Talk will introduce several experiences with Citizens Assemblies at a national level and consider more generally what their main advantages are in the decision-making process and why they can play a crucial role with facing both the climate crisis and the crisis of trust in democratic institutions.
The moderated discussion will take place online on 19 January from 2.30 to 4.00 p.m. (CET) and will have an empirical input with the speakers that participated in the citizen’s assemblies in France, UK and Ireland and an analytical input from speakers working on deliberative democracy from an academic perspective.
Questions which could be raised include: What are the limits that these citizen’s assemblies are currently facing? Is it possible to have a deliberative democracy initiative within a representative democracy system? Why are these initiatives in a top-down dynamic? Should these initiatives only be able to issue recommendations?
Speakers
- Jane SUITER, Ireland. Director, Institute for Future Media and Journalism (FuJo) and Associate Professor, School of Communications, Dublin City University
- Karl-Heinz LAMBERTZ, Belgium. President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community, Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Bureau member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and President of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)
- Claire MELLIER WILSON, United Kingdom. Facilitator and Researcher, Center for Climate Change and Social Transformation (Cardiff University)
- Mathilde IMER, France. Member of the governance committee of the Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat in representation of the association Démocratie Ouverte and the Gilets Citoyens