The functioning of the European Union is based on representative democracy, but it also includes a patchwork of participatory elements. Through initiatives such as the Conference on the Future of Europe and the new generation of European Citizens’ Panels, the EU has recently attempted to reinvigorate this participatory dimension.  

Yet, the upcoming European Parliament elections and ongoing EU reforms prompt critical questions: where is the EU heading after the 2024 elections? What role do citizens play in this context and how should citizen engagement at the EU level look like? What are participatory democracy’s added value and challenges? How can representative and participatory elements help regain people’s trust in politics and political leaders?

This is the second online event of the EU Democracy Reform Observatory’s “Democracy Reform Conversations”. The EU Democracy Reform Observatory is a joint initiative of Bertelsmann Stiftung, European Policy Centre, King Baudouin Foundation, and Stiftung Mercator, to foster debate on modernising European democracy.

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