REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the "Europe for Citizens" programme 2007-2013
Date: 2015-12-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, European citizenship, European cooperation, European identity, civil society, executive agency

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.12.2015  COM(2015) 652 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the "Europe for Citizens" programme 2007-2013 {SWD(2015) 286 final} {SWD(2015) 287 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the implementation, results and overall assessment 
of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme 2007-2013 

In  accordance  with  the  Decision  N°  1904/2006/EC1,  and  building  on  the  conclusions  of  an 
external ex post evaluation2, this report offers an overview of the implementation, results and 
overall assessment of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme 2007-2013.  

1. 

BACKGROUND 

1.1. 

Introduction 

The  European  Union  (EU)  has  recognised  on  many  occasions  the  need  to  get  closer  to  the 
citizens of the Member States and to enable them to fully participate in the construction of an 
ever  closer  Union,  while  emphasising  the  essential  values  that  are  shared  by  the  European 
citizens.  

In order to achieve these objectives, the 'Europe for Citizens' programme was established in 
December 2006 for a period of seven years (from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013). The 
programme was seen as an initial step towards a more coherent strategy and policy in the area 
of civic participation. It was designed to support a wide range of activities and organisations 
promoting active citizenship through the involvement of individual citizens, local authorities 
and civil society organisations in the process of European integration. 

The 'Europe for Citizens' programme (hereinafter referred to as "EFCP" or "the programme") 
built on previous actions' experience, especially that of the 'Community action programme to 
promote active European citizenship' (2004-2006)3, which confirmed the need to develop the 
dialogue with civil society organisations and municipalities, and to support civic participation. 

1.2.  The objectives of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme 2007-2013  

The objectives of the programme were as follows: 

  giving citizens the opportunity to interact and participate in constructing an ever closer 
Europe,  which  is  democratic  and  world-oriented,  united  in  and  enriched  through  its 
cultural diversity, thus developing citizenship of the European Union; 

  developing a sense of European identity based on common values, history and culture; 

 

fostering a sense of ownership of the European Union among its citizens; 

  enhancing  tolerance  and  mutual  understanding  between European citizens  respecting 
and  promoting  cultural  and  linguistic  diversity,  while  contributing  to  intercultural 
dialogue. 

Decision N° 1904/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 

1 
establishing for the period 2007 to 2013 the programme 'Europe for Citizens' to promote active European 
citizenship, OJ L 378, 27.12.2006, p. 32-40. 
2 
3  
promote active European citizenship' (civic participation). 

Ex post evaluation of the Europe for Citizens Programme, Coffey International and Deloitte, 2015. 
Council Decision 2004/100/EC of 26 January 2004 establishing a 'Community action programme to 

2 

 
 
 
                                                            
The specific objectives of the programme were as follows:  

  bringing together people from local communities across Europe to share and exchange 
experience, opinions and values, to learn from history and to build for the future; 

 

fostering action, debate and reflection related to European citizenship and democracy, 
shared  values,  common  history  and  culture  through  cooperation  within  civil  society 
organisations at European level; 

  bringing Europe closer to its citizens by promoting Europe's values and achievements, 

while preserving the memory of its past; 

  encouraging  interaction  between  citizens  and  civil  society  organisations  from  all 
participating countries, contributing to intercultural dialogue and bringing to the fore 
both  Europe's  diversity  and  unity,  with  particular  attention  to  activities  aimed  at 
developing closer ties between citizens from Member States of the European Union as 
constituted on 30 April 2004 and those from Member States which have acceded since 
that day. 

Given  the  fact  that  the  general  and  specific  objectives  as  well  as  the  actions  of  the 
programme were defined by the Decision establishing the Europe for Citizens Programme 
2007-2013,  the  Commission  and  the  Education,  Audiovisual  and  Culture  Executive 
Agency  did  not  dispose  of  great  margins  of  discretion  in  the  implementation  of  the 
programme. 

2. 

KEY ACTIVITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME 

The  EFCP  provided  financial  support  for  a  wide  range  of  activities,  which  were  grouped 
under four actions. 

2.1.  The programme's four actions 

Action 1:  Active citizens for Europe  

This measure offered funds for organising town citizens’ meetings and networks of twinned 
towns,  as  well  as  citizens’  projects  of  a  trans-national  and  cross-sectorial  dimension.  These 
activities  were  all  aimed  at  strengthening  mutual  knowledge  and  understanding  between 
citizens from different municipalities and cultures. This action also included support measures 
with the purpose of improving the quality of town-twinning and citizens’ projects. 

Action 2: Active civil society in Europe  

This  measure  provided  structural  support  for  European  think  tanks  and  civil  society 
organisations  and  for  projects  initiated  by  civil  society  organisations.  It  was  aimed  at 
strengthening their ability to operate at European level and thereby to contribute to achieving 
the overall objectives of the EFCP.  

Action 3: Together for Europe  

High-visibility events  

This  measure  supported  events  organised  by  the  European  Commission,  sometimes  in 
cooperation  with  Member  States  or  other  relevant  partners,  with  the  aim  to  make  European 
citizens aware of European history and of the EU's achievements and values. 

Studies, information and communication 

3 

 
 
 
In  order  to  provide  a  better  understanding  of  active  citizenship  at  European  level,  the 
European Commission carried out the following studies:  

  Volunteering in the European Union (2010) 

  Study  on  Maximising  the  Potential  of  Mobility  in  Building  European  Identity  and 

Promoting Civic Participation (2011) 

  Participatory Citizenship in the European Union (2012) 

  Measuring the Impact of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme (2013) 

Information on the programme's activities and on other initiatives in the citizenship area was 
provided  through  an  Internet  website  and  other  communication  tools  (brochures,  leaflets, 
DVDs). 

'Europe for Citizens' Contact Points 

Contact  Points  have  been  gradually  established  since  2008  to  ensure  dissemination  of 
practical  information  on  the  implementation  of  programme,  its  activities  and  funding 
possibilities and to provide assistance to applicants and programme beneficiaries.  

In  2013,  a  total  of  28  'Europe  for  Citizens'  Contact  Points  were  operational  in  participating 
countries, out of which 22 received operating grants from the European Commission.  

Action 4: Active European Remembrance  

This  measure  offered  funds  for  projects  commemorating  the  victims  of  mass  extermination 
and deportations as well as for preserving remembrance sites, memorials and archives. 

2.2.  Budget 

The financial envelope for the EFCP's implementation from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 
2013  was  EUR  215  million.  This  budget  was  largely  criticised  for  being  too  modest  when 
compared to the ambitious objectives and high expectations on programme outcomes.  

As regards the division of the total budget between the programme's different activities, EUR 
78,280  million  were  granted  to  towns  and  municipalities  through  both  types  of  twinning 
projects, EUR 14,203 million were spent on remembrance projects and EUR 35,077 million 
on civil society and citizens' projects whereas EUR 49,935 million were granted as structural 
support to think tanks and European civil society organisations. 

2.3.  Applications received 

Over the 2007-2013 period, almost 20 000 grant applications were submitted. The four main 
actions of the programme were town twinning citizens' meetings (CM), networks of twinned 
towns (NTT) remembrance projects (REM) and civil society projects (CSP).   

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Total number of submitted applications (2007-2013) 

Source: Activity Report 2007-2013 provided by EACEA 

The  programme  saw  a  steady  growth  in  the  number  of  applications  of  more  than  45  % 
between  2007  and  2013.  The  lion's  share  of  applications  concerned  town  twinning  (almost 
two thirds of them). Commission and Executive Agency undertook measures to address this 
increase  in  an  efficient  way,  in  particular  the  paperless  management  of  the  application  and 
reporting  procedure,  the  simplification  of  internal  procedures  and  shortening  of  contract 
conclusion and payment terms. 

As  a  result  of  the  growing  number  of  applications,  competition  became  increasingly  fierce 
between  applicants  and  success  rates  went  down.  For  example,  during  the  last  year  of  the 
programme (2013), applications for civil society projects stood only a 4.5% chance of success 
whereas  in  2007  it  had  been  possible  to  fund  48%  of  the  received  projects.  Town  twinning 
projects were the least selective, awarding funding to more than 20% of applicants.  

At the same time, the budget of projects as well as the number of participants and involved 
partners and countries increased during the second half of the programme reflecting growing 
ambition among applicants. 

2.4.  Geographical origin of projects 

Germany was the Member State introducing the greatest number of projects (2 791), followed 
by France (2 537), Hungary (2 434), Italy (2 265) and Poland (1 219).  

In 2007, these five countries represented more than 70% of the submitted projects. In 2013, 
that  share  was  54  %.  However,  whilst  the  shares  of  France  and  Germany  and,  to  a  lesser 
extent, Poland dropped significantly, those of Italy and above all Hungary grew considerably, 
with  Hungary  accounting  for  the  greatest  number  of  applications  submitted  during  the  final 
year of the programme.   

Between the first and the final year of the programme, the relative share of applications from 
Eastern Europe and the Balkans soared and the relative share of Central and Northern Europe 
fell. Not only Hungary, but as well Slovakia, Romania and Slovenia saw a significant growth 
and the three Baltic countries tripled the number of applications over the same period whereas 
Luxembourg, Denmark and Portugal participated to a limited extent in EFCP. This can partly 

5 

 
 
 
 
be  explained  by  the  absence  of  dedicated  Europe  for  Citizens  Contact  Points  in  those 
countries.   

Percentage of projects submitted in 2013 compared to 2007 (by country)  

Source: Activity Report 2007-2013 provided by EACEA 

2.5. 

Participants and partners 

Over the years, the projects submitted involved a growing number of participants. Overall, the 
total  number  of  direct  project  participants  increased  from  700  000  in  2007  to  1  175  000  in 
2013.  This  was  driven  by  a  steady  increase  in  the  number  of  participants  reached  by  civil 
society  projects  and  a  gradual  decline  in  the  number  of  relatively  small  town  twinning 
meetings.  

The  total  number  of  partners  for  each  project  also  increased  considerably.  For  example, 
between 2007 and 2013, the number of partners in civil society projects and in networks of 
twinned towns doubled.  

Through  the  years,  it  seems  that  applicants  also  became  more  experienced  and  as  a 
consequence submitted more complex projects involving more participants. 

2.6.  Quality of projects 

During the first year of the programme implementation (2007), town-twinning projects were 
often meetings between people from different countries addressing various general topics like 
culture, youth, education, sport, tourism or scouting.  

Through targeted and strategic actions by the Commission and the Executive Agency, projects 
funded under the EFCP's town twinning and networks of towns measures were progressively 
turned into larger, more structured and ambitious projects, more narrowly correlated with the 
objectives of the programme and its yearly work programmes, involving a larger number of 
towns and cities and focusing on more concrete issues, like the financial and economic crisis, 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
environment  problems  or  integration  of  migrants  and  mobile  workers,  etc.  These  projects 
were more susceptible to have a greater impact on citizens.  

In  the  same  way,  the  requirements  in  terms  of  content  were  tightened  up  for  remembrance, 
citizens'  and  civil  society  projects,  creating  a  stronger  link  to  the  programme  objectives. 
Consequently, an increasing number of large-scale organisations introduced more innovative 
projects with a stronger European dimension. 

2.7. 

Structural support for organisations 

As  foreseen  by  the  Decision  establishing  the  EFCP,  the  funding  mechanism  for  operating 
grants  was  changed  during  the  programme  period.  From  2007  to  2009,  a  number  of  think 
tanks  and  civil  society  organisations4  were  designated  for  receiving  structural  support, 
whereas during the second half of the programme, operating grants were allocated following 
calls  for  proposals.  The  transition  towards  a  competitive  selection  procedure  increased 
pressure  on  applicants  and  beneficiaries,  thus  contributing  to  more  ambitious  work 
programmes with stronger impact. 

3. 

WHAT DID THE EUROPE FOR CITIZENS PROGRAMME ACHIEVE?  

3.1. 

A challenging political context  

The  accession  of  twelve  new  Member  States  between  2004  and  2007  presented  important 
challenges to the deepening of European integration. It notably brought to the fore the need to 
ascertain a shared understanding of European culture and values, but also to facilitate citizens' 
engagement in the European project and promote their civic participation in Europe.  

Between  2007  and  2013,  EU  institutions  also  had  to  undergo  the  consequences  of  the 
economic crisis  which affected  many  European citizens in their daily lives.  Faced with  the 
growing  electoral  success  of  populist  movements  that  questioned  the  benefits  of  European 
integration, it became important for the EU to demonstrate its added value and to take account 
of EU  citizens' main concerns. 

3.2.  The EFCP's relevance 

The EFCP contributed to raise awareness on EU activities and achievements, to foster a sense 
of  ownership  of  the  EU  and  to  enhance  mutual  understanding  and  tolerance  in  a  difficult 
context.   

Contrary  to  most  of  EU  funding  programmes,  which  are  directly  related  to  specific  EU 
policies, the EFCP filled a gap by addressing Commission's overall objective to bring citizens 
closer to the EU through:  

- actions promoting civic participation; 

- projects fostering citizens' involvement in civil society;  

- projects generating interest in all questions pertaining to EU identity and construction; 

4 The following organisations were earmarked for structural support: Council of European Municipalities and 
Regions, Groupement d'études et de recherche Notre Europe and Institut für Europäische Politik, Platform of 
European Social NGOs, the European Movement and the European Council of Refugees and Exiles, Association 
Jean Monnet, Centre Européen Robert Schuman and Maisons d'Europe. 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
- a forum for civil dialogue involving a wide array of organisations acting in a global political 
and societal context.  

It served as an important entry point for ordinary citizens who wanted to discuss and engage 
with  the  EU,  and  as  a  dynamic  platform  of  cooperation  between  civil  society  organisations 
and local authorities to develop citizenship activities (see examples in the annex). In terms of 
complementarity with other EU initiatives, the programme was sufficiently distinct from other 
programmes in terms of scope, activities and target groups to provide a complementary offer. 

Moreover, the EFCP played an additional role at national level as there were scarcely similar 
initiatives run by the Member States over the same period.   

3.3. 

Promoting values 

An important number of projects of the EFCP contributed to promoting fundamental values 
on  which  our  European  societies  are  based,  such  as  peace,  tolerance,  mutual  understanding 
and  solidarity.  The  promotion  of  these  values,  the  involvement  of  European  citizens  in  the 
process of integration as well as the concept of European remembrance are issues intrinsically 
related  to  the  European  project.  These  are  matters  of  common  concern  where  pooled 
resources can add value.   

The evaluation of the programme's implementation showed that bringing together Europeans 
from  different  Member  States  to  discuss  and  work  together  on  issues  of  common  concern 
increased  their  awareness  of  fundamental  values,  their  degree  of  engagement  in  society  and 
ultimately their involvement with the European Union. At the same time supporting activities 
promoting  mutual  understanding,  diversity,  dialogue  and  respect  for  others  can  help  to 
develop  a  sense  of  belonging  and  a  European  identity,  based  on  a  shared  understanding  of 
European  values,  culture,  history  and  heritage.  These  initiatives  have  the  potential  to  create 
changes  in  the  attitudes  of  participants  towards  other  European  citizens  and  to  boost  their 
involvement in democratic processes, as well as their knowledge and interest in the European 
Union, EU institutions and processes. 

This  was  the  reasoning  behind  almost  all  EFCP  projects  and  activities,  ranging  from  very 
small  town  twinning  projects  with  relatively  small  number  of  citizens  and  participating 
countries  for  a  one-off  series  of  events  to  large  operating  grants  allowing  NGOs  to  pursue 
citizenship-focused  goals  at  a  more  political  and  institutional  level5  (see  examples  in  the 
annex). 

3.4. 

Impact on participating organisations 

The programme helped to advance the town twinning movement by encouraging towns and 
municipalities  to  think  in  more  thematic,  policy-related  ways.  Networks  of  twinned  towns 
were a new measure introduced by the Commission shortly after the start of the EFCP 2007-
2013  to  complement  the  traditional  town-twinning  measure  by  a  new  type  of  larger-scale 
projects with the aim to increase their impact and sustainability. This was innovative in itself 
and  provided  participating  towns  with  an  opportunity  to  forge  lasting  links,  produce 
substantial  outputs  and  get  involved  with  policy-making  processes.  The  number  of 
applications for the measure "networks of twinned towns" thus increased by more than 50% 
between 2007 and 2013. 

5 Ecorys, Interim evaluation of the Europe for Citizens Programme 2007-2013, 2011. 

8 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
The programme targeted civil society organisations through both operating grants and project 
funding.  The  EFCP  reached  a  range  of  EU-focused  organisations  that  pursued  active 
citizenship in a variety of different ways. This ensured continued attention to relevant areas 
and the presence of independent voices during EU policy debates. In addition, participating in 
the  programme  allowed  civil  society  organisations  and  their  partners  to  build  their  capacity 
and  international  experience,  learn  from  each  other  and,  in  some  cases,  form  sustainable 
networks. 

Remembrance  gained  increasing  prominence  during  the  life  of  the  programme.  In  the 
sensitive  area  of  projects  relating  to  the  Holocaust  and  genocide,  the  intervention  of  the 
Commission  added  substantial  value  to  the  debates  by  encouraging  free  exchange  and  the 
consideration of others’ points of view. 

Over the  2007-2013 period,  the  'Europe  for Citizens'  programme  had  approximately  7 
million direct participants.  

The  programme  reached  almost  25 000  towns  and  cities  in  Europe  and  created  350 
networks  of  towns  and  cities  around  common  issues.  4 250  civil  society  organisations 
were mobilised to meet citizens' concerns. More than 500 organisations were involved in 
remembrance activities vis-à-vis citizens. 

3.5. 

Impact on the policy-making process 

With  regard  to  making  a  policy  impact,  the  EFCP  was  able  to  extend  its  coverage  and  to 
involve citizens at local and regional levels. However, small projects targeting citizens at local 
level  were  relatively  unlikely  to  incorporate  the  expertise  and  ambition  needed  to  influence 
policy.  Regarding  larger-scale  projects  such  as  networks  of  twinned  towns,  civil  society 
projects  and  support  measures,  they  provided  a  way  to  influence  policy  while  involving 
citizens, but had difficulties reaching individuals who were not already actively engaged.  

Potential  impact  could  as  well  be  achieved  when  it  was  possible  to  create  links  with  the 
policy-making process. Operating grants and civil society projects aimed at impacting policy 
processes  at  European  level  and  succeeded  partially,  depending  on  their  particular 
mechanisms,  target  groups  and  methods.  Factors  such  as  establishing  sustainable  networks  
(for  example  the  European  Year  of  Citizens  Alliance  EYCA)  and  involving  specific  target 
groups (such as children, young people or disadvantaged groups, for example  people coming 
from remote rural areas)  proved to play a crucial role. 

In  addition,  the  EFCP  contributed  to  policy-making  at  EU  level  through  the  so-called 
structured  dialogue6,  which  ensured  the  presence  of  independent  civil  society  voices  in  EU 
debates,  carried  out  research  on  citizenship  related  issues  and  offered  a  forum  for  dialogue 
with the Commission and other institutions.  

A tangible policy-impact was reached during the European Year of Volunteering 2011 and the 
European  Year  of  Citizens  2013  when  projects  funded  by  the  EFCP  contributed  to  raise 
awareness on the EU's role in the areas of volunteering and citizenship and thus established 
synergies with the European policy agenda in these fields.  

6 The structured dialogue consisted of regular meetings between the Commission services and approximately 
50 key European organisations actively involved in the EFCP to discuss all matters relating to this programme 
and its implementation.  

9 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
4. 

CONCLUSIONS  

The Europe for Citizens Programme 2007-2013 triggered a lot of interest amongst citizens, as 
the steady growth in number of applications clearly shows. Citizens are eager to take part in 
discussions  and  to  have  their  say  in  EU  policies  that  affect  their  daily  lives.  Considering 
European citizenship as an important element in strengthening and safeguarding the process 
of  European  integration,  the  European  Commission  used  EFCP  to  give  citizens  this 
opportunity and more generally to encourage their engagement in the European project. This 
approach  was  based  on  the  idea  that  participation  helps  strengthening  awareness  on  EU 
issues,  developing  mutual  understanding  and  identification  with  Europe,  and  therefore 
contributes to consolidating the long-term process of European integration. 

Even  if  the  long-term  impact  of  the  EFCP  is  difficult  to  assess,  the  programme  effectively 
fostered civic participation and democratic engagement and reached large numbers of citizens 
who  otherwise  would  not  have  been  engaged  with  the  European  project.  As  the  only  EU 
programme  that  targets  citizens  directly  the  EFCP  provided  a  unique  forum  to  involve 
ordinary citizens in the EU through a bottom-up approach. Over the final three years of the 
programme, the fact  that the projects were  of higher quality and  larger in scale, with closer 
links to the main themes associated with citizenship and civic participation and that many first 
time participants were involved considerably augmented its impact. In future, and taking into 
account  the  budgetary  requirements,  the  programme  will  continue  to  be  developed  with  a 
view  to  maximise  its  impact  and  deploy  its  funding  strategically  focussing  on  activities 
targeting citizens directly.  

The  interim  evaluation  of  the  successor  programme  Europe  for  Citizens  2014-2020  due  in 
December 2017 will be used to verify in how far the evaluation recommendations of the ex-
post evaluation have been followed. 

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ANNEX  

ANNEX 1: 

'EUROPE  FOR  CITIZENS'  PROGRAMME:  EXAMPLES  OF  GOOD  PRACTICE 
PROJECTS 

TOWN-TWINNING AND NETWORKS OF TWINNED TOWNS 

Volunteering for Europe EUR-VOL 

During  the  European  Year  of  Volunteering  2011,  the  city  of  Trogir  (Croatia)  welcomed 
delegates  from  seven  European  partner  towns  for  a  four-day  event  addressing  the  value  of 
voluntary activities with the aim to raise public awareness, involvement and understanding of 
the  contribution  that  volunteering  organsiations  make  to  society.  This  conference  paved  the 
way    for  the  creation  of  new  cooperation  networks  and  common  volunteering  actions  in  the 
areas  of  environment,  art  and  language  learning.  At  the  end  of  the  conference,  the 
representatives of the towns signed an official cooperation memorandum. 

Charter of European Rural Communities 

Since  1989,  the  European  Charter  of  Rural  Communities  has  brought  together  28  rural 
communities from all 28 EU Member States. This extensive network has chosen to focus on 
‘liveability in European communities’ and to examine its various aspects including education, 
employment, integration of people with  disabilities, participation in  democracy  at local level 
and  involving  young  people  in  community  life.  The  motto  of  the  Charter  is  ‘people  meet 
people’ and this is reflected in the way meetings between Charter members are organised. A 
major network meeting is organised every year, accompanied by specialised thematic meetings 
for  specific  target  groups.  One  of  the  results  of  the  project  is  an  overview  of  the  way 
participation in local democracy is organised in different European countries. 

CIVIL SOCIETY PROJECTS 

Waves of legality, waves of citizenship 

In  2011,  the  Italian  Foundation  Giovanni  e  Francesca  Falcone  together  with  partner 
organisations  from  4  other  countries  organised  two  international  events  aimed  at  reinforcing 
the  role  of  organized  civil  society  in  combating  and  preventing  crime.  An  international 
conference organised in Paris explored the role of youth. More than 2.000 young people had 
the  opportunity to  embark  on the    Boat  of  legality  travelling  from  Naples  to  Palermo  and  to 
participate  in  the  ensuing  city  rallies.  The  project  had  excellent  media  coverage  and 
contributed to raising public awareness of the of role civil society in preventing and fighting 
organised crime.  

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN REMEMBRANCE PROJECTS 

Train of Remembrance 
The Train of Remembrance is a project commemorating children and young people from many 
European  countries  deported  to  concentration  and  extermination  camps  during  the  Second 
World War. The exhibition, held within real train carriages drawn by a steam engine, displays 
the  biographies  of  young  victims  from  eight  European  countries.  It  pays  tribute  to  the  aid 
provided by allied anti-Nazi forces saving the life of thousands of children and young people. 
The  train  visited  over  100  railway  stations  attracting  380 000  visitors.  The  exhibition  drew 
attention  to  a  particular  aspect  of  the  Holocaust,  i.e.  the  deportation  and  extermination  of 
children  and  young  people  and  brought  it  to  the  attention  of  large  numbers  of  European 
citizens of today.  

12