Since the 2019 Now the Citizens campaign, there have been great steps forward in developing Europe's democracy, with advances such as the improvement of the European Citizens' Initaitive and the Conference on the Future of Europe. After years of crises and a long need for greater citizens' outreach by the EU, Democracy International strongly welcomes all efforts and opportunities to increase democratic participation. 

All these democratic participation opportunites have one major need in common: They require political follow-up that falls in line with citizens' wishes for Europe. This means, in addition to the new opportunities for citizens' particiaption, a fundamental democratic reform of the EU is needed so that citizens have a greater say in European affairs.

We've campaigned for democratic processes such as randomly-selected citizens' assemblies with the Now the Citizens campaign, which we saw realised through the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Citizens' Panels. But, ultimately, Europe needs a democratic overhaul and a bottom-up democratic reform process. Fundamental and necessary democratic reform in the EU, such as granting the European Parliament the right of initiative, transforming the European Citizens' Initiative as a real citizens' initiative right, or the introduction of EU-wide referenda require treaty change. That is why, in addition to all the highly welcome new and improved EU participation opportunities, a Convention according to Article 48 of the Lisbon Treaty is even more critical for the future of Europe - because only with fundamental and lasting democratic reform of the EU can Europe become a Europe of the citizens.