Publications

The prospect of enlargement has provided a push for new ideas and has invigorated debate

on EU institutional reform. Besides internal institutional transformation, enlargement opens

a window for another crucial step: the EU must transition from being a Union of citizens in...

Zur Halbzeit der Legislaturperiode ist es Zeit für eine Zwischenbilanz der Ampel-Regierung: Wie viele ihrer im Koalitionsvertrag vereinbarten Regierungsvorhaben wurden bereits umgesetzt? Wie viel davon ist noch offen? Hält die Regierung was sie den Bürger:innen als...

Die „Ampel“ hat zur Halbzeit ihrer Legislaturperiode bereits fast zwei Drittel ihres ambitionierten Koalitionsvertrages entweder umgesetzt oder angepackt. Das zeigt eine aktuelle Studie der Bertelsmann Stiftung in Zusammenarbeit mit der Universität Trier und dem Progressiven...

The EU institutions are continuing their effort to advance citizen participation. In May 2023, the first generation of European Citizens’ Panels announced by the Commission President von der Leyen finished their work. The team of the EU Democracy Reform Observatory, a joint...

During his election campaign, French President Macron committed to launching a public debate on euthanasia and suicide in France. For years, there have been debates between French supporters and opponents of changing the law to introduce active euthanasia.  

184 citizens...

Lors de sa campagne pour sa réélection, le Président de la République française, Emmanuel Macron, s’est engagé à ouvrir le débat public sur le suicide assisté et l’euthanasie. Depuis des années, la tension monte entre un nombre croissant de citoyens français en faveur d’un...

Agenda-setting is a vital aspect of democra-cies. Which items make it to the agenda? What ideas have a chance to become law? No matter whether it is a question of environmental pro-tection, public services or civil rights: Agenda initiatives enable citizens to participate in...

In recent years, Citizens Assemblies have spread rapidly throughout Europe. A group of randomly selected citizens deliberatively develops concrete political recommendations. This basic concept of a Citizens Assembly was innovated in Brussels. In 2019, the Brussels Regional...

Following up on the final report on the Conference on the Future of Europe and its recommendations on a permanent European Citizens’ Assembly or Panel, this conference discussed the following questions:

• What are the lessons learned from the Conference on the Future of...