The European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) organises this conference in the scope of the project entitled: "European Citizens' Panel: New democratic toolbox for new institutions".

The overarching objective of this innovative project is to try to answer two fundamental questions: How should the citizens engage in European participatory processes and how do the citizens expect their recommendations to be followed up?

Over 200 citizens discussed these and other questions in four European countries in November 2009: Hungary, Latvia, Bulgaria and Germany. They jointly came up with recommendations which will be presented during the conference in form of a European report. The active involvement of experts and practitioners active in participatory democracy initiatives will also be assured during the conference. Moreover, a select group of EU experts will gather the day before the conference to discuss the citizens' conclusions and share their experiences form other projects and initiatives, such as the European Citizens' Panels and other experimental projects which were implemented under the Plan D for Democracy under DG Communications. The third category we would like to involve in this debate are of course the decision and policy makers, the representatives of the EU institutions.

Representatives from Directorates General dealing with citizen participation, MEPs and other important official bodies, as well as experts, the CSOs and active citizens from Germany, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium and other member countries will participate in this event. The conference aims to bring together abovementioned groups of participants in a facilitated dialogue with one another about the role and potential of citizen participation in European decision-making.

It will also be the first major event on participatory democracy and citizens' involvement in decision making on the EU level after the restructuring of the European Commission and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. Furthermore, it will also continue the process of evaluation of European citizens' consultations started on the 27 November 2009 by the European Commission and bring some clear recommendations from citizens for future projects and initiatives. For all those reasons, the trialogue between experts, citizens and EU officials are necessary and can help shape the "democratic toolbox" of the new European institutions.

To participate in the event you need to fill in the registration form and send it to the e-mail: lyubov.vasylchuk@ecas.org before Friday, 12 February 2010. Please note that due to limited number of places available only selected participants will be able to attend. A confirmation of your registration will be sent to you at latest by Wednesday, 17 February 2010.

For access to the registration form, more detailed information about the European conference and the project please refer to the ECAS website and supporting documents: agenda of the event; national reports; European Report; summary of the project.