A message working group "Knowledge and Citizens", prepared by the Green Deal Projects Support Office and published by the European Commission in January 2025, highlights the key role of citizens in achieving the goals of the European Green DealThe report covers the period from December 2022 to July 2024.

The "Knowledge and Citizens" working group brings together 16 projects, which focus on the role of citizens in the implementation of the European Green Deal. Its main objectives are:

• Strengthening citizen awareness about their own role as agents of change.
• Promoting inclusive and participatory approaches to decision-making and policy-making at local and national levels to address climate change challenges.
• Designing transdisciplinary approaches to change behavior.

The main activities and achievements of the working group include the development of action plan and its ongoing updating. The group focused on four main areas of activity:

• Creation knowledge sharing platforms in the form of an interactive map of projects and their outputs. Although it was not possible to create a fully interactive map, the projects shared information through a common matrix.
• Influencing policy through the development of joint policy recommendations. This activity has been reworked and focused on two main themes: Integrating citizen science data into European policy a Inclusion of vulnerable groups in EU policy-makingProjects AURORA a REAL DEAL took a leading role in coordinating these two policy documents.
• Development methods to improve stakeholder and citizen engagement, especially vulnerable groups. This activity was not a priority for the projects in the given period.
• Providing guidelines and examples for case studies and good practicesLike the previous activity, this one was also a lower priority.

The report highlights significant collaboration within smaller groups in organizing and jointly participating in events such as the EU Green Week 2023 and the Citizen Science Conference in Kenya. They were also successful bilateral meetings between the working group coordinators and individual projects. The projects showed considerable interest in communication activities Offices to support Green Deal projects.

The challenges included lack of commitment to some projects due to the perception of additional responsibilities. The coordinators therefore focused on more active projects, while the others were continuously invited and informed.

Between next steps These include finalising two policy recommendations by the end of 2024, engaging with EU policymakers and strengthening collaboration between projects to scale up their results. The long-term goal is to create a community of citizen science experts and strengthen the connectivity of projects.

The report highlights that citizen engagement and the use of their knowledge are key to the successful implementation of the European Green Deal. Spring

Glossary of Key Terms

• Green Deal Call (GDC): Call for proposals funded under Horizon 2020 to support the implementation of the European Green Deal.
• Green Deal Projects Support Office (GDSO): The Green Deal Project Support Office aims to facilitate coordination between projects funded under the GDC and maximize their positive impact.
• Working Group (WG): A thematic group within the GDSO that brings together projects focused on similar areas. The Knowledge and Citizens Working Group focuses on the role of citizens in the Green Deal.
• Action Plan: A document prepared by each working group that outlines the group's goals and tasks to achieve them, including timelines and responsibilities.
• Citizen Science: Scientific research in which non-professional scientists, i.e. the general public, also participate.
• Policy Brief: A short document that contains an analysis of a problem and a set of recommendations for policymakers or other target groups.
• Research and Innovation Action (RIA): A type of project within the Horizon Europe programme that aims to create new knowledge or explore new or improved technologies, products, processes, services or solutions.
• Innovation Action (IA): A type of project under the Horizon Europe programme that aims to produce plans or designs for new or improved products, processes or services, including prototyping, testing, demonstration and pilot projects.
• Vulnerable Groups: Population groups that are at higher risk of negative impacts of environmental change or have limited opportunities to participate in decision-making processes.
• Transdisciplinary Approach: A research approach that integrates knowledge and methods from different scientific disciplines and also includes perspectives from outside academia, such as from stakeholders and citizens.