REACH – Citizen consultation event in Thessaloniki

On Saturday, February 15th, the second citizen consultation of the project Reinventing Engagement Through Affirmative Citizen Consultations (REACH) took place at City College in Thessaloniki.

Through local, national, and international events, the project aims to give a voice to those who are often excluded from the decision-making process. The youth online platform MladiRini will collect the written contributions of the participants. At the end of the project, a Transnational Publication will be prepared, analyzing the conclusions from all events. This publication will be presented at a final conference in Brussels, where event representatives, stakeholders, and experts will discuss the project and its outcomes.

As in the previous event in Athens, participants enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the three topics of the event: Climate Change, EU Enlargement, and the Rule of Law. The discussion on each topic was guided by the event speakers: Ms. Kyriaki Metaxa (Heinrich Böll Foundation), Dr. Alexandra Prodromidou (City College and SEERC), and Dr. Panagiotis Paschalidis (SEERC and ELIAMEP).

What stood out on Saturday was the intense and dynamic exchanges of ideas and opinions, highlighting citizens’ strong desire for change. As one participant stated, if the voices and ideas of the people are not taken into account, then “Europe will be lost.”