Democracy in Europe must be given new momentum. That was one of the six strategic priorities set out by the von der Leyen Commission. Almost five years later, it must be said that this has only worked to a limited extent. Political polarisation in the member states has increased, public debate is becoming more abrasive, the rule of law remains under pressure in some EU member states and the new possibilities that generative AI provide for democracy are offset by the overwhelming power of the tech giants.<\/p>\n
Of course, the EU itself has become increasingly democratic over the course of its history. More power for the European Parliament, new instruments of participation and, most recently, the Conference on the Future of Europe that broke new ground in terms of citizen participation.<\/p>\n
But the EU hasn\u2019t had a real democracy update for a long time. Its democratic legitimacy is being questioned more than ever before. Although it constantly talks about being a Europe of the citizens, these citizens have little idea about what is happening in Brussels, let alone how they can participate in the European political process.<\/p>\n
What should the democratic Europe of the next generation look like? How can citizens participate? Are we extending old nation-state democratic thinking to the EU or will we allow a completely new approach? The EU must answer these questions if it wants to prepare for the future wave of enlargement, manage the major social transformations, and preserve democracy as the form of government.<\/p>\n
The EU has numerous participation instruments at its disposal, more than many member states. Petitions, online consultations, citizens\u2018 dialogues, the European Citizens\u2018 Initiative, the Ombudsman and, most recently, the European Citizens\u2018 Panels.<\/p>\n
The instruments themselves aren\u2019t badly designed. But with the exception of elections to the European Parliament, they are barely known and have little influence. No wonder only 15 percent of EU citizens find it easy to participate in these instruments, even though four out of five Europeans would like to have a greater say in European policy. The EU wants to be a union of citizens, democratic, and participatory, but is not perceived as such.<\/p>\n
The instruments lack visibility and performance, and ultimately there is a lack of political will surrounding them, as the study \u201cUnder Construction: Citizen Participation in the European Union<\/a>\u201d has shown. The EU\u2019s democratic participation landscape is terra incognita for its citizens. People aren\u2019t familiar with the participation instruments, and they don\u2019t know what their purpose is.<\/p>\n In many cases it remains unclear what happens after people take part in participation processes. The actual impact on EU policymaking remains small. Even though a number of improvements have been made there is still a dearth of success stories.<\/p>\n Many of these problems are rooted in a pronounced lack of political will. Flowery words about Europe\u2019s closeness to its citizens can be found in abundance among EU politicians and in statements issued by the European institutions. But there is nothing close to a common understanding among the member states or in the European Parliament of what, apart from elections, constitutes citizen participation.<\/p>\n There is little knowledge even among decision-makers about new forms of participation. And yes, there are still plenty of reservations \u2013 sometimes openly expressed, sometimes hidden. Some simply lack the courage to allow genuine democratic innovation. For many decision-makers in Brussels and the EU capitals, new forms of citizen participation are dismissed as \u201cnice to have.\u201d<\/p>\n European democracy won\u2019t improve if it clings to the institutional status quo. When it comes to the protection, stability, and resilience of the European institutions, Brussels seems to be following any bureaucracy\u2019s basic rule: \u201cIt\u2019s worked so far, so let\u2019s keep it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s citizens need a greater sense of direction and want more democratic participation. If the EU wants to remain effective and capable of making decisions, it will have to adapt its political and institutional setup. This process can only succeed by getting the citizens on board. More citizen participation is therefore essential for the defence and advancement of European democracy.<\/p>\nEuropean Commission Leads the Way<\/h2>\n