01/01/2023-31/12/2025
Macro-regional strategies are still considered as a relatively new policy-making field of the EU with non-integrated participation of CSOs. The “Stronger. Together – The Magic of EU Macro-Regions 2023-2025” programme of European House was based on its broad Europe-level contacts and aimed to (1) reveal and build on the still hidden potential of macro-regions for CSOs; (2) bring under one roof CSOs from the four macro-regions (the Baltic Sea, the Danube, the Adriatic-Ionian and the Alpine) and coordinate their contributions to shaping and implementing EU policies in a specific field; (3) make full use of the intermediary position of macro-regions located between EU and local levels; (4) raise awareness of citizens, especially young people, towards European issues using a bottom-up approach. Programme objectives were achieved by (a) a well-functioning CSO network (Connect) from the 19 countries of the four macro-regions and beyond with annual forums (agoras); (b) elaborating a strategy paper for the creation of a civil pillar of macro-regional strategies with annual work plans; (c) increasing citizen participation in the governance structures of macro-regions; (d) conducting training sessions on civil participation and capacity building; (e) meeting ordinary citizens in their natural environment, e.g., at a railway station or a marketplace. A broad range of conventional and innovative information tools also assisted the attainment of these objectives. An additional element was a reaction to the initiative of the Commission in February 2025 to elaborate an EU civil society strategy.
Co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme of the European Union
