Citizens advise politicians: European Citizens’ Conferences

“I became interested in politics when politics became interested in me” (Helen Duffet, participant in the European Citizens’ Conference in the United Kingdom). Commissioned by the King Baudouin Foundation, Belgium, IFOK has developed the European Citizens’ Conferences, a new type of concept for political participation that benefits citizens and politicians alike. Politicians receive important stimulus for political tasks, citizens are actively involved in political issues, and discussion partners are taken seriously.

“We are shaping Europe ourselves,” “Utterly normal citizen makes European policy,” “People of Gladbach advise on the future of Europe,” are just some of the headlines that made the news in Germany between 2007 and 2009. The reason: IFOK gave 150 citizens from across Europe a voice in the European Citizen Conference in the debate about the future of the European Union. At the end of the conference, there were 10 concrete action recommendations for German and European politics. Those interested were also able to take part in the discussion via the online platform http://www.europaeische-buergerkonferenzen.eu/de/. The Citizens’ Conference in Germany was financed by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and was part of the “European Citizens’ Conferences” co-financed by the EU Commission as part of Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue, and Debate. The goal: To politically activate and mobilise citizens in all 27 EU member states and get them interested in Europe. The result: With interconnected offline and online dialogue and participation formats and the help of special IFOK moderation techniques, citizens were able to get actively involved in the current issues facing European politics.