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Debating Europe Debating Europe

Group discussions

Voices for Choices

DENMARK/DANMARK – FRANCE – ITALY/ITALIA – GERMANY/DEUTSCHLAND – POLAND/POLSKA

We’re continuing our work to redesign the roles and responsibilities citizens, governments and businesses have towards each other to make society fair and work well for all, known as the ‘social contract’. Following the surveys we ran at the end of last year, we are now lunching a series of online group discussions. Over the next months, we will engage more than 2,000 citizens across Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland to get young people’s take on some key topics: 

  • Green: How can we speed up carbon reduction, lower energy consumption, and involve everyone in promoting sustainability? 
  • Prosperous: What does it take to build inclusive, sustainable growth that benefits everyone? How do we balance being competitive with looking out for social good? 
  • Safe: How can we boost European defence, fight misinformation, and strengthen global governance? 
  • Fair: How can we help depolarise our societies and create more balanced public debates? 

On top of these, we’ll also dive into the following themes, ensuring that our analysis can ultimately take a 360-degree approach: 

  • Digitalisation, AI, and connectivity 
  • Innovation, education, and skills 
  • Funding this new social contract (through public funds, taxes, and private investment) 

We started the surveys in autumn 2024 and are currently running discussion groups in the local languages, giving everyone the same set of questions to create a truly comparable study across these countries. Discussion for French citizens have already started! Register here, and for info check the dedicated page.

The data we gather will feed into a report coming out in early 2025 to help new Members of the European Parliament and European Commissioners make smart and citizen-driven decisions. The findings will also fuel a series of citizen-led debates in the 5 countries of the study throughout 2025, in which citizens, including a selection of of participants from the group discussions, will get the chance to challenge and engage directly with policymakers and experts.  

And that’s not all! Debating Europe is part of Friends of Europe, a Brussels-based think tank with a mission to achieve more inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking societies in Europe with a Renewed Social Contract. ‘Voices for Choices’ is at the heart of this process to ensure this is a contract based on citizens’ needs and wishes.  

Stay tuned—your voice is shaping the future! 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.