History in the Making – again!

Thirty years ago, the end of the Cold War inspired active citizens in many countries to take charge. Not only in Europe many constitutions were rewritten and new tools of participatory and direct democracy were introduced. Modern representative democracy was rethought and renewed from scratch.

In Europe, my home continent, I had the privilege to become part of a transnational network called “eurotopia”, which gathered more than 20 times in person – this was before the internet and before Corona... – and developed an agenda for a more democratic Europe including a European Citizens Initiative (ECI) and pan-european popular votes on specific issues.

Twenty years ago, we were – for the first time as a new network under the name Democracy International – able to organize and gather enough good and forward-looking forces during the European Convention for the Future of Europe to get an agreement on the introduction of the ECI. After another ten years (and the formal establishment of Democracy International as an association in 2011) the ECI was formally introduced. It has since then changed the understanding of the role of citizens in the EU political process in a fundamental way.

And now, in this very critical momentum of a global pandemic, we are all invited to look forward and to make our voices heard again. With Democracy International, we are gathered in a strong and global alliance of democracy supporters – and have become an essential stakeholder in the making of democratic history, both in Europe and worldwide. While we are now developing new inputs to strengthen participatory and direct democracy at the ongoing Conference on the Future of Europe, we are also at the forefront of a global campaign for the introduction of a World Citizens Initiative (UNWCI), the very first tool of participatory and direct democracy at the global level.

In this Newsletter you find updates and briefing on these important and timely transnational initiatives but also outlooks to the state of freedom of expression and the forthcoming nationwide initiatives and referendums in Switzerland. Let´s continue to make history – together!

Bruno Kaufmann
Board Member, Democracy International

Upcoming events from our community

European HomeParliaments:
26 May, 18-20:00 CEST, online. More information
European Citizens Bank:
ongoing, online. More information
Democracies in Distress Webinar: Protesting in times of Covid-19:
27 May, 16-17:30 CEST, online. More information
European Public Sphere - Ukrainian vibes:
8 - 29 June, 16-18:00 CEST, online. More information
Democracy International turns ten:
3 July, 18-20h00 CEST, online. More information

Missed it?

Citizens Assembly "Germany's Role in the World": Examined and found to be good? Re-watch
Does America really want to be a nation of immigrants? Re-watch

Join the International Democracy Community to keep posted on democracy events and to promote your own events.

Mini-Europe to discuss the future of Europe

The first European elections to directly elect the European Parliament took place in 1979. In 2012, the European Citizens’ Initiative as the world’s first tool of transnational direct democracy was born. And in autumn 2021, Europe’s very first citizens’ assembly will deliberate.

Read more here

A critical United Nations update is available

Since the 1940s, we’ve updated our technological infrastructure, so why shouldn’t we update our democratic infrastructure?

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European Public Sphere travels to Eastern Europe

The European Public Sphere is on tour again. This time we travel to Ukraine. As part of ASA, four young professionals from Germany and Ukraine will bring the tour to the virtual public sphere.

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A global stress test for freedom of expression

One of democracy’s fundamental pillars is teetering. Across the world, governments are failing to protect the freedom of expression; elsewhere, individuals and groups hide behind free speech to spread hate and discrimination. In Switzerland, citizens are increasingly being called to the ballot box to decide on what counts as acceptable expression.

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Calls grow louder for pesticide-free food and water

Two separate proposals are demanding a radical reform of the country’s agriculture and food production sectors, phasing out the use of synthetic pesticides.

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