For the first of a series of transnational ‘Power to the People’ online assemblies leading up to the European elections, hundreds of people from sixteen countries across and outside the European continent joined a special transnational assembly last week to discuss rising costs of living. Organised by a coalition of partners involving European Alternatives, Europe […]
When the news broke about the arrest of EU Parliament’s Vice-President Eva Kaili in flagrant offence for corruption and money laundering, many observers – including myself – instantly qualified Qatargate as the largest and the most damaging scandal affecting the European integration process since its inception. Since then, this prediction proves truer day by day, revelation after […]
On 23 January the German-based civil society organization Europe Calling organized a hugely succesful webinar in which citizens were able to feed their questions directly to Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor of Germany and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The innovative format, which attracted the highest number of registrations ever seen at an event […]
On 2 December 2022 Citizen Panelists who participated in the Conference on the Future of Europe gathered in Brussels, together with political representatives, to receive an update on how the institutions planned on taking forward their proposals. During the meeting, citizens also offered their own criticism of the follow-up process, culminating in two open letters […]
Contrary to stereotypes, under 30s are, in fact, dismantling the traditional definition of politics to focus on the public sphere, lead transnational justice movements and shift the terrain of conversation with representatives. By doing so they are innovating new ways in which institutions and governments can better serve the needs of the European electorate. During […]
In the run-up to the EU Council Summit of 23-24 June, the German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock called the idea of a holding a Convention for EU Treaty changes outdated. She stated “I have no intention whatsoever of simply taking twenty-year old recipes out of the drawer.” Baerbock wasn’t the only sceptic in […]
On 10 June, the EUI-STG Democracy Forum held its last session of the 2021-22 academic year, addressing the most contentious question in the debate on the follow-up on the Conference on the Future of Europe: to reform or not to reform the EU treaties? What are the merits, risks and democratic conditions of an EU […]
Matching theories have been proven successful in various policy areas. Most notably, Alvin Roth was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2012 for his use of matching theories in “markets without prices” which enabled organ donors to be matched with transplant patients, students with universities, and resident doctors with hospitals. Could the holy alliance between technology […]
After years of silence on the matter, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders have indicated openness to Treaty Changes if citizens demand so in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In this article I explore some of the most prominent proposals for reforming the European Citizens’ […]
The Future of Europe debate has been an invitation to all citizens to ‘make their voice(s) heard.’ The Commission has provided a forum for the peoples of Europe to articulate themselves and confront decision-makers with their visions of a future European Union. As we write, the European Citizens’ Panels (ECPs) of the Conference on the […]