There is a growing movement across Europe to actively seek out the views of its citizens on a whole range of issues that directly or indirectly have an impact on their daily lives — and ultimately give them a bigger say in the making of decisions.
People get plenty of opportunities to talk to politicians around the time of elections, and to get their opinions across to them, but that level of communication falls off quickly after the election and, for many, the next time they get a chance to be heard is four or five years later.
That is not good enough. People need to have their voices heard consistently, and to be given every opportunity to contribute to the democratic process in a meaningful way.
Here in Ireland, we have been doing something like this for the past few years with our Citizens’ Assembly, which brings people together from all walks of life to consider important legal and policy issues, before making recommendations to the Oireachtas.
The most recent Citizens’ Assembly, made up of 100 citizens randomly selected to participate, looked at the issue of gender equality. Previous issues considered the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population, fixed-term parliaments, how referenda are held, and climate change.
Local and regional voices
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This process of reaching out to citizens, asking them for their views and opinions, and taking their recommendations on board in a serious manner, is definitely the way to go in the future all over the European Union, a way of making democracy work even better.
This is not a new idea, of course. The European Committee of the Regions (CoR ) has for decades strived to bring EU citizens closer to the EU, acting as the voice of the regions and cities. It represents local and regional authorities across the EU and advises on new laws that have an impact on regions and cities — that amounts to about 70 per cent of all EU legislation.
The CoR is a political assembly composed of 329 members and 329 alternates from all EU countries who have been elected at local or regional level. They meet in committees several times, and then come together in plenary sessions up to six times a year in Brussels to debate their opinions on proposed legislation, and agree on resolutions for further action by the EU.
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By involving regional and local representatives who are in daily contact with their electorate's concerns, but also by inviting citizens to participate in various events and debates, the CoR contributes to reducing the gap between the EU institutions' work and EU citizens.
Local elected representatives can play a pivotal role in bridging any gaps between the public and those who are deciding on important changes that affect them.
Galway’s voice at the CoR
Galway has a voice in this process, Independent Galway City East councillor Declan McDonnell [pictured below], having served as a member of the CoR since 2003, during which time he has been active on a number of topics.
He is the only full-time representative for the whole of the west/northwest region on the current committee, which has been in place since 2020. There are eight representatives from the State’s other two regions - five from the East and three from the South. Previously the west had three representatives but the current Government reduced the area’s representation last year.
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Currently he is a member of three commissions — the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External affairs; the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment and Culture; and the Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs. In the case of the latter, he is also the rapporteur on the implementation of the Committee of the Regions' digital strategy (which deals with how to make their work more cost-efficient, more environmentally-friendly and faster by moving to digital solutions ).
Only last month, at a Conference on the Future of Europe, held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the voice of more than one million local and regional elected politicians was heard more clearly than ever, with the involvement of 30 regional and local delegates, including 18 from the CoR.
The importance of this work of reaching out to the ordinary citizens of Ireland and of the rest of Europe cannot be overstated.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei
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Citizens should be able to speak to their elected representatives when and where they feel the need for it and on the topics they consider relevant.
It is simply not enough for democracy only to be played out at election time or during specific windows when politicians decide it is time for it. Citizens' voices need to be heard on an ongoing basis.
Also, politicians need to go where people are. They need to engage citizens in new innovative ways – through traditional type educational programmes, or by informal participation through sporting clubs, culture and the arts. Using digital technology will also be a key aspect of engagement.
At the same time, citizens need to get feedback on their proposals and concerns — whether that is positive or negative — which the local and regional authorities who are in touch with them are best placed to provide.
Elected local and regional representatives want to be that bridge between the citizens and the EU institutions through which they can share their concerns, and be sure that they will be heard.
Committing to listening to citizens on a regular basis and offering detailed feedback on their ideas, therefore engaging in a genuine conversation, would be a huge step in efforts to rebuild trust with them.
This trust has always been the highest towards local authorities. It is precisely because of that, that these locally elected representatives should lead this process and thus help re-establish the severed ties between the EU and a big part of its population.
Make your voice heard
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Enabling citizens to continuously and systematically express their views, and receive feedback on them, will help truly transform the EU and make it more democratic, open, transparent and inclusive. And, very importantly, better understood.
Of local interest, the people of Galway and surrounding region will soon get a chance to participate in one of a series of mini citizen assemblies being organised by the country’s three regional assemblies.
The Northern and Western Regional Assembly, covering an area from Donegal to Galway and stretching east as far as Monaghan, is to hold three such citizens’ assemblies between now and March.
The events will be advertised in advance, inviting everyone who wants to, from interested organisations to individuals with no particular affiliation, to indicate an interest in attending.
No date has been fixed yet for the Galway event, which will aim to bring home to people just how much the EU is involved in their lives, and to invite their contributions on how the future of the union should be shaped, from legislation and funding, to climate change, and urban and rural development.
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Currently the northern and western area is a ‘region in transition’, which means it has not achieved the same economic progress as the rest of the country. But for the vibrant hub that is Galway city, the region would be in an even worse situation, and this is down to a lack of investment over a long period.
The NWRA, which administers major EU funding programmes in eight counties, highlighted in a recent report how in the decade up to 2018, investment in health infrastructure in the region was below the State average in eight out of 11 years; the region received just €87,240 for national roads per km compared to the national average of €116,054; and average State investment in third level infrastructure per undergraduate was just €141 compared to the national average of €197.
There is a long way to go for the region to catch up with the rest of the State, and the voice of its citizens will be key in persuading Government, and the EU, to step up to the plate, avoid the tendency for development to be Dublin-centric, and make Ireland a better place to live for everybody.
