European Citizens’ Panel on the future of Europe Bertelsmann Stiftung Evaluation Report

Hierlemann, Dominik and Huesmann, Christian (2018) European Citizens’ Panel on the future of Europe Bertelsmann Stiftung Evaluation Report. UNSPECIFIED.

PDF - Published Version Download (891Kb)

Abstract

New forms of democratic participation are gaining ground rapidly. Many EU Member States have reacted to their citizens’ increasing demands for participation. There are more and more new ways to participate in political discussions and decision-making on both local and national level. By participating in the European Citizens’ Initiative, online consultations by the Commission, or European Citizens’ Dialogues, EU citizens can also take an active part in policymaking at the European level. A wide range of different citizens’ consultations began in EU Member States in spring 2018 on the instigation of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, with the support of the other European heads of state and government and the European Commission. With European Parliament elections coming up in May 2019, this has prompted a transnational discussion about the future of the EU. As part of this debate, the Citizens’ Panel on the future of Europe, which was organised by the Commission and took place from 4 – 6 May 2018 (5 May: Europe Day), brought together 100 citizens from all EU27 Member States to discuss the future of Europe. Kantar, a service provider in the field of market research, working together with different organisations in the field of participation, was assigned with the the organisation and facilitation of the process. For example, participants from all over Europe were selected at random in order to represent the diversity of Europe and its citizens. The Bertelsmann Stiftung acted as an academic partner and was responsible for evaluating the event. The aim of the Citizens’ Panel was to develop 12 questions for an online survey on the future of Europe – created by EU citizens for EU citizens. Open and closed questions were combined in such a way that citizens could complete the questionnaire quickly and easily. The online survey was launched in all EU languages on 6 May 2018. Initial results are scheduled for discussion by heads of state and government in December 2018. A definitive report will be submitted on 9 May 2019 during the EU27 Summit in Sibiu, Romania.

Actions (login required)