(06 October 2021) – Today the Commission is launching a competence centre on participatory and deliberative democracy in its Joint Research Centre (JRC).
The competence centre will foster partnerships and provide guidance, tools and resources to strengthen citizen engagement in policy.
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.
The competence centre has been set up to help EU institutions and organisations across Europe build their capacities to support projects and policies on participatory or deliberative democracy.
The ambition is for all policymakers to start any policy file by exploring how to involve citizens in the process. It is already working on several pilot projects, from green cities to future mobility solutions.