From citizen consultations to bold transformations: French views on a stronger, fairer and more democratic European Union

The REACH project – Reinventing Engagement through Affirmative Citizen Consultations – seeks to strengthen democratic culture by promoting meaningful citizen engagement in debates on key European policy issues. Against the backdrop of declining trust in representative institutions and limited participatory mechanisms, REACH fosters inclusive deliberation on three interconnected themes: the rule of law, the environment, and EU integration. The project runs from 1 July 2024 to December 2025 and is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). It is implemented by a consortium of eight organisations: the European Policy Centre (CEP) as project coordinator, European Policy Centre (EPC, Brussels), Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), Foreign Policy Initiative BH (FPI BH), Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), Notre Europe – Institut Jacques Delors (NE IJD), Association for Civil Society Development SMART, and Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). By creating space for citizens — including youth and traditionally underrepresented groups — to reflect on and express their views, REACH aims to inform national and EU-level policy debates and contribute to a more participatory and future-oriented European project.

In France, this objective is all the more relevant given the deeply rooted distrust towards the EU. Over the past two decades, this distrust has manifested in the rejection of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe by referendum, and in a significant rise in support for Eurosceptics parties — with 60.97% of votes going to Eurosceptic candidates in the 2022 presidential election and 48.29% in the second round of the 2024 parliamentary elections. The demand for more direct democracy has also strongly marked public debate in recent years, as demonstrated by the Yellow Vests movement. This ambition was therefore reflected in the Jacques Delors Institute’s involvement in organising three citizen consultations (two local and one national), and in producing three podcasts and two infographics capturing citizens’ perspectives on the rule of law, the environment, and EU integration, considered through the lens of EU enlargement.