The set of recommendations proposed by the participants of the EU for Local Citizens’ Panels held in Aarhus, Denmark hosted by Nyt Europa. The Danish Local Citizens’ Panels took place in Aarhus on the 10th of March 2025, named “You have more influence on the EU than you think“. The Panel addressed topics of participation and citizenary influence on the policy making process of the European Union.
Policy Recommendations from the Citizen’s Panel:
- Improve transparency throughout decision-making cycles
The EU should introduce mechanisms that allow citizens to clearly follow where proposed policies are in the decision process. Information portals or dashboards could show which stage a proposal is at, what the next steps are, and timelines for decisions. This should go further than the existing tools there are, which are often not updated and hard to follow.
- Strengthening citizen’s access
Ensure that ordinary citizens know how to engage with EU policymaking. This means better communication about opportunities for influence (consultations, feedback rounds), guidance and more accessible public hearings.
- Increase openness of public hearings
EU institutions must make public consultations more transparent: when they happen, how to find them, how input is used, and the outcomes. Provide summaries of the results.
- Demonstrate that citizen input has impact
EU should show concrete examples of how citizen contributions have changed or shaped policy. Tell people what was done with their input, why certain suggestions were not adopted, etc.
- Make processes feel closer and accessible
This could involve local outreach, frequent public events where citizens can meet MEPs or Commissioners or digital platforms that allow direct engagement with EU representatives.
The EU for Global project is funded by the European Union through the CERV programme.