Thirty years after the institution of European citizenship, the Conference "A Union of Citizens. The construction of European citizenship through democratic participation and training", organised by the University of Florence in collaboration with the European Documentation Centre, questions the strengths and weaknesses of the instruments through which, with the Treaties unchanged, citizens' participation in the democratic life of the Union can be encouraged.
It also intends to discuss some of the possible ways of strengthening the direct participation of citizens and the role of the institution that represents them, the European Parliament, possibly through the revision of the Treaties. Some educational experiences of the University of Florence aimed at promoting correct information on the characteristics, activities and functioning mechanisms of the Union will be presented.