European democracies face growing pressures, from geopolitical tensions and rapid technological change to polarisation and declining public trust and engagement. Free and fair elections, freedom of expression, media, journalists and civil society are also increasingly under threat.
To address growing threats to democracy, the European Commission presented the European Democracy Shield in 2025, with concrete measures to empower, and strengthen democracy across the EU.
As part of this wider effort, 150 randomly selected citizens from all 27 EU Member States will come together to deliberate on the following key questions:
- How can we make our democracies stronger and more resilient, together?
- Building on your own experience and on the European Democracy Shield, what should the EU do so that we can all take part in and shape the democracy we live in?
What to expect from the Citizens' Panel
Democratic resilience is not only about laws, institutions or technologies. It is also about people’s everyday experiences: how they find and assess information, engage with each other, feel heard by EU institutions, national governments and local authorities, trust public debate, and have real opportunities to shape the future of democracy and their own future. This is why the European Commission wants to hear directly from citizens across Europe. During three sessions, participants will discuss what could help citizens and communities take part in democratic life and strengthen societal resilience. Participants will receive the information, guidance and language support they need to understand the issues and take part fully in the discussions. By the end of the process, the Panel will develop a set of recommendations that will be submitted to the European Commission to feed directly into the Commission’s work to strengthen democracy, building on the European Democracy Shield.
