A more democratic EU - Empowering Citizens

The theme for this evening will be the future of the political structure in the European Union. We will make our case for federalism as a way to put citizens at the center of decision making in the EU, and discuss concepts such as subsidiarity and sovereignty in the context of addressing the many challenges Europe is facing today. 

Join us at John Bull in Lund, Monday the 18th of December, 19:00-21:00. See the description below for more information.

Volt Focus: A more democratic Union

Topic 1.  Re-imagining European democracy

Today, EU citizens do not feel included in the decision making process of the EU. Decisions are instead often perceived as imposed from above, rather than developed through a legitimate democratic process. Volt believes the interests of EU citizens are not accurately reflected by the actions of their member states, and calls for re-imagining European democracy. We want to reflect on: Who is really the main actor in the EU, the citizens or member states? Are the interests of the member states the same as those of their citizens?

Topic 2. A federal Europe on the international stage

Several of the challenges that Europe is facing today are geopolitical in nature. Addressing them will require the integration of several competencies, such as foreign, defense and security policy. Today, these competencies are found with the member states, and thus subjected to conflicting national interests. This prevents the EU from  proactively or even reactively addressing new events and crises. Volt believes a federal European union is better fit to tackle global challenges by becoming an independent player on the international stage. We want to reflect on: How do political competences need to be balanced between member states and a federal EU?