24 June 2022

Publication | #meetEU Moving EuropE Together conclusions

Moving EuropE Together (MEET) was an ambitious project to ensure EU citizens get a seat at the table in the debate on the future of the European Union. Funded by the European Parliament and King Baudouin Foundation, set up by a network of civil society organisations across eight member states and coordinated by the European Policy Centre, MEET ran alongside and interact with the Conference on the Future of Europe, connecting people, ideas and policies across borders.



“People need to be at the very centre of all our policies. My wish is therefore that all Europeans will actively contribute to the Conference on the Future of Europe and play a leading role in setting the European Union’s priorities. It is only together that we can build our Union of tomorrow.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission


Dozens of Romanian citizens were involved in the two Local Agoras and the national event organised under the framework of this project: young people, students, youth workers, teachers, all having the same thing in common: the desire to be active citizens.

Read below the conclusions of the project and citizen recommendations on the topics of green economy and digital transformation, available both in Romanian and in English!

The last event in the series, hosted by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Romania, in Bucharest, on the 17th of June,  helped draw a series of conclusions, with the support of young people all over Romania, including our partners in Câmpina (see HERE how their experience was). 

Problem: Education- lack of digital skills

Possible solutions proposed by the working groups: 

• free training courses for teachers
• free training courses for the elderly administered by NGOs and government programs
• teaching manual update
• collaboration between generations - young people to participate in the training of older people
• mobile training caravan for disadvantaged areas
• use of digital textbooks with icloud back-up
• investment in equipment (IT, laboratories, etc.)
• encouraging young IT people to participate in the digitization of public institutions
• private companies to offer internships for young people who want to acquire specific skills
• educational and engaging tutorials for using a wide range of programs and applications (and promoting them on social media)
• ensuring free access to devices in vulnerable areas
• dedicated funds for equipping schools and families in vulnerable areas with digital resources
• national raising awareness campaigns on the importance of digital skills
• compliance with European digitization standards


Problem- Lack of policy body will for a national wide digitizations

Possible solutions proposed by the working groups
  • encouraging young people to get involved in politics through information programs explaining what this involvement means
  • official hearings at the territory offices of parliamentarians
  • minimum IT knowledge requirements for employment in the state apparatus / qualified staff in ministries and related institutions
  • pressure from civil society for digitization 
  • knowing the advantages of digitalization in public institutions
  • digital protests (podcasts, e-mails, messages, posts) and media campaigns
  • annual reports and studies in the territory on the stage / level of implementation of digitization policies and the imposition of sanctions where appropriate, and the results to be presented in the media.
  • Funds dedicated to digitization
  • Encouraging private institutions to get involved in digitization at the national level

Problem- lack of digitalization in public institutions

Possible solutions proposed by the working groups:

  • Implementation of the digital signature for all documents
  • Creating a platform of jobs and training opportunities
  • Allocation of funds for technical-digital support
  • Implementation of a digitized infrastructure
  • information and education campaigns on the existence of platforms in public institutions
  • Creating a unitary framework for the efficient use and access of existing digital solutions of public institutions so that they are easy to be recognized and used
  • Involvement of young people (pupils, students) from the technical profile to create friendly / accessible content on social platforms
  • Several internship positions within state institutions to promote digitalization
  • Setting digital standards adapted to each state institution
  • Creating an undergraduate and master's educational program for the digitization of public institutions


Problem: Education- lack of environmental education in schools

Possible solutions proposed by the working groups:

  • extracurricular and volunteering activities on relevant topics
  • ecological educational caravan (mobile, on wheels) that goes especially in rural areas
  • approaching the subject in social media (through the pages of NGOs or influencers)
  • the introduction of Ecology as a compulsory subject in the school curriculum starting with the primary classes
  • training teachers for this topic
  • encouraging young people to volunteer for the environment
  • internship programs at rural town halls and promoting their results on social media
  • Erasmus + mobility and job shaddowing opportunities in the field to inspire young people to respect nature
  • practical ecological activities (combined with other subjects - geography, sports)
  • rewarding actions beneficial to the environment
  • the intervention of the authorities in a more serious way
  • campaigns to explain the consequences of an environmentally harmful attitude (both biologically and legally)

Problem- Lack of green education/culture

Possible solutions proposed by the working groups:

  • Dedicated educational program starting with kindergarten
  • Taxation of cars according to the level of pollution
  • Encouraging the use of a single car for several passengers (special permit for families with several children to be able to use only one car for family trips)
  • Centralization of ecological norms
  •  National information and raising awareness campaign
  • Tougher sanctions for those who do not comply with the law
  • More recycling spots
  • Stimulating demand for eco-friendly products through lower taxes
  • Government-supported private environment to apply green culture-specific projects
  • All new constructions must be net zero
  • Teachers should be educated in this regard

Problem- Inadequate national strategy and public policies in the field of the green economy

Possible solutions proposed by the working groups:

  • Debate in local councils on the implementation of rules prohibiting the use of cars in central / green areas at certain time intervals
  • Allocate a larger budget for landscaping and maintenance
  • Several public electric charging stations
  • Design of several pedestrian areas
  • National information campaigns through social media / specially designed caravans
  • Public consultations and debates on the conclusions of which to base future policies
  • Transition to renewable energy
  • Combating public disinterest through tougher sanctions that are constantly applied
  • Charging a fee for each plastic container, in the form of a deposit which would be returned when the container is recycled
  • Switching to electric / hybrid public transport
  • Volunteering in order to involve the population in relevant actions in this matter
  • Supporting green parties
  • Addressing renewable hydrogen as a solution to decarbonise the EU

Published in June 2022 | Read all the conclusions here 

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