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In 2007, thousands of randomly selected EU citizens from all walks of life took part

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in six different participatory democracy projects across the EU.

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From the 7th to the 9th of December, 250 people gathered in Brussels to draw conclusions from

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these projects.

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To me, public debate is vital, and I would even call it the lifeblood of democracy.

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Governments and European institutions need to know what issues concern people and what

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policy changes people want.

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So we listen to civil society, we carry out opinion polls, we do consultations, we run

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interactive internet sites, and we organise events like this one.

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The projects were run by civil society organisations and co-funded by the European Commission.

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People, young people, are practical.

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We are practical.

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We want to know how the EU decisions affect our lives.

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We don't want propaganda, we just need practical information, the opportunities the EU gives.

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The participants debated the concerns that emerged from the projects and produced a set

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of 27 recommendations which they gave to a panel of decision makers.

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Reading European history is one of the most important keys in creating in all of us a

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new sense of belonging.

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We must teach children from a very early age to understand where we've come from.

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What kind of Europe do we want?

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Do we simply want a huge European market, or do we want something more than that?

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Europe for me shouldn't be like a fortress, like a castle, a closed castle.

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We should have a positive message to everybody that would like to join Europe in future,

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the European Union.

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The recommendations covered issues such as social policy, education, migration, the EU's

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role in the world, and the need to involve citizens more in decision making.

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They were later sent in an open letter to the EU heads of state and government, the

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national parliaments, the EU institutions, and the European political parties.

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The citizens asked the politicians and institutions to take note of the recommendations, to address

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them, and to encourage the development of active European citizenship.

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You have a rather strong language in the social points here, and I think this is an important

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message.

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But it would be very nice not only to see that the Commission listens, that it learns,

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but also to hear maybe, after one year, the reflection.

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What is actually the outcome on all the contributions that we made now?

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The European Commission intends to continue and deepen this dialogue with citizens in

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the future.