This event will follow up on the series of very popular and high-profile debates that ECAS organised in 2006 on the EU Communication policy. This time we will investigate the current state of play at the juncture between the end of Plan D and the new EC Communication "Citizens' Agenda for communicating Europe". The day of ECAS conference is the very day when the new Communication is going to be released. This is why part of our conference will be devoted to press and civil society briefing with Commissioner Margot Wallström, who will herself present the paper and answer the questions from the public.

Our first objective is to question the EU's current communication with citizens – likely on the very day when the new EC Communication is to be released. Our second goal is to break new ground by examining the participatory democracy methods which are now being proposed to the EU Institutions as a new channel of communication. In a series of three consecutive panels, our conference will investigate different techniques for participatory democracy, recommend what procedures could be put in place to ensure a follow up and how the different pilot projects could be put on a more permanent footing.

We are looking forward to a whole-day debate at the end of which we should know better what the perspectives of the EU communication with citizens are, what the participatory democracy methods are, how their results can be followed up and whether these methods are landmark in the quest for the democratic Holy Grail or just one important step.