Thoughts, proposals and wishes on the eve of the European elections 2014
"Our idea of Europe” is the manifesto/appeal that Cittadinanzattiva wishes to submit to the attention of the candidates to the European Parliament Elections which will take place in May 2014.
Cittadinanzattiva is a movement of civic participation which embraced the European perspective over 10 years ago when it decided to establish a civic network at Community level to assert through practice an active European citizenship and help position it at the centre the political agenda.
Asserting an active European citizenship means pursuing and sharing the objectives and the values established in the Treaties, from which Cittadinanzattiva has drawn strength for several of its most significant activities undertaken at Community level.
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A. Built on the work of citizens, families and young people

By strengthening the social, economic and monetary context of the Union and adding value to the social economy and to all subjects belonging to the Third Sector

By introducing a European tax on financial transactions to fund social investments

By supporting home ownership through “bridging loan” projects on the model of the Italian Fund to access to financing as first buyers (young couples or one-parent families)

By actively focusing on education and training since these are key steps towards increased awareness by the European active citizens of tomorrow. All this also through a further strengthening of the already existing mobility programmes within the EU

B. Able to prevent, protect and care

By safeguarding protection rights and strengthening those of European citizens as patients, consumers, tax payers, money savers, passengers, workers, students ect.

By working alongside the Member States in the full implementation of the Directive on transnational health care which has defined the guarantees offered to all citizens within the EU in this field

By implementing the rights ratified in the “European Charter of Patients Rights”, with special mention to:

1. The right to preventive measures
2. The right to avoid pain and unnecessary suffering

By further strengthening consumers’ rights in particular at transnational level dealing with the obstacles faced by consumers when claimants, and promoting the development of an effective online system for the solution to controversies 

By ensuring in all EU countries effectiveness of access to justice and the right to defence, without discrimination, by implementing firstly the Directive on legal aid at state expense in criminal proceedings

C. Welcoming and open to participation

By re-launching, with the new European Parliament, the constitutional process through a participatory structure which includes citizens and civil society in order to reduce the democratic deficit plaguing the European Union

By implementing the rights enshrined in the "European Charter of Active Citizenship" which sets out the rights and duties of civic organizations participating in the decision making process related to public policies, as well as the obligations of public institutions

By recognizing that the real practice of consultation needs to be better regulated from the point of view of the when and how and cannot be carried out only by the institutions at zero cost, but reimbursement of costs for all organizations participating must be guaranteed in order to avoid the inevitable discrimination and increase the number of participants

By standardizing the national electoral laws concerning the criteria for the allocation of seats at European level

By nearing Europe to the territories and the suburbs, and vice versa, promoting forms of involvement of civil society through activities - including circulating activities - as those organised at the time of the introduction of the single currency

By combining the widespread use of online communication and the gradual reduction of the digital divide with information-based activities in order to meet the requirements for participation, access, information and protection of a wide range of European citizens

By requiring EUROSTAT to make the collection of data based on the Manual on the Measurement of voluntary work of the ILO mandatory in order to provide data on the economic contribution generated by volunteer work

By developing a legislative proposal at Community level to recommend the granting of voting rights - at least at local and European level - to third-country nationals who are long-term residents, as this action would be a responsible integration factor

By facilitating the Member States to insert within its own system the acquisition of citizenship for "people born in the territory and lawfully and habitually resident there" as laid down in the European Convention on Nationality

By developing a legislative proposal for legal recognition of different meanings and levels of nationalities in order to bring forward a model of inclusive and democratic citizenship which would include also the recognition of the right to be elected by the citizens from third countries

By reforming European policies on immigration and committing to a new culture of hospitality for migrants, respect for human rights and co-development, discarding the perspective of Europe "based on security"

By establishing an ad hoc commission to study/update common EU migration policies

By providing programs at euro-Mediterranean and euro-African levels for humanitarian protection for refugees and asylum seekers who find themselves in transit countries, as well as plans for cooperation for the protection of human rights in the management of migration and asylum policies in those third countries most affected by the passage of migrants towards the EU

D. Helping growth and overcoming poverty

By fighting poverty and inequality, giving equal employment opportunities to all European citizens regardless of gender: young people, women and the disabled*

By supporting Europe's commitment to the development and the fight against poverty worldwide, maintaining economic commitments of 0,7% of GDP, listening to the voices of the civil society dialogue on the post-2015 development agenda

By identifying the most effective practices implemented at European level in order to better study and overcome early school dropout as well as the risk of poverty affecting children and adolescents

By the adoption by the Member States of a European Framework Directive on the adequacy and possible introduction of new schemes and instruments of guaranteed minimum income

By establishing a guarantee  fund for non permanent workers through the granting of loans in times of falling income and harmonizing the systems of social protection and taxation of young citizens by identifying best practices and actions which would support income continuity, with particular attention to the entry into the labour market

By promoting a reform of the financial system more attentive to the needs of citizens and encouraging financial mobility

By revising the system of electronic payments in Europe in order to avoid negative effects both on consumers and on the domestic economy of European citizens

E. Which teaches sustainability, accessibility, compliance with existing resources and common goods

By placing the EU institutions at the forefront in the fight against waste to ban it from any sector and under whatsoever form it could present itself

By investing in information and therefore enabling citizens/consumers to easily compare the information on the use of both goods and services, in order to exercise all the fundamental consumer rights as provided by the European Programme for Consumer Protection 2014-2020. The key objective is to enable consumers to navigate in the complex dynamics of the market and guide their choices towards a greater focus on more sustainable consumption patterns

By encouraging improvements in the safety of products (food and non food) and investing in programmes to increase controls across the European Union

By favouring the affordability and reliability of services in the energy sector, with particular attention to vulnerable groups

By encouraging mobility policies - as well as housing - as sustainable as possible in terms of environmental, social and economic impact. In particular: promoting investment in accessible infrastructures which would enable a quick change for the benefit of less polluting public and private transport; supporting plans for urban mobility, promoting health and safety programmes in travelling on foot and by bike; promoting a progressive cultural change - with adequate information campaigns and with the involvement of civic associations - to influence the choices which guide citizens in meeting their mobility needs

By further facilitating access to public transport for the most vulnerable groups from an economic/social or reduced mobility point of view

By defining procedures for prior consultation of the territories involved in projects with a high environmental impact

By adopting the "European Accessibility Act", a legislative initiative aimed at improving the accessibility of goods and services for people with disabilities and related to the sectors of the built environment, transport, information technology and communication

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