For a Democratic Wave is a campaign in the runup to the 2024 European Parliamentary elections initiated by Democracy International and Federation for Innovation in Democracy – Europe (FIDE). FIDE specializes in implementing deliberative democratic methods, particularly Citizens’ Assemblies, to deeply involve citizens in policymaking and assists in all stages of the process, from planning to evaluation, to ensure informed, inclusive, and effective citizen engagement in shaping policy solutions. Democracy International is an NGO supporting democratic initiatives, activists, and policymakers worldwide by providing expertise and promoting transnational direct and participatory democracy to empower citizens and enhance accountability in political decision-making processes.

We aim to empower citizens and enhance their influence over the future of Europe. To achieve this, we advocate for involving citizens in a credible and proactive manner to strengthen and improve democratic participation within the European Union. This is why we propose the strengthening of democratic instruments and mechanisms, inter alia, randomly selected citizens’ assemblies focused on shaping the democratic future of Europe and bottom-up direct democracy instruments.

The European Union can only survive and be a source of peace, justice, and prosperity on our planet if citizens take full ownership of it. Citizens can only develop this sense of ownership if they are given a hand and a say in shaping the future of the European project. Additionally, citizen participation cannot remain limited to specific policy areas, but must concern the very democratic structure and functioning of the European Union, as this provides the foundation and operational framework for all other political activities of and within the European Union.

The European Parliament is the world’s first and only directly elected supranational institution, which gives it a special responsibility. Even if the European Parliament does not have the formal competence to enforce a fundamental democratic reform on its own, it has the democratic legitimacy and the political duty to lead the way in advocating for a credible democratic reform process and better implementation of democratic tools and mechanisms.

The European Union is at a pivotal moment, shaped by recent challenges and key events like the 2019 elections and the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE). To counter growing anti-democratic forces, we must seize upon CoFoE’s momentum to deepen citizen engagement in EU decision-making and fortify our democratic foundations. Strengthening EU democracy is essential to safeguarding our values of inclusivity and transparency against internal and external threats.

The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) stands as the world’s first and only instrument of transnational participatory democracy. We call for a stronger ECI because it serves as the only bottom-up mechanism of participatory democracy in the EU. Despite a surge of successful initiatives, the political impact of ECIs unfortunately remains limited. To truly empower citizens and elevate their concerns to the EU level, a stronger ECI with enhanced political impact is imperative, ensuring citizens have a genuine opportunity to shape EU policies and decisions.

A proposal to convene a new EU Convention during the 2024-2029 EP mandate aims to amend EU treaties and strengthen EU democracy, including, for example introducing EU-wide referendums. This transformation could elevate the ECI into a genuine citizens’ right of initiative with the possibility to allow all citizens of the EU to have a say on the matter.

In order for this process to have credibility and for citizens to feel taken seriously, citizens’ recommendations need to be promptly and publicly discussed and responded to by all relevant political actors, including by means of a debate and vote in the plenary of the European Parliament. The Europe-wide debate should be followed by concrete legislative proposals, including, if deemed necessary, a proposal for Treaty change involving a new European Convention (Article 48 TEU). 

European democracy holds immense untapped potential, with numerous opportunities to expand and deepen democratic engagement across the EU. From enhancing citizen participation through digital platforms to fostering more transparent and inclusive decision-making processes, there are myriad ways to invigorate the democratic fabric of the Union. By leveraging innovative tools and mechanisms, the EU can better reflect the voices and aspirations of its diverse populace. However, democracy must be safeguarded against both internal and external anti-democratic forces that seek to undermine these democratic values. Strengthening the resilience of European democracy is crucial to ensuring its stability and continuity, protecting it from threats that could erode the fundamental principles upon which the EU is built.

While European Parliament intergroups have no formal competences, they allow for ‘coalitions of the willing’ to emerge around specific themes, connecting interested and committed Members of the European Parliament with relevant stakeholders. An intergroup on democracy could explore proposals for the strengthening and safeguarding of European democracy in detail and in close collaboration with relevant experts and civil society stakeholders and take the lead in designing a roadmap for the democratic reform of the European Union.