Democratic Participation in a Citizen’s Europe: What Next for the EU?

Janice Thompson of the ECI campaign has been in touch to tell me about an upcoming conference:

This collaborative conference will bring together democracy activists, campaigners, academics and policy makers to explore current challenges and future opportunities for EU public participation. It will build on learning from citizens’ initiatives and petitions, deliberative forums, citizen lobbying, social movements and more. Participants will together imagine new ways and means to develop a more participative and democratic European Union.

Thursday, 5 May 2016, 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM. University of Liverpool – Liverpool, England

For more information and to register:
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/law-and-social-justice/conferences/democratic-participation-in-a-citizens-europe-what-next-for-the-eu/

I remember being sceptical of the ECI process in the past, and sadly, the scepticism has been born out. The reforms won by the UK government ahead of the EU referendum are not about increasing citizen engagement with the EU… is the EC is capable of and willing to create a genuinely participatory opening?

So, I’ll be interested to see what comes of this conference. It should be interesting.