From the Conference on the Future of Europe to the European Citizens’ Panels, in recent years, the EU institutions have been promoting a stronger participatory approach to their decision-making processes.
The European Parliament and other EU bodies are now pushing to expand the participatory toolkit even further, in an effort to give European citizens a stronger voice in the work of the institutions and their policy-making.
But to what extent is this approach working in practice when it comes to specific policies?
Research on the management of the recovery funds suggests a rather centralised approach that mainly excluded the voices of citizens and their local and regional representatives.
This special report looks at the increased focus on the EU participatory approach, some of its current gaps, and possible ways forward.
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EU citizens poorly involved in recovery funds’ design and spending, report shows
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NGOs warned of “opacities” in the way the pandemic recovery funds have been designed and spent across a number of European countries, which have often locked citizens out from decisions affecting them.
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EU Parliament pushes for more participatory tools for Europeans
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The European Parliament called on the EU to give European citizens a stronger voice and more instruments to influence the Union’s decision-making, as well as institutionalise participatory and deliberative processes.
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Cities, regions call out EU for ‘blind’ implementation of recovery funds
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The implementation of the pandemic recovery funds remains mostly a top-down process, managed centrally and with limited attention to on-the-ground needs, according to local and regional authorities, who are calling out centralising tendencies in the management of EU funds.
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EESC seeks permanent youth participation
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Young people’s voices should have a permanent role when considering legislation, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Oliver Röpke told Euractiv in an interview, adding that youth participation should not be treated as a ‘fig leaf’. The …
Source: euractiv.com
