45 representatives of local, regional and national authorities enhanced their understanding of Citizens’ Assemblies as an innovative tool of deliberative democracy during the training “Deliberative democracy and Citizens’ Assemblies: innovations for civic participation”, held on 30 May 2025.
During the training, participants explored:
- Principles and benefits of deliberative democracy, Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities standards.
- The role of Citizens’ Assemblies in strengthening democratic legitimacy.
- Case studies from Council of Europe member states.
- Lessons learned from Ukraine’s first citizens’ assemblies in Zviahel and Slavutych.
- The role of public authorities in acting on Citizens’ Assembly recommendations.
The aim of the training was not only to demonstrate to public authorities at all levels why deliberative democracy — particularly through Citizens’ Assemblies — is crucial for Ukraine, but also to encourage them to apply for comprehensive support from the Council of Europe for organising Citizens’ Assemblies in 2025–2026.
In 2024 the Council of Europe provided comprehensive support to two Ukrainian communities — Zviahel and Slavutych — in implementing the country’s first Citizens’ Assemblies, marking a key milestone in the development of deliberative democracy in Ukraine.
In 2025–2026, expert and organisational support will be provided for the implementation of three Citizens’ Assemblies. A call for expressions of interest will be launched for interested authorities of all levels. Three authorities will be selected through a competitive process from among those who attended the training.
The training was organised within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026 and the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”, implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
