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News article24 November 2020

Countdown to the Citizen Engagement and Deliberative Democracy Festival

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Final preparations are underway for the 3rd annual Citizen Engagement and Deliberative Democracy Festival, which runs from 6-12 December, 2020.

Registration is open for the week-long event, which will be held entirely online in accordance with COVID-19 regulations. The Festival is open to all, aiming to bring together people of diverse backgrounds that are interested in, and working on, citizen engagement and deliberative democracy within and outside Europe.

The programme features talks by European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel and Joint Research Centre Director-General Stephen Quest. It includes a variety of interactive discussions with politicians and practitioners in this field on how to strengthen the links between citizens, EU institutions and policy for more democratic outcomes – especially during this challenging time of COVID-19. The agenda also showcases live artwork and a video exhibition of citizen engagement projects.

Events such as the Citizen Engagement and Deliberative Democracy Festival are more critical than ever in contributing to public and policy discussions on the future of democracy and how to implement more participatory practices in EU policymaking. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has prioritized a “new push for European democracy” to “strengthen the links between people, nations and institutions in Europe” in her Political Guidelines for the next European Commission (PDF, page 3). The Festival also coincides with the adoption of the European Democracy Action Plan in 2020.

Go to the registration page to enrol and explore the sessions in the agenda. Stay tuned for more news on the sessions, which are being finalized.

Details

Publication date
24 November 2020