election-watch.eu

Election-Watch.EU attended the workshop on social media campaigns organised by the European Parliament in Brussels on 25 March. The European Parliament invited partner organisations among European civil society to help spread the word and to mobilise their communities via social media (#thistimeimvoting campaign).

The workshop focused on the means and use of social media channels  to promote European democracy. Alexander Mäkelä, Public Affairs Specialist, presented a toolkit ‘Social Media for Change’: Ideas, tools and best practices for civic engagement and elections while Errikos Pitsos, Founder and Chief Executive of Kialo, presented the debating platform as an online tool to encourage engagement and stimulate (real-time) debates.

Election-Watch.EU gathered useful ideas for promoting the discussion event between Austrian lead candidates and young/first time voters, taking place on 7 May at the House of the EU in Vienna.

Parliament’s liaison offices  act as information hubs and help support public debate. Quick-response services such as What Europe does for me, Ask EP, FAQ on the European Parliament, #EUandME (by the European Commission) are available in all languages. In addition the new Citizens´ App provides mobile access to a wealth of relevant information on the European Union.