Europe’s eco-democracy venture
From the ancient Greek myth of Europe to today’s European Union, Europe has been portrayed as the cradle and driver of democracy. Although temporarily a safe haven, democracy in Europe has been facing a challenging journey, a “Democratic Odyssey.” In tough times, bold ideas have fostered collaborations for visionary breakthroughs towards a free and democratic Europe, such as the 1941“Manifesto of Ventotene” (Spinelli & Rossi). In the 21st century democratic Europe is still evolving, an “unfinished adventure” (Zygmunt Bauman). The Conference on the Future of Europe has pioneered democratic innovations in the EU by convening transnational, randomly selected, participatory, and deliberative European Citizens Panels. Moreover, committed to the European Green Deal’s zero-emission targets for 2050, Europeans have embarked on an eco-demoicratic venture, aimed at reconciling socio-economic sustainability with governance by the European peoples.
This project website serves as a living chronicle of ongoing critical debates within and beyond Europe about the desirability and feasibility of a resilient democracy that prioritises collective climate and environmental care across national borders. By providing lessons from past experiences, insights into present experiments and proposals for tomorrow’s solutions, it seeks to aid in the transition from our interim times toward a more peaceful global future within the limits of our planet.
The European eco-demoicracy project has grown over the past decade from seeds disseminated in the most diverse habitats within and beyond Europe, from Dublin and Baden-Württemberg to EastBelgium and Brussels, from Strasbourg to Maastricht, Natolin, Dublin, Florence and Athens, from Barcelona, Berlin and Brussels to Copenhagen and Rome, Mazedonia and Serbia…. If this project evolves across ever more sites, it is thanks to the joint endeavour by wonderful friends and partners, some of which are named below.