Almost three years later, the European Union’s own European Democracy Shield, presented in November 2025, is being implemented. After years of advocating for democratic innovation, we welcome the attention these issues now receive. The next challenge is to turn that political commitment into lasting improvements in how citizens experience democracy.
September’s European Parliament report and State of the Union address offer a useful picture of where the discussion stands—and where civic tech and citizen participation can contribute.
From policy commitments to practical infrastructure
The Commission’s plans for a European Civic Tech Hub are taking shape. The Hub is conceived as a multilingual focal point for information, resources and tools. Alongside it, the Commission plans to strengthen cooperation between national authorities responsible for citizen participation.
For Make.org, the Hub’s value will depend on whom it serves and what it enables. It should help public administrations at local, regional and national levels find and deploy effective participation tools, support civil society organisations, and ultimately make it easier for citizens to influence decisions. Its success should be measured by its use and democratic impact.
The European Centre for Democratic Resilience, operational since February 2026, provides another important part of this infrastructure. In September, Commissioner Michael McGrath reported that all Member States had joined, with work underway on training, common detection methodologies and responses to foreign information manipulation and interference.
This capacity is necessary. Alongside it, Europe needs sustained investment in the relationships between citizens and institutions: opportunities to discuss priorities, understand disagreements and see how public input informs decisions.
SOTEU: a response to threats, with participation still to develop
In her State of the Union address on 16 September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the damage to democracy caused by foreign propaganda, disinformation and deepfakes. She presented the Centre for Democratic Resilience as a means of strengthening Europe’s collective ability to anticipate, detect and respond to these threats.
The speech also announced a new Congress of Europe for 2027, intended to develop a vision for the next generation of Europeans. Its format and the role citizens will play remain important questions.
Our reading is that the address gave democratic protection considerable political weight, while leaving the practical contribution of civic tech and sustained citizen participation largely unexplored. The Congress could offer an opportunity to develop that dimension through a process that allows people across Europe to contribute to the discussion about their shared future.
Parliament gives digital participation a clearer place
On 15 September, the European Parliament adopted its report on the findings and recommendations of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield. The report calls for stronger action against foreign interference, greater platform accountability and better protection for elections, independent media and civil society.
Crucially, it also gives citizen participation an explicit place.
It calls for engagement tools that are accessible, user-friendly, multilingual and able to reach citizens at scale. It supports the European Citizens’ Initiative, European Citizens’ Panels and the Citizens’ Engagement Platform, alongside stronger cooperation between national authorities responsible for citizen participation. It also recognises participatory digital platforms and youth councils as ways to involve young people meaningfully in decision-making.
These recommendations provide a clear basis for implementation. They recognise that participation needs accessible tools, institutional support and clear links to decision-making.
Thomas Byrne, speaking for the Irish Council Presidency during the plenary debate, expressed the underlying principle directly:,“Citizens must know that they can influence real outcomes.”
He connected democratic disengagement with declining trust and stressed the need to expand participation beyond elections, particularly for people who feel excluded from political influence. This is the standard against which participation initiatives should be judged: can people contribute, are their contributions considered, and can they understand what happens next?
AI should also strengthen citizens’ ability to participate
The September debate addressed AI primarily through electoral safeguards and the protection of the information space. Commissioner McGrath confirmed forthcoming guidance on its responsible use in electoral processes.
That work deserves support. We also see a complementary role for AI: helping citizens navigate complex information and participate across languages, while enabling institutions to understand large volumes of contributions. These applications require transparency, careful design and human oversight. Their purpose should be to strengthen people’s ability to form judgements and influence decisions.
Putting these principles into practice
At Make.org, we continue to develop this approach with our partners.
- Through SHIFT, we contribute to work on how disinformation shapes beliefs, trust and behaviour, and on evidence-based responses that strengthen societal resilience.
- With EU-CIEMBLY, we connect online dialogue on housing with a transnational Citizens’ Assembly, bringing lived experience into deliberation and providing AI-supported access to project knowledge.
- Our work on the European Citizens’ Panel on Preparedness similarly helps connect contributions from the wider public with deliberations among panel participants.
- With the European Committee of the Regions, Panoramic helps people explore the EU budget debate. Through Democratic Digital Commons, it also supports access to discussions about AI, digital infrastructure and democracy.
We will continue working with our civil society partners to support swift and meaningful implementation of the Democracy Shield. Europe now has important commitments in place. Turning them into lasting change will require resources, responsive institutions and participation processes through which citizens can exercise real influence.