European Democracy
Description
In recent years, there have been important societal transformations sweeping through Europe. On the one hand, a new deliberative-collaborative e-democracy model is emerging worldwide. This model can contribute to a more open and inclusive form of policy-making by involving citizens through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). On the other hand, we are confronted with increasing threats that undermine the foundations and institutions of our democratic societies, such as populism and online disinformation. There is an urgent need to develop a more precise understanding of how these new trends affect our societies and to encourage civic engagement to increase the resilience of our democracy.
ECAS activities in the framework of its European Democracy focus area aim at three objectives:
- Digital Democracy – to explore the potential of ICT in reducing the gap between political representatives and citizens and contributing to the creation of an engaged citizenship through civic tech;
- Understanding Populism – to develop a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of ‘populism’ and to better take citizens’ voices into account in our democratic political systems;
- Civic Engagement – to make a difference in the life of European communities by encouraging civic actions and participatory democracy to address issues of public concern.
2019-2022 Timeframe
In the period 2019 – 2022 ECAS is working to:
- Develop and implement EU projects and services related to European Democracy;
- Advocate for better participatory democracy by exploiting digital technology, at local, national and EU level,
- Improve existing participatory tools, such as the European Citizens Initiative and the EU’s online consultation processes;
- Foster better understanding of populism in Europe through research and trainings;
- Improve citizens’ knowledge on how to access quality information by tackling online disinformation;
- Organise a Digital Democracy Day and an Online Disinformation conference in Brussels as annual events to raise awareness and report on new developments in both areas.
Actions
Digital Democracy:
European Citizens’ Initiative Forum
Co-deciding Europe: Civic Tech for Good Governance and Active Citizenship (CODE Europe)
Digital Democratic Empowerment and Mobilisation for a Stronger EU (DigiDEM)
Promoting the nexus of migrants through active citizenship (NEXUS)
Road to the European Parliament 2019: Empowering a new generation of EU citizens (REP2019)
Understanding Populism:
Democratic Efficacy and the Varieties of Populism in Europe (DEMOS)
Online Disinformation:
Publications
Brussels for Clean Air | « J’aimerai pouvoir me promener ou faire du sport sans me demander si cela pourrait être nocif pour moi. »
La campagne de démocratie participative "Brussels for Clean Air" est entrée dans sa deuxième phase il y a un mois.…
Brussels for Clean Air | “I would like to be able to go for a walk or do sport without wondering if it could be harmful to me.”
The Brussels for Clean Air participatory democracy campaign entered its second phase a month ago. The crowdsourcing platform already collected…
Student training on civic tech tools in Ljubljana
Between 2019 and 2022, NEXUS explored the relationship between digitally enabled participatory tools and democracy to build upon the existing…
Participatory workshop: “There’s something in the air”
Citizens of Brussels are invited to join the “There’s something in the Air” workshop on 27 April at 19.00h in BeCentral (Cantersteen…
“Il faut faire entendre notre voix et revendiquer notre droit à un air de meilleure qualité à Bruxelles”
La campagne de démocratie participative Bruxelles pour un Air Pur entame sa seconde phase ce mois-ci. Après deux mois de…
„We must make our voices heard and claim our right to better air quality in Brussels“
The Brussels for Clean Air participatory democracy campaign is entering its second phase this month. After two months of collecting…
Participatieve democratie: Brusselaars kunnen de luchtkwaliteit verbeteren door bij te dragen aan een online platform.
Het hele jaar door hebben de Brusselaars de kans om deel te nemen aan de campagne "Brussel voor Schone Lucht".…
Démocratie participative: les Bruxellois(es) peuvent améliorer la qualité de l’air en contribuant à une plateforme en ligne.
Tout au long de l’année, les citoyennes et citoyens Bruxelles ont l’opportunité de participer à la campagne “Bruxelles pour un…
Participative democracy: Brussels residents can improve air quality by contributing to an online platform.
Throughout the year, Brussels residents have the opportunity to participate in the "Brussels for Clean Air" campaign. The aim of…
ECAS launches local campaign to improve Air Quality in Brussels!
Today, ECAS kicks off the “Brussels for CLEAN AIR / Bruxelles pour un AIR PUR / Brussel voor SCHONE LUCHT”…