BRIEFING PAPER NO.2 - FEBRUARY 2010
Direct democracy, racism and the extreme Right
How can governments encourage more of the population
to get involved in the democratic process? This is the
question currently on the lips of politicians and civil servants
across Europe. And the solution is found in ‘direct
democracy’.(1) European politicians want to counter
growing voter apathy and political cynicism by giving
citizens more opportunities to vote on important issues
and have their voices heard. Thus, under the European
Citizens’ Initiative of the Lisbon Treaty, if the signatures
of one million EU citizens are gathered from a significant
number of member states, then the petitioners will be
able to present a legislative or treaty amendment, and
