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What are the prospects for European democracy and citizen participation in the new institutional cycle? What role could civil society play in advancing citizen participation? How does the European Economic and Social Committee, an institution at the heart of the EU democratic model, see the added value of citizen participation? In the seventh edition of EU Democracy Reform Conversations the President of the European Economic and Social Committee Oliver Röpke, Associate Director and Head of the European Politics and Institutions Programme at EPC Dr. Corina Stratulat and Dr. Andrey Demidov, Project Manager at the Bertelsmann Stiftung discussed these and other questions.
The EU is embarking on a new political and institutional cycle. Reforming EU democracy and enhancing citizen participation will remain a priority on the EU political agenda during this new mandate, as emphasised in the European Council’s Strategic Agenda and the political guidelines of Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen. The European Economic and Social Committee in its current mandate also commits to making "a more resilient, more inclusive, and more democratic EU" its central objective.
The sixth edition of online EU Democracy Reform Conversations brought five young European leaders to discuss what themes and topics concern young citizens before the European elections.
The European elections in June 2024 is a milestone for European democracy. Young Europeans drove up the voter turnout in 2019, and the surge in youth participation is likely to be repeated in 2024.
In the fifth edition of Democracy Reform Conversations, the speakers discussed the political and institutional obstacles to citizen-led EU reform. Members of the European Parliament Sandro Gozi, Associate Director and Head of the European Politics and Institutions Programme at EPC Dr. Corina Stratulat, Director of Studies at EPC Janis Emmanouilidis, and Project Manager at Bertelsmann Stiftung Andrey Demidov explored what prevents the EU from taking citizen participation seriously, despite all the achievements and evidence.
The EU needs reform. The Conference on the Future of Europe and European Citizens Panels have demonstrated that citizens can be the driving force behind complex changes the EU must undergo, be it managing the poly-transition, preparing the EU for a potential enlargement to 30+ member states or pushing for the much-needed EU institutional and governance reform. Despite this potential, both EU and national decision-makers seem hesitant to fully leverage citizen participation. Participatory democracy in the EU is hitting an invisible ceiling that can only be broken if politicians and decision-makers at the European and national levels acknowledge and address the root causes blocking development.
