Surveys show that Europeans are deeply worried about global geopolitical and economic developments and favour common EU approaches to address them. Overall, citizens are more interested in European politics and the feeling that their voice should count more at EU level is on the rise. Despite the many crises that have shaken the EU over the last few years, not least growing euroscepticism, the euro area crisis, the migration challenge, the terrorist threat, as well as the insecurities resulting from Brexit, there seems to be a growing realisation that European cooperation is indispensable in order to tackle common challenges. But there is still a long way to go to convince citizens that Europe is working for them.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has stated firmly his intention to better communicate the EU’s achievements to citizens and to bring its institutions closer to Europe’s peoples “with the aim of providing practical responses to their concerns about terrorism, immigration, unemployment and climate change”. The EU institutions and member states have two years to prove they mean it and to better engage with citizens. How does the president plan to convince voters that their voice will count in the next elections? What are his priorities in this regard? How will he put the citizens at the heart of EU policies and build a more democratic and responsive Europe? These and other questions were discussed at a Breakfast Policy Briefing.