A recent EESC publication brings together all the opinions and reports which, over the last thirty years, have enabled the EESC and civil society organisations to strengthen participatory democracy and become a key player in the European decision-making process.

The compendium retraces the EESC's role in creating a European public forum and developing civil dialogue within the EU – a key step towards the emergence of a European public sphere and, ultimately, of a European identity.

"As a major player and creative force, the EESC has profoundly altered the arrangements for exercising and shaping civil dialogue," writes EESC president Luca Jahier in the introduction.

The compendium highlights the EESC's contribution to the drafting of Article 11 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which provided a legal basis for the enhancement of participatory democracy, and the Committee's ongoing commitment to ensuring the success of one of the Treaty's most promising innovations, the European Citizens' Initiative.

Moving on from its past trajectory to its future outlook against the background of the radical changes taking place in our society and the challenges facing the EU, the EESC sees a key role for itself in anticipating change and helping address the public's lack of trust in the EU. The Conference on the Future of Europe will be an opportunity for it to confirm its role as cornerstone of civil dialogue and to assert itself vis-à-vis the other institutions.

Participatory Democracy - A success story written by the EESC is available online at https://bit.ly/2UdMA6n .