The Belgian king said the public had lost trust in democratic institutions in a speech to the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday.
"I am worried about the loss of faith and trust in our institutions, and about the growing autocratic trend around the world," King Philippe told EU legislators. "That is why our institutions will need to work on greater credibility as to their own operations," he said.
King Philippe is the second Belgian monarch to give a speech in the European Parliament and the first to do so in its Brussels chamber. His uncle, King Baudouin, addressed the legislature in Strasbourg in 1987.
Belgium is currently responsible for chairing talks among EU member states and representing them in negotiations with the parliament, a role that rotates among the 27 member states every six months.
King Philippe said policymakers need to address "the main concerns and fears of citizens, by presenting them results. We therefore need to involve citizens themselves more closely in democratic processes."
"Individuals must remain the measure in all things, and cannot be the possession of a state, or used to glorify a leader, a single religion or a single ethnic group" he added.
The king said Ukraine's defensive war against Russian invasion "is our battle too. It is about defending our security, and our values. We too feel threatened."
He also urged the EU to "remain united in the fight against climate change," and called for greater energy independence.
"Climate policy also helps us achieve that other great ambition: the strategic independence of the EU. The more we make our energy consumption renewable, the less dependent we are on imported energy."
