Building the Political Structure for Direct Citizen Participation in a European Federation

Abstract

The European Union suffers from a deficit in democracy. Policy-driven treaties cause insufficient coordination, speed, and efficiency in their response to internal and external challenges. In order to create a more democratic, effective, and integrated policy in Europe, a Citizens’ Convention was held between October 2021 and April 2022. The objective of this Convention was to create a European Constitution that might serve as the basis of a European Federation. The Convention agreed on three essential pillars to achieve a robust and stable democratic system in Europe: 1) the transfer of common powers from the European States to the Federation, 2) a strict separation of the legislative, executive, and legal powers, and 3) direct citizens’ participation. Underpinned by these principles, a number of structural and functional changes are proposed to achieve strong democratic institutions, greater integration, and effective cooperation between the European States.