Participatory democracy Archives

From petitions and consultations to the European Citizens’ Initiative and citizens’ panels, the EU has several tools in place allowing Europeans to have their say on EU policies. But how effective are these participatory and deliberative tools? To learn more about …

Read this infographic in Romanian and in Dutch.  More and more European municipalities are turning to a co-decision tool allowing citizens to decide how to spend local resources, but its impact remains uncertain as low participation levels …

Ireland currently gives its citizens a say in decision-making processes through participatory tools, such as citizens' assemblies. But what do the Irish people think of citizen participation in their country?

From national citizens' assemblies to local public participation networks, Irish citizens have different tools they can use to influence decision-making processes. As part of H2020 DEMOTEC, EURACTIV travelled to the capital Dublin and Sligo in the North of Ireland to speak …

In a surprising vote 15 years ago, the small Swiss canton of Glarus lowered the voting age to 16. Since then, it has remained the only Swiss region to implement this, which might be related to the archaic voting system in the canton that regularly produces surprising results.

Read this article in Romanian. As deliberative and participatory exercises are gaining traction at local, national and EU levels, some politicians and youth activists are making the case for children and teenagers to also be given a voice …

Participatory exercises involving young Europeans can help them better understand democratic processes, but there are palpable worries that the intergenerational divide and the lack of real follow-up can limit their impact, according to young people who took part in such events.

Young people are statistically underrepresented in both national and EU parliaments, EU data shows. This, in combination with the ageing population of European countries, leaves young people 'de facto' at the margin of politics, 

Read this Special Report in Romanian or in Dutch. From campaigns to lower the voting age to 16 to the introduction of children's assemblies, youth activists are looking at ways to promote young people's participation …

The EU is stepping up its efforts to promote civic engagement and political participation with a new initiative targeting young people in third countries through its Youth Action Plan.

Participatory budgeting is the process that allows citizens to decide how to spend part of the city's budget and is quite well-known to most of the residents of Wrocław, Poland. EURACTIV travelled the south-west of the country to learn more about …

In Poland, participatory budgeting is an established democratic tool allowing citizens to decide which initiatives to fund through the local budget. As part of H2020 DEMOTEC, EURACTIV travelled to Wroclaw, in Western Poland, to speak with local decision-makers and citizens and …

While co-decision mechanisms in Ukrainian municipalities have been suspended due to the war, participatory tools could still help support and integrate Ukrainian displaced people, according to experts.

Letting young people decide how to spend a part of the city budget can empower the youth, boost participation and be a “lesson of civic education,” according to experts.

Active participation of Romani people and Roma mediators in local policy-making and budgetary decisions is key to addressing the community needs of the largest European ethnic minority, according to activists.

Despite the progress achieved at the EU level on gender equality, policies and budgetary decisions have yet to fully include a gender perspective, according to experts and MEPs.

Read this Special Report in Romanian or in Dutch. Participatory budgeting, the co-decision tool on the city expenditure, can be a leverage for equality and inclusion, giving every citizen a say on the initiatives and …

Read this article in Romanian. Co-decision on the city budget expenditure by displaced people can help local authorities better understand their needs. However, these communities often face language and financial obstacles that hinder their participation, according to experts. “If …

Participatory budgeting, the process allowing citizens to decide how to spend a part of the city budget, is not yet common in Cyprus. However, residents on the island agree that citizen participation is vital when it comes to allocating municipal …

Experts and activists in the EU called for more diverse participation of citizens in co-decision tools, pointing to the key role of information campaigns in raising awareness and boosting citizens’ competences.

In the context of the H2020 project DEMOTEC, rewatch this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to learn about the opportunities and challenges participatory budgeting offers to strengthen democracy in European cities.

Civic engagement in Cyprus has long been influenced by the tensions between the Turk-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots and by the strained relations with the European Union, which has impacted citizen’s trust in decision-making. If empowering citizens is no longer seen as a …

Citizen assemblies can strengthen citizen participation in the EU, but their importance should not be overstated, writes Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf.

A new report by the Albanian Insitute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) says the electorate wants more democratic progress in the EU candidate country, considered a hybrid, or only partly democratic, regime according to Freedom House.