Finally! The member states of the European Union agreed on the content of the Reform Treaty at the informal Lisbon summit. Provided it is ratified by the EU's 27 countries - by no means a certainty - this accord could mark the end of a 12-year-long period of uncertainty concerning the future of Europe's institutions post-enlargement. It might also launch a new period of European dynamism, stopped dead by the French and Dutch rejections of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005. It is crucial that the Reform Treaty serves as a basis for building a European project backed by the genuine support of citizens.

For this to happen it will be necessary to give substance to the treaty's clauses concerning EU democracy - for example, the citizens' initiative, the reinforced role of national parliaments, and the opening of Council debates to the public. It will also be imperative to take heed of the collective intelligence shown by the EU's citizens when they engage in genuine deliberation with a real European dimension. The experience of the European Deliberative Poll organised by Notre Europe with many partners demonstrates that this is possible. The first results of Tomorrow's Europe illustrate beautifully the value of the citizen's contribution to thinking about future European policies. It is these policies, together with the underlying European project, which must now be the priority of the Union.