MED at European Forum Alpbach: Democracy at Stake - What Role for Participatory Policymaking?
During the annual European Forum Alpbach, MPs from the Mercator European Dialogue (MED) network gathered to discuss the current state and future of European democracy, particularly addressing the role of participatory politics.
In a joint cooperation with European Forum Alpbach, for the first time, the Mercator European Dialogue provided members of its network with the special opportunity to be selected for a scholarship to join the high-level political symposium of the forum, benefit from side-meetings exclusively designed for parliamentarians and connect to actors and innovators in their fields of interest, in the inspiring surroundings of the Austrian Alps.
Together with civil society experts, innovators in participatory politics as well as fellow parliamentarians, the exclusive Mercator European Dialogue side-meeting offered MPs the opportunity to share first-hand information, discuss new concepts around participatory democracy, and share the developments from their own country. Members of the MED network as well as MPs present at the Alpbach forum attended the meeting, representing voices from across Europe, including Austria, the UK, the Netherlands, Romania, Germany, Greece and Latvia.
The MED further used the occasion of the forum to convene its “Inaugural meeting of the MP Steering Committee”, to inform and consult members of the committee on latest and future developments in the network and ensure the network’s activities and overall direction are aligned with its members’ interests.
To see the outcomes report and other material visit the event linked below.
What can parliamentarians do to better participatory politics in their constituencies? During the conversations, they shared their own participatory tools and best practices from their political careers.