CRISTEEL

description of organisation

Created in 2000, CRISTEEL (Centre Régional Interassociatif et de Soutien Technique pour les Échanges Européens en Lorraine) aims to make the European Union more accessible to citizens and organisations by encouraging them to participate in European exchanges and by giving them the possibility to actively participate in the construction of the European Union. Furthermore, the association has been labelled EUROPE DIRECT information centre by the European Commission for more than 15 years and has just renewed its label for the period 2021-2025.
CRISTEEL plays an active role in Lorraine/Grand Est to promote the emergence of European projects:
- Facilitate the implementation of any local project with a European dimension, presentation of possible funding and technical support (e.g. Erasmus+...)
- Raising awareness of European citizenship: presentation of programmes aimed at young people and youth workers; support for young people who wish to carry out a European voluntary service (CES, International Civic Service) or set up a project in France or in Europe
- Training Lorraine's actors in European exchanges
- Search for transnational partners
- Inform about Europe to learn and understand how the European Union works
- Answer citizens' questions, free access documentation centre, information sessions, quizzes, debates, exhibitions
- To provide information through free official EU documentation (in the information centres, at events, or by order)
- Making information and news available electronically, via the website or newsletters
- Facilitating discussions with a variety of audiences on European issues and mobility
- Organising debates on important and topical issues concerning citizens
- Training professional audiences on European programmes
The association is composed of an office (president, vice-president, secretary and treasurers), a board of directors (members of the office, CANOPÉ, students and other partner associations) and two employees (a coordinator and a EUROPE DIRECT officer).
Within the framework of its activities, it works with many institutional and associative partners :
- local authorities: Région Grand Est, Conseils départementaux, the cities of Nancy, Metz, Epinal/Saint-Dié des Vosges, Verdun/Bar-le-Duc
- the Ministry of Youth and Sports
- the European Commission and the European Parliament
- partners in formal education: Atelier Canopé (Réseau de Création et d'Accompagnement Pédagogique), the Rectorat de l'Académie de Nancy Metz
- Associations active in the field of youth such as: Etudes et Chantiers, Parcours le Monde Grand Est, Erasmus Student Network, Jeunes européens, OFAJ (Franco-German Office for Youth), Club pour l'UNESCO, CRIJ Grand Est, Maisons de la Culture et de la Jeunesse...
- Associations active in the field of the social and solidarity economy, such as the Chambre Régionale d'Economie Sociale et Solidaire, France Active Grand Est, etc.
- European information networks : EURES, Europe Direct Information Centres in the Grand Est Region (Strasbourg, Reims and Colombey-les-Belles) and the Greater Region (Saarbrücken and Esch-sur-Alzette), the Regional Committee for European Mobility (COREMOB: network of actors in charge of training associations and local structures in European and international mobility).
The list of all our partners can be found in the appendix.
Our target audience :
- Associations
- Young people
- Teachers (primary, secondary and university)
- The general public
- Local authorities and institutional actors

Volunteering project