Ideas and thinkers have always been at the heart of the European project. Notre Europe wanted to find out more about the world of European think tanks, these organisations straddling the worlds of academia and politics. Since 2004 Notre Europe has devoted several publications to the subject.

In the European construction there is a lack of citizens' involvement in the public space. This space can be built only by enabling European citizens to deliberate on European issues beyond national borders. However, the instruments of transnational decision-making are limited. Since the French and Dutch rejection of the European Constitutional Treaty, « deliberation », « participatory democracy » and other approaches such as those suggested in the European Commission's 'Plan D' are identified as priorities by European institutions. For its part, Notre Europe organised the first pan-EU Deliberative Poll®.

The first European Estates General (EEG) were held in Lille last year. Following the success of the event, EuropaNova, the Mouvement Européen France and Notre Europe are organising, the second edition of the EEG on 21th June 2008 in Lyon, with the active support of the European Parliament and the European Commission.

On 4-7 June Europe's voters were asked to renew their representatives in the European Parliament. Essential to European democracy, this 5-yearly date in the electoral calendar has held for thirty years. Since 1979 these elections have conferred substantial political legitimacy on the European parliament, since it is the only EU institution directly elected by citizens. This democratic legitimacy has in turn served gradually to increase the power of the parliament. As the "European Parliamentary Assembly", the body was originally limited to a consultative role and comprised national MPs designated by their peers. Treaties have turned it into a veritable European Parliament, with budgetary, legislative and political competencies. The co-decision procedure, introduced by the Treaty of Maastricht, grants the Parliament equality alongside the Council of Ministers during decision-making.