Prospects for e-democracy in Europe

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Series Details February 2018
Publication Date February 2018
ISBN 978-92-846-2263-4
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Please note: Each EPRS Study is assigned a DOI (digital object identifier), which is a safe and long term way of ensuring a hyperlink to the full text of this report. However, when ESO creates this record, on occasion the DOI still has not been activated by the EU Bookshop. If you find the source url hyperlink does not work please use the alternative location hyperlink listed as a related url.Digital tools could create stronger connections between European citizens and the EU decision-making process and, by doing so, might contribute to reducing the EU democratic deficit. This report investigated what lessons can be drawn from local, national and European experiences of the use of digital tools for the functioning of EU decision-making procedures and institutions.

For that purpose, a review of current literature on e-democracy and the European public sphere was carried out; twenty two local, national and EU experiences with existing digital tools were investigated and evaluated; and an analysis made of the suitability of the most promising digital tools for implementation and use at EU level.

The most important factors for successful e-participation identified in the report were:

+ a close and clear link between e-participation processes and a concrete formal decision-making process
+ the participatory process and the contribution of its outputs to the overall decision-making process have to be clear to participants from the start
+ feedback to the participants about what has been done with their contributions is an indispensable feature of the process
+ a participative process should not be limited to one event but should be imbedded in an institutional 'culture of participation'
+ e-participation must be accompanied by an effective mobilisation and engagement strategy, involving communication instruments tailored for different target groups.

A related earlier study by some of the same researchers was published in 2011.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://dx.publications.europa.eu/10.2861/201697
Related Links
European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: Study, February 2018: Prospects for e-democracy in Europe http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/603213/EPRS_STU(2018)603213_EN.pdf
European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: Study, February 2018: Prospects for e-democracy in Europe. Annex 1 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/603213/EPRS_STU(2018)603213(ANN1)_EN.pdf
European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: Study, February 2018: Prospects for e-democracy in Europe. Annex II http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/603213/EPRS_STU(2018)603213(ANN2)_EN.pdf
European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: Study, February 2018: Prospects for e-democracy in Europe. Annex III http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/603213/EPRS_STU(2018)603213(ANN3)_EN.pdf
European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: Study, February 2018: Prospects for e-democracy in Europe. Annex IV http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/603213/EPRS_STU(2018)603213(ANN4)_EN.pdf

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