Informed and pondered vote ” “

2013 is coming to an end and so is the European Year of citizens, that intended to boost public awareness on EU-citizenship related rights and duties, that consist in targeted EU projects and programs in various political areas, or conveyed indirectly through the new living conditions promoted by the European integration process, through a set of informative and educational initiatives held across EU countries.In the light of the wide range of opportunities, to claim that citizens cannot take part in European events because of a want of information on the EU process, and that therefore they cannot play an active role in European unity is unjustifiable, not to mention the fact that citizens are entitled to take part and be informed. In the coming May EU citizens will once more have the opportunity to elect their representatives at the European Parliament, which increasingly determines and shapes Member States’ policies and legislation. From this perspective it is especially interesting and important to make the best use of the sources of information available and learn the ways to take part in opinion-making and decision-making processes.To this regard there are several tools: on the website of the European Union (www.europa.eu) can be found all the information on the activity of European institutions; the “Europe direct” hotline provides free answers in all community languages to the questions regarding various problems and aspects of the EU; paper material is available at “Europe direct” info points (available for download) or in the European documentation centres, to be found in most large and medium cities across Member States. The representatives of the European Commission in Member States’ countries make available several consultants for citizens, who respond over the phone or in writing to their questions and receive them for personal meetings.How many chances do citizens have of establishing an active relationship with European institutions in order to take part in the development of EU policies through the opinion-making process? Concrete opportunities are offered especially to those who are engaged in any of the numerous European interconnected organizations of civil society, namely all those organizations, movements, cultural and research centres and academia that have decided to share with interested citizens – via meetings, informative and educational events – the awareness of their belonging to the European Union and to draw them closer to EU institutions.This is also the way of proceeding of the “European Movement” to which these associations and movements belong in a formal manner, or to which they ideally refer to. The international European movement was founded immediately after the end of the Second World War and it is still active with its own national independent organizations in European countries. An umbrella organization brings together these national chapters at European level.In addition to the European Movement there also exist many more associations, federations and transnational or supranational European networks with social, economic, cultural, charitable, humanitarian or scientific purposes that are committed to giving their contribution to European policies through the dialogue with EU institutions, by exerting their own influence according to their own nature, EU legislation and policy-making processes. Also several Christian-based organizations are committed in this direction.This is true also for those political parties that since the 1970s, in view of the first elections at universal suffrage of EP deputies, worked at Community level, creating federations or “political families” which national political parties refer to. Subsequent to their election at the European Parliament, MEPs belonging to national political parties create political groups within the European Parliament (EPP, Socialists & Democrats, Greens, ALDE, Conservatives, United Left…) which seek to impact the works and the decisions of the European Parliament within the framework of parliamentary democratic procedures.Moreover, regardless of the path which each one seeks to undertake (cultural and civil activism, participation in the life of Europeanist associations, support to political parties), in order to be well-informed, to take part in the great debate on the unity and the future of Europe, and to vote in full awareness, a personal and responsible commitment is always needed, which is the responsibility of European citizens.