ABSTRACT
This chapter determines to what extent a electronic town meeting device can contribute to the emergence of a deliberative model of European governance. It offers a presentation of the genesis of the Ideal-European Union (EU) experience, showing how the deliberative device was partly transferred and adapted from the American model of the 21st Century Town Meeting. The lack of impact of the Ideal-EU project on public policies raises questions about the actual reasons behind setting up such device. The Ideal-EU website went online in late August 2008. The website was split into some distinct language-based sites because deadlines ruled out the setting up of a common multilingual platform. The chapter shows the risks the democratic experiences embody when they fail to accomplish their promises of citizens' empowerment, as they increase individuals' cynicism towards politics. In the past the European Commission has financed various participatory experiences in order to create a feeling of belonging and to build European citizenship.
