NEWS & EVENTS

Comenius University Bratislava invites to an online lecture on 4 April from 13.15 to 15 CET by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Liebert, Prof. em. from University of Bremen (Germany), who is also Visiting Fellow European University Institute, School of Transnational Governance in Florence (Italy). 

In this session we will discuss opportunities for citizens to actively engage with EU politics that are essential for improving democratic legitimacy, equity and sustainability in decision making at the EU level. 

The lecture will be held ONLINE and in ENGLISH. Click here to participate. 

See the poster here.

Time and format: Tuesday, 4.4.2023, 13.15-15.00 CET, Comenius University in Bratislava, Department of Political Science, as part of the course 'Institutions of the EU' (accessible online via MS Teams)

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Liebert, Prof. em. University of Bremen, Germany & Visiting Fellow European University Institute, School of Transnational Governance, Florence, Italy.

Synopsis: In this session we will discuss opportunities for citizens to actively engage with EU politics that are essential for improving democratic legitimacy, equity and sustainability in decision making at the EU level. After providing a brief overview of the existing participatory instruments, including European elections, the European Citizens Initiative, public consultations by the EC, petitions to the European Parliament or the European Ombudsman and other, often ad hoc, mechanisms, we will take a closer look at some less well-known transnational participatory and deliberative mechanisms that the "Conference on the Future of Europe" (2021/2) has recently experimented with. This session invites discussion on the viability of thinking of the EU as a participatory democratic system and the EU institutions as fostering this approach.

Recommended readings: Philippe C. Schmitter, Europolitan Papers, selection, drafts, not for circulation (please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive the drafts).