Vice-President Suica delivers a keynote speech via video message at the closing of The European Citizens' Panel on Tackling Hatred in Society

VP Suica delivers a keynote speech via video message

Dear citizens of the European Union,

As European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, it is an honour for me to congratulate you on the impressive amount of work you have done in this Panel.

Tackling Hatred in Society is a sensitive and deeply personal topic. Each one of us has our own perception and our own personal, lived experience of hatred and what it means! The rise of intolerance and aggression towards others is being felt across society and having a tangible impact on our communities. And we must acknowledge that both action and inaction feed this toxic sentiment.

And it is also clear that hatred is a risk for our democracy. You have worked on the problem definition and ideas. You have looked at everything from education to media. From technology to truth labels and legislation.

I have been following your work very closely as you came together from every corner of the European Union. Citizens of all ages and backgrounds, engaging together across age, culture, and language. You are breaking down barriers. You have shown, courage, dedication and patience and a deep desire to engage in your democracy.

To have your say!

This deep engagement on the part of citizens is what keeps our democracy resilient!

Keeps it secure!

And with your work, which you are completing this weekend, each one of you is contributing to building a democracy fit for the future. Be proud of this achievement. You should have the satisfaction of a unique experience which will have a real impact on how the European Union will work to tackle hatred in our society.

Democracy thrives on the ability of citizens to contribute and participate in their democracy at all levels of governance.
For some citizens, voting in elections is the main way in which they participate in their democracy.
We have European elections coming up soon and I encourage you all to get out and vote.
And take your family and friends with you when you do!

But I must ask the question – is this enough?
We must remember the dynamic space that exists between elections.
That is the space where citizens, of all generations, can come together to discuss their hopes and dreams for the future.
A place for citizens to increase their trust in politicians.
A place for politicians to place their trust in citizens!!!

This is not fiction!
It is a reality in how we are now making policy today.
The European Union has already done a lot on the topic of tackling hatred.
But we wanted to enhance that by adding the voice of citizens.

And here you are!
And you are joined by citizens from across the European Union who are contributing online on our Citizen Engagement Platform.

We in the European Commission are leading by doing.
Thanks to you!
We are determined to make your voice heard.

Not only that!

We are determined to deliver and follow up on your recommendations at the end of this panel.
Your recommendations will feed our thinking on this policy space, likely for years to come!

And we will provide you with concrete feedback on how we have done this later this year.

Dear citizens,
I was a co-chair in the Conference on the Future of Europe. This was also a citizen-centred exercise in deliberative democracy.
And those citizens identified a safe and trustworthy digital society and digital literacy as important ways to counter disinformation and hate speech!

You have now been building on their work: passing the baton from one group of randomly selected citizens to another.
I truly wish that we did not need to be having a discussion about tackling hatred.
But I hope that this particular Panel marks an important step: it is a safe, multilingual environment which provides an opportunity to build on the precious character of intergenerational dialogue and solidarity.

We in the European Commission are proud of our European Citizens' Panels.
They go beyond traditional models.
It is you, the citizens, who are at the centre of this deliberative process.
And it is you citizens who draw conclusions and give advice to policymakers.

Together, we can show that democracy delivers.
We are pushing back the authoritarian threat.
We are pushing back against the easy, empty promises of populism.

This European Citizens' Panel on Tackling Hatred in Society is part of our united response to challenges.
I am determined that democracy, and the democratic institutions that are designed to serve you, the citizens, can truly deliver what you need, where and when you need it.

I look forward to reading your recommendations and sharing them, on your behalf, with President von der Leyen and my other colleagues in the College of European Commissioners.
Thank you.