EU participatory democracy: bridging the gap between theory and practice

From the Conference on the Future of Europe to the European Citizens’ Panels, in recent years, the EU institutions have been promoting a stronger participatory approach to their decision-making processes.

The European Parliament and other EU bodies are now pushing to expand the participatory toolkit even further, in an effort to give European citizens a stronger voice in the work of the institutions and their policy-making.

But to what extent is this approach working in practice when it comes to specific policies?

Research on the management of the recovery funds suggests a rather centralised approach that mainly excluded the voices of citizens and their local and regional representatives.

This special report looks at the increased focus on the EU participatory approach, some of its current gaps, and possible ways forward.