Brussels, 21/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 December, the European Commission awarded "Gold Stars of Active European Citizenship" to eight projects, at a ceremony held in Brussels. This ceremony was preceded by a conference on civic participation (volunteering) and the potential effects of this in Europe, ahead of the European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship in 2011. "The projects which we are awarding with Gold Stars today demonstrate the central role European citizens play in the construction of a common European space", said Maroš Šefèoviè, Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth.
Every year, the Gold Stars are awarded in official recognition of projects funded by the "Europe for Citizens" programme, which aims to get the citizens involved in the construction of European integration. Since it was launched in 2007, this programme has seen nearly a million direct participants every year, who take advantage of this opportunity to reflect on their common identity whilst discovering the cultural similarities and differences with citizens from other parts of Europe. With town twinning exchanges, trans-European civil society and remembrance projects, the European programme makes a major contribution to the creation of a European public space and active European citizenship, the Commission stresses. In 2011, the European Year, a political initiative of the European Commission, will be devoted to volunteering, responding to the marked willingness of European civil society organisations to stress the massive potential offered by volunteering. It will also provide a worthy opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteering organised by the United Nations in 2001. (I.L./transl.fl)