In-person event
The EU has become increasingly democratic. However, the notion of the EU’s democratic deficiency is still present. According to the latest Eurobarometer poll, less than half of EU citizens think that their voice counts and do not consider it highly important to vote in EP elections. This thus leads to a crucial question – what is the real issue with EU democracy and how can we solve it?
While this debate is anything but new, it is necessary to rethink EU democracy now. The EU is going through a critical moment in its history, expected to deliver on many fronts at once, from long-term transitions to crisis after crisis. It would be wrong, however, to assume that it can afford to ignore its deepest and perennial challenge, namely its own democratic credentials. In fact, the EU is facing a triple democratic rendezvous as the next EP elections are bound to shine a sharp light on the need to democratically anchor its new crisis-led powers, as well as its looming enlargement to 30+ more countries, including Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, CEPS and SWP Berlin joined forces to set up a High-Level Group (HLG) to develop and disseminate concrete and actionable policy recommendations to strengthen EU democracy. The group was composed of 23 politicians, officials, diplomats and scholars from across Europe, chosen to reflect as wide a range of views from different EU Member States, institutions and political parties.
The HLG produced a report which will be launched on 19 October, with a short presentation by the group’s chair Kalypso Nicolaidis (EUI) and Nicolai von Ondarza (SWP), followed by a discussion with Colin Scicluna, Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica , moderated by Sophia Russack, Researcher, CEPS.
Learn more about the HLG here and read the HLG Report.
This HLG was kindly supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Friedrich Nauman Foundation
