In Czechia, citizen assemblies are largely unexplored, with public administration having little knowledge of their potential. Civil society organisations are familiar with the concept, but practical experience is minimal. Therefore, the Council of Europe and the Government Commissioner for Human Rights, Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, invited civil servants and CSO representatives on 14–15 November and 11 December to a workshop and a roundtable discussion that sought to fill this gap, presenting both the theory and practice of organising citizen assemblies in the Czech context.
The workshop, which was jointly organised by the Council of Europe and the Office of the Government Commissioner for Human Rights, was opened by Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, who emphasised the importance of reconnecting citizens with political decision-making to address declining trust in public administration and increasing societal polarisation. Citizen assemblies are one of the most intensive ways to engage citizens in decision-making and have been proven to be very useful in solving complex or controversial societal issues. To ensure that the organisation of citizen assemblies complies with democratic principles, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the Recommendation on Deliberative Democracy in 2023. It guides member states step by step in the implementation of deliberative initiatives, including a set of principles of deliberative democracy that need to be taken into account by governments, experts, and CSOs when organising a citizens' assembly.
In this context, international and national experts guided participants during the three-day workshop through the stages of organising a citizen assembly, covering deliberative democracy principles, process planning, and identifying relevant topics. Case studies from Poland, France, Germany, and Ireland were shared to demonstrate successful examples.
Timo Peters, from Baden-Württemberg’s State Ministry, shared insights on planning citizen assemblies, stressing the importance of topic selection, political commitment, stakeholder analysis, and framing clear questions. His presentation highlighted that careful preparation and commitment are key to success.
Group sessions allowed participants to explore the practicalities of organising citizen assemblies, including recruitment, deliberation, and communication. Discussions also focused on integrating citizen assemblies into Czech public administration and ensuring the results are communicated effectively and the recommendations are implemented properly.
The workshop was completed by a roundtable discussion with Urška Umek, Head of the Division of Democratic Institutions and Civil Society at the Council of Europe, international experts, and representatives of several ministries and state bodies from Czechia. The discussion aimed to raise awareness and discuss the benefits and opportunities of deliberative initiatives to enhance democracy and restore citizens' trust in democratic processes.
The process concluded with a final workshop session on 11 December 2024, where participants refined the practical steps for implementing citizen assemblies at a national level, marking a key milestone in Czechia’s path towards pioneering a national citizen assembly in Central and Eastern Europe.
Andrea Culková, from the Platform for Citizens’ Assemblies Czechia, stated: "Over the course of the workshop, participants developed a profound understanding of the citizens’ assembly process and the essential steps for implementing this tool. We now have ambassadors for citizens’ assemblies from both the civil service and civil society sectors, with whom we have collaboratively created a roadmap for the successful implementation of the first national citizens’ assembly in Czechia."
The participants and organisers will reconvene online in the second half of February to discuss the next steps for the systemic implementation of citizen assemblies in Czechia. The focus will be on establishing an umbrella organisation that enables civil society members to collaborate effectively with political representatives and addresses the specific needs of civil servants in implementing this innovative democratic tool.