Europe
"Europe's destiny and the future
of the free world are entirely in our hands."
Simone Veil
Why Europe?
We are passionate and committed Europeans. Since 2014, we have traveled 29 European countries, 22 of them current EU member states. We talked to over 300 citizens from all across Europe and learned more about their perspectives and ideas for our beautiful continent.
We are convinced: Europe's best days are ahead of us, if we are able unfold our common potential and boldly reform and rethink the EU. We are committed to this goal and contribute to this mission by writing articles, books, give advice, conduct dialogues – and most importantly, don't stop listening.
DiscoverEU & Mobility
Mobility is the key to a more inclusive, green and innovative Europe. Yet Europe isn't accessible to everyone. Around 40 percent of European citizens have never been outside their member state. If Europe's cohesion is to be secured in the long term, the continent must be accessible to more people – especially to the younger generation. With #FreeInterrail, the proposal for free Interrail passes for all 18-year-olds, we developed an idea in 2014 that can deliver to this vision. With broad support from the EU Parliament, the EU Commission, member states and civil society, the idea finally became part of the Erasmus+ family and is called #DiscoverEU. It already has enabled over 200,000 young people to experience Europe in a sustainable way.
We continue to advocate for the expansion of the program and, in this capacity, support the EU Commission and, in an advisory role, Eurail / Interrail in the implementation of #DiscoverEU and expansion of further youth mobility opportunities across Europe.
FreeInterrail Policy Paper I – "The path to universal European youth mobility"
FreeInterrail Policy Paper II – "Sharpening Europe's most greenest and most accessible youth program"
Citizen Dialogues on the future of Europe
Travels through 29 European countries and hundreds of conversations from Lisbon to Kiev, from Edinburgh to Malta, have shaped and broadened our view of the continent. We have encountered a continent of ideas that has all the potential to meet the challenges of the future. Each and every one of us can contribute to a more confident, capable, democratic and social continent of global relevance..
In our book Europe For Future we share 95 concrete ideas on how this European emancipation can succeed. Around the book and our experience of Europe, we have developed dialogue formats that invite citizens to join in the conversation about the future of Europe and to contribute their own ideas and perspectives.
Over the course of the last years we conducted Citizen dialogue formats in 10 European countries.
Together with the German Federal Foreign Office, we initiated and conducted the "Ideas for Europe" Europe Dialog series. Citizens in four different cities and two countries (Germany and Italy) were invited to share their thoughts on the present and future of the EU and engage in vivid conversations.
Charlemagne Prize Fellowship
In 2021 / 22, we were Fellows of the Charlemagne Prize Foundation. Under the annual theme "How can we succeed in a world of transformation," we reflected on the need, benefits and obstacles for gender quota for the European Parliament. Today women hold 33 percent of parliamentary seats in the EU and about 40 percent in the European Parliament. There is no single parliament in the EU on the state level that has more women than man. A quota system can help to bring more diversity into the Parliament and strengthen women. With a quota system, the European Parliament can set an example and inspire parliament bodies all across the continent to include more perspectives and give women their fair share.
Final Report of the Charlemagne Prize Fellowship 2022 (English)