Stories

The European Pubic Sphere in Vienna
European Union
Behind citizen’s powerlessness: nostalgia, resentment and hope
With our eyes now turning towards Brussels and the upcoming launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe, attention and excitement are high. But so is the feeling of being powerless to influence EU politics among European...
The ruins of the Panguna mine (Photo courtesy of Madlemurs (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)
Papua New Guinea
Inching towards Independence: a bumpy road ahead for Bougainville
In last November’s referendum, with a turnout of 87,4 per cent, a staggering 97,7 per cent of Bougainvillean voters opted for independence. The small island in the Pacific Sea is part of the state of Papua New Guinea (PNG), but...
European Union
A Benelux road trip
Our BeNeLux tour was the most extensive tour of the European Public Sphere project to date. Within the space...
European Union
#NowTheCitizens are demanding a democratic reform of the EU
In times of declining confidence and criticism of the functioning of the European Union, the upcoming...
International
From United Nations to United Citizens
When it comes to direct democracy, we often look at the local level. The reasoning being that it is simply...
European Union
ECI Day 2019: Digital Voices
On April 2, 2019, the ECI Day took place for the 8th time. It was hosted by the European Economic and Social...
Netherlands
How the Dutch government is trying to delete the referendum law
Having entered into force barely 3 years ago, the Dutch Referendum law is now under threat. The newly elected...
European Union
The revised European Citizens' Initiative is finally here
After two long years of us reporting about the European Citizens’ Initiative’s (ECI) reform, we are happy to ...
United Kingdom
The spirit of 1979
Matt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science at the University of Coventry and an expert on referendums....
Ireland
Face-to-face with the Citizens of the Irish Assembly
Ireland is perhaps one of the most publicised examples of the phenomenon of citizens’ assemblies, or randomly...
Our Dome at Camp for Future, Hambacher Forst, Germany
European Union
The European Public Sphere sets out on a BeNeLux tour
Just before the European Elections, the moment has arrived: the Europe Dome is going on tour again! And it...
United Kingdom
Listen: The Real Story - Are Referendums Ever A Good Idea?
This week, Democracy International made the case for more citizen participation on the BBC's The Real Story....