At the European level, the biggest challenge for democracy is lack of citizen participation. EU-funded research has provided new insights on the role of media discourse in civic participation in European politics.
For most of the history of European integration, citizens were not called upon to form their opinions on a European issue. This made the work of European decision-makers less complicated, but also means that many were not fully aware of how such issues and related decisions impacted their lives. This situation changed at the turn of the last millennium. Political entrepreneurs (e.g. anti-establishment politicians, trade unionists) began to spotlight perceived problem areas, leading to the first instances of mass demonstrations regarding EU politics.
Further details: EU leadership to actively engage citizens to address societal issues