Protesters in Barcelona. Deliberative democracy promises to put citizens at the heart of European politics. 13 October 2022
The European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) of the Council of Europe has issued an invitation for comments on its draft recommendation on Deliberative Democracy.
The draft in its current form calls on Council of Europe (COE) member states to recognise that deliberative democracy can complement representative democracy, and to encourage its use at the national, regional and local levels. An appendix contains a set of principles to be adhered to when designing and implementing new deliberative processes. The present draft was authored by the CDDG’s Working Group on Deliberative Democracy (GT-DD), and published on the COE website on 12 October 2022.
The role of the CDDG is to provide representatives of COE member states with a forum to develop European standards on democratic governance, providing guidelines, reports and recommendations aimed at strengthening democratic institutions. The Working Group on Deliberative Democracy held their first meeting in May 2022.
Their recommendations are intended to complement and supplement the CDDG’s existing Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)4 on the participation of citizens in local public life and the 2017 Guidelines on civil participation in decision-making.
Comments on the draft can be submitted via email until 22 November 2022. The comments will then be reviewed before a final draft is presented for adoption at the CDDG’s 2023 plenary session.
