The advisory group for the project “Active citizen participation 2.0” has been established

In order to identify the key issues within the public policies related to the integration of the Republic of North Macedonia in the EU and the democratization of the society, an advisory group has been established to prepare the third Deliberative poll. The advisory group consists of professors, a former judge at the European Court of Human Rights, and external collaborators of the President. The group will support EPI in preparing the materials for the 2022 National Deliberative Poll. Deliberative polls provide for a national dialogue on the mechanisms needed for an effective democratic transition through a participatory approach, involving the general public, representatives of national institutions, civil society organizations, the media, and political parties. EPI prepares such events in collaboration with the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University in the United States.

During the first meeting of the advisory group, held on May 18, 2021, in addition to the mutual acquaintance, the members together with the EPI project team discussed the Deliberative poll method and the project activities that EPI is implementing together with Stanford University, USA. At the same time, the advisory group made a significant contribution to defining future activities such as the development of information materials and the format in which they will be developed, as well as specifying the topics which are to be discussed in the National Deliberative poll in 2022.

The ACT – Active citizen participation 2.0 project aims to increase the involvement of all stakeholders in the country’s democratization process, to provide a structured contribution to advancing the national reform process through a participatory approach involving the general public and relevant stakeholders in the defined areas with a deliberative poll, and to raise the awareness of all political actors in the process about the importance of an inclusive and objective public debate for the country and the direction of democracy. This is a sequence of the Active Citizenship action for ensured democracy project and is implemented in collaboration with the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University in the United States. For this project cycle, four local deliberative events are planned in Skopje, Tetovo, Stip, and Ohrid where the priorities for discussion will be identified according to the citizens on different topics. These local debate events will be the basis for organizing a National Deliberative Poll with citizens from all planning regions in 2022.

The European Policy Institute in 2017 organized the first Deliberative Poll in the region and increased the involvement of the general public in the debate with its decision-makers. In 2019, the second Deliberative Poll was successfully organized, while preparations are currently underway for a third event, planned for 2022.

Members of the advisory group:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Besa Arifi

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veli Kreci

Prof. Dr. Jovan Ananiev

Dr. Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska

Dr. Elena B. Stavrevska