Zebralog - Online Dialogue "BürgerForum Europa"

Online Dialogue "BürgerForum Europa"

What do citizens expect from the European Union? To find answers to this question, the German Bertelsmann Foundation and Heinz Nixdorf Foundation use the means of an Online Civic Dialogue. Zebralog has developed a web-platform on which till April 2009 about 350 incidentally elected participants can work on their programme for Europe.

In 2009, the 27 member states of the European Union will elect the European Parliament for the seventh time. On the 7th of June it will be the Germans turn to vote. Member states and citizens profit from the European Union – e.g. through open borders and a common currency. But at the same time the idea of a European citizenship is getting more and more shallow. There is a growing distance to European politics – a lot of people find them not transparent enough and feel lost in an administrative jungle.

Here the “BürgerForum Europa” (“Civic Dialogue Europe”) by the Bertelsmann Foundation and Heinz Nixdorf Foundation wants to hit in. From February to April 2009, 350 incidentally selected citizens will have the possibility to discuss their ideas of Europe and debate, how they can engage in turning these ideas into reality. The forum will cover questions like: Which role should the European Union play in the world? Which decision should be made by the European Parliament in Brussels – and which by the national parliaments? How could European politics be made more transparent?

Here you can watch a video describing the process.

The discussion process starts with a real life meeting in Berlin in February. A two-month online-discussion will follow, which aims at the composition of a so called “civic programme”. Accompanied by online-moderators from Zebralog, the participants will debate in eight boards, each focusing on a specific topic. They will be able to express and elaborate their ideas and to vote on which should be presented in the final programme. In April, the participants will meet again in the old German Bundestag in Bonn and discuss their programme with selected politicians. Afterwards, the civic programme will be presented to politicians from all parties in Germany and the European Parliament.

Following the “BürgerForum Soziale Marktwirtschaft” (Civic Dialogue about Social Market Economy), this online-dialogue is the second one designed and conducted by Zebralog for the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation. The online-discussion will take place on the approved platform developed for the social market economy dialogue, which was slightly modified for the new topic and the new demands.

Already since November 2008 the first participants can log in to the online-platform. Every week a new article can be discussed and commented on. In the working phase from February to April 09 the 350 participants will develop their contents in a new way of “collective workflow”. They conjointly advance their programme step by step, consider advantages and disadvantages, the Pros and Cons, vote on their preferences and, last but not least, they generate a programme ready for press. The web-platform will enable a considerably more intense, real way of “deliberation” in a scientific sense of meaning as has been possible in many other online-dialogues so far.

Moderators will take care of a fair and balanced dialogue and will encourage significant outcomes. Interested people can find more information about the project in an info-blog at the “BürgerForum Europa”: www.buergerforum2009.de