How should citizens be engaged in the European participatory processes? What could be the role of European citizens’ panels and consultations in this regard? These questions were at the core of the debate during the EU-level conference of the project ‘European Citizens’ Panel: New Democratic Toolbox for New Institutions’ that EFC representatives attended on 26 February 2010. Using the tool of the European Citizens’ Panel, the project gathered citizens from Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia and Germany in four national panels to discuss about their engagement with EU policy-making via participatory democracy methods and to come up with a number of recommendations to be presented and discussed with EU decision-makers and other stakeholders at the EU level event. Participants also reviewed the experiences and lessons learned from previous European citizens’ consultations and panels. 

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