Can the European Union do more to hold back the kinds of malign forces that overran the US Capitol claiming to defend democracy? It's not an idle question. Democratic shortcomings in the European Union are regularly invoked by the far right to whip up nationalist sentiment. The effect has been to weaponise the European project against itself. Rather than a citizens' insurrection, what's foreseen in the EU is a period of deep and prolonged citizens' reflection. The Conference on the Future of Europe is a once-in-a-political-generation opportunity to make the EU more accountable, responsive and democratic. But ensuring the conference delivers results is an immense challenge. Professor Alberto Alemanno of HEC Paris is a leading voice on democratisation, and he takes up those issues and more. Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield is a Green member of the European Parliament from France who coordinates on rule of law in Hungary. She's also on the Committee on Constitutional Affairs that's been pushing to get the Conference underway. She's now concerned the conference may not happen at all.

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