A platform to give young citizens a voice on EU reform

With 104 teams participating, over 260 students and researchers from across all ten CIVICA partners entered the 2023 edition with proposals on the topic "Climate Change and Societal Transformation: How Can EU Policy Advance Climate Protection and Sustainability in a Turbulent World?" 

On 21 April, the Hertie School hosted the final rounds of the futurEU 2023 competition in Berlin.

The competition process

The competition consists of two rounds: written and oral. For the written round, the teams have to submit a policy brief on the competition’s topic and a 2-minute audio recording summarizing their idea and its relevance for the future of the European Union. The Jacques Delors Centre selects the best briefs for the oral round, and the authors present their proposal in front of a jury of EU experts in Berlin (accommodation and travel costs are covered). Ahead of the written rounds, all registered teams have access to exclusive workshops on the topic, including policy brief writing, held by experts at the Jacques Delors Centre, Berlin. More workshops for the competition participants take place throughout the written and oral rounds. 

The futurEU competition 2022 provides CIVICA students and PhD researchers with a platform to actively find and propose policy solutions tackling questions of EU reform. The competition is organised with the support of the Jacques Delors Centre Berlin, the Hertie School, and CIVICA.

During the registration period, students and PhD researchers from the CIVICA alliance teamed up for the opportunity to have their proposal on EU reform published by the Jacques Delors Centre Berlin.

Next steps

The competition consists of two rounds: written and oral. For the written round, the teams have to submit a policy brief on the competition’s topic. The best briefs will be selected for the oral round, and the authors will present their proposal in front of a jury of EU experts in Berlin (accommodation and travel costs covered!). Ahead of the written rounds, all registered teams will have access to exclusive workshops on the topic, including policy brief writing, held by experts at the Jacques Delors Centre Berlin. More workshops for the competition participants will take place throughout the written and oral rounds. 

Where and when?

futurEU is planning to host the oral rounds at the Hertie School in Berlin, on 7 and 8 April 2022. In case current health regulations do not allow an on-site event, futurEU has made a backup plan to host the oral rounds online.

Why? Students must have their say in debates on the future of the EU.

The winning team is invited to Berlin to work on their proposal with experts from the Jacques Delors Centre Berlin and get their policy brief published on the Centre's website. 

Registrations for the competition have closed.

Further questions?

Check out the futurEU website>>

Visionary scenario: The European Council President just convened a Convention for treaty reform. Your team has been given carte blanche (full discretion) on preparing one major treaty reform to be negotiated at the intergovernmental conference. What reform would your team present?

The competition consisted of two rounds: written and oral. For the written round, 39 teams made up of 122 students from seven CIVICA universities submitted policy briefs on the competition’s topic. Eights briefs were selected for the oral rounds and presented in front of a jury of experts during the semi-finals. The best two teams presented their briefs in the public Final Round on 15 April 2021.

The winning team consists of Neslihan Altun (master's student, Hertie School) and Elena Schulz-Ruhtenberg (master's student, Sciences Po), with a proposal on EU treaty reform focused on the Committee of the Regions. The team will work on their proposal with experts from the Jacques Delors Centre Berlin and get their policy brief published on the Centre's website.