Commons Network organized the workshop ‘The Challenge of Democratic Societies and Citizen Participation in Europe’, in cooperation with the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam.
Bringing together advocates, community leaders, local policy makers, experts in EU policies and journalists, this table researched the “commons approach” as a potential source for democratic renewal in Europe.
Through this topic, we wanted to explore ways to give voice to citizens and open up EU institutions for effective democratic engagement and participation.
There is a clear sense that a strong vision and tools are available to address the challenges of European democracy. But there are still challenges related to scaling up smaller-scale local activities to the European level, as well as to connecting the many existing initiatives.
For a more detailed analysis of this workshop, read this article by our partner Alek Tarkowski.