Jonathan Reichental

Photo: Wedninth | Dreamstime.com

EU launches participatory governance programme

28 October 2021

by Sarah Wray

Launching a new resource centre, the European Commission has set out the ambition that eventually all policymakers will involve citizens from the very start of any new policy.

The Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy, announced earlier this month, aims to build partnerships and provide guidance, tools and resources to strengthen citizen engagement. This will include supporting pilots of new approaches, and several are underway, including on biodiversity in cities and future mobility solutions. An online platform and physical space will enable policymakers to collaborate.

A statement from the Commission said: “The rise in citizens’ assemblies, juries, and panels in recent years in Europe has shown both the increasing demand among citizens to take part in shaping laws and public policies, and that this participation is key to building trust in institutions and strengthening democracy as a whole.”

At the city-level, many local governments are showing a growing commitment to participatory processes, including participatory budgeting and mechanisms to engage people on planning decisions but this by no means yet happens at the scale envisaged by the Commission.

Managed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the competence centre will develop a framework to evaluate citizen engagement and participatory democracy, including the extent to which these practices are being mainstreamed across the EU.

Trust

Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová commented: “We need to do more to protect European democracy, but also to cherish and nurture it. The need to support a vibrant civil society and enhance democratic participation of citizens within a healthy digital ecosystem across the EU is at the core of the Commission’s work and will remain for the years to come. The new competence centre on participatory and deliberative democracy is an important new resource to help the Commission, and all other interested stakeholders, in achieving this objective.”

The Commission is also aiming to give Europeans a stronger role in decision-making, through initiatives such as the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Democracy Action Plan.

The JRC coordinates several competence centres, including one on megatrends and another on behavioural insights.

Image: Wedninth | Dreamstime.com

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