Many people across the world will be feeling more insecure about the future following the United States of America election results.
At Citizens Take Over Europe we believe that democracy should be about bringing people together across differences, working for a society in which everyone is respected, heard, and has their interests taken into account, has their rights guaranteed, can trust in institutions to protect their rights and the rule of law, and can take informed action to contribute to a better collective future.
Now, more than ever, Europe has a responsibility to safeguard these fundamental values of democracy and to promote democratic innovation in elections through electoral reform, beyond elections through deliberative and participatory processes, and to create an environment and culture in which quality and respectful democratic debate amongst people can take place over borders.
Citizens Take Over Europe calls on each of the European Institutions to reinforce inclusive and participatory democratic procedures, transparency and accountability over the coming years, and steadfastly promote and defend fundamental rights and the rule of law both inside the European Union and outside.
The creation of a Democracy Intergroup inside the European Parliament would be a clear signal of the priority that Europe gives to this work.
Citizens Take Over Europe calls on civil society across the continent to act in solidarity and engage urgently in the work of building a better democracy across borders.