Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a two-year Conference on the Future of Europe. Even citizens ought to participate. But how? In order to make participatory democracy a reality, it is essential to avoid only paying lip-service to the idea of participation — and give citizens a real say.

It's halftime in Berlin: In the fall, Germany's federal government will present an interim report regarding the promises it made in the coalition agreement. A recent Bertelsmann Stiftung study already shows the following: In the first 18 months of its government activity, Germany's grand coalition – or "GroKo,"– has already fulfilled or started on two-thirds of its promises. But voters don't see it.

Although they are key players in efforts to solve global problems, international organizations are currently facing intense pressure and having to repeatedly demonstrate their legitimacy. At a workshop we recently hosted in Geneva, international experts addressed the issues of how the legitimacy of these organizations can be evaluated and which means are available to strengthen it. The event was jointly organized with the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) and the University of Stockholm.

The King Baudouin Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the Bertelsmann Stiftung issued a joint invitation to a DINNER DIALOGUE under the heading “Tomorrow’s EU Democracy – Giving citizens a say” in Brussels on 18 September 2019. 40 decision-makers and “participation pioneers” from various EU institutions, think-tanks and scientific bodies met at the Representation of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg to discuss how to give European citizens a greater say in European policymaking.

As economists predict that another global recession is in the wings, have international leaders done their homework in the wake of the last global financial crisis?

What level of digital competency do people in Germany have? A representative survey carried out on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung shows there’s still a considerable need for support – especially among the older Generation.

In conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Germany's Basic Law, this edition of our Religion Monitor looks at the relationship between religion and political culture. Fundamental democratic principles and values enjoy broad support among members of the various religions. A majority also approve of religious tolerance, which is crucial for peaceful coexistence in a diverse society. However, not all religions are equally included.

What holds diverse societies together? How can we determine the contours of peaceful, open and solidarity-driven coexistence in a context of diversity? This June, 100 young committed people from across Europe will come together to discuss this issue with activists, politicians and experts at our Young Europeans´ Forum (YEF19) in Berlin. We’re organizing the YEF in cooperation with the Aladdin Project and UNESCO.

In our panel “Fostering Prosperity – FDIs and Demographic Transition” at this year’s Global Solutions Summit in Berlin, we discussed the question of how foreign direct investments can promote economic progress in demographically young developing countries.

Europe has voted. Is a new era about to commence or will everything remain the same in Brussels? We spoke with Christian Kastrop, director of our Europe's Future program, about the outcome of the European Parliament elections.