What Role for Civil Society in a Future of E-Democracy?
Workshop 4
New technologies and transition:
What role for civil society in a future of e-democracy?
JDE 62
9.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.
Organised by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS)
E-democracy has the potential to contribute to a more open and inclusive form of policy-making by involving citizens through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It can allow citizens to directly engage with decision-makers in real-time during policy-making processes and help remove potential barriers to participation that translate into a general feeling of exclusion and engage groups that are underrepresented.
What part could civil society play in a future where technology allows the possibility for more direct participation between citizens and policy-makers? Will it still have the role of representing the interest of the citizens or should it transform into something different?
Programme
- 9.30-9.45 Presentation Preliminary findings of the EESC study “EU Public Consultations in the Digital Age: Improving the Outreach of the EESC and Civil Society Organisations” presented by Elisa Lironi, Digital Democracy Manager, European Citizen Action Service.
- 9.45-11.30 Panel Debate Local, national and European level experts will give several examples of the role civil society can play in digital democracy based on their experience.
- Moderator: Assya Kavrakova, Director, European Citizen Action Service
- Lex Paulson, International Counselor, D21
- Laurentiu Bunescu, CEO, ALL DIGITAL, Lifelong Learning Platform
- Imants Breidaks, CEO, Manabalss
- Prodromos Tsiavos, GFOSS - Open Technology Alliance
The panellists will also propose in total 10-12 roles they think civil society organisations could or should play in the future.
- 11.30-12.00 Reflection groups Participants will have a chance to briefly discuss amongst themselves about the specific issues proposed and identify the ones they consider a priority.
- 12.00-12.30 Online polling Participants will have a chance to vote online the issues of their preference and the ones with the highest votes will be presented as policy recommendations to the EESC.
Short description of expected output
Deeper understanding of what the participants identify as the potential and challenges of having a future of digital democracy, mainly their fears concerning our current society and state of democracy and how they think technology could help.
The outcome will be one or two main concepts considered as priorities amongst the participants on what role could civil society play in a future of more digital democracy.
Interpretation: DE/EN/FR