Project description
Setting a precedent for future inclusive civic engagement
In the landscape of EU political life, the absence of effective mechanisms for inclusive citizen participation has resulted in the perpetuation of intersectional discrimination and the exclusion of vulnerable groups. Despite efforts to enhance participatory democracy, the oversight in addressing intersectionality within EU law has hindered progress. In this context, the EU-funded EU-CIEMBLY project aims to confront these challenges and pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable EU Citizens’ Assembly. Specifically, the project will design a tool that not only addresses current issues at the EU lever, but also provides a prototype adaptable at national and local levels. By bridging theory, evaluation, and piloting, the project stands poised to reshape participatory democracy in the EU.
Objective
EU – CIEMBLY addresses the need for the introduction of new forms of citizens’ participation and deliberation in EU political life and, particularly, an EU Citizens’ Assembly whose design and implementation fully addresses issues of intersectionality, inclusiveness, and equality. While there has been an admirable appetite to improve the landscape of participatory and deliberative democratic mechanisms at the EU level, this has not always been accompanied by adequate considerations of how to build these mechanisms to ensure avoidance of intersectional discrimination and the exclusion of vulnerable groups of citizens. In fact, the concept of ‘intersectionality’ within EU law has presented difficulties even without bringing into the picture the context of citizens’ democratic participation. The time is ripe to create a new participatory tool with intersectionality at the forefront. This project will provide the analytical framework and the prototype through which such a tool can be created in the form of a Citizens’ Assembly that can be established at the EU level and with features allowing for the transfer of a (modified) prototype to the national and local levels of EU Member States. To do this, the project moves from theorising to evaluating and finally piloting such a tool and concludes with recommendations. In this way, EU-CIEMBLY seeks to be the first project that uses an academic and theoretical understanding of issues of intersectionality, equality, and power relations in the design of an innovative and inclusive EU Citizens’ Assembly.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
3004-531 Coimbra
Portugal