Good news for European citizens! European Commission
President-elect Ursula von der Leyen wants “a new push for
European democracy”, including a two-year ‘Conference on
the Future of Europe’, in which citizens shall “play a leading
and active part." Von der Leyen’s proposal endorses her
predecessor’s 2017 resolve to “debate, not dictate." Such continuity of message is welcome. But President von
der Leyen can go further – she should ensure there is also
continuity in the European Union’s (EU) efforts to build
up a European civic space. Specifically, she should take
into account the European Citizens’ Consultations (ECCs),
which were held throughout Europe as recently as 2018
and early 2019. Recalling the ECCs and building on their
results would demonstrate that Brussels is committed to
a meaningful process of EU democratic renewal – not just
collecting a panoply of one-off initiatives
