ration procedure with the Council marked a key milestone in Parliament ’ s transformation into a genuine co-legislator .
In 1992 , the Maastricht Treaty established EU citizenship and explicitly mentioned the principle of democracy as a pillar of the emerging European Union .
When the Treaty of Lisbon 2 entered into force in 2009 , ‘ representative democracy ’ was recognised as the basis for how the EU functions . The Treaty updated the architecture of the institutions following the biggest enlargement in the history of the European Union 3 .
It also introduced the participatory dimension of democracy , which is based on strengthening the role citizens play in political decision-making individually and directly . The European Citizens ’ Initiative is one of the key innovations in participatory democracy introduced by this Treaty . It allows one million citizens from at least seven EU countries to ask the European Commission to propose legislation or other measures they deem necessary in its areas of competence .
The many consultation procedures available in the European Union also aim to boost direct participation by allowing citizens to make their voices heard on the topics being discussed .
More recently , the Conference on the Future of Europe was a major pan-European democratic exercise , with citizen-led debates , allowing people from all over Europe to share their ideas and help
2 . ‘ The functioning of the Union shall be based on representative democracy ’ Article 10 ( 1 ) Treaty on European Union
3 . 2004 enlargement : Czechia , Cyprus , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , Hungary , Malta , Poland , Slovenia and Slovakia .
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