The
EU Democracy Reform Observatory is a joint initiative by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the European Policy Centre, the King Baudouin Foundation, and Stiftung Mercator that aims to foster debate and discussion on modernising European democracy and provide recommendations on how to make democracy and decision-making more legitimate, participatory, and effective in the EU.
In a context both set and shaped by the Conference on the Future of Europe and the watershed moment of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Observatory will:
- Seek to advance discussion on the role of participatory democracy in the EU, its connection to representative democracy, and better instruments of citizen participation.
- Reflect on how proposals to reform the EU, brought about by the Zeitenwende, relate to and address the broader state of European democracy.
- Support EU institutions and decision-makers with fresh and outside-of-the-box thinking.
- Spark and shape ideas about modernising European democracy through in-depth research, analysis, and debate.
The Project follows on from the
Conference Observatory initiative.