Revitalising democracy with the municipalities and regions

“Democratic fatigue” has reached our societies in recent decades. This is seen in the growing disinterest in elections and the loss of confidence in our institutions.

Because citizens experience democracy first and foremost in their immediate environment, the Congress is a useful instrument for finding solutions as closely as possible to people.

A democracy where the citizen’s involvement is limited to voting is not resilient. The Congress is already working on new forms of citizen engagement. The recent report by Mr. Karl-Heinz Lambertz on deliberative democracy, offers practical examples assessed positively by the Committee of Ministers which prepared a resolution on deliberative democracy.

In 2009, the additional protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government started to consider this matter. It must continue to be promoted to get more Member States to ratify it.