Europaudvalget 2021-22
EUU Alm.del Bilag 658
Offentligt
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CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ DEMOCRACY
DRAFT BRIEF 03 07 2022
Contents
CREATING A CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ DEMOCRACY
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PREAMBLE ............................................................................................................................................... 2
Centre for European Citizens’ Democracy (CECD)
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Overall objective:
.......................................................................................................................... 2
Specific objectives:
....................................................................................................................... 2
The CECD Scope of Work
.............................................................................................................. 3
The CECD and the Digital future
................................................................................................... 3
The CECD – Policymakers Observatory
...................................................................................... 4
The CECD – Research and Capacity Building
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Europe’s People’s Forum a continued network
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Organisation
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Economy
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 EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 658: Henvendelse af 3/7-22 fra Europe's People's Forum om initiativet til at etablere Center for European Citizens' Democracy
CREATING A CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ DEMOCRACY
PREAMBLE
This proposal for an efficient, practical way of organizing commonly accepted elements is
rooted in the implementation of the first year of the Conference on the Future of Europe, and
the previous processes of European Citizens’ Dialogues and consultations.
1. Whereas Europe’s People’s Forum (EPF) has closely followed the process at EU level
(in the European Parliament, in the European Commission and in the EU Council) as
well as in the member states, which have been very loyally assembled and drawn up by
the EP in its ‘Report
on Citizens’ dialogues and Citizens’ participation in the EU decision-
making.
2. Whereas the European Parliament resolution of 7 July 2021
on Citizens’ dialogues and
Citizens participation in the EU decision-making
emphasizes the need to fully
engage citizens in EU decision-making in order to enhance the legitimacy of the EU and
increase public trust in the work of the institutions,
3. Whereas the European Parliament encourages the facilitation of the establishment of an
independent civil society organisations network, based on voluntary participation, to
bring together different democracy initiatives, including across different regions, in order
to facilitate information sharing and knowledge transfer as well as to ensure that best
practice methods are used; This will increase citizens’ awareness of EU decision-making
procedures, and ensure more opportunities for citizens to influence policy-making; (52),
The Europe’s People’s Forum proposes to complement and collaborate with the EC’s
Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy when establishing the
following:
Centre for European Citizens’ Democracy (CECD)
Overall objective:
•
To strengthen democracy and renew trust and the sense of ownership in the European
Union, its member states and pre-accession countries by engaging citizens in
policymaking and improve the EU’s ability to reflect the needs and visions of European
citizens.
Specific objectives:
•
Strengthen democracy and citizens’ ownership of future policies at all European levels
by initiating participatory processes that engage as many citizens as possible in policy-
and decision making.
•
Deepen a commitment to participation at local, regional, national and European level on
the part of public authorities, citizens, civil society organizations and independent media.
•
Improve the quality of policymaking, strategic reviews and other aspects of institutional
decision-making by drawing on expertise from citizens.
•
Develop and support innovative state-of-the-art methods for citizen- and community led
participation as part of the EU’s democratic toolkit.
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The CECD Scope of Work
The Centre for European Citizens’ Democracy builds on EPF’s Europewide network of app.
35 professional practitioner and research institutions in participatory democratic processes
and network of 50 thematic civil society organisations. The Centre will be:
1. Responsible for the design, methodological coordination and preparation of citizens’
participatory processes undertaken on behalf of EU-institutions, national and local
initiatives. The methodology department lends its support to strengthening of existing
citizen-led initiatives such as the European Citizens Initiative, submission of petitions to
the EP and complaints to the Ombudsman and innovative new democracy instruments.
2. Developing advanced and effective methods to involve citizens in future convention
processes ahead of treaty changes with the aim both to secure citizens’ ownership and
to ensure that citizens in the whole process at European level contribute to the possible
treaties.
3. Organizing and documents exchanges of experience and best practice between
members and new actors. In close collaboration between its professional practitioners,
research and its civil society members CECD develops designs, measures, ensures
quality control, evaluates and promotes the participatory and deliberative processes that
contribute to strengthening citizens’ awareness and influence of EU policymaking
between and during election periods.
4.
Organizing events at local, national and EU levels with politicians and public authorities
to inspire to new participatory methods that strengthen democracy and renew trust and
ownership in the EU and in local democracies and their policymaking.
5. Serving as the Secretariat for the networks of professional institutions, universities and
experts that are experienced in citizens participatory processes and democracy research
as well of for the permanent mechanism’s network of civil society organisations and of a
network of advocates for citizens participation.
6. Liaising with the EC Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy,
the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, member states and umbrella civil
society organizations.
The CECD and the Digital future
The multilingual platform and the Interactio system for multilingual deliberative dialogues
used during the Conference on the Future of Europe yielded new insights with regard to
digital participatory processes. It will be a key research and innovation project for CECD to
develop a digital solution that can effectively:
•
•
Reach all European citizens who link up to the Internet, social media, mobile phones and
other devices,
Allow for European residents and expats to prioritize between themes, recommendations
and proposals so the outcome is a close to representative reflection of the population in
socio-economic, demographic and geographic terms,
Provide easily accessible technology that encourage all citizens, including especially
vulnerable citizens with limited literacy capacity to have a voice on EU and national
policies, strategies and solutions,
Ensure that the digital solution may be used for multilingual deliberative dialogues as
well as by students and groups of citizens keen to design and detail European solutions
to be presented to the EU-institutions,
Facilitate other activities aiming to increase citizen participation in Europe.
•
•
•
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 EUU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 658: Henvendelse af 3/7-22 fra Europe's People's Forum om initiativet til at etablere Center for European Citizens' Democracy
The CECD – Policymakers Observatory
An observatory function to assist European and local levels of political authorities to be
aware of and consider possibilities for citizens participation in different aspects of decision
making or policy making. And to help develop the best design and methodology for the
needs, and assist to lobby for project funding,
•
•
•
Builds on a flexible network of practitioners, civil society organisations and political actors
across all member states
Interactions at all levels between CECD, local and national authorities, assemblies and
governments
Mutual support of the political independence of all national practitioners and technical
organisations
The CECD – Research and Capacity Building
The CECD takes part in research projects concerning democracy and further development
of participatory, deliberative and other methods that contribute to a vibrant and modern
democratic Europe.
•
Active participation in Horizon research, innovation and practice projects that seek to
stimulate democracy or citizens involvement in the shape and implementation of various
policy areas
Workshops between researchers and practitioners and their institutions and
organisations
Networking with other think tanks dealing with relevant EU policies and possible events
on European research with a citizens’ perspective
Ideally, such events will take place in a geographically remote location to focus the
participants’ concentration such as is the case for the World Economic Forum in Davos.
It is the ambition that this event may attract civil society organisations and scholars
whose research on policies and societal development has a citizen perspective.
•
•
•
Europe’s People’s Forum a continued network
•
EPF aims to strengthen democracy and renew trust and ownership in the European
Union by engaging citizens in discussions and in influencing the policy making so the EU
may better reflect the needs and visions of European citizens. EPF also collaborates with
partners that work with citizens, media and authorities to enhance national and European
democratic processes between the elections,
•
EPF consists of a professional network of interested and qualified national universities,
institutions and civil society organisations in all EU member states. They have technical
experience in the design, implementation, and facilitation of citizens participation in
policy making between European or national elections. Some of them are research
institutions with special expertise in citizen participation. The network currently counts
around 35 partners.
•
EPF also includes a network of civil society organisations and social partners around
Europe. The informal network of CSOs is adaptive to thematic and methodological
needs. This network currently has around 50 partners.
When the CECD has been established and is up and running the CECD will refrain from
being part of the planning and implementation of participatory projects and leave this to the
professional partners in the current EPF network. There shall be no direct link between the
economic interests of the technical partners and the CECD.
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Organisation
The CECD could be organised as a non-profit foundation and the following organisatoinal
structures could be considered.
A
Citizen Panel
with randomly chosen citizens from all member states will meet every three
months online to discuss the CECD activities and local, national and European needs for
new participatory processes.
A
Strategic Council
will meet annually to evaluate the CECD’s strategic development and
identify the strategic challenges and opportunities for CECD in the coming year. Council
members are appointed by the European Parliament, the European Commission, the
European Council and the member states as well as the CoR and EESC.
A
General Assembly
is the highest authority within CECD and will convene annually. The
General Assembly decides the strategy, budget and accounts for the CECD. It also selects
the members of the Board, including the President. Eligible participants in the General
Assembly are technical and national members of Europe’s People’s Forum as well as other
categories of civil society organisations. The European Citizen Initiative, the Ombudsman,
Petitions or other citizens initiatives will participate in the General Assembly and each be
represented on the Board of Directors.
The
Board of Directors
hires and dismisses the Secretary General. It is responsible for the
budget, accounts and the draft strategies to be presented to the General Assembly.
Economy
The CECD aims to secure an initial five-year funding to cover running costs. Sources of
funding should be as diverse as possible and could include independent foundations,
national public budgets and other sources.
Besides basic running costs the running costs are expected to be related directly to projects
implemented with participation of CECD. This could be modelling and design towards
political authorities at European, national or local levels. Funding from Horizon Europe
Research and Innovation or EU programmes like the Citizen, Equality, Rights and Values
programme and several others that will support establishing innovative open democratic
practices.
Bent Nørby Bonde,
Secretary General, Dr.
Ryvangs Allé 18, 2100 Cph.Ø, Denmark
Tel.+45 30 45 45 00
[email protected]
www.europespeoplesforum.eu
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