'Please unmute yourself’ : how to amplify European voices

Abstract

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Member states of the European Union decided to allocate 750 billion euro via so called NextGenerationEU funds to address the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though it is for the first time a common European debt, a role of European citizens in the process of allocating those funds is marginal.The goal of rescuing the falling European economies and those who suffered through unemployment or bankruptcy is noble. Green and digital transition a must. Still an investment plan on such a scale cannot and should not be left for the national governments alone to decide. “The Treaty on European Union” in the first article states as follows: “This Treaty marks a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizen”. It is high time that EU is taken at its word. How can this gap between Brussels on the one hand and EU citizens be bridged? To answer this pertinent and difficult question, we will call upon a mix of practitioners and academicians ideally suited to propose innovative outreach approaches. If you are passionate about politics across borders, innovative democratic participation and political communication, please join our discussion!