Citizenship education as part of lifelong learning

The rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy are foundational values of the EU laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. These values provide the Union with principled orientations to meet the inevitable geopolitical economic, social and demographic changes that could not be foreseen at the time the Treaties were drafted. This includes how the digital transformation would affect how the debate and political processes would be shaped.

Democracy is cultural practice as much as it is a political system. It is a key strength of European societies, helping ensure respect for equality, the rule of law, fundamental rights and liberty. Actors with anti-democratic tendencies attack democracies and their institutions because democracy is a safeguard against them[[The 2025 report of the V-Dem Institute (“25 years of Autocratization-Democracy Trumped?”) confirms the appalling signs, indicators and tendencies captured over previous years of measurement: “The trend of the ‘third wave of autocratization’ is deepening and spreading. That includes weakening of democracy in some established liberal democracies, breakdown of democracy in countries that were democratic for most of the 21st century, as well as deepening of autocracy in already autocratic states […] The global democratic decline deepens, regardless of how we slice the data and whichever measure we use” (pp. 9 and 10)]]. Even traditionally well-functioning democracies face many challenges, which means that they also continuously need to adapt as conditions change. Social sciences and humanities (SSH) research plays a crucial role in understanding current challenges and threats and mapping future pathways for innovative solutions. Building on historical, cultural, social, legal and philosophical perspectives, research will foster the further development of democracy with a view to enhancing citizen participation and inclusive policymaking, promoting equality and inclusiveness, addressing the impact of AI and the digital transformation of democracy. It will also reinforce democratic resilience and civic preparedness, and preserve the role of free, independent and plural media as key tenets of democracy, among other objectives.

Expected impact:

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:

• Reinvigorating democratic governance by improving the independence, accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of institutions and policies based on rule of law, and through the expansion of active and inclusive citizens’ participation and engagement empowered by the safeguarding of fundamental rights.

The aim of the research investment supporting this impact is to develop a robust evidence base that can inform the establishment of effective, relevant and sensible policies, which bolster the resilience of democratic systems and protect them from threats. At the same time, it seeks to foster critical thinking while also reinforcing citizens’ trust in democracy, its institutions, and the sense of political participation in its widest possible sense.

The destination seeks synergies with other relevant EU programmes, in particular for the uptake of research results and innovative solutions developed under Horizon Europe. Interaction – among others – with the following programmes is encouraged: Digital Europe (DIGITAL), Technical Support Instrument, CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Erasmus+, ESF+ and Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument.

Applicants are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the services offered by the current and future EU-funded European Research Infrastructures, particularly those in the social sciences and humanities domain^[1]. Where applicable, proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant Data Spaces.

As the destination aims directly at citizen engagement and at producing lasting change, it is of particular importance that the research and innovation actions promote the highest standards of transparency and openness. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this destination is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable). When applicable, it is encouraged to open up the process, criteria, methodologies and data to civil society in the course of the research.

To maximise the impacts of R&I under this Destination in line with EU priorities, international cooperation is encouraged whenever relevant in the proposed topics.

[1] For a full list see https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/ri-portfolio/table. In the social sciences domain, see for example: CESSDA - Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (https://www.cessda.eu/), ESS – European Social Survey (https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/), SHARE - Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (https://www.share-eric.eu/) or the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (https://ehri-project.eu/)

Expected Outcome:

Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Policymakers, educators, and other relevant actors have tools and recommendations to put in place more opportunities for lifelong civic and citizenship^[1] learning, in support of democracy and democratic participation, including by relying on the opportunities offered by digital means, notably civic tech.
• Policymakers at local, regional, national and EU level have tools and recommendations for ensuring the participation of citizens in democratic life, whatever their background, especially those who face barriers to participation in democratic processes.

Scope:

A healthy democracy relies on citizens being able to make informed democratic choices, in free and fair elections. Meaningful and inclusive citizens’ participation and engagement can further complement and reinforce representative democracies and foster trust in public institutions. Education plays a major role in supporting active interest in democratic participation and citizen engagement. Accessible education in matters of democracy and participation in public-policy making is a lifelong process that concerns all age groups in society regardless of their educational and socio-economic backgrounds.

Lifelong learning about democratic processes, civic rights and obligations is crucial. It is a long process that concerns not only young people but also older ones. A healthy democracy relies on meaningful, inclusive engagement from citizens across all ages and demographic groups on a continuous basis. It is important to sustain lifelong civic participation, as technological, geopolitical and economic changes pose new challenges to social cohesion and the equal participation of all citizens in democratic processes.

The focus of this topic is on how citizenship education as part of lifelong learning can boost citizens’ democratic involvement and civic engagement. Research should look at how vocational education and training (VET) (e.g. at secondary and post-secondary levels), including apprenticeships, or adult education programmes, can raise civic knowledge, political awareness, and attachment to democratic values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, equality and the rule of law. Projects should examine either VET or adult education programmes. Research should further investigate how involvement in these programmes is linked to increased civic participation actions like voting or standing as a candidate in elections, engaging in public policy-making processes, or broader democratic participation such as volunteering or engaging with civil society organisations.

Research could also explore how VET or adult learning programmes could support citizens including persons with disabilities, in enhancing their digital and media literacy skills, and navigating and understanding the rapidly changing democratic information ecosystem, for example by being able to recognise disinformation and make use of digital tools for democratic engagement.

Research should test and pilot innovative methods and curricula to develop citizenship awareness for VET or adult education teachers and students.

A gender and intersectional perspective should be systematically integrated throughout the research, as well as the perspective of other groups that are marginalised, underrepresented in political decision-making, face barriers due to accessibility issues, or are at risk of disengagement.

Research may also examine digital and media literacy to foster critical thinking, to shape and develop citizens’ media and other competencies of citizens, and make recommendations for best practices in this area. Proposals may also examine democratic participation among ageing populations for whom digital tools are a barrier and propose recommendations for solutions to improve their participation. While digital tools can support engagement, research may also examine non-digital, person-to-person approaches that support participation, including in an inter-generational setting.

Proposals should seek collaboration with the European Partnership on Social Transformations and Resilience.

[1] The Action plan on basic skills (March 2025) explicitly recognises citizenship as a basic skill, and it defines it as: “The ability to act responsibly and participate fully in civic life, grounded in an understanding of social, economic, legal and political structures. This involves understanding and evaluation of civic and democratic concepts, institutions and processes, including democracy, media literacy, crisis preparedness and respect for others and freedom of speech.”