After 3 week-ends of deliberation, the first citizens' recommendations for EU leaders were approved over the weekend.
 
Their contents are as important as the PROCESS that delivered them.
 
The @EUI_EU final panel revealed a humbling, collective learning experience. A 🧵 #CoFoE Image
Citizens, mostly not used to transnational exposure & live interpretation (!), played the game by engaging in debates generally considered a prerogative of political elites/pundits.

Media pluralism, rule of law, conditionality of EU funding, citizen education. Wow. Image
Citizens produced 42 recommendations – from simplifying the names of EU institutions to guaranteeing media pluralism and Europeanizing politics, with one common thread:

to enable emergence of a pan-EU public sphere to enhance EU accountability ImageImageImageImage
No surprise, being freshly exposed to the benefits of transnational interactions, citizens almost unanimously proposed the establishment of a permanent mechanism of citizen assemblies at the EU level. Most likely tangible #cofoe outcome IMHO Image
While the quality of the facilitation varied across groups, it is THE citizens who generated the ideas and shape them up.

Expert input deliberately played a minor, indirect role, not to chill nor kill the deliberation

To be further discussed Image
Most recommendations may appear fuzzy to an expert audience, but they are the product of genuine citizen deliberation and clear enough to be understood by their political addressees #cofoe #EUCO
On a negative note, the single recommendation aimed at amplifying the voices of marginalised communities failed to reach the threshold of 70% of support. Difficult not to ascribe this to the lack of representation of these communities in the citizens’ panel @takeover_europe Image
This citizen panel on democracy has now concluded its work, but – as other 3 citizens panels prepare their recommendations (by mid-Feb?) – its 20 citizen ambassadors prepare their presentation to #COFOE plenary. Deliberation continues this time with the politicians in the room.
Ultimately, this first of the last round of citizen panels has set an important methodological precedent for those to come, and more importantly sent out a powerful message:

deliberation doesn’t require expertise (provided facilitation works) #cofoe @iacocoba
Much more to be studied / analyses in the next few days/weeks as the reccs will be published.

For a preliminary analysis forthcoming in European Law Journal papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf… #cofoe

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More from @alemannoEU

15 Nov
After 3 years studying the Conference on the Future of Europe, I had the chance to directly contribute to it by meeting - as expert witness - some of the citizens who have been randomly selected to discuss EU's future.

Here’s what I've learned #CoFoE 🧵

(Spoiler: A bunch )
Despite its limitations, #CoFoE - and in particular its 800-citizen panels - are de facto creating a mini transnational conversation among citizens who would not otherwise talk about the EU.

That's pretty magic for anyone who believes in EU project papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf… 2/
After 2 decades of teaching, training & civil society engagement, I’ve never experienced a more genuinely DIVERSE and committed audience before.

AND

Unlike citizens you can meet around the citizen panelists are more empowered: their recommendations will shape/transcend #cofoe
Read 7 tweets
16 Feb
El nombramiento de Mario Draghi - técnico y alto funcionario italiano - merece ser entendida a partir del espíritu de la Constitución como una expresión puramente política

Mi opinión con @GillesGressani en @el_pais

elpais.com/opinion/2021-0… #Draghi #draghiPremier #italia
La urgencia del nombramiento de #Draghi no debe vincularse únicamente a la pandemia. La profunda crisis del sistema político italiano es anterior y duradera, aunque ha sido fuertemente agravada por la covid-19.
En la convulsión de la crisis sanitaria, económica, política e institucional que atraviesa la República italiana, nadie puede dudar ya de que existe un riesgo real de que una fuerza de extrema derecha con ascendencia fascista pueda determinar el Gobierno del país
Read 4 tweets
13 Feb
Will a Draghi-led government affect the EU?

Despite all the buzz, #Draghi’s mandate - by finding its legitimacy in multiple sanitary, economic & democratic emergencies affecting the country - is set to confine his action to Italy (spoiler)

A thread 🧵 Image
Contrary to conventional wisdom, #Draghi’s government is not technocratic but hybrid in nature with a surprisingly low-profile team, made of 2nd/3rd tier politicians and few technocrats without EU experience

This won’t help Mario in Brussels. Image
To see Draghi play some role in #euco need to wait few months, with Italian action plan submitted &validated, Covid-19 brought under control...

Ultimately, #draghi’s projection into EU conditional on his ability to make his incompatible supporting parties speak with 1 voice Image
Read 7 tweets
5 Feb
A group of academics denounced the lack of transparency regarding appointments to the European Public Prosecutor's Office @EUProsecutor

Very few noticed it then

The Council failed to motivate why it chose some candidates over others in 🇧🇪 🇵🇹 🇧🇬 THREAD

euractiv.com/section/justic…
@ProfPech and I filed a request to Council to gain access to those docs

No response

NOW the EU Parliament @EPPGroup @RenewEurope GUE @TheProgressives @GreensEFA made same request and likely to get the docs

agenceurope.eu/en/bulletin/ar… 2/
In the meantime the council appointment decision has been challenged before the @EUCourtPress by Belgian (excluded) candidate

Will the EP follow suit? 60-delay expired 3/
Read 4 tweets
5 Feb
Mario Draghi’s influence on the EU project - as a PM sitting in #EUCO - might potentially be consequential

This will however highly contingent on the NATURE of his government

THREAD #Draghi
The first round of consultations suggests that a Draghi’s government might be:

1. Technocratic (made of independent experts of his will): LEAST likely

2. Hybrid (experts + political figures): MORE likely

3. Political (political figures picked by supporting parties)
By kicking off on a narrow initial majority, Draghi’s government set to rely on ‘variable majorities’:

on each file it will have to find a different constellation of support 3/
Read 6 tweets
3 Feb
How a Draghi's government would look like and entail for Italy?

Already depicted a major vindication by Matteo Renzi, the 4th technocratic government of Italy is set to produce major consequences for the Italian political system

A THREAD Image
1. A Draghi's government marks a major failure of the Italian political system and its class incapable to work meaningfully work in the country's interests

It's motivated by FEAR, and DISTRUST in the electoral democratic process.
2. Mario Draghi is the man who saved Europe during the Eurozone crisis, and today might be the only man able to save Italy having advocated for / inspired the formula underpinning Next Generation EU ft.com/content/c6d2de…
Read 8 tweets

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