The Municipality of Bolesławiec, together with six European cities – Bergerac (France), Byala (Bulgaria), Daugavpils (Latvia), Faenza (Italy), Schwäbisch-Gmünd (Germany), and Talavera de la Reina (Spain) – implemented the “Rediscovering Europe by feeling European Citizens again” project from 2018 to 2022 as part of the European Union’s Europe for Citizens programme.
The idea for the project was born in the Italian city of Faenza, which celebrated the 50th anniversary in 2018 of receiving the Europe Prize, awarded to the city in 1968 by the Council of Europe for activities promoting the values of the European community. The project aimed to:
- raise citizens’ and young people’s awareness of European values,
- promote better knowledge of EU institutions and policies, as well as the rights and privileges of citizens of the Community,
- make Europe more understandable and closer to its citizens,
- emphasize the role of youth associations and informal groups working on EU-related issues.
The first part of the project focused on reflecting on how society had changed over the previous 50 years, concentrating on the values that led to the creation of the EU and debating current and future challenges. For this purpose, online surveys and interviews with residents of the cities participating in the project were conducted. The second part of the project concerned a meeting of youth groups, during which discussions and group workshops on the future of Europe were held. A meeting summarizing the project was held in August 2022 in Bolesławiec.
