reduced to merely economic preoccupations and would facilitate and support various expressions and mobilization of active citizenship. The last meeting held on the 17th of December gave the opportunity to discuss the latest developments of the EYCA, in particular those taking place at national level and within the newly developed Working groups. Staffan Nilsson the EESC president extended the invitation for the Liaison Group meeting exceptionally to EYCA members on this occasion. The EESC committee and EYCA members discussed: the study commissioned by the EESC on The impact of the crisis on civil society organizations in the EU – Risks and opportunities by a representative of the Institute for European Studies of Brussels Vrije Universiteit (IES-VUB), and the preparation of the 4th Civil Society Day to be held on 6 March 2013. For more information you can download BCSDN participation report.
