2024 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

18th Edition

Phase 6 of 7

Publication Preparation 08/09/2024 - 15/10/2024

Process phases

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Catalonia: Citizens' Assembly for Climate Change of Catalonia (ACCC)

Official proposal

17/05/2024 15:47

With the Citizen's Climate Assembly of Catalonia (ACCC), any citizen of Catalonia had the same opportunities to receive one of the 20,000 invitations sent throughout Catalonia to participate in a democratic innovation project and influence the climate change policies of the Generalitat de Catalunya. This experience has been a pioneering one in the Generalitat and the first in Catalonia, following the example of many countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Scotland and Ireland. The project can be followed by anyone on the participation portal of the Government of Catalonia

The ACCC was constituted with 100 people, selected through a stratified drawing of lots, which ensured both equal opportunities and the inclusion of a diversity of profiles from Catalan society.

The Assembly was tasked with responding to two specific policy dilemmas on:

The deployment of renewable energies
The food model for the future

The assembly members had to elaborate their recommendations by positioning themselves on the dilemmas and taking into account the pros and cons of the possible solutions and impacts. To do this, they met in 6 sessions in different parts of Catalonia. The first sessions were to train, contrast and debate with experts and technicians, and the subsequent sessions to deliberate and draw up their recommendations. To make their work possible and facilitate participation, the Generalitat compensated the work of the citizens with 65 euros per session, and provided transport, accommodation, catering, simultaneous translation and babysitting services.

The ACCC, a result of the Government Agreement GOV/188/2022 of 27 September, has the Government's commitment to analyse, evaluate and respond to the incorporation of the Assembly's recommendations into the policies of the Generalitat. A steering group of independent experts has ensured the quality and integrity of the entire process.

The ACCC is part, through the Sub Directorate General for Citizen Participation, of the European Horizon-CLIMAS project, together with 12 partners from different European countries (Grant Agreement Number: 101094021). In the framework of this project, the ACCC is contributing to the development and implementation of an innovative toolbox and recommendations for policy makers for future climate assemblies in Europe.