A young mother speaking about the future of Europe at the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France, 30 April 2022.
How can I get involved?
Are you keen on having a say in the future of Europe? Do you want to actively participate in its decision-making process? You can help shape and improve the EU in many ways.
Thousands of Europeans have already shared their hopes and expectations for the years ahead through the Conference on the Future of Europe – the biggest consultation exercise ever carried out in the EU. One of the key features of the conference was a series of debates led by citizens, which are now becoming a regular part of democratic life in the EU.
European citizens’ panels
150
citizens
randomly selected from the
27 Member States
with diverse backgrounds
(gender, age, education, income, from urban/rural areas)
one third are young people
(age 16–25)
Find out more about the European citizens’ panels.
Participants in the European Citizens’ Panel on Tackling Hatred in Society, Brussels, Belgium, April-May 2024.
You can also make your voice heard by voting in the European elections every 5 years.
Learn more about the European elections.
Your MEP represents your interests and those of your city or region in Europe and votes on your behalf on laws that are applied across the EU.
Check out which MEPs represent your country.
Have you ever thought an EU law could be improved? Well, you can help make EU rules fit for the future by making suggestions on how to simplify and modernise existing laws. You can also share your views on new policies. You can contribute in any of the 24 official EU languages.
Have your say on the issues that matter to you.
Under the European citizens’ initiative, you can ask the Commission to propose a new law. First, you’ll need to gather support for your cause. Once an initiative has gathered 1 million signatures, the Commission will decide on what action to take. So far, nine citizens’ initiatives have reached the required number of signatures.
The first-ever successful European citizens’ initiative, ‘Right2Water’, led to new rules to ensure the safety and quality of drinking water and easier access to it for vulnerable groups. A more recent initiative, ‘End the Cage Age’, will soon lead to a proposal to phase out cages for a number of farmed animals.
A more recent initiative, ‘End the Cage Age’, will soon lead to a proposal to phase out cages for a number of farmed animals.