ULRIKE LIEBERT

From the ancient Athenian polis to the 20th-century European Union, democracy has undergone profound transformations – a true Democratic Odyssey. In times of crisis, visionary leaps have shaped the path to a freer united Europe – such as the 1941 Manifesto of Ventoteneby Spinelli and Rossi. Looking ahead, the civic task of piloting and scaling democratic innovations remains Europe’s unfinished adventure. 

The Conference on the Future of Europe marked a turning point in EU democracy, introducing transnational, randomly selected deliberative citizens’ panels. The ScaleDem and the Democratic Odyssey projects contribute to these efforts at renewal – opening new paths in democratic thought and practice.

This website offers reflections on the struggles and shifts, moments of crises and signs of change. Not answers, but starting points. For the conversations we need to face a shared and uncertain future on a fragile planet.