What happens when you get 800 randomly selected Europeans together to discuss the future of Europe? The Conference on the Future of Europe, of course! The first citizen panels kicked-off last weekend (17th to the 19th of September) as the first panel of 200 citizens met in Strasbourg at the European Parliament. We were glad to see them there – where ordinary people belong – at the heart of governance. We hope they can lend it – and the Union at large – a new lease of life!

People around the world are looking for solutions to our collective issues – from climate change and healthcare issues to legitimacy crises and inequalities. In all these issues, power is at play. Government responses to date, however, have proven insufficient. On the issue of climate change, for instance, we are still a long way from securing an CO2-emissions trajectory in line with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to limit global temperature increases to well below 2 degrees Celsius – and preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius – compared to pre-industrial levels. We believe it’s time for an empowered citizenry to point the way towards a better future and help solve our collective action problem. Does the Conference on the Future of Europe provide citizens with that opportunity? We’ll be keeping this question in mind as we continue to monitor it.

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