Adopt your MEP
| Description | As less and less legislation is coming from national governments and more and more policies are being decided by the EU, we need to take democratic participation to a whole new level. ACTA, net neutrality, surveillance measures - these and many other topics are decided in Brussels. We might not have the same resources as industry lobbyists, but we have the tools!
So how should an independent and non-partisan platform look like that could help us enter into a dialogue with our elected representatives? Memopol, PiPhone and Parltrack made a great start, join us for a brainstorming session on how to improve our tools for political engagement. Our goal is that all of us can take away experience on how to contact your MEPs and to share ideas for new tools |
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| Website(s) | |
| Type | Workshop |
| Kids session | No |
| Keyword(s) | political |
| Tags | EDRi |
| Person organizing | Kiki, Walter |
| Language | en - English |
| Other sessions... | |
| Subtitle | Brainstorm |
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| Starts at | 2014/12/28 16:00 |
| Ends at | 2014/12/28 17:00 |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Location | Hall 15 |
Information technology has a revolutionary impact on societal participation. This development is leading to a democratic potential where citizens are given the means to interact directly with politicians; we are on the verge of creating new forms of democracy – which is one of the main goals of the “Adopt your MEP” project.
Questions that we want to discuss during the session: How can technologies transform democracy and participatory processes ?
How can you get involved in the project? By helping us code, design and test the platform? By organising « Adoptathons » with MEPs throughout Europe ?
Citizens will be able to take a more active role in EU-level policy discussions on issues of significance for citizenship and fundamental rights in the digital environment.
Especially with regard to the presence of industry lobbyists in Brussels, there is an urgent need to balance the participation of citizens and civil society groups that have significantly different levels of power and resources. This requires an active approach and use of innovative tools, drawing on deliberative democratic theory and practice that seek to ensure that the viewpoints of citizens and civil society are brought into the discussion, but that power imbalances are neutralised.
