This publication has been realized with the financial support of the European Commission (Erasmus + Programme). It reflects the views only of the author, and the European Commission and the National Agency for Erasmus + Programme are not responsible for the information contained therein.
Organizer:
Fundacja Aktywni w Europie (Poland)
Partners:
Fatih Anadolu Lisesi (Turkey)
Pokhara (Spain)
Vilaviskio R. Graziskiu Gimnazija (Lithuania)
Between the 27th of February and the 7th of March 2023, we organized the international project "Democrazzzy". The project was cofinanced under the Erasmus+ programme.
Representatives of the Fundacja Aktywni w Europie from Poland, Fatih Anadolu Lisesi from Turkey, Pokhara from Spain, and Vilaviskio R. Graziskiu Gimnazija from Lithuania took part in the international youth exchange.
The meeting took place in Wisła and was attended by a total of 40 people. Each national group consisted of 9 participants and a leader.
The project aimed to raise awareness that the exercise of civil rights allows us to influence important social issues in our lives; among others how important it is to participate in elections at various levels and choose people who meet our expectations and are credible and worthy of holding public office, as well as supporting the process of building a civil society.
Participants began their activities as part of the “Democrazzzy” youth exchange by identifying their fears and expectations, creating rules for youth exchange, as well as conducting many creative games and activities, thanks to which they could get to know each other better, integrate as a team and create a friendly and supportive effective working atmosphere.
During classes devoted to the main subject of the “Democrazzzy” project, young people, among others:
– broadened their knowledge of the history of democracy and familiarized themselves with basic democratic concepts;
– discussed their role in the democratic world;
– raised their awareness of attitudes and civil liberties;
– during the meeting with representatives of the MEPs' Office, they deepened their knowledge of the functioning of the European Parliament and the tasks and duties of MEPs;
The international project contributed to the expansion of key competencies by the participants, thanks to which they became more aware citizens, aware of their rights and obligations, as well as more entrepreneurial, creative, and ready for social activity young people. During the youth exchange "Democrazzzy", participants had the opportunity to take part in a city game in Bielsko-Biała, as well as meet representatives of the Youth City Council. During the meeting, young people not only presented their activities carried out during the project but also got acquainted with the activities of MRM and started a joint discussion on the role of young people in democracy. Participants also created graffiti to promote civic activity and conducted the "Active means better" happening in Wisła. National evenings, prepared by the participants of the international meeting, were a traditional point of youth exchange.
Each team presented its country, traditions, and customs in a creative and interesting way. Thanks to the national evenings, the participants of the youth exchange deepened their knowledge about the cultures of the countries of the partner organizations, broadened their horizons, and became more open and tolerant.
The Youth Exchange “Democrazzzy” ended with an evaluation of the international meeting, during which the participants assessed its individual elements and what they learned during the few days spent together. Each of the participants received a Youthpass certificate - as confirmation of participation in the project. The international project was an opportunity for everyone to broaden their competencies and interests, and for many people, it was also their first experience in an international environment.
History of democracy
The history of democracy traces back from its origins in the ancient world to its reemergence and rise from the 17th century to the present day.
Ancient Sumer
The Sumerian city-states are believed to have had some form of Democratic setup initially. They became monarchies over time.
Ancient India
One of the earliest instances of democracy in civilization was found in republics in ancient India, which were established sometime before the 6th century BC, and prior to the birth of Gautama Buddha. These republics were known as Maha Janapadas, and among these states, Vaishali (in what is now Bihar, India) was the world's first republic. The democratic Sangha, Gana, and Panchayat systems were used in some of these republics; the Panchayat system is still used today in Indian villages.
Later during the time of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, the Greeks wrote about the Sabarcae and Sambastai states in what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan, whose "form of government was democratic and not regal" according to Greek scholars at the time. Another example was Gopala's rise to power by the democratic election in Bengal, which was documented by the Tibetan historian Taranath.
Ancient Greece
Athens is among the first recorded and one of the most important democracies in ancient times; the word "democracy" was invented by Athenians in order to define their system of government, around 508 BC. In the next generation, Ephialtes of Athens had a law passed severely limiting the powers of the Council of the Areopagus, which deprived the Athenian nobility of their special powers.
Athenian democracy was based on the selection of officials by lot, and decisions in other cases by majority rule.
The assembly of all male citizens in Athens voted on decisions directly. Elected officials did not determine decisions — giving decision-making power to elected officials was considered by the ancient Athenians to take away the power of the people, effectively making the state an oligarchy. Democracy had the meaning of equality in decisions and of elections in decisions, not the election of persons charged to decide.
Few checks on or limits to the power of the assembly existed, with the notable exception of the graphe paranomon, which made it illegal to pass a law that was contrary to another. One of the reasons why this system was feasible was because of the relatively small population of Athens, by modern standards — only 300,000 people. Additionally, there were severe restrictions that dictated who had the right to participate as a citizen, which excluded over half of the total population.
Citizenship rights were limited strictly to male, adult, non-slave Athenians of citizen descent. Therefore, women, children, slaves, foreigners, and resident aliens — groups that together made up a majority of the city's population — had no right to participate in the assembly. On the other hand, modern democracy has its own limitations in comparison to the ancient model, as most citizens' participation is limited to voting, voting itself is usually limited to once every several years, and voters merely get to choose their representatives in the legislative or executive branches, and it is those representatives, not the voters themselves, who have the power to decide in matters of state. Pay for political service was a democratic principle, though which forms of service were covered changed over time. In contrast to the professional wages paid to politicians and public servants under modern democracies, this pay was low, about as much as a man could earn doing unskilled manual labor.
That is to say, it was aligned with the earning power of the very poorest citizens and intended only to cover what they might otherwise have earned during the days or parts of days they gave over to political service. During the golden age of classical Athens, in the 5th century BC, when it was the hegemon of the Greek city-states, the Athenians encouraged democracy abroad. This led to the adoption of democratic or quasidemocratic forms of government in several of Athens' allies and dependent states. However, in the 5th century BC, the Peloponnesian War saw the Greek world divided between an alliance led by Athens and a rival coalition led by Sparta. The Spartans won and democracy was abolished in all the Greek city-states which had adopted it. The Athenians themselves restored their democracy in less than a year but were no longer in a position to promote it abroad.
Hundreds of other Greek cities were at one time or another democratic, but information on how their systems worked is scanty. Many will have followed the Athenian lead; Chios appears to have had democratic institutions by 575 BC, earlier than their functioning existence in Athens. Aristotle in the discussions in his Politics of the different kinds of democracies speaks of systems where the people vote only on the election of officeholders, but have no direct say themselves either on legislation or executive decisions. This would seem to be a form of representative democracy.
Roman Republic - Birth of the Republic
The traditional founding of Rome was in 753 BC. The Etruscans, early Italian settlers comprised of city-states throughout central Italy ruled Rome for over a century; the traditional dates are 616 BC for the accession of the first Etruscan King, Tarquinius Priscus, and 510 BC for the expulsion of the last king, Tarquinius Superbus.
The king was expelled by a group of aristocrats led by Lucius Junius Brutus. The Tarquins were expelled from Rome, and a constitution was devised, whereby power rested in the hands of the Roman senate, who delegated executive power to a pair of consuls who were elected from among their number to serve for one year.
The founding of the Republic did not mark the end of Roman troubles, since the new constitution was not flawless and there remained powerful external enemies. Internally, one serious threat was the internecine feuding of the leading families. Another was the struggle between the leading families(patricians) as a whole and the rest of the population, especially the plebeians. After years of conflicts, the plebs forced the senate to pass a written series of laws(the Twelve Tables) that recognized certain rights and gave the plebs their own representatives, the tribunes. By the 4th Century BC, the plebs were given the right to stand for a consulship and other major offices of the state.
Rome became the ruler of a great Mediterranean empire. The new provinces brought wealth to Italy, and fortunes were made through mineral concessions and enormous slave-run estates. Slaves were imported to Italy and wealthy landowners soon began to buy up and displace the original peasant farmers. By the late 2nd Century this led to renewed conflict between the rich and poor and demands from the latter for reform of the constitution. The background of social unease and the inability of the traditional republican constitutions to adapt to the needs of the growing empire led to the rise of a series of over-mighty generals, championing the cause of either the rich or the poor, in the last century BC. Fall of the Republic
The beginning of the end of the Republic came when the brothers Gracchus challenged the traditional constitutional order in the 130s and 120s BC. Though members of the aristocracy themselves, they sought to parcel out public land to the dispossessed Italian peasant farmers.
Other measures followed, but many senators feared Gracchi's policy and both brothers met violent deaths. The next champion of the people was the great general Gaius Marius, He departed from established practice by recruiting his soldiers not only from landed citizens but from landless citizens, including the growing urban proletariat. These were people when the wars were overlooked to their commander for a more permanent reward in the shape of a land of their own. Thus the situation developed where commanders and their armies banded together in pursuit of political objectives, the commanders seeking power and the soldiers' rewards.
The temporary ascendancy achieved by Marius was eclipsed by that of Sulla in the 80s BC. Sulla marched on Rome after his command of the Roman invasion force that was to invade Pontus was transferred to Sulla's rival Marius. Leaving Rome damaged and terrorized, Sulla retook command of the Eastern army and after placing loyal puppets to the consul he marched for the conquest of Pontus.
When Sulla returned to Rome, there was opposition to his rule by those loyal to Marius and his followers. Sulla, with the aid of a young Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) and Marcus Licinius Crassus, quelled the political opposition and had himself made dictator of Rome. Sulla was a staunch proponent of aristocratic privilege, and his short-lived monarchy saw the repeal of pro-popular legislation and condemnation, usually without trial, of thousands of his enemies to violent deaths and exile. After Sulla's death, democracy was more or less restored under Pompey the Great. Despite his popularity, he was faced with two astute political opponents: the immensely wealthy Crassus and Julius Caesar. Rather than coming to blows, the three men reached a political accommodation now known as the First Triumvirate. Caesar was awarded governor of two Gallic provinces. He embarked on a campaign of conquest, the Gallic War, which resulted in a huge accession of new territory and vast wealth not to mention an extremely battle-hardened army after 8 years of fighting the Gauls.
In 50 BC Caesar was recalled to Rome to disband his legions and was put on trial for his illegal war crimes. Caesar, not able to accept this insult after his fantastic conquest, crossed the Rubicon with his loyal Roman legions in 49 BC. Caesar was considered an enemy and traitor of Rome, and he was now matched against the Senate, led by Pompey the Great. This led to a violent Civil War between Caesar and the Republic. The senators and Pompey were no match for Caesar and his veteran legions and this culminated in the Battle of Pharsalus, where Caesar, although outnumbered, destroyed Pompey's legions.
Pompey, who had fled to Egypt, was murdered and beheaded. Finally, Caesar took supreme power and was appointed Dictator for life over the Roman Republic. Caesar's career was cut short by his assassination at Rome in 44 BC by Marcus Junius
Brutus, the descendant of the Brutus who expelled the Etruscan King four and half centuries before. In 27 BC Octavian, Caesar's adoptive son, was granted the title Augustus by the Senate, making him the first official emperor of Rome.
The Roman Republic of the senate and the people came to an end and thus began the age of the Emperors. The Roman Empire expanded and lasted until its fall in 476 AD.
Local popular institutions
Most of the procedures used by modern democracies are very old. Almost all cultures have at some time had their new leaders approved, or at least accepted, by the people; and have changed the laws only after consultation with the assembly of the people or their leaders. Such institutions existed since before the Iliad or the Odyssey, and modern democracies are often derived or inspired by them, or what remained of them. Nevertheless, the direct result of these institutions was not always a democracy. It was often a narrow oligarchy, as in Venice, or even an absolute monarchy, as in Florence. These early institutions include:
- The panchayats in India
- The German tribal system described by Tacitus in his Germania.
- The Frankish custom of the Marzfeld or "March field".
- The Althing, the "parliament" of the Icelandic Commonwealth, was founded in 930. It consisted of the 39, later 55; and membership, which could in principle be lent or sold, was kept tight hold of by each hereditary. Thus, for example, when Burnt Njal's stepson wanted to enter it, Njal had to persuade the Althing to enlarge itself so a seat would be available. The Althing was preceded by less elaborate " things" all over Northern Europe.
- The tuatha system in early medieval Ireland.
Landowners and the masters of a profession or craft were members of a local assembly, known as a tuath. The members of a tuath were of common descent, although outsiders could be adopted. Each tuath met in an annual assembly that approved all common policies, declared war or peace on other tuatha, and accepted the election of a new "king"; normally during the old king's lifetime, as a tanist. The new king had to be descended within four generations from a previous king, so this usually became, in practice, a hereditary kingship; although some kingships alternated between lines of cousins.
About 80 to 100 tuatha coexisted at any time throughout Ireland. Each tuath controlled a more or less compact area of land which it could pretty much defend from cattle raids, and this was divided among its members.
- The city-states of medieval Italy, of which Venice and Florence were the most successful, and similar city-states in Switzerland, Flanders, and the Hanseatic league. These were often closer to an oligarchy than a democracy in practice, and were, in any case, not nearly as democratic as the Athenian-influenced city-states of Ancient Greece (discussed in the above section), but they served as focal points for early modern democracy.
- Veche, Wiec - popular assemblies in Slavic countries. In Poland wiece have developed in 1182
into Sejm - Polish parliament. The veche was the highest legislature and judicial authority in the republics of Novgorod until 1478 and Pskov until 1510.
- Rise of parliamentary bodies in other European countries.
- The Frankish custom of the Marzfeld or "March field".
- The Althing, the "parliament" of the Icelandic Commonwealth, was founded in 930. It consisted of the 39, later 55; and membership, which could in principle be lent or sold, was kept tight hold of by each hereditary. Thus, for example, when Burnt Njal's stepson wanted to enter it, Njal had to persuade the Althing to enlarge itself so a seat would be available. The Althing was preceded by less elaborate " things" all over Northern Europe.
- The tuatha system in early medieval Ireland.
Landowners and the masters of a profession or craft were members of a local assembly, known as a tuath. The members of a tuath were of common descent, although outsiders could be adopted. Each tuath met in an annual assembly that approved all common policies, declared war or peace on other tuatha, and accepted the election of a new "king"; normally during the old king's lifetime, as a tanist. The new king had to be descended within four generations from a previous king, so this usually became, in practice, a hereditary kingship; although some kingships alternated between lines of cousins.
Their emphasis on art and the senses marked a great change from the medieval values of humility, introspection, and passivity. The humanist philosophers looked for secular principles on which society could be organized, as opposed to the concentration of political power in the hands of the Church. Prior to the Renaissance, religion had been the dominant force in politics for a thousand years. Humanists looked at ancient Greece and found the concept of democracy. In some cases they began to implement it in practice:
- Introduction of the idea that powerholders are responsible to an electorate — Simon de Montfort (1265)
- Rise of Golden Liberty in the Kingdom of Poland and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: Nihil novi of 1505, Pacta conventa and King Henry's Articles (1573). See also: Szlachta history and political privileges, Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Organisation and politics of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Magna Carta (1215) limiting
First elected parliament (12 1651), Habeas Corpus Act (1 Scottish Claim of Right (168 listed in the Constitution of th Parliament of the United King
- William Penn wrote h Pennsylvania in 1682. The representative legislature and colony's citizens.
Eighteenth and nineteenth-ce
- 1755: The Corsican Republi Corsican Constitution
- 1760s-1790s Americans develop and apply concept of Republicanism; basis of American Revolution
- 1780s: development of social movements identifying themselves with the term 'democracy': Political clashes between 'aristocrats' and 'democrats' in Benelux countries changed the semi-negative meaning of the word 'democracy' in Europe, which was until then regarded as synonymous with anarchy, into a much more positive opposite of 'aristocracy'.
party names; party loyalty; party platform (Jefferson 1799); peaceful transition between parties (1800)
- Early 19th century: in Europe the rise of political parties competing for votes.
- Extension of political rights to various social classes: elimination of wealth, property, sex, race, and similar requirements for voting (See also universal suffrage).
- 1850s: introduction of the secret ballot in Australia; 1890 in USA
20th-century waves of democracy
The end of the First World War was a temporary victory for democracy in Europe, as it was preserved in France and temporarily extended to Germany. Already in 1906 full modern democratic rights, and universal suffrage for all citizens have implemented constitutionally in Finland as well as a proportional representation, open list system. Likewise, the February Revolution in Russia in 1917 inaugurated a few months of liberal democracy under Alexander Kerensky until Lenin took over in October. The terrific economic impact of the Great Depression hurt democratic forces in many countries. The 1930s became a decade of dictators in Europe and Latin America. World War II was ultimately a victory for democracy in Western Europe, where representative governments were established that reflected the general will of their citizens. However, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe became undemocratic Soviet satellite states. In Southern Europe, a number of right-wing authoritarian dictatorships (most notably in Spain and Portugal) continued to exist.
Japan had moved towards democracy during the Taishō period during the 1920s, but it was under effective military rule in the years before and during World War II. The country adopted a new constitution during the postwar Allied occupation, with initial elections in 1946. India became a democratic republic in 1950 on achieving independence from Great Britain. A process of decolonization created much political upheaval in Africa, with some countries experiencing often rapid changes to and from democratic and other forms of government. In Southeast Asia, political divisions in both Korea and Vietnam would escalate into wars with heavy involvement from the West, China, and the Soviet Union. New waves of democracy swept across Europe in the 1970s and late 1980s, when representative governments were instituted in the nations of Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe respectively.
South Korea, and some notably Lebanon and the P towards greater liberal dem 2000s.An analysis by Freed was not a single liberal suffrage in the world in 19 of the world's 192 nati democracies. They count 2 world's nations with "restric 1900 and 16, or 8% of the counted 19 constitutional m
14% of the world's nati limited the powers of the monarch, and with some power devolved to elected legislatures, and none in the present. Other nations had, and have, various forms of non-democratic rule. While the specifics may be open to debate (for example, New Zealand actually enacted universal suffrage in 1893, but is discounted due to a lack of complete sovereignty and certain restrictions on the Māori vote), the numbers are indicative of the expansion of democracy during the twentieth century.
- to organize excursions for students;
- to parliament and city councils;
- to prepare presentations about the development of democracy on history classes at schools place every 4 years;
- to create youth councils and become members of those councils;
- to encourage to be a volunteer;
- to create some educational games;
- to become a member of NGOs and gain valuable experience there;
- to organize meetings, conferences and debates with politicians;
-
to be aware of the influence of the individual and the collective problem solving;
- to clarify mutual expectations (about the processes);
- to organize workshops at schools;
- to talk to people from ministers about their job and work experience;
- to organize meetings in departmental and discuss main problems;
PROS AND CONS OF DEMOCRACY
P R O S
- people feel free and can express themselves
- democracy promotes a sense of involvement
- freedom of speech
- democracy imposes equality
- everybody is equal
- democracy protects the people
- people can decide who they are voting for
- freedom of religions and beliefs
- tolerance
- political stability
- every single vote matters and has the same weight
- free market
- freedom of media and press
- access to information
- open borders
- respect civil and political rights
- decentralization of power
- prevent exploitation of the people
- democracy is the most liberal
- a form of ruling a country
- respect for the private property
- influence on politics
- politics are controlled by citizens
- the possibility of an appeal
- open elections
- autonomy
- populism
- possibility unemployment
- possiblity extremism
- a slower process in the government
- poor leadership
- the minority has no power
- democracy allows mob influence
- it might experience election fraud
- misplaced trust
- may encourage representatives to be deceptive
- conflicts between politicians
- lack of justice
- people without a proper education may not make correct decisions about some specific
- topics related to democratic issues
- bureaucracy
- promoting promises which will not be fulfilled
- material inequality
- financial problems of the state
- conflicts between citizens
- possibility corruption
HOW TO IMPROVE OUR DEMOCRACY
- accounting new government from its promises
- switch bureaucracy to an electronic system
- to fight corruption
- to abolish social funding of political parties
- to cancel salary of politicians
- defending the freedom of speech
- to organize social movements
- to abolish the election threshold
- to change non-direct democracy to district one
- one-way electoral districts
- remove the immunity of politicians
- decrease the dependence on politicians according to political parties
- to abolish state tribunal
- decreasing dependents according to other countries
- to remove parties' privileges
- more independence for the districts
- more social projects
- more referendums
- voters should be educated about
- the issues they vote on and about
- candidates who they vote for
- candidates before serving to the country should pass an exam to show the basic competencies required in the future work
- law should be simplified, summarized, and understandable for all citizens
- courts should be simplified. Judges and lawyers should remember that the most important aspect of court is justice
- to avoid populistic decisions
- on-line elections
- balance access and integrity in elections
- money shall be taken out of politics by prohibiting all commercials, door knocking, polling, mass mailing, political signs
- people shall be left alone in their decisions about whether and how to vote
EUROPEAN VALUES
WHAT ARE VALUES?
- Important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable.
- Values have a major influence on a person ' s behavior and attitude and serve as broad guidelines in all situations.
DEMOCRACY
- democracy is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament.
- all countries in Europe have a democratic system. We have the freedom to vote.
LIBERTY
-
in philosophy, involves free will;
- in politics, consists of the social and political freedoms to which all community members are entitled;
- the ability to do as one will and what one has the power to do;
- the exercise of liberty is limited by the rights of others;
TOLERANCE
- tolerance is the acceptance of an action, object, or a person which one dislikes or disagrees with, where one is in a position to disallow it but chooses not to.
- historically, most incidents, and writings – are related to a state religion.
- in the twentieth century and after - including political and ethnic groups, LGBT individuals, and other minorities.
SOCIAL EQUALITY
- is a state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group has the same status in certain respects, including civil rights, freedom of speech, property rights, and equal access to certain social goods and services.
- however, it also includes concepts of health equality, economic equality, and other social securities.
- it also includes equal opportunities and obligations, and so involves the whole of society.
- for example, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, origin, caste or class, income or property, language, religion, convictions, opinions, health, or disability must not result in unequal treatment under the law and should not reduce opportunities unjustifiably.
HUMAN RIGHTS
- human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behavior and are regularly protected as legal rights in municipal and international law.
- they are commonly understood as –everyone has human rights as human beings, no matter their nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin, or any other status.
JUSTICE
- justice is the legal or philosophical theory by which fairness is administered. The concept of justice differs in every culture.
- an early theory of justice was set out by the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato argued that justice was issued from God.
- in the 17th century, John Locke argued for the theory of natural law.
-
justice - punishment for wrongdoing.
- justice - focuses on restoring what is good, and necessarily focuses on the needs of victims and offenders.
CHRISTIANITY
- religion in the European Union - most of the population living in the EU are Christians (70%).
- love of God and of neighbor (including enemies)
- leaving man the right to choose his own way
- giving an example of a living honest, telling the truth,
- overcoming his own fear, and weakness, perfecting himself even if it cost a lot
LEGAL STATE
- governmental power is limited by the law, to protect citizens from the arbitrary exercise of authority.
- the citizens could benefit from civil liberties and can use the courts.
- a country cannot be a liberal democracy without being a „legal state”.
- the EU has some of the world's highest environmental standards. Environment policy helps green the EU economy, protects nature and safeguards the health and quality of life of people living in the EU.
- Europe is working to safeguard these natural resources and halt the decline of endangered species and habitats.
- Natura 2000 is a network of 26,000 protected natural areas, covering almost 20% of the EU's land mass, where sustainable human activities can coexist with rare and vulnerable species and habitats.
Citizen - civic attitudes
A citizen is a person formally belonging to a given country, i.e. having certain rights in it, but also civic obligations (the state also has certain rights and obligations towards its citizen). It is very difficult to define exactly what a good citizen should be characterized by, but one can list attitudes that can be called "civic", i.e. attitudes that can serve as an example for the rest of society. One of the most important features is honesty
- not only towards people closest to us, but also towards all citizens, as well as the authorities. A good state can only be created with the help of honest citizens who will be able to care for the good of the nation as well as for personal good. The society should also be very active, because not only the authorities can make changes, but also individual individuals. But above all, they must believe that it is achievable.
We can make our activity more effective through active or passive participation in elections, involvement in the activities of non-governmental organizations or helping as volunteers. Citizens should be aware of their rights, but also fulfill their obligations. They must feel an emotional bond with the nation, because this will help them identify with it and - further - take better care of the common good of the homeland. They should be open to changes, but it is important for them to be able to look at the surrounding reality with a certain amount of criticism - for example, not to take for granted all the information they receive from the media.
A good citizen should be tolerant. In order to live in society, it is necessary to work out certain compromises, to accept all differences. A nation is a collection of individuals who, through their diversity, form a complete, well-organized society.
People should strive for the ideal, because only by changing ourselves, we are able to make significant changes in the whole society, which should become better and better.
Civic courage is also highly valued these days – everyone should know that there are consequences behind certain actions. We should watch our words and take responsibility for them. We are all human and we make mistakes and we should be able to admit them. Good citizens notice the problems of the community, the needs of other people, show a willingness to help and interest in the reality that surrounds us.
The best way to see a good citizen is to look at his actions. The above-mentioned behaviors should be guideposts for each of us, as only good and enlightened citizens can create a good and enlightened state.
Civic participation
The concept of civic participation should be understood as a process during which citizens of a given country gain influence and control over the decisions of public authorities. This is the case when these decisions may have a direct or indirect impact on their interests.
Civic participation concerns the relationship between representatives of the authorities and citizens. It differs from traditional participation in elections. Participation is active participation in events that directly concern a given individual. It manifests itself in the ability to speak out and the ability to participate in activities and make decisions. The basis is the recognition of the legality of the elected authority and partnership in the field of groups and organizations of residents. By assumption, the participation of citizens in governing a democratic state should not be based solely on participation in elections.
Civic participation can take various forms, taking into account the degree of involvement of the individual in relation to the decisions made. The simplest form of participation is informing. This process involves citizens to the least extent and consists in providing information by state authorities about decisions that affect them. The lack of activity of citizens in this aspect, the authorities take action, while the role of the citizen comes down to being a passive recipient.
The consultation phase, on the other hand, is based on increased citizen participation. In the course of the activities, the authorities allow citizens to express their views on the planned activities. There is a function of "advisors", i.e. people participating in consultations, and answering questions in the thematic scope of a given case. They can also form their own opinions on certain issues. Citizens' voices will not necessarily be taken into account, although the process of listening to citizens and considering their voices is underway.
This is a very popular form of civic participation. However, its highest degree is co-determination. The basic assumption of this form of civic participation is the level of partnership between the authorities and the society. This mainly consists in transferring to citizens some scope of competence and responsibility for decisions and actions taken. In this case, citizens have a real influence on these activities. There are no restrictions on participation, it is allowed for everyone. However, a participatory citizen should be guided by a specific goal that he would like to achieve. It often happens that the role of the initiator is taken over by non-governmental organizations, which also act as an intermediary between the authorities and citizens. Techniques and forms in the participation process are very diverse, and innovative solutions in this field are constantly emerging. Civic participation is primarily aimed at supporting the development of local democracy by strengthening civic initiatives and integrating various local communities by undertaking joint actions.
It is also a solution when it is impossible to express an opinion on a specific topic - it is a kind of forum where you can express your opinion. On its pages, you can look for compromises in the event of conflicts. The scope of issues subject to civic participation includes spatial planning, communication, ecology, security and unemployment. Civic initiatives, civic activities, civic activity
Democratic political systems are conducive to the independent activity of individuals, their organization into various associations, and undertaking activities aimed at achieving the common good. The protection of civil liberties and rights (mainly freedom of speech and association) and enabling people to undertake various civic initiatives contribute to this.
It is worth noting, however, that democratic procedures alone are not enough for citizens to become active. Depending on numerous historical or cultural factors in a given country, attitudes may develop that are not conducive to social activity.
Citizen participation in public life can take place in various ways. One of them are social movements, which are a collective form of people's activity, striving to achieve the intended goal or social change. Social movements are activities broader than individual organizations, movements are a grouping of organizations and their joint operation, and their examples are all ecological movements, movements fighting poverty and hunger in various parts of the world, and animal protection movements. Another way of human activity in society and the state are various forms of civic initiatives (actions aimed at improving the life of every citizen) - an example may be a civic legislative initiative. If one hundred thousand citizens support a specific bill or just an idea for a bill, it will be taken into account during the parliamentary debates on an equal footing with projects proposed by the president, the government, or the parliament itself. Opportunities (created by the state) to take civic action are an important but not sufficient stimulus to take them.
It is the citizens themselves who must want to act, they must see the goal and believe in the possibility of changing the existing situation or improving their own living conditions.
Willingness to act and social activity are key features of the existence and smooth functioning of civil society, and civil society is a factor that strengthens democracy. Supporting civic activities and popularizing attitudes favorable to them should be one of the goals of the state's social policy. A strong civil society leads to an improvement in the living conditions of the population and brings many other benefits for the functioning of the entire state.
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are natural rights belonging to every citizen, which protect him from the tyranny of the state. The extent to which citizens exercise these freedoms is an important indicator of the quality of a country's democracy.
Civil liberties are rights that apply if the government does not arbitrarily interfere with a citizen's sphere of freedom. In a truly free society, people can speak, write, own, identify and vote as they please, and marry as they please without government interference. To guarantee these freedoms, at least in theory, the government and its agencies need only avoid restricting those freedoms. No extra effort is required to support these freedoms, as long as the government does not intrude into the private lives of its citizens. This group of freedoms is distinct from civil rights, which are areas where the government actively works to promote democratic values and equal treatment.
Many of the freedoms we enjoy every day fall into the category of civil liberties. In Europe, our civil liberties are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights.Every time we post a controversial opinion on social media or speak out against our government's actions, we exercise one of the most important freedoms: freedom of speech.
Another important freedom that Western democracies often promise their citizens is the right to privacy, which ensures no intrusion into personal matters such as access to messages, phone calls and e-mails. This freedom extends to the space of our home as well, as governments often cannot coordinate unwarranted searches without a clear justification. Freedom of assembly guarantees the ability to speak in the company of others to show your support for your fellow citizens or legislators.
Understanding government's obligations to citizens, at least through the lens of Western liberal democracy, requires a separation of civil liberties from civil rights. As mentioned earlier, the former protect citizens from the tyranny of the state by guaranteeing certain rights. Civil rights, on the other hand, usually protect people from unequal treatment in certain environments, such as schools, workplaces, public facilities, etc. They presuppose that people have the right to be treated fairly, just like their neighbors, and have the right not to be discriminated against.
For example, the right to equal opportunities is designed to protect people from discrimination in the workplace.
Factors that can be used as a basis for discrimination vary, such as income, employment status, education, criminal record, race, gender and sexual orientation.
Discrimination by the state can often occur in an obscure or indirect way, which makes the work of journalists and civil rights activists who expose these inequalities extremely important. Democratic legislation often exists to protect people's ability to enjoy their social freedoms regardless of their differences, but unfair treatment is still common.
It should be emphasized that civil liberties can also impose positive obligations on governments. For example, while governments have a primary duty to "not interfere" when people exercise their freedom of assembly to protest against state policies, governments also have laws to ensure the safety of protesters.
European Parliament
It is an office whose purpose is to represent selected European Union countries. At the moment, the Parliament consists of 732 representatives from twenty-five countries belonging to the European Union. In June 1979, the first direct elections to this office were held. Its power is similar to that of national parliaments - it enacts a significant part of European laws that directly affect the existence of the inhabitants of the EU countries. It is also an equal partner of the Council of Ministers. Its debates are public, and their content and resolutions are published in the "Official Journal of the European Union".
During official meetings as well as at the international level, the President of the Parliament is the representative of the Parliament. He is also responsible for chairing plenary sessions, Bureau meetings, and the Conference of Presidents.
The Bureau is the office responsible for Parliament's budgetary policy as well as for matters relating to administration, organization, and staff policy.
In addition to the President, the Bureau is composed of fourteen Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors. They are advisory in nature and are responsible for dealing with administrative and financial matters concerning Members and their statutes. The members of the Bureau are elected for a term of two and a half years. The Conference of Presidents is Parliament's executive arm. Its members include the President of Parliament and the chairmen of the political groups.
Secretariat. Its composition includes nearly three and a half thousand people working as permanent staff. They are chaired by the Secretary-General. Due to the fact that there are differences in languages, every third person working there is hired as a translator. The state of the budget is 1% of the budget of the European Union, which translates to approximately EUR 1.5 for each EU citizen.
Commissions
To prepare the plenary agenda, MEPs must take part in the work of seventeen standing committees. In addition to its standing committees, Parliament has the right to set up subcommittees, temporary committees, and committees of inquiry to deal with specific issues. Joint parliamentary committees must maintain good relations with the national parliaments of the countries that have association agreements with the European Union. Interparliamentary delegations perform a similar function in relation to the parliaments of a large number of other countries and international organizations.
The area of power of the parliament is the legislative power, budgetary powers, powers of control of the executive power. The first principle is joint decisionmaking, which puts the parliament on the same level as the European Council. Thanks to the introduction of the co-decision procedure, many of the amendments proposed by the Parliament are applicable in Community law, but no text can be adopted without the prior formal consent of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The co-decision procedure is currently one of Parliament's most important competencies. It is used in cases involving the free movement of labor, building the internal market, research, and technological development, environmental protection, consumer protection, education, culture, and health protection.
Budget
Every year, Parliament is required to adopt the Union's budget, in which it allocates the most important financial resources. The basic condition that must be met for the budget to be approved is its signature by the President of the European Parliament. Since 1970, the budget has been financed from its own sources, which were approved by the member states after prior consultation with the European Parliament. The amount of budget should not exceed 1.27% of the gross national product of all EU countries. Current sources include:
At first, this power only included the assessment of the Commission's activities, then it was extended to include the Council of Ministers, the European Council, and the offices responsible for foreign policy and security issues. The European Parliament has the right to set up temporary committees of inquiry, which it has done on several occasions if only to investigate the issue of 'mad cow disease'. It resulted in the creation of the European Veterinary Agency in Dublin. The establishment of the European Anti-Fraud Office is also the result of Parliament's actions.
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Member States' contributions, which are calculated on the basis of their Gross National Product,
- a certain percentage of value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services throughout the Union,
- customs duties that are levied at the external borders of the EU, other sources, including charges levied on agricultural goods imported from third countries.
Parliament, i.e. the controller of the executive power, exercises democratic control over all areas of the functioning of the European Union.
Parliament plays a very important role in the formation of the Commission. After accepting the nominations for the office of President of the Commission, Parliament must hold talks with the nominated Commissioners. The final stage of the creation of the Commission consists in giving it a vote of confidence by Parliament. He also has the right to dismiss the Commission. A motion of no confidence is then submitted, which can be adopted by a majority (2-3 to half of the votes). He is still in control of the committees. A committee or a political group and a group of
Members have the right to put oral questions to the Commission or the Council, which usually initiates parliamentary deliberations, which then end with the adoption of a resolution.
The agenda of the plenary meetings included the so-called "Question Hour" during which Members have time to put questions to the Commission and the Council. Members of the European Parliament also have the right to submit written interpellations to the Commission and the Council, to which they receive a written answer after a certain period of time. Elected MEPs and political groups make more than 5,000 interpellations a year.
Deputies
Members of Parliament are elected by direct universal suffrage according to the proportional representation method, either by regional representation as in Italy or Belgium, or by national representation as in France, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg, and the rest, or by the mixed system in Germany. In all countries, democratic rights are mandatory, and the most important of them are the right to vote from the age of eighteen, equality between men and women, and the secrecy of voting.
Some countries, such as Belgium, Luxembourg, and Greece, have made voting compulsory. The number of deputies from selected countries is included in the EU treaties. Members of Parliament sit according to which political party they belong to and not according to their national delegations. At the moment, Parliament is made up of seven political groups and some independents. The composition of the selected political groups includes deputies from more than one hundred national political parties.
DICTIONARY Act
formally adopted law. An attempt by a group of people to persuade members of a government that a particular law or situation should be changed.
Citizenship
possession of the rights, privileges and obligations of a citizen;
Civil dialogue
Autocracy
a form of government where unlimited power is held by one single individual.
Ballot
the act, process, or method of voting, especially in secret.
Ballot paper
a paper used in the ballot. In this paper, we can pick our candidate and give our voice to him.
civil society organisations represent the interests of people that gather around specific features: young and older people, women, children, people living in poverty, people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, migrants etc. These people are less heard than others. They have demands which are not represented by political parties or trade unions. Therefore next to the social dialogue between trade unions and employers, there is a need for a this type of communication called “the civil dialogue”;
Candidate
one of the persons competing to be elected, e.g. president, senator, mayor, etc.;
Civil rights
the equal rights that all citizens in a society should have;
Constitution
the set of major rights and laws according to which a nation, state is governed;
Even individuals, companies or organizations can contact this institution when they think their rights have been violated. It is composed by 28 judges, one for each member state.
Council of the European Union
the Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union. It consists of the ministers of the Member States. The Council of the European Union passes laws, coordinates the broad economic policies of the Member States, defines and implements the EU’s common foreign and security policy, based on guidelines set by the European Council. The Council concludes international agreements between the EU and one or more states or international organisations. The Council coordinates the actions of Member States and adopts measures in the area of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters.
Debate
a regulated deliberation in which the favourable and negative sides of a proposal are discussed by opposing speakers;
Democracy
Court of Justice of the European Union
is the highest judicial authority of European Union. It makes sure that the European Law is interpreted and applied the same in every member country. It also settles disputes between the countries and organs of European Union.
a system in which every citizen in the country can vote to elect its political representatives. Two of the most common forms of democratic government are direct democracy and representative democracy. In a direct democracy, citizens are directly involved with creating laws, and in a representative democracy, citizens elect representatives who create laws on their behalf.
Democratic elections elections in which every adult citizen has the right to vote for the people who will represent them;
ElectionstotheEuropeanParliament
elections take place in all countries of the European Union every 5 years.
Voting system is not unanimous, it varies depending on the traditions and constitutional rules of every country. Every adult citizen of European Union has the right to vote in the elections, but the actual turnout gets lower andlowereachyear.EverycitizenofEuropeanUnionolderthan21years canbeelected.
European Council
is institution composed of heads of the government of the member states. There is also an official president of the Council, that is elected for 2,5 year and can be elected two periods in row. The European Council usually meets four times a year at regular meetings in Brussels. Even though the Council itself doesn’t have any legislative power, it shows the Union general political directions and priorities.
Equalopportunities
a situation in which people have the same chances in life without being discriminatedagainsttheirrace,gender,sexuality,belief,orage;
European Parliament
is the only organ of the European Union that is elected directly. It is located in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxemburg. It is composed of 751
Europeancitizenship
thelegalrighttobeacitizenoftheEuropeanUnion; EuropeanCommission
is a supreme organ of European Union, not dependent on the member states and protecting priorities of European Union. It consists of 28 members, "commissioners", each for one member state. European Commission represents the European Union externally. It also proposes new laws and budget (which then European Parliament and Council of theEuropeanUnionapprove).
parliamentarians that are elected every five years. Together with the Council of the European Union they approve new laws and European budget. They also supervise other organs of European Union. European Union
is a regional organization that unites European states. Its goals are political and economic integration of member countries, which includes mainly free movement of goods, people, services and capital. Most of the important institutions is in Brussels, which is one of the founding states. European Union now has 28 member states.
Eurosceptic
an attitude or a person that is against their country membership in the European Union; Freedom of speech
the constitutional right to express opinions and ideas without fear of punishment; Government
an executive branch of the power in a country; a group of people forming the cabinet;
Local elections
elections in which citizens of a certain small area vote to select members of a local council or governmental body, such as mayors or councillors;
Ombudsman
a government representative who hears and investigates complaints by citizens against other officials or government agencies;
Human rights
fundamental rights, mainly those believed to belong to an individual and in whose the authorities cannot restrict, e.g. the rights to speak, associate, work;
Parliament
the legislative branch of the power in the country, people who are elected to make laws and discuss national issues;
Law
an official set of rules and regulations that people must obey; Laws govern communities, countries, and even the world. Law also refers to the entire legal system: "We are all equal before the law".
Parliamentary elections elections to elect members of a national parliament. Their process varies depending on a country, but usually the country gets divided to a certain number of electoral districts and citizens then proceed to vote in the place nearest to their place of residence. Voting is anonymous and supervised by an election commission.
Political party
a group of people with common political ideas and aims organized to take over political influence and control. Modern European political parties usually have their own political program, take part in elections, interact with the public and finance their activities through contributions from state and sponsors.
In indirect election, the parliament suggests and then votes for a president. Usuallythereareseveralroundsinwhichcandidatesthatdidn’tgetenough votesgraduallygeteliminated.
Primeminister
a person who is the head of the government. In many systems, the prime ministerselectsandmaydismissothermembersofthecabinet,andallocates poststomemberswithinthegovernment.
Political system
a coordinated set of principles, laws, ideas, and procedures relating to a particular form of government; President
the official head of a state. the person who has the highest political position in a country that is a republic and who, in some of these countries, is the leader of the government.
Pro-Europeancitizen
apersonwhothinksthattheircountryshouldbepartoftheEuropeanUnion; Protest
a statement or action expressing disapproval of something or objection to something.
Presidential elections
the process of presidential elections may vary depending on a country, but it can be either done by direct election or indirect election. In case of direct election, adult citizens can take a part and vote directly for their preferred candidate.
Referendum
an occasion when citizens in a country can vote to express their opinion or make a decision about a particular subject; Citizens of the country can for example approve additions to constitution, approve a basic law or decide if a part of the country should declare independence. Referendum is one of the instrumentsthatarecriticalfordirectdemocracy.
Republic
a country that is ruled by a president or other leader that people vote for, rather than by a king or queen. Characteristic attribute of a modern republic is separation of the three state powers –legislative, executive and judiciary.
Responsibility
the state or a task of being in charge of someone or something without one ’ s control;the state or a task of being in charge of someone or something without one ’ s control;
Solidarity
the state of unity and support in a group given to each other because of the same views or purposes.
Treaty a formal contract between two or more sides signed by representatives and usually ratified by the authority of the state;
