Platform Open2Vote.eu usage analysis
July 28 2024
This report was drafted in the framework of Work Package 2 (WP2) of the MobileCIT project “Inclusive Europe for mobile EU citizens” and responds to “D2.2 Platform Open2Vote usage analysis: Creation of policy brief”. In WP2, the project team conducted a study of Open2Vote users to understand their demographics, voting patterns and the use of the website among different socio-demographic groups. The expected reach of study participants in the project proposal was 80 people but the project team managed to assess a larger number of users (302 valid users).
Discussion topics for the Open2Vote.eu platform
Research report
This report has been carried out in the framework of work package 2 (WP2) focused on research activities in the MobileCIT project “Inclusive Europe for mobile EU citizens” and responds to the deliverable D2.1. The objectives of WP2 are to understand the needs and challenges faced by EU mobile citizens when engaging on EU-level issues. This, to:
● Select the most salient questions to place on the online platform “Open2Vote.eu”;
● Understand the usability of the platform among different socio-demographic target groups (e.g. women/men, young/old).
These discussion topics were published on the Open2Vote.eu platform on the 29th of October 2023. On this platform, mobile EU citizens have a possibility to learn about their rights and opportunities, as well as express their opinions on important EU topics through voting. The issues proposed by citizens and their votes (for or against) on the issues are convened to EU policy makers.
Results of the awareness raising and policy support activities
We established an engagement strategy for effective awareness-raising and policy support process. The strategy defined the approach to grassroots engagement on the Open2Vote platform and with the ETTW member organisations, and how it would be consolidated as a basis for advocacy and, feedback to the target groups. Altogether, during the advocacy phase, we contacted 838 individual policy actors from 13-15 different European Union countries raise awareness of the plight of the EU mobile citizens.
The final MobileCIT project conference
3rd July 2024
The final conference in the framework of the MobileCIT project took place on the 3rd July in Brussels, at the European Economic and Social Committee its 9th Annual Conference on European Citizenship.
The conference was organised just after the European elections held from June 6-9, 2024 and, within this political contest, the conference aimed primarily to reflect on the implications of the elections on the development of EU citizenship, assessing what has been achieved so far while also looking forward to what could be done in the next legislative period. The conference featured discussions and informal brainstorming sessions, building on the wake-up call highlighted in the Conference Background Document prepared by the ECIT Foundation.
Report on the communications campaign to engage mobile citizens in deliberation processes
In order to reach the mobile citizens of Europe who reside outside of their country of citizenship in the framework of the project was organised a communication campaign, that was based on a communication plan and communication strategy.
The main type of communication was as follows: publishing a question (in total – 14) with an invitation to vote.
As a result of the campaign we gathered 302 valid votes on our platform.
Training workshop for informative partners “Latvian expats abroad community”
In the framework of the project, we organised several events – training sessions – for Latvian mobile citizens in other countries of the European Union.
Some of the gatherings were in the Luxembourg on the 9th of December 2023, in the 15th of April 2024 in Brussels and online meeting in the 7th of May 2024.
In each of the meetings we presented the project, its potential outcome and importance to the mobile citizens. In total the meetings involved 35 people.
Training workshop for informative partners “Swedish expats abroad community”
In cooperation with the organisation «Svenskar i Världen / Swedes Worldwide» on the 14th December 2023 was organised the presentation of the project and discussion in the YouTube channel «Livefika» with 31 participants. See the broadcast on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKeIZ-C1Z08)
During the project the project team established closer relations also with another organisation of ex-pats – the community of Romanians in Belgium and their organisation «RomBel». On the 16th April 2024 the project team organised an additional training session for a group of Romanians. In this meeting participated 5 participants.
Training workshop for informative partners “Expat communities living in Brussels”
This event under the name «European Citizenship in the run-up to the European Elections» was organized as an open discussion about the status of the European Citizenship institute following the ECIT Annual Conference on 31 October 2023 to mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of EU Citizenship with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty on 1 November 1993. The aim of the event was to propose how awareness can be raised by focusing on proposals which go to the core of European Citizenship.
While the European Citizenship was the leading theme of the workshop, the workshop was used as a training session for its attendants about the rights and challenges of mobile citizens and about the possibilities to vote about some of the issues on Open2Vote.eu website.
Campaign launching conference
This event marked the official start of MobileCIT project and, at the same time it focused on the political rights of EU citizens at the age starting from 16. An invaluable input to this discussion was provided by the invited group of young Europeans – Austrians and Belgians.
This conference had two main parts:
● Messages to Europe. This discussion focused on the following challenge: how to rise the turnout in EU Parliament elections, especially among such groups of EU citizens as ex-pats (mobile citizens) and younger people. And – what are the main concerns of these groups?
● Messages from Europe. In this part of the event, we focused on the discussion of the members of European Parliament about the current state of the European Citizenship institution, the electoral rights and related issues.
Event took part in the Press Club, 95 Rue Froissart, Brussels and there were 80 participants.
The pledge about the inclusion of mobile citizens
A call to the current and future European Parliament members about the inclusion of EU mobile citizens in the democratic processes.
The issue
Mobile EU citizens settling in another Member State need support to ease their democratic inclusion in the host society. Currently, support is often made available to third-country nationals and mobile EU citizens as a specific group often lack sufficient support. We aim to strengthen instruments for mobile EU citizens and expats to engage in EU political life on an everyday basis
The project targets mobile EU citizens and expats, helping to address the systemic underrepresentation of their views and low levels of democratic participation at national and EU levels.
Project supports and proactively encourages democratic participation of✔️ Mobile citizens, i.e. EU nationals residing in another European country,
✔️ Under-represented groups, including young and senior European expats,
✔️ EU level policymakers.
Our practical solution will be implemented through the Partner’s network in communities of our focus: Latvian expats abroad, Swedish expats abroad, expat communities living in Brussels. This bottom-up approach will ensure wide geographical coverage of member states and bring high value for further EU level engagement.
Three essential project elements
1. Understanding the needs and challenges faced by EU mobile citizens when engaging on EU-level issues
in order to select suitable topics of discussion.
2. Engaging mobile citizens in deliberation processes. Establishing a practical tool at the
Open2Vote platform for EU mobile citizens to learn about their rights and opportunities as well as
practically engage in deliberation processes (expressing their opinions and attitudes on important topics
through voting).
3. Improve the representation of the interests of mobile EU citizens by awareness raising among EU
public authorities. Considerable benefits from the practical engagement of target groups - project
will ensure valuable results - data on people’s attitudes towards certain questions that will be asked to
them using Open2Vote.eu platform. These results must be used further in communication with EU institutions
and integrated in lobbying processes.
Project partners
“Foundation of Public Participation” or organisation
MyVoice, Latvia. Grassroots NGO working in the field of civic digital participation and
public engagement. Develops digital tools for better civic participation.
Europeans Throughout the World, Belgium. Umbrella
organisation gathering Civil society organizations uniting mobile Europeans and engaged in civic interest
representation vis-a-vis EU institutional stakeholders.
Open Knowledge Sweden, Sweden. Works with the
community in the areas of open knowledge, civic participation and open data. Carries out research and
policy-related work.
The ECIT Foundation-European Citizen’s rights, Involvement and
Trust, Belgium. Youth-driven think tank that focuses on issues relating to European
citizenship issues, works with a range of different stakeholders to ensure European citizenship becomes more
than the sum of its parts.
Project period: November 2022 - April 2024
