Background

Many mobile EU citizens (diaspora) assemble in civil society organisations - diaspora associations. These associations help mobile EU citizens to maintain their linguistic and cultural heritage and to strengthen their civic participation. They also facilitate cooperation with the country of citizenship or heritage of mobile EU citizens - all while they are settling in the host country and enriching its cultural diversity.

Yet the EU tends to overlook their contribution to European civic space and instead focuses on supporting civil society organisations working transnationally. This makes it difficult for diaspora associations to attract EU funding for their core tasks.

For

Tailored funding programmes for European diaspora associations would acknowledge the importance of diversity for EU integration, and strengthen these organisations and their contribution to the European civic space. This would be a particularly important support for diaspora associations that assemble expats who are not supportive of Euro-sceptic policies of governments of their country of EU nationality.

Against

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