A Democracy fit for the Future

“The future is in your hands” resonated through the halls of the Commission HQ, the Berlaymont, on the 13th of July.

“The future is in your hands” resonated through the halls of the Commission HQ, the Berlaymont, on the 13th of July. Our young trainees Thibault from France and Rosa from Finland had been working hard preparing an event for European Commission trainees to brainstorm with Commissioners and their colleagues on the Future of Europe. What a success it was! We discussed so many ideas, scribbled on yellow post-its, plastered on boards all around the venue. Young people, brimming with ideas: and I made it a point to keep those post-its. They remind me of the creative and innovative thinking of these young minds. Young people challenged us, calling for a Democracy Fit for the Future. They told us we need more clarity in our messaging and our actions, how we need to ensure that European and national leaders need to be connected to regions and mayors, building trust. It was a reminder that democracy can also be, above all, fun!

These messages bring me a humble sense of pride and comfort, knowing that the future of our democracies is in the right hands- in their’s and in your’s. These events and deliberations are the engine that informs our work across all portfolios. They have helped to support my work on citizen engagement and child rights, rural areas, ageing and loneliness, and will continue to do so in the future as we come to grips with the demographic trends that are being experienced across Europe and seeking ways to turn them into opportunities for a brighter future.

This is why I look forward to an event that is coming up in a few weeks: my next Citizen’s Dialogue will be on board the Connecting Europe Express as it passes through Strasbourg. This unique train journey is travelling all across the continental EU, celebrating our diversity and the green opportunities offered by rail travel. It is also a space where dialogue, diversity and mobility align, displaying the added-value of our Union. The vision of strengthening our Union together with our citizens fed the thinking behind the unique project that is the Conference on the Future of Europe. For the first time, a German citizen can propose ideas on how to make best use of Next Generation EU or the green and digital transitions and a Danish citizen can immediately pick it up and deliberate on it. This is what I call “a new push for democracy”. Echoing President Von Der Leyen’s call to youth, we hope to see many young people empowered to lead the deliberations in the Conference on the Future of Europe, just like those trainees I mentioned earlier. 2022 truly will be a Year of European Youth.

The next steps in the Conference are the European Citizens Panels premiering on 17 of September in Strasbourg. These Panels lie at the heart of this unprecedented transnational and multilingual exercise in deliberative democracy. Citizens must have a central role in shaping our future and in strengthening our representative democracy, and the Conference connects the policymakers with every generation: the grandparents, parents and the children; linking their ambitions and visions. We have made a clear commitment to follow-up on the proposals that will flow out of the Conference. These can drive the change towards building a democracy that is fit for the future, and I am eager to see what they will bring forth.

This is not only a call to the older generation, who bring in their own experience and wisdom, but it is also a call to include teenagers and children for theirs. They too are calling for climate action and the defending of human rights, not just in the EU, but around the world. Do you remember Friday for Future? This is our youth! Children already are active citizens and agents of change. The EU comprehensive Strategy on the Right of the Child that was adopted earlier this year defines concrete actions to empower children in the EU and across the globe, taking on board their ideas, hopes and dreams. More than 10,000 children submitted contributions to the Child Rights strategy and Child Guarantee. In 2022, we will launch an EU Child Participation Platform and step up our efforts to increase the participation of children in various aspects of our societies. This is our commitment to build healthier, stronger and more equal societies for all, where every child and young person is included, respected, protected and empowered. As President Von Der Leyen said: “Our Union will be stronger if it is more like our next generation: reflective, determined and caring. Grounded in values and bold in action.”

Democracy truly is embedded in everything we do. These past years have shown us that we are stronger together. For the pandemic, the earthquakes that shook our homes, floods that swept away our feeling of safety, and forest fires that scorched our earth, a unified response was the only answer. A unified response will help make our democracies healthy, responsive, vibrant and inclusive. Our choices and voices are what make us stronger- during this week of Democracy, I invite you to share yours. Tell us what democracy means to you. Share your visions. Through the Conference on the Future of Europe, by commenting on this blog, or through our many participatory and deliberative bodies and tools. This is what makes democracies strong and fit for the future.