The Jacques Delors Agora 2026 has concluded in Rome. The annual event brings together young Europeans aged between 18 and 35 to discuss the future of the European Union with policymakers, experts and representatives of the institutions.

Following Lisbon in 2024 and Barcelona in 2025, this year the Italian capital hosted the initiative, jointly promoted by Arel and three schools of European citizenship: the Académie Notre Europe in Paris, the Scuola di Politiche in Rome and the Academia Europea Leadership in Barcelona.

The 2026 edition, dedicated to the theme “One Europe, One Market”, opened on 30 June at the Europa Experience – David Sassoli, a symbolic venue representing the relationship between the European institutions and citizens. Institutional greetings from Carlo Corazza, Director of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Italy, and Claudio Casini, Head of the European Commission Representation in Italy, together with contributions from European Parliament Vice-Presidents Antonella Sberna and Pina Picierno, introduced the central theme of the Agora from the outset: bringing younger generations closer to the practical workings of the European Union and to the debate surrounding its political, economic and democratic prospects. Finally, Marco Bani, Head of Public Affairs and Innovation Policies for a parliamentary group in the Italian Senate, delivered a lecture on innovation and artificial intelligence.

The following day combined memory, education and European citizenship. A visit to the Capitoline Museums, introduced by Director Ilaria Miarelli Mariani, offered participants an initial opportunity to engage with Rome’s civic and institutional history. Against this backdrop, lectures were delivered by Nicole Gnesotto, Vice-President of the Jacques Delors Institute; Geneviève Pons, President and Director-General of Europe Jacques Delors in Brussels; and Elena Zito, content creator and community manager for Digital EU Ambassadors. They guided the young participants through a reflection on Europe’s role in the world, the challenges of the green transition and new forms of communication and democratic participation.

The day concluded with a screening of “There’s Still Tomorrow”, Paola Cortellesi’s film set in post-war Rome on the eve of the first elections held under universal suffrage. Its story of emancipation and women’s achievement of the right to vote offered participants an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between civic memory, gender equality and democratic citizenship: themes that lie at the heart of the spirit with which the Agora looks towards Europe’s future.

On Thursday, 2 July, participants were divided into two groups, alternating between a simulation of the European Parliament and a lecture on European Union enlargement delivered by Lukáš Macek, Head of the Greater Europe Center at the Jacques Delors Institute. Through the simulation, the young participants were able to experience the daily work of a Member of the European Parliament, following the entire legislative process of a Commission proposal: from meetings with interest groups and discussions within political groups to the consideration of amendments in committee. The exercise provided a first-hand understanding of how the European decision-making process is shaped by continuous negotiations among competing interests, political families and Member States.

In his lecture, Macek traced the evolution of European enlargement from a predominantly technical and merit-based process, founded on compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, to an increasingly geopolitical instrument, particularly following the war in Ukraine and in light of the need to strengthen the Union’s relationship with the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova.