By the time you read this last week’s 2nd Summit for Democracy will have just been completed. Did you feel it was a decisive, action-led Summit which will make a significant practical difference to strengthening global democracy or did you log out on Friday with a hollow sensation of unfulfilment? The second equally important test is did the Autocrats observe the proceedings with a sense of fear and trepidation or a smirk of relief?

The dust has not settled yet but already the caravan has started up with the announcement that the 3rd Summit event has been announced for next…

Climate and biodiversity crises are among the greatest global threats that we have to confront now and for many decades to come. Even if the consequences will not touch everyone in the same way, many in the research and policy worlds recognise that moving towards more hopeful futures cannot happen without active participation of the wider society. In this post we bring you a summary of several recent projects that the Competence Centre has run focusing on the engagement of citizens in one pressing biodiversity issue: the protection of wild pollinating insects.

Carrying out citizen engagement is not just a matter of taking the decision to do it. Public administrations face difficulties in changing their focus towards more inclusive, collaborative and participatory decision-making. Moreover, such processes not only need to be initiated, but also maintained overtime. Enabling conditions for meaningful citizen engagement have to mature through practice. BiodiverCities offers valuable lessons learnt on challenges as well as solutions.

Contemporary political attitudes are characterized by significant political indifference, disengagement from public life, and a decline in political participation, especially among young people, whose level of interest in politics is steadily declining in almost all EU countries. The ‘Citizen Z’ project, which started in November 2022, applies deliberative methods, to both stimulate interest in civic and political life among young people aged 15 to 25 and to involve them in the decision-making process. Special attention is devoted to the intersectionality principle and those groups that are…

Are you a civil society organisation, a human rights organisation, an NGO, a heritage site or museum, an intermediary in the field of justice, a research institution or a public institution wishing to engage in a European project with co-funding rates up to 90%? If so, the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV) may be for you.

The Conference on the Future of Europe reached its end on the 9th of May 2022. The report on the final outcome of the Conference listed 49 proposals and more than 300 actionable measures. More (similar) opportunities to participate in EU policy making were asked by the participants. The new generation of Citizens' Panels now being organised by the European Commission are a first step in responding to citizen's requests.

The Science for Policy report presenting the results of the research Making Eat Together was recently published. It presents the results of a three-year qualitative research (2017-2020) on the school meal beyond nutrition, involving several primary and secondary schools located in Italy, Portugal and Germany.

This article is written by the European Year of Youth team. It takes a look back through the achievements and legacy of 2022, the European Year of Youth. 

Over 500 panelists from the Conference on the Future of Europe were present in the European Parliament hemicycle on December 2nd during a follow-up event. Citizens came from all member States to learn what has been done with their proposals from the four Panels. Their concrete recommendations to Europe were officially handed over last on Europe’s Day last May.

Efforts to undermine European democracy have been underway for some time - and now, democracy needs us. In its current fragile state, fighting for its future is more important than ever. You can do just that – by joining the European Capital of Democracy’s Citizens' Jury, playing a hands-on role in strengthening Europe’s democratic future!