The aim of IMAGINE Europe project is to decrease the wave of upcoming Eurosceptism and Europhobia in the partner countries by organizing civic debates, discussions, informational campaigns and events on topics which remind us and take us back to the history and the shared values of the EU. The causes of Euroscepticism and the respective consequences were analysed and examined. The project addressed the annual priority of Europe for Citizens Programme – Understanding and Debating Euroscepticism.
The main aims of the project were:
- to foster the democratic and civic participation of the EU citizens via researches, seminars and debates;
- to raise the awareness on European identity and consciousness by provoking the reflection on the common values and history;
- to contribute to the understanding of the existence and the meaning of the EU.
The project sought to identify approaches and concrete solutions to decrease the further growth and influence of the Euroscepticism and Europhobia amongst the EU Member States.
We used the intercultural dialogue as the main tool for mutual understanding amongst the EU citizens to provoke their active participation on the topics of Europhobia and Euroscepticism. People from partner countries had the opportunity to participate actively in the discussions finding diverse methods and tools to overcome the growing Europhobia and Euroscepticism which overwhelms Europe.
To achieve the stated aims in the project we adopted a diverse methodology: research and comparative analysis (questionnaires, focus groups, detailed interviews) to find out the causes for Euroscepticism and Europhobia; national informational campaigns and debates, international seminars and tribune to set the frames and the reasons for the Euroscepticism. Through the intercultural dialogue and transnational cooperation, we hope to have changed negatively the level of Euroscepticism on national and international levels and to have presented the great opportunities and benefits of EU to its citizens.
Activity plan
The project tackled the problems arising from the influence of Europhobia and Euroscepticism on people’s life which requires the usage of a complex and integrated methodology. The project methodology included the following main components: research to investigate the causes of Europhobia and Euroscepticism and their growing impact on European citizens; local information campaigns and debate to spread the results from the research and to share good practices of the EU policies on national and international level; international seminars to announce the results, to raise awareness on the topic and to build upon the produced outcomes; international tribune to present success stories of people living in the EU which will stimulate those who support the Euroscepticism and Europhobia to perceive the good side of the EU policies and the EU itself; online video book to spread all the good practices of successful people who have benefited from the EU on national and international level.
THE RESEARCH The research was done through questionnaires, detailed interviews and focus groups with representatives of all five target groups of the project – young people, representatives from the social, business and educational sector and migrants. When the results from the research were processed, a comparative analysis was developed.
LOCAL EVENTS The local information campaigns and debates were done on national level with the participation of all target groups involved in the project. Each partner chose the format of the events.
INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS At international seminars, formal and informal methods were used such as presentations, discussions, debates, open space, videos, etc. The seminars were used also as a tool for looking for solutions and proposing remedies to problems coming from the Euroscepticism.
INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNE The international turbine presented the best practices identified from the research showing that European policies contribute to better living and personal and professional realization of all EU citizens. The tribune provided the space for interaction between all interested stakeholders on national and international level.
VIDEO BOOK The online video book was developed by recording video interviews and compiling them into a video publication. It was spread through partners’ websites and published in social media.
Regardless of the different social, economic and political development of the partner countries, they all suffer the influence of Europhobia and Euroscepticism. Europe is a home for people coming from different parts of the world of different nationality, culture, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, values, etc. The Europe-wide challenge is to build a common space of peaceful, respectful and tolerant coexistence of all those groups providing them with the “comfort” to live and express free and at the same time to adhere to the principals of common European values. The project identified best practices and success stories to prevent the upcoming wave of problems caused by Euroscepticism.