On Tuesday, 19 September 2023 from 18:00 to 19:30 CET, the European Movement International held an event entitled “Reviving Democracy: Modernising European Institutions for a More Participatory Europe” hosted by Mr Alin Mituta MEP and Mr Niklas Nienaß MEP in the European Parliament, in room ASP5G1.

Recent crises, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the ongoing war in Ukraine, have shown the need to update our institutions to improve their democratic functioning and increase the trust citizens have in them.

Initiatives such as the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) offered a vision of how participatory and deliberative democracy could help in that regard, with concrete proposals for a better Europe and ideas for better democratic participation and decision-making. Ahead of the 2024 European elections, this event will aim to show the work the European institutions are undertaking to make sure that their system is still fit for democracy and open towards its citizens.

The European Parliament has recently adopted a report on the topic which was presented and debated by its two co-rapporteurs. This discussion brought together representatives from organised civil society, the EU institutions and CoFoE’s citizen with the ambition to reflect on how best to reform our democratic institutions.

Among others, the panel featured:

• Alin Mituta MEP (Renew), European Parliament;
• Niklas Nienaß MEP (Greens), European Parliament;
• Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission;
• Annemie de Clerck, Citizen Ambassador for the Conference on the Future of Europe;
• Elias Dray, Vice-President of the European Youth Forum;
• Aimée Duprat-Macabies, Policy and Advocacy Officer, European Movement International.

Moderated by Federico Terreni, Policy and Advocacy Manager, European Movement International.

Following the presentation of the newly adopted report on Parliamentarism, European Citizenship and Democracy by the co-rapporteurs, the panelists shared their insights on the prospects, opportunities, and challenges to citizens’ participation and deliberative democracy in the European Union.

The vibrant discussion highlighted:

• The fundamental impact of the Conference on the Future of Europe on re-thinking the citizens’ engagement in the European decision-making process.
• The European Parliament’s call for the right of initiative and control over the EU’s budget.
• The power Europeans have to make a difference via public consultations, European Citizens Initiative, European elections, and the new generation of citizen panels.
• The importance of putting young people on top of the election lists and equipping voters with the tools necessary to fight disinformation.
• The need to increase and formalize the interaction between European institutions and organized civil society.