EU-CIEMBLY is an international research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation Programme, addresses the need for the introduction of new forms of citizens’ participation and deliberation in EU political life. EU-CIEMBLY responds to the EU’s call ‘Standing up for democracy’, focusing on protecting EU democratic processes from foreign manipulation, enhancing detection and analysis, assessing societal impacts, expanding counter-manipulation solutions, and addressing theoretical tensions.
At EU-CIEMBLY, we are dedicated to advancing the principles of intersectionality, inclusiveness, and equality within the realm of European democracy. Our initiative responds to the growing need for new forms of citizen participation and deliberation in EU political life, particularly through the establishment of an EU Citizens’ Assembly.
The time is ripe to create a new innovative democratic mechanism with intersectionality at the forefront. EU-CIEMBLY will provide the analytical framework and the prototype through which such an instrument can be created in the form of Citizens’ Assemblies 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 prototype, and concludes with recommendations.
Objectives:
1) Theorizing Intersectionality:
The first stage is the development of a robust theoretical framework that should underpin intersectionality in the design of Citizens’ Assemblies.
2) Evaluating Existing Practices:
In this stage of the project, we assess the effectiveness of selected Citizens’ Assemblies at local, national, and EU levels, in terms of equality, inclusiveness, and deliberation.
3) Piloting New Approaches:
The previous two stages of project will result in the design of a prototype Citizens’ Assembly model. This model will then be piloted at the local, national, and EU level. Testing the model in real life will allow us to identify which characteristics allow the maximum level of inclusion, therefore addressing issues of intersectional discrimination and the effects of power relations on marginalised groups.
4) Recommendation and Dissemination:
Building upon our research and practical experiences, we aim to develop and disseminate comprehensive guidelines and best practices for the design, implementation, and evaluation of intersectional Citizens’ Assemblies, ultimately enhancing democratic practices in Europe and beyond.
