In her State of the Union speech in the European Parliament, President von der Leyen introduced the first set of proposals that responded to the demands of the citizens participating in the Conference on the Future of Europe. Ms. von der Leyen’s statement to introduce regular citizens’ panels ahead of crucial legislative proposals demonstrates that the Commission is taking participatory democracy seriously. Nevertheless, the EU’s quest to “constantly gain and regain the citizens’ trust” must now resume in more fundamental, structural spheres. This includes recognizing the citizens’ overall ambitious vision of Europe’s future forged during the Conference. In order to respond decisively to the challenges of this watershed moment, EU institutional reform will be crucial to making policymaking more effective and legitimate in an enlarged Union. Read more here.
Source: European Policy Centre