On the road to civil dialogue

This year’s Civil Society Day, “Civil dialogue: a tool for better legislation in the general interest”, brought together more than 200 representatives from key national and European civil society organisations to discuss how to improve structured civil dialogue with EU policy and decision-makers. The annual conference that took place on 16th June largely focused on the “Riga Roadmap”, and how best to implement the expert proposals for a stronger, more democratic civil society.

Adopted by NGOs from across Europe, including the European Youth Forum, the Roadmap sets out proposals for tackling the lack of citizen involvement in policymaking at a European level. David Garrahy from the European Youth Forum presented the Roadmap at the conference, which puts forward a vision for more European integration, better policymaking, and agreed joint actions for improved implementation of policy. It also calls for the process of civil dialogue to be multi-level, transparent and inclusive, building on existing successful dialogues.

The value of Civil Society is recognised under article 11 in the Lisbon Treaty, which considers participatory democracy as a fundamental democratic principle of the EU. However, this principle is not always upheld. Speaking at the NGO Forum where the Roadmap was approved, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis stated that, “civil society organisations are key partners when implementing EU legislation and policies in member states”, adding that “all EU institutions have a responsibility to support and engage in a dialogue with civil society.”

Civil dialogue is a concrete tool that can strengthen the relationship between public decision makers and citizens through their representative associations. Structured Dialogue is one example of how the European Youth Forum facilitates this process of engagement. The Youth Forum believes that such dialogues at all levels could transform the EU’s engagement with its citizens and improve its policymaking.