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. 

This edition of the Democracy Reform Conversation will delve into several crucial questions: What are the fundamental politico-institutional obstacles preventing the Union from getting serious about citizen participation, and how can they be overcome? How can citizens actively contribute to the reform of EU democracy and the Union’s governance model? What is the political roadmap toward citizens-led EU reform? What kind of novel participation instruments could the Union implement? 

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

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