Jean Monnet Chair "Active European Democratic Citizenship for Resilient Society"

About the project

The project addresses the challenges of low awareness and involvement of Croatian citizens in European Citizen Initiatives and EC public consultations on draft EU policies, as well as the lack of academic research, teaching and public debates about those challenges. It aims to promote excellence in teaching and research on active European democratic citizenship and strengthen the understanding of how the EU works as a precondition for active citizen engagement in EU policymaking. Given the low trust of Croatian citizens in the EU institutions and trends of disinformation about the EU, the project aims to contribute to the societal resilience to democratic backsliding tendencies and growing threats to fundamental European values.

By combining innovative teaching methods, students’ community engagement, research, and multi-stakeholder public debates, the project will enhance the active European citizenship competencies among students of political science and journalism at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb and encourage them to share their knowledge about the EU among Croatian citizens. Through conducting communication campaigns on European citizen initiatives and EC public consultations and through participating in a simulation of negotiations on selected EU legislative files, students will develop their critical thinking skills and learn how to actively engage in European democratic life. Various events on active citizen engagement in EU policymaking will be organized to mobilise the participation of representatives of the academic community, civil society, media, and business, as well as local, state and EU-level policymakers. Drawing on the empirical evidence gathered during the project, a series of research papers will be published and the findings widely disseminated. The project should provide an impetus to increasing the number of Croatian citizens participating in European citizen initiatives and EC public consultations. The duration of the project is from September 2023 until September 2026.

Key staff members from the Faculty

Jean Monnet Chair Holder

Igor Vidačak, PhD, Full Professor

Kontakt:

Mario Munta, PhD, Associate Professor

Kontakt:

Ana Matan, PhD, Associate Professor

Kontakt:

You can access the project's Facebook page by clicking on the link.

14.07.2026

FPZG Students Debate EU Policy Challenges with MEP Gordan Bosanac

As part of the course Political System of the European Union, students from the Faculty of Political Science took part in a debate with Member of the European Parliament Gordan Bosanac on 20 March 2026.

The discussion offered students an opportunity to learn more about the everyday work of Members of the European Parliament, the specific policy files on which MEP Bosanac is currently working, and the main challenges involved in interinstitutional negotiations on complex legislative proposals under the ordinary legislative procedure.

The debate also addressed the challenges of communicating EU policies to citizens. Students were particularly interested in recent initiatives on affordable housing, the future of EU cohesion policy, the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, and the European Parliament’s role in the EU enlargement process.

The activity was carried out as part of the Jean Monnet Chair project Active European Democratic Citizenship for a Resilient Society.

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