Reinventing Engagement through Affirmative Citizen Consultations (REACH)

Reinventing Engagement through Affirmative Citizen Consultations (REACH) project began on 1 July 2024 and will run until December 2025.  The Project is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and is being implemented by the following organisations:

• European Policy Centre (CEP) as project coordinator, RS
• European Policy Centre (EPC), BE
• Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), XK
• Foreign Policy Initiative BH (VPI BH/ FPI BH), BA
• Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), BG
• Notre Europe – Institut Jacques Delors (NE IJD), FR
• Association for Civil Society Development SMART, HR
• Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, EL

The Project aims to enhance citizen engagement (including women and youth) in European policy issues through citizens’ consultations, which are structured events where individuals gather to discuss and provide input on policy issues, ensuring their voices and perspectives are included in the decision-making process. Citizens’ consultations are of great importance since they enhance democratic participation, foster transparency, and ensure that policies reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of the community. Throughout the project, a dynamic social media campaign will highlight key activities and outcomes, including local, national, and transnational events, as well as publications.

The Project will be implemented in four phases:

1. Local Citizen Consultations: Partner organisations will host local consultation events to explore citizens’ understanding, aspirations, and narratives in three interconnected policy areas—environment, EU accession, and the rule of law. They will also identify trade-offs and synergies among these areas. In addition, the MladiRini youth portal (https://mladirini.org/en/) will gather written contributions from young people (aged 16-25), a group which is often excluded from decision-making.
2. National Citizen Consultation Events: Citizens’ delegates from the local events will join experts in national-level consultation events to discuss how the identified trade-offs and synergies can be turned into policy decisions, plans, and strategies. Each partner will then create a national publication summarising the key findings from these events.
3. Transnational Event: The third phase involves presenting the national publications at a Transnational event in Belgrade. Project partners, citizen delegates, and policy stakeholders will engage in a dialogue about their experiences with citizen consultations and proposed policy solutions.
4. Comprehensive Transnational Volume and Final Conference: The insights and experiences from the local, national, and transnational events will be compiled into a Transnational Volume. This volume will be presented at a final conference in Brussels, where delegates, national stakeholders, and EU policy experts will discuss the project’s outcomes and implications.

Contact: Andrija Mladenović, Project Manager (andrija.mladenovic@cep.org.rs)