The Council of Europe, in partnership with DemNet Hungary, is organising a Webinar on Deliberative Democracy and Youth Citizens' Assemblies on 12 May 2026, between 10:00-12:30 (CET), online.

The webinar is the next event of the capacity-building and awareness-raising programme “Strengthening Democratic Resilience through Youth Engagement and Deliberative Democracy” and will provide a deeper insight into the concept and practice of deliberative democracy and its potential for strengthening youth engagement.

Up to 100 participants will explore the successes and lessons learned from the EU’s Youth Citizens’ Panel on Pollinators and the Ida-Viru Youth Assembly on climate justice, and the event will feature young voices from previous citizens’ assemblies held across Europe.

The event aims to spark interest among a wide and diverse network of stakeholders across member states in exploring or initiating citizens’ assemblies on youth-related topics in collaboration with local authorities and governments.

This event is part of the Council of Europe's contribution to the New Democratic Pact for Europe.

Why a New Democratic Pact for Europe?
Democratic backsliding, disinformation, impunity, and authoritarianism are undermining democracy in Europe. People are increasingly afraid and frustrated. It comes at a time when democratic security – the resilience of our democratic institutions, freedoms, and values – is our first line of defence against the threats we face. A collective response is needed. There is no quick fix and no single solution. With the New Democratic Pact, the Council of Europe unites with its partners to boost solutions that work and create new responses. To identify them, consultations are needed. The Pact will serve as a collective and inclusive process – not to reinvent democracy, but to reinforce its foundations, amplify its benefits, and innovate its form to make it tangible for everyone, especially younger generations. The directions set during the consultation phase running through 2026 will shape the work that follows.

This webinar offers participants the opportunity to be part of the collective response to be formulated within the New Democratic Pact.

Profile of participants

This webinar is particularly designed for (but not limited to):

• Representatives from Council of Europe Quality Labelled Youth Centres
• Current and past members of the Advisory Council on Youth
• Current participants and alumni of the Youth Delegate programme of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
• Participants from the Council of Europe School on Political Studies Alumni of the Roma Political Schools programme of the Council of Europe
• Representatives from public institutions engaged in youth policy
•  Youth civil society organizations across Council of Europe member states

For more information, please consult the call for applications document.

Dates and venue:

• 12 May 2026, 10:00-12:30 (CET)
• Zoom

All applicants must fill out the form here: Webinar on Deliberative Democracy and Citizens' Assemblies – Fill in form

Deadline for applications: 30 April 2026, 23:59 CET