Bringing together partners and participants from six core EU Member States, CIRENA is conceived within a critical juncture for the European Union, where questions of democratic resilience, citizen engagement, and the future trajectory of European integration are more pressing than ever. CIRENA recognises that contemporary challenges, such as migration management, social fragmentation, and democratic backsliding, demand not only institutional responses, but also a revitalisation of civic agency.

In this context, CIRENA offers a structured and participatory framework aimed at empowering European citizens, particularly those in migration-affected, inland, and receiving regions, to articulate their visions for the future of the Union and actively contribute to shaping Europe’s democratic future. Rather than ending with dialogue alone, CIRENA empowers citizens to produce a concrete, citizen-authored output: the Citizens’ Solidarity Pact, a collective policy vision for a more inclusive, democratic Union.

TARGET GROUPS

The main target audience groups of the project are:

• Citizens from migration-affected, inland, rural, border, and receiving regions across Europe;

• Local communities from frontline migration areas, including the North and South Aegean islands, rural regions in Poland and Germany, and urban receiving centres across Europe;

• Civil society organisations, migrant and refugee associations, youth organisations, volunteer groups, and minority group representatives;

• Local, regional, national, and European policymakers and public authorities.

OBJECTIVES

The project partners work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Foster structured dialogue among citizens on the future of the European Union’s policies and democratic challenges, through listening roundtables, solidarity debates, and participatory consultations;

• Build civic capacities and strengthen EU policy literacy through civic skills workshops and capacity-building activities focused on democratic rights, EU institutional functioning, civic participation, and policy-making processes;

• Co-create the Citizens’ Solidarity Pact, a citizen-authored policy proposal developed collectively through consultations, workshops, storytelling campaigns, and participatory co-creation labs, promoting solidarity, equality, inclusiveness, and democratic participation;

• Develop digital campaigns, dissemination activities, and cross-border civic cooperation initiatives to strengthen democratic resilience, encourage public participation, and promote civic trust and democratic engagement across European societies;

• Strengthen European identity and solidarity by creating opportunities for citizens from different cultural, socio-economic, and regional backgrounds to work together toward shared policy proposals.

IMPACT

The ultimate aim of the project is to strengthen democratic participation and reinforce citizens’ sense of belonging to the European Union by creating sustainable foundations for cross-border democratic cooperation and trust among European citizens.

Through its participatory methodology, the project contributes to policy discussions at local, national, and European levels while ensuring that communities often underrepresented in formal policymaking processes become active contributors to shaping the future of European integration. The project also seeks to generate long-term multiplier effects through the dissemination of the outputs developed, such as the Citizens’ Solidarity Pact and the civic literacy toolkits, designed to be transferable and adaptable across different European contexts and future civic initiatives.

CIRENA ACTIVITIES

The project officially launched with its opening meeting, held on 17 February 2026. The event brought together all project partners, including EAVI, to align on CIRENA’s objectives, participatory methodology, implementation roadmap, coordination mechanisms, and shared civic mission.

In May 2026, EAVI participated in the project’s second event, the Local Communities’ Listening Roundtable in Thessaloniki, Greece. Bringing together participants, citizens, organisations, and stakeholders from across Europe for a day of meaningful dialogue, the event created a participatory space where citizens, local communities, and stakeholders could exchange perspectives, share experiences, and contribute to discussions on building a more democratic, inclusive, and solidarity-based Europe.

EAVI will continue contributing to the project’s upcoming activities, including the next transnational event planned to take place in Łódź, Poland.