Democracy and citizens: how to increase people’s engagement at the local level?

23.11.2023 |

The challenges facing the world in recent years are bringing about a recession of democracy and increasingly contributing to the polarisation of society. It is local governments that are proving to be more credible than national governments, because they have the ability to actively involve citizens and to respond both flexibly and innovatively to urgent issues such as humanitarian aid or economic crises.

Monika Chabrior, Vice-Mayor of Gdansk, Lenka Antalová Plavuchová, Vice-Mayor of Bratislava, Gábor Kerpel Fronius, Vice-Mayor of Budapest, and Nicole Wright Patrick, Programme Manager at the National Democratic Institute, will discuss how local governments can increase the engagement of their citizens.

The discussion will take place in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute, which focuses on local government leadership and implements the long-term programme Central European Initiative for Democracy in the Visegrad countries.

11:45 – 12:30 Democracy and Innovations in the Environment of Central European Local Governments (Monika Chabior, Lenka Plavuchová Antalová, Gábor Kerpel Fronius; hosted by Nicole Wright Patrick)