During the last years Europe and the European Union have had to deal with many challenges. The Eurozone crisis – its consequences can still be felt today – the crises in the direct neighbourhood, the tensions in migration and asylum policies, shifts in the liberal world order or the observable return to the nation state culminating in the British decision to leave the EU. In such times the two most important things are to look ahead and to give young European citizens a say.
As part of a long-term participatory project #EngagEU aimed at the youth, it was developed the future manifest created by the Berlin Institut für Europäische Politik e.V. together with partner institutions: Center international de formation européenne in Nice, WiseEuropa in Warsaw and Trans European Policy Studies Association in Brussels. The manifesto was issued a few weeks before the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019. The ideas developed are the result of the discussion of over 500 young citizens from over 23 EU member states and the Western Balkans. Participants in the four editions of the # YoungCitizens’FutureLabs workshops were able to discuss, develop and save their ideas and postulates regarding the future of Europe thanks to the European Commission funding from the “Europe for Citizens” Program.