1. EU Public Consultations in the Digital Age: Enhancing the Role of the EESC and Civil Society Organisations
Workshop New Technologies and Transition:
What Role for CSOs in a Future of E-Democracy
JDE62

2. Methodology Introduction EU online Public Consultations
The EESC and CSOs
The EESC’s Potential Role in Public Consultations
Policy Recommendations

3. 1. EU Public Consultations
State of the Art
Why consultations matter
A brief history of EU Public Consultations
What Minimum Standards for online EU public consultations
State of play
Clarity
Targeting
Publication
Consultation period
Feedback

4. The interacting phases and key steps of the consultation process

5. An EU consultation is defined as a “formal process by which the Commission collects input and views from stakeholders about its policies”
Four General Principles:
Participation
Openness and Accountability
Effectiveness
Coherence
Five Minimum Standards:
Clarity
Targeting
Publication
Consultations period
Feedback

6. 1.2 State of Play
EU online Public Consultations
‘Your Voice in Europe’ (Single access point)
2015 Guidelines
5 Minimum Standards

7. Database indicators selected on the basis of the 5 Minimum Standards
Clarity
Language of the information relevant to the consultation
Language of the questionnaire
Language required for the replies
Targeting
Respondents (Experts/Public Authorities/Citizens )
Age
Gender
Education
Geographical distribution (EU Countries/Regional and National Authorities/Non-EU Countries)
Publication
Publication on other websites than the single access point
Consultation period
Feedback
Total amount of replies
Executive summary or Synopsis report
Outcomes

8. Clarity

9. Targeting

10. Publication

11. Consultation Period

12. Feedback

13. Conclusions of the First Chapter
Challenges
weak feedback mechanisms
unrepresentativeness of the consultations

14. 2. The ESSC and Civil Society Organisations
The EESC’s Current role in online EU Public Consultations
The EESC and its influence in EU policy-making processes;
The EESC’s role in EU public consultations
Civil society organisations’ role in public consultations
The Potential Outreach of the Organisation
The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The use of ICTs and social media for online EU public consultations

15. The EESC’s Current role in EU online Public Consultations
The two ways of consultation for EU policy-making processes are not complementary and do not coincide most of the time
Own-initiative opinion on the "Evaluation of European Commission stakeholder consultations" in July 2015
REFIT Platform, Opinion on the submissions XXII.4.a by the DIHK and XXII.4.b by a citizen on Stakeholder consultation mechanisms, adopted on June 2017

16. Civil society organisations’ role in public consultations
Survey, 71 responses
The Potential Outreach of the Organisation
The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The use of ICTs and social media for online EU public consultations

20. Some conclusions of the Second Chapter
CSOs commonly use ICTs and are aware of the potential of digital tools in facilitating the implementation of their main activities
CSOs should learn how to better exploit new technologies (especially in order to enhance the awareness and the participation of their Members to EU online public consultation processes)
CSOs should also be directly involved in the consultation process since the preliminary stage
‘Consultation Electronic Platform’
The EESC could support CSOs in carrying out these tasks by putting its knowledge and expertise on the consultation process at disposal of its Members (organize training, mailing lists, direct consultation, translation, templates)

21. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations
Coming soon…
Chapter 3: Interviews
Rhion Jones, Founder of The Consultation Institute
Prof. Dr. Maria Cristina Marchetti, University of Rome “La Sapienza”
Prof. Dr. James S. Fishkin, Stanford University
Dr. Raphael Kies, University of Luxembourg
Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

22. Authors
Elisa Lironi and Daniela Peta
European Citizen Action Service (ECAS)

23. What role for CSOs in a future of e-democracy?
Awareness raising – improve the awareness of citizens regarding digital tools and online services for e-participation at local, national and European level.
Skills development – provide learning opportunities on digital skills combined with the development of critical thinking
As the infrastructure of e-democracy – bridging the gap between politics and citizens, between technology and actual political results
Ensuring transperency
Ensuring effective communication tools and methods (to reach out to and engage citizens)
Ensuring e-democracy leads to valid authorization tools

24. Focus on offline activities to target communities less likely to participate online
Advocating for “inside-out” processes to policy-makers –eg. Participatory budgeting and collaborative urban planning
Advocating the benefits of “high-quality” participation –helping decision-makers distinguish the “good” process from the “bad” process
Create an EU data-centric platform for the sharing of knowledge and technology between civil society organisations along with face-to-face meetings
Make Europe the world leading region for open technologies with a special focus on education and research

25. Focus on offline activities to target communities less likely to participate online
Advocating for “inside-out” processes to policy-makers –eg. Participatory budgeting and collaborative urban planning
Advocating the benefits of “high-quality” participation
Awareness raising on e-prticipation
Digital skills development
Ensuring e-democracy leads to valid authorization tools
As the infrastructure of e-democracy – bridging the gap
Ensuring transparency
Ensuring effective communication tools and methods
Create an EU data-centric platform (for the sharing of knowledge and technology between CSOs along with face-to-face meetings)
Advocate for open technologies (with a special focus on education and research)

26. PollEverywhere
pollev.com/martapont609