The Jacques Delors Institute organises, in the framework of the project “More EU to overcome the crisis”, a symposium on the challenges which the European construction has to overcome regarding democratic dialogue, institution and policies.
 

9h00 > 9h30 – Reception – coffee

9h30 > 9h45 – Opening Speech
Enrico LETTA, President of the Jacques Delors Institute, Doyen of the School for International Affairs SciencesPo, Former Italian PM

9h45 > 10h30 – Keynote Speech “Democracy in Europe”
Elisabeth GUIGOU, former President of the Commission for Foreign affairs at the National Assembly
Q&A with the public

10h30 > 12h00 – Quelle forme de gouvernement pour l’UE ?
Moderation by Nora HAMADI, Journalist Public Sénat
Thierry CHOPIN, Director of Research at the Schumann Foundation
Justo CORTI, Institut des études européenne à l’Université CEU San Pablo
Anna LORETONI, Director of research in political philosophy, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
Nuno PICARRA, Nova Law School of Lisbon

 
13h30 > 15h00 – national referenda & EU: a deadend ?
Moderation by Alexandra LESUR, managing editor of Toute l’Europe
Yves BERTONCINI, Director of the Jacques Delors Institute
Francis CHENEVAL, Political philosophy and Constitutional law professor at the Zurich University
Patrick LE HYARIC, French MEP

15h00 > 16h30 – A Multi-level Democracy : What Representatives of the citizens in the EU ?
Moderation by Christophe PRÉAULT, Administrator and Director of Toute l’Europe
Danielle AUROI, Chairwoman of the European Affairs Commission of the French National Assembly
Alain LAMASSOURE, French MEP
 
16h30 > 17h00 – Coffee Break
 
17h00 > 18h30 –  EU Affairs : transparency and  information
Moderation by Nora HAMADI, Journalist Public Sénat
Gaëtane RICARD-NIHOUL, Chef adjoint de la Représentation en France de la Commission européenne
Jacques TERRAY, former administrator at Transparency International France

Pour tout renseignement complémentaire, contactez Claire Versini: versini@delorsinstitute.eu 

The “democratic deficit” of the European Union is a hackney catch all term well known to the disdainers and skeptics of the European construction and as well to some promoters of more transparent and participatory EU, partisans of direct elections for all institutions or of simplification relations between institutions.

At a time when the democratic fracture between the EU and its peoples is being denounced as one of the main factors in the breakdown of the European project, it is necessary to shed full light on the debates surrounding many of the democratic features of this hybrid construction, which sometimes struggles to be described as representative of and listening to its citizens.

Would the EU be more democratic with a directly elected European Commission President? Should the right of legislative initiative be expanded? How can we take into account the results of national referenda without denying democracy in the neighboring countries? Can intergovernmental methods be democratic? How can citizens be empowered to participate in a more democratic construction of the EU ? Does the democratic divide exist only between “Brussels” and the populations, or between the Europeans themselves?

As part of the project “More Europe to overcome the crisis”, The Jacques Delors Institute, in partnership with the Sant’Anna College of Pisa, the University Institute for European Studies in Madrid, the Faculty of Lisbon NOVA and the University of Warsaw, is organizing a day of debate in order to provide constructive insights into these issues and draw concrete proposals for improvement.