MEP Pledge and signatories

Dear candidates for the European Parliament,

The European Union has been challenged in an unprecedented manner over the last ten years: from the financial to the eurozone crisis, from war close to its eastern borders to a peaking influx of migrants and refugees, from internal rule of law violation to Brexit.

As a result of these challenges, the EU is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The battle over the future of Europe is more political than ever before, and citizens demand to be given a hand and a say in shaping the future of their continent. The question is: do the EU institutions and Member States manage to harness and channel this civic energy in a productive manner?

An answer to this question requires a critical re-examination of the democratic credentials of the EU. Furthermore, any such re-examination, in order to be credible, requires the direct involvement of citizens. Business as usual is no longer an option.

That’s why we call for the organization of inclusive, randomly- selected citizens’ assemblies on the democratic future of Europe. They should lead to concrete proposals for democratic reform, which are to be followed up on promptly and adequately. If a Convention is deemed necessary to address citizens’ recommendations that require Treaty change, all citizens should be given a final say on its outcome. We ask all candidates to show democratic leadership and sign the pledge!

Yes, I support this pledge:

“I, if elected as a Member of the European Parliament, pledge to take the lead in the democratic reform of the European Union. I pledge to:

- advocate for the organization of randomly-selected citizens’ assemblies at the national and/or EU-level to develop concrete recommendations on the democratic future of Europe;

- work to ensure that citizens’ recommendations are promptly and adequately responded to and followed up on by means of legislative proposals for democratic reform, including, if deemed necessary, a proposal for Treaty change;

- advocate for all citizens to be given a final say on the outcome of a possible Convention in order to ensure broad support among the population;

- support the establishment of a parliamentary intergroup on the future of European democracy for the EP mandate 2019-2024, which is tasked to design a roadmap for democratic reform, exploring the above-mentioned proposals.”

In the run-up to the May 2019 European elections, 338 candidates from almost all EU member states signed our pledge (find them all here). Of those, 33 have been elected (ordered by country):