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[...] Less than a third of young people under the age of 30 state that the most effective way to make their voices heard is to participate in elections. It is therefore hardly surprising that only about every second person voted in the last European elections. For the upcoming elections on 9 June 2024, the new project #NowEurope takes up this challenge and works with the European Youth Parliament and other partners to[...]

[...] #NowEurope: My future, Europe's future Strengthening young people's awareness for Europe and their political empowerment for the 2024 European elections. read[...]

[...] During the project leadership presentation, Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler and Inga Münch outlined a clear vision for a national healthcare platform and its functionality. This vision places a strong emphasis on prioritizing the needs of patients while also establishing guidelines for a fair digital future. Both emphasized that the Bertelsmann Stiftung would neither build nor operate such a portal. Instead, they[...]

[...] During his election campaign, French President Macron committed to launching a public debate on euthanasia and suicide in France. For years, there have been debates between French supporters and opponents of changing the law to introduce active euthanasia. 184 citizens therefore came together in a Citizens' Convention to discuss and work on this issue. The convention was a great success, lessons learned can be drawn[...]

[...] Young people meet to discuss European challenges and solutions in Baku, Azerbaijan Jessica Gerke from the NextGen team "Young People and Society" discusses with other experts and participants the exciting work of the European Youth Parliament, which organizes an International Session twice a year under the auspices of the Schwarzkopf Foundation. At an evening panel under the open sky and a temperature of[...]

[...] Democratic governments around the globe are increasingly seeking to find new and effective ways to involve citizens in policy making. Through its unique blend of trust between citizens and government, and the existence of a vibrant, tech-savvy civil society, Taiwan has become a front-runner in the development and implementation of innovative citizen participation. Two instruments in particular stick out: the Join[...]

[...] Participatory budgeting has a long, worldwide tradition. Administrations and politicians regularly make financial decisions and decide on the budget for the coming years. Participatory budgeting involves the population in financial planning, and experts describe it as one of the most successful democratic innovations of recent decades–with many active participants worldwide.International experience[...]

[...] Belgium is conducting a democratic experiment to link representative and participatory democracy: In Deliberative Committees, Brussels citizens and members of parliament jointly develop recommendations that are followed up and often implemented. The Deliberative Committees reduce the distance between citizens and political decision-makers and strengthen democracy.Download the SHORTCUTas PDF here. Message to[...]

[...] The right of initiative, the ability to put legislative proposals and ideas on the political agenda, is fundamental in democracies. Parliaments deliberate, the public debates, laws are enacted and implemented. Agenda initiatives give citizens the right to propose issues for parliamentary consideration and legislation. More and more countries around the world are introducing this tool - Finland and Latvia, for[...]

[...] Belgium is conducting a democratic experiment to link representative and participatory democracy: In Deliberative Committees, Brussels citizens and members of parliament jointly develop recommendations that are followed up and often implemented. The Deliberative Committees reduce the distance between citizens and political decision-makers and strengthen democracy. Download the SHORTCUTas PDF here. Message to go:[...]