TY - JOUR TI - Bringing the European Union closer to its young citizens: Youth active citizenship in Europe and trust in EU institutions AU - Motti-Stefanidi, F. AU - Cicognani, E. JO - European Journal of Developmental Psychology PY - 2018 VL - 15 TODO - 3 SP - 243-249 PB - Taylor and Francis Inc. SN - 1740-5629, 1740-5610 TODO - 10.1080/17405629.2017.1423052 TODO - null TODO - European Union countries are participatory and representative democracies. Therefore, active citizenship in the EU and trust in EU institutions are paramount for the continuation and the strengthening of the EU project. Young Europeans who hold the future in their hands need to be actively engaged not only in the social and political life within their national communities, but also in the wider European community. The papers in this special issue examine whether and how European youth identify with the EU, trust EU institutions and engage in EU issues, and which societal and proximal-level contexts and/or individual-level attributes promote or hinder young people’s active citizenship in European context. They are based on results from the Horizon 2020 CATCH-EyoU project, standing for Constructing AcTive CitizensHip with European Youth: Policies, Practices, Challenges and Solutions. Scientists represent different disciplines (Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, Media and Communications, Education) and from eight European countries (Sweden, Estonia, U.K., Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Italy). Together, the papers contribute to the development of a new, cutting-edge conceptualization of youth active citizenship in the EU, and to a better understanding of the factors promoting or inhibiting young EU citizens’ engagement, participation and active citizenship at the European level. © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. ER -