Democracy International's Positions

Some Democracy International positions to upgrade Europe's democracy can take place under the current treaties, while most require an amendment of primary law in order to tackle essential and underlying democratic setbacks in the EU. In proposals requiring treaty change, a Convention process according to Article 48 of the Lisbon Treaty must be carried out. While the provisions of Article 48 and how a Convention is to be carried out is vaguely described in the text of the treaty, and therefore open to interpretation, we demand that a Convention process is, above all, open, transparent, and includes citizens at the core of the process. EU wide referenda is greatly encouraged to take place in the Member States on the final outcome of the Convention in order to democratically legitimize the process and grant citizens the final say.