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Stay up-to-date about the developments of direct democracy in the world.
21-06-2019
Waking up to a new European Union
The morning of Thursday 23 May felt like the start of a European Union Christmas. For weeks the city was decorated with festive EU symbols: EU flags waving proudly, posters of smiling candidate faces, and party banners promising the gift of a better EU hanging at every major...
12-06-2019
A spirit will go through Mexico
There is great momentum for direct democracy in Mexico at the moment. Carlos González Martínez of the Mexican Institute for Democracy of Proximity explains why now is the time to push for substantial direct democracy reform.
12-06-2019
A Benelux road trip
Our BeNeLux tour was the most extensive tour of the European Public Sphere project to date. Within the space of two weeks, between 30 March and 14 April, we visited nine cities in Belgium and the Netherlands to discuss the future of Europe with locals along the way. On 18 and 19...
10-05-2019
#NowTheCitizens are demanding a democratic reform of the EU
In times of declining confidence and criticism of the functioning of the European Union, the upcoming European elections are one of the most critical elections in our common European history. The current institutional framework and the top-down hierarchy of European agenda-...
09-05-2019
ECI Day 2019: Digital Voices
On April 2, 2019, the ECI Day took place for the 8th time. It was hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and co-organised by Democracy International, as well as by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) and The ECI Campaign. Beyond that, the Bertelsmann...
08-05-2019
From United Nations to United Citizens
When it comes to direct democracy, we often look at the local level. The reasoning being that it is simply more feasible for citizens to take influence when it comes to well-defined, nearby issues. But democratic participation matters on all levels, even where it might be harder...
14-03-2019
The revised European Citizens' Initiative is finally here
After two long years of us reporting about the European Citizens’ Initiative’s (ECI) reform, we are happy to finally announce that the new regulation of the ECI has been approved! For the first time ever, the ECI will see concrete structural improvements and become a more user-...
13-03-2019
The spirit of 1979
Matt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science at the University of Coventry and an expert on referendums. In his new book, The Referendum and Other...
12-03-2019
The European Public Sphere sets out on a BeNeLux tour
Just before the European Elections, the moment has arrived: the Europe Dome is going on tour again! And it will be exciting: 11 stops, our current maximum, and three new countries. On the respective dates, there will be two to three talks under the dome. Aside from the invitees...
12-03-2019
Face-to-face with the Citizens of the Irish Assembly
Ireland is perhaps one of the most publicised examples of the phenomenon of citizens’ assemblies, or randomly-selected citizens that deliberate important national issues. The Irish Citizens’ Assembly and its predecessor, the Constitutional Convention, have resulted in three...