Read the report and watch the recording of the high-level launch. Around one-third of the European Union’s budget (around 352 billion euros over seven years) is dedicated to cohesion policy, which promotes and supports the overall harmonious development of its Member States and regions. Cohesion policy is incredibly important, as…

Access the guidelines and the database To address citizens’ calls for better representation and more opportunities to participate in decision making, public authorities from all levels of government are increasingly turning to citizens’ assemblies, citizens’ juries, and other representative deliberative processes to tackle complex policy problems. …

France’s reforms to bring everyday citizens into the functioning of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) — Interview with Éric Buge, Fellow of the Institut Michel Villey-Paris 2 University The French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) is the ‘third chamber’ in the French system, representing organised civil society. It has recently been reformed to broaden it into a civil society and citizens’ chamber. Why is now the time to introduce a more permanent role for citizens in decision making?

Besaya’s Citizens’ Jury on Fair and Inclusive Ecological Transition — Opening up cohesion policy Around one third of the European Union’s budget (around 352 billion euros over seven years) is dedicated to cohesion policy, which promotes and supports the overall harmonious development of its Member States and regions. Success of these investments relies on robust and capable institutions, as well as effective partnerships between…

Interview with Magali Plovie, President of the Francophone Brussels Parliament — What are Deliberative Committees and how did they come about? Deliberative Committees are the first mixed committees, comprised of 45 randomly selected citizens and 15 MPs, which take place on a permanent basis within the Francophone Brussels Parliament. The regulations of how parliament functions were changed in 2019, the structure of Deliberative Comittees was formalised in July 2020, with the…

Interview with Graham Allen, Convener of The Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy, former Chair of the UK Parliamentary Select Committee on Political and Constitutional Reform, and Member of the UK Parliament 1987–2017 — How did the idea for a Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy (CCUK Democracy) come about? The CCUK Democracy sprang from the UK Parliaments’ Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee (PCRSC) 2010–2015, which worked with King’s College London (KCL). From 2015, it drafted and evolved the concept of a Citizens’ Convention on Democracy in the UK. …

Interview with Pepijn Kennis, Member of the Brussels-Capital Regional Parliament and Chairperson of the Agora.Brussels parliamentary group — The Agora political party, which you represent in the Brussels Regional Parliament, is not conventional, advocating for a permanent change to complement electoral democracy with deliberative democracy through the ongoing use of Citizens’ Assemblies. Why and how did you replace the ‘usual’ way of working for your role as a Member of Parliament (MP)?

Our team is taking part in the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities. We are pleased to invite you to our virtual Q&A session “Catching the Deliberative Wave” (13th October, 9:30–10:30). Register here by 27 September. Regions are at the forefront of innovative citizen participation approaches that are representative…

Interview with Michael Lederer, Head of the Office for Future Affairs in Vorarlberg, Austria — Vorarlberg is well known as a place where citizens are often in the driver’s seat when it comes to policy making. How did it start? In Vorarlberg, we started experimenting with Citizens’ Councils in 2006. Since then, they have become a success — widely accepted by politicians, policy makers, and citizens as the usual way of public decision making. …