The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), which has been taking place across Europe since last May, is collecting, among other things, ideas for changes to the Union directly from citizens. The most discussed contribution on its online forum so far is the proposal to set up a European army.

For European democracy, the problem is mainly social media and how they influence people. The solution is personal experience and involvement in decision-making, for example through the Conference on the Future of Europe, says the new head of the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, VLADIMÍR ŠUCHA, in an interview.

If you ask citizens what they want, they will say a better quality of life. And when you ask them what the European Union should do about it, they say it should provide it. But I don't see why we shouldn't believe their conclusions, says analyst JOHANNES GREUBEL in an interview.

The issue of common European defence is crucial for Paris. In the next six months, it intends to pursue six priorities in this area. It emphasises joint military operations, even in cyberspace, and the transatlantic partnership, despite disagreements with Washington.

A new US administration focused on China, the June summit, but also the withdrawal from Afghanistan, growing European defence ambitions and the worst relations with Russia since the Cold War. It is these events that have affected the Alliance the most in the outgoing year. Their consequences will continue to shape it in the year ahead.