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EurHope, a participatory campaign ahead of the 2024 European Elections is supported by a coalition of more than 45 actors. It was initiated by JEF Europe and Make.org. In its first phase, the campaign gathered 1.5 million votes from across the European Union and more than 5,000 proposals were submitted to the multilingual online Make.org platform (eurhope.org) available in all member states. The campaign was launched EurHope on May 9 in Strasbourg,
The EurHope consultation created a unique dialogue among young citizens with different educational backgrounds, political orientations, different genders and in 22 languages across the 27 member states of the EU. Thanks to the massive participation and the data analysis, the 15 priorities of the Agenda of Hope are representative and stand for the European youth in all its diversity.
Dubravka Suica, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Democracy and Demography, and patron of the #EurHope initiative, said: “I believe that initiatives like EurHope help to build democratic resilience which in turn protects our #democracy. Your Agenda of Hope will certainly provide fruitful thoughts for all democratic representatives.”
The Agenda of Hope aims to put young citizens’ priorities at the centre of the public debate ahead of the European elections. In a time of wars, crises and uncertainty, the upcoming elections will be a crucial moment for the EU. With EurHope, Europeans expressed their wish for a positive way to change the EU for the better and to gain back Hope.
The presentation of the Agenda of Hope and the results of the EurHope consultation took place at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, in the presence of EurHope partners and hundreds of young Europeans. During the event, various speakers provided their view on the results: Anna Renkamp, Senior Project Manager Democracy and Social Cohesion, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Cristina Ramos-Fernandez, CSO Europe and North Africa, Accor, Philippe Blanchot, Director of institutional relations, Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, and Stefanie Buzmaniuk, Senior Research Fellow, Fondation Robert Schuman.
Besides, the results sparked a debate between civil society and politics representatives, including Guy Verhofstadt, Renew Europe MEP, Agata Meysner, President of Generation Climate Europe (GCE), Clara Panella Gómez, Lead candidate to the 2024 European elections for Volt Spain, and Elias Dray, Vice-President European Youth Forum.
Now revealed, the Agenda of Hope will continuously be shared with political and civil society representatives. It will serve as a lever to mobilise young people up to the European elections next June.
Alicia Combaz, CEO and Co-Founder of Make.org: "With over 1,5 million votes united, and thanks to more than 45 partners, the EurHope consultation has succeeded in engaging young citizens on a massive scale in the 27 EU countries. The resulting Agenda of Hope is now the ideal support for putting their priorities in the centre of the public debate in the frame of the European election campaign."
Christelle Savall, President of JEF Europe: “The Agenda of Hope by young people is clear: we need a reformed European Union, better suited to face collective challenges and uphold our values. A Union at the service of its citizens with more efficient institutions that can bring about real change to give all of us Hope.”
Oliver Röpke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee: "The EurHope consultation brought together more than 1.5 million voices, which is a great achievement. The youth has spoken clearly about their concerns and their expectations of the EU. Now, it is time for the EU leaders to hear this message and take action. Youth is our future, and shaping tomorrow's future starts today."
Anna Renkamp, Senior Project Manager ‘Democracy and Social Cohesion’, Bertelsmann Stiftung: "We should increase the quantity of participation and offer very low-threshold participation opportunities in order to initiate broader debates in Europe. The EurHope project can be a model for this type of mass participation because it methodically addresses the lowest engaged. I hope that the 2024 European elections will provide a new push for participatory EU democracy. The EU must transition from being the Union of citizens in name to the one in practice.”
Stefanie Buzmaniuk, Senior Research Fellow, Robert Schuman Foundation: “Supporting EurHope was a natural choice for the Robert Schuman Foundation, as hope and optimism run in our genes. At the time of the Schuman declaration, the situation was no easier than our current circumstances. In this seemingly hopeless context, Schuman asserted, 'Europe will not be at once.' The statement unmistakably embodies hope, as he was convinced that, one day, Europeans working together would shape the future of Europe."
Philippe Blanchot, Director of Institutional Relations, Caisse des Dépôts: "Caisse des Dépôts is happy to support this important consultation of the European Youth. As an institution with a strong European and long-term focus, we consider their opinion as key to shape the investments of tomorrow. We share many priorities which emerged from this consultation, such as the ecological transformation of our society and better access to health and education. We congratulate the JEF and Make.org for the work achieved so far and wish the best for the next steps.”
Cristina Ramos, CSO Europe and North Africa, Accor: "Accor group has a responsibility in reinventing tomorrow's travel. In a world of planetary boundaries, young people have understood that it is becoming urgent to acknowledge that we need to transform the way we operate and that doing just enough, is not enough anymore. Initiatives like Eurhope are helping us to work in the right direction, understanding the concerns and interests of our customers and employees of today and tomorrow. We strive to further engage with all stakeholders, inspiring a new vision of travel, sustainable experiences and meaningful connections with communities. We need the strength and involvement of young people to keep moving forward.”
Selim Lioui, Head of Institutional Relations, Clear Channel France: "For Clear Channel France, a player in outdoor advertising and a street medium aimed at everyone, it seemed natural to relay on our screens the high expectations of the new generation of European citizens with regard to the next European elections scheduled for June 2024. We are therefore delighted to support the EurHope campaign.”
