EUDO (European Union Democracy Observatory) is an independent and interdisciplinary academic platform. Its goal is to provide comprehensive documentation and assessments of policies and practices that are important for democracy in the EU. EUDO is structured around four thematic observatories: (i) Public Opinion, Political Elites and Media, (ii) Political Parties and Representation, (iii) Institutional Change and Reform, and iv) Citizenship. EUDO is hosted by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) at the European University Institute in Florence.
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EUDO was set up in the summer of 2006, but only became fully operational in the spring of 2009. It is based at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, part of the European University Institute (San Domenico, Florence). EUDO is co-ordinated by Alexander H. Trechsel and Stefano Bartolini and is governed by the Board of Directors.
The mission of EUDO is to gather documentation and data, to provide basic and applied research reports for EU institutions, and to foster dialogue between policy-makers, academics and EU citizens. Based on a network of existing scientific research and research teams in Europe, EUDO is engaged in a systematic effort to translate, disseminate and debate these results, making them policy relevant and relevant to the general public. EUDO offers expertise to those EU institutions that are responsible for collecting information and conducting analysis on issues relevant to ‘EU-democracy’. In its work, EUDO is not committed to any specific solution, but it is determined to make more extensive, more reliable and, over time, more consistent information and knowledge available for key decisions in these areas.
EUDO consists of four components: the four EUDO observatories, a yearly dissemination conference, the EUDO forum and the EUDO training platform.
EUDO’s presently consists of four thematic observatories.They are responsible for data and documentation gathering and are directed by EUI internal professors in cooperation with external EUDO experts. Each observatory coordinates specific research projects.
4.1 The Observatory on Public Opinion, Political Elites and the Media
The Observatory on Public Opinion, Political Elites and the Media] is responsible for studying the interaction between public opinion and European integration and attitudes and preferences of electorates and elites, as revealed by opinion polls and as reported in the media. The observatory is particularly concerned with putting together opinion poll series and studying European elections and national referendums concerning Europe. The observatory is directed by Mark Franklin and Alexander H. Trechsel.
4.2 The Observatory on Political Parties and Representation
The Observatory on Political Parties and Representation is responsible for the study of political parties within the European system and the potential for future ‘Euro parties’ that would transcend national politics. Among other projects the observatory is putting together a database on European political parties. The observatory is directed by Luciano Bardi and Peter Mair.
4.3 The Observatory on Institutional Change and Reforms
The Observatory on Institutional Change and Reforms looks at institutional reform within the EU, particularly institutional reform that would be likely to add legitimacy to the EU. The observatory is creating a list of changing institutional relations between such important players as the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Commission and National Parliaments. The observatory is directed by Adrienne Héritier and Bruno de Witte.
4.4 The Observatory on Citizenship
The Observatory on Citizenship provides information on the acquisition and loss of citizenship in the EU and neighbouring countries for policy makers, NGOs and academic researchers. Although the Observatory does not promote specific policy reforms, it intends to stimulate debates about shared principles and minimum standards among countries whose citizenship laws and policies are linked to each other through the common citizenship of the European Union or through migration flows. The observatory is directed by Rainer Bauböck (EUI) and Jo Shaw (Edinburgh University).
The EUDO dissemination conference takes place on a yearly basis in order to disseminate research results and policy expertise in the field of EU democracy. It brings together representatives of each of the EUDO Observatories as well as other experts, policy-makers, civil-society representatives and media exponents. In 2009, the dissemination conference doubled as the EUDO Launch Conference and took place in Florence on 3 and 4 December. It included talks by such renowned speakers as Giuliano Amato, Josep Borrell and Yves Mény.
The EUDO web forum, which will come on line in 2010, constitutes a major communication platform for EUDO in its interaction with the wider community. It will adopt a ‘proactive’ approach to the dissemination of findings with the intention of stimulating interdisciplinary dialogue, while reaching out to policy-makers and politicians, as well as to civil-society organizations. The web-forum will host debates among internal and external EUDO experts on selected EU democracy topics.
The EUDO training platform encompasses the hosting of workshops, seminars and lectures by experts from academia and the policy-making community as well as summer schools. Furthermore, EUDO training offers junior and senior fellows the possibility of completing their training and research skills through EUDO senior fellowships and a EUDO Post-Doctoral Fellowship on Democracy funded by the Karamanlis Foundation.
EUDO is also associated with EU Profiler, ‘a revolutionary Europe-wide voting advice application’. EU Profiler offers an online questionnaire that shows voters which parties – either in their own country or in Europe as a whole – have policies most similar to their views.