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A random sample is not enough
One way the “voice of the ordinary European” currently reaches EU policy makers is via opinion polling. The European Commission’s Eurobarometer surveys measure what Europeans know and how they feel...
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Making room for unexpected voices
Since surveys alone cannot provide a complete or nuanced view of public opinion, they are best preceded or complemented by qualitative research. Samples are small and not necessarily random. So,...
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Reflection group offers few new ideas to engage EU citizens
Back in 2008, with the EU stalled pending ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Council appointed a high-level independent Reflection Group, headed by Felipe González, to propose solutions to...
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Who’s afraid of the world’s first transnational participatory democracy tool?
Europe will begin the first-ever experiment in transnational participatory democracy later this year with the launch of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). This participatory agenda-setting tool...
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A (real) democratic life for EU citizens…
The European Union (EU) is moving quickly to clarify and enforce the rights of its citizens, driven by the very senior, results-oriented Commissioner Viviane Reding. The Commission’s focus is the...
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Warning: EU elections may be dangerous to your democracy
If the first election in which a young voter participates is a European election then that voter is less likely to vote in any kind of election for the rest of their life compared to their first...
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Putting EU citizens before lobbyists: is the ECI the tool?
A friend recently asked me to sign a petition opposing a soon-to-be-implemented EU directive which will effectively ban many herbal medicines. Putting aside the merits of the topic, my first reaction...
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You’ll miss Europe if we kill it: the EU benefits the world more than people...
Several years ago, after a lifetime in the heartland of America, I moved to the heart of the European Union. Having heard Brussels described as the Washington, D.C. of Europe, I expected to see...
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What didn’t happen with the European Citizens’ Initiative…and what did
This article is from the upcoming publication “An ECI That Works!” to be released on 15 April 2014 by The ECI Campaign. In 2010-2011, I campaigned for a citizen-friendly ECI regulation and then left...
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The ECI’s Promise in Peril
Why the European Citizens’ Initiative merits radical reform On the 1st of April 2014, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) turned two — its unfortunate birthdate determined by EU translation...
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