By uniting the activities of individual think tanks and NGOs in a campaign, the project channels efforts to strengthen the European project both within and outside of the EU. Workshops bring together NGOs and think tanks from 11 EU member states with the highest levels of enlargement scepticism – France, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Belgium, Slovakia and Portugal (according to Eurobarometer, September 2025) – and from EU candidate countries, enabling them to share challenges and best practices on how to communicate with citizens on EU enlargement. The findings inform the development of a joint strategy and toolkit to improve communication, information-sharing and citizen engagement around EU enlargement to prepare societies for an enlarged EU.
The project is headed by the “Institut für den Donauraum” and funded by the “Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation”.
The CitizEn project addresses the need for
- an informed public debate;
- more citizens’ involvement in the enlargement process to ensure societal readiness for future EU accessions;
- better exchange between think tanks in candidate countries of the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe as well as the EU member states;
The CitizEn project’s objectives are:
- Improved public understanding of EU enlargement in both candidate and member states;
- Enhanced citizens’ participation and reduced misconceptions about enlargement;
- A more informed voting behaviour in the upcoming elections determining the governments of the EU member countries as well as the next European elections;
- Contribution to a stronger, more connected European project in line with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s priorities.
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