Open letter to the citizens and political leaders of the EU

In this period of economic recovery and relative stability, we Europeans are forgetting that not so long ago we stood on the edge of an abyss, and that our reality is still crippled by geopolitical and financial uncertainties, with record-high debt levels in Asia and America capable of triggering another worldwide economic crisis.

Two years ago on this day, we launched an appeal for a new European renaissance on the front pages of leading continental newspapers. Our main concern was to avoid the implosion of the European project in an unprecedented political momentum characterized by the rise of populistic and nationalistic sentiments. Our conviction being that only a sweeping movement gathering citizens and opinion leaders from across the political spectrum could generate sufficient political pressure to guarantee the unity of the 27 in the event the United Kingdom’s European Union membership referendum would yield a negative outcome.

European leaders had indeed agreed to David Cameron’s demands not to prepare a plan B since, he believed, preparing for an eventual exit of the United Kingdom could have accentuated the risk of a negative vote. Our appeal was then formidably received. Tens of thousands of citizens reacted across the continent. Heads of state and government summoned us and, most importantly, followed our double recommendation: remain united in negotiation and initiate work on a roadmap for the future of the Union. The presidents of the European Commission and Council asked us to lead a reflection on the contents of this roadmap and, generally, on the best way to articulate national and European sovereignty. The outcomes of this reflection were outlined in the report on “The European Way for a Better Future,” which was presented to them just a year ago.

The essence of our proposals has since been the object of substantial political adoption, by the president of the European Commission in his latest State of the Union address, as well as by French President Emmanuel Macron in his landmark Sorbonne and Strasbourg speeches. The European Parliament also took it on board. A number of our specific recommendations are now becoming a reality, such as the citizen consultations having started in certain member-states, the progress in defense research and development, the priority now given to artificial intelligence by the European Commission, the improvement of information quality, the modernization of the European social model, and the Erasmus in Schools project which will finally enable each European to personally experience the Union from a young age. This progress will however need to be supported by a budget enabling the democratization of Erasmus, the maintenance of an ambitious cultural program, and a lasting expansion of R&D efforts. We are happy for our successes, but remain worried nonetheless.

The wish for a stronger Europe expressed by our fellow citizens in the aftermath of the British referendum risks deflating if words are not followed by additional concrete actions. The latest electoral results showcase a continuous rise of populist movements. Making matters worse, respect for the rule of law and the fundamental values, notably media pluralism and freedom of speech, appear to never have been this endangered within the Union. Yet the latter is passively entering a new phase of lethargy, even though Brexit will be fully enacted in less than a year. Therefore, on this May 9, this European day, we call for a A European Union flag is attached to a bicycle during a protest near the parliament building, which was holding the opening session after the recent election in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday. Recent election results indicate a continuous rise of populist movements across the continent. new revival from our leaders as well as from all citizens, opinion influencers, trade unions, and business organizations around the continent. We deem it indispensable for the June European Council to commit to a clear plan for the revival of the Union, made of concrete actions having a positive impact on citizens’ short and long-term prospects, and to a precise agenda for its implementation. If this was not to be the case, we will run a grave risk that the next European elections be marked by an unprecedented rise to power of populist forces. Accordingly, we encourage all Europeans to participate in the citizen consultations, in the hope they achieve to include even the most vulnerable and lead to a genuine consideration of all the different opinions expressed.

That said, it is our deep conviction that progress must be taken further, that we should collectively aim to be more innovative and ambitious in this unprecedented period of transformation. It is with this ambition in mind that we want to invent a new step in European democracy. Indeed, we offer to create a perpetual right to participation in the political life of the Union, and invite all to join us in building civico.eu, a permanent civic platform, transnational and multilingual, allowing citizens not only to be consulted but also to drive a direct civic dialogue making concrete proposals emerge to continuously feed European institutions.

Today’s digital technologies, the progress made in automated translation, and the developments in relation to AI, allow for democracy to be envisaged differently. This is in no way about putting representative democracy to rest but about complementing it, through a democratic tool enabling continuous deliberative participation. Today more than ever, we are convinced that our fellow citizens must be empowered to form a genuine transnational civic force.

Seventy years to the day after the Hague Congress, true founding act of the European Union, we call for a new congress of the European consciousness before the end of the year, assembling citizens, opinion influencers, and leaders from across the European spectrum, to start writing together a new page of our common history.

It is by equally entrusting swift and concrete advancements, a democratic renewal securing our fundamental values, and a gathering of good wills, that we will rekindle the trust between European citizens and European institutions in a spirit of renewed solidarity. This is the fundamental condition to enable the transformation of the Union into a great democratic, cultural, social, environmental, and industrial power, capable of decisively weighing on the evolution of our planet, the safeguard of its citizens’ interests, and the advent of a better world.