Cases

There are many initiatives for citizen participation in Belgium. In recent years, the authorities have become increasingly aware of the role that citizen panels can play in bringing policy-making closer to the people.  

Discover here the noteworthy initiatives in our country, with figures and facts.

Our criteria: citizens' assembly with random draw and deliberation.

We Need To Talk citizens debate
2023
Deelnemers
60
Deliberative Committee of the Walloon Parliament
2023-2024
Deelnemers
30
Climate Action Panel of the city of Arlon
2022
Deelnemers
20
Citizens Consultation Mobility Plan Olen
2023
Deelnemers
24
Citizens' panel on the challenges of aging
2017
Deelnemers
30
Future Forum Zoet Water
2020
Deelnemers
38
Citizens' panel on aging - Our Future
2013-2014
Deelnemers
24
Mechelenmakers Citizens panel
2021
Deelnemers
50
Citizens Panel on Climate in Wallonia
2021-2022
Deelnemers
60
Make My Administration
September 2018
Deelnemers
46
Brussels City District Councils
since 2020
Deelnemers
11
Etterbeek's District Councils
since 2020
Deelnemers
16
Ghent's Citizens' Cabinet
2017-2018
Deelnemers
150
Let's prepare Brussels
2021
Deelnemers
100
The CitizenLab
2014
Deelnemers
32
Citizens' Council of Forest
since 2021
Deelnemers
37
Permanent Citizen Dialogue in Ostbelgien
since 2019
Deelnemers
35
Permanent Citizen Council of Saint-Gilles
since 2020
Deelnemers
35
Climacteurs — 100 voices for climate
2015
Deelnemers
55
Citizen Climate Parliament in the Province of Luxembourg
2015
Deelnemers
33
Auderghem's Assembly of the Residents
since 2020
Deelnemers
100
Brussels Mixed Committees
since 2020
Deelnemers
45
Agora Citizens Assemblies
since 2020
Deelnemers
89
Make your Brussels — Mobility
2017
Deelnemers
38
We Are Molenbeek
2017
Deelnemers
112
G1000 Citizens' Summit
2011
Deelnemers
704

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Level
Locatie
Year

Deliberative Committee of the Walloon Parliament

Between October 2023 and February 2024, the first deliberative committee of the Walloon Parliament took place. Ten parliamentarians and thirty randomly selected citizens engaged in discussions over five days on how citizens in Wallonia can permanently participate in decision-making. This initiative, launched after a petition by Cap Démocratie, marked a first for Wallonia, where citizens and politicians worked together as equals.

Date
2023-2024
Location
Namur
Institution
Parlement de Wallonie
Level
Régionale
Organizer
Parlement de Wallonie
Participants
30

Citizens Consultation Mobility Plan Olen

The Municipality of Olen wants to think together with its residents about safe and sustainable traffic: How can Olen be a municipality where mobility and living are in tune with each other? The Olen citizens' council meets four times. Afterward, experts will work with this input. More information can be found on their website.

Date
2023
Location
Olen
Institution
Gemeente Olen
Level
Local
Organizer
Gemeente Olen
Participants
24

Climate Action Panel of the city of Arlon

The city of Arlon brought together a citizens’ panel to reflect on energy and climate. Through a stratified lottery, 20 citizens from diverse backgrounds were selected. During four evening workshops, they discussed their mobility, housing, and consumption practices. Their recommendations were compiled and submitted to the local government for further action.

Date
2022
Location
Arlon
Institution
Gemeente Aarlen
Level
Local
Organizer
Gemeente Aarlen
Participants
20

We Need To Talk citizens debate

We Need To Talk aims to give time and input to a group of citizens to formulate proposals for party funding reform, a file that has been deadlocked for years. Those proposals will be presented to politicians, with the aim of achieving real change and breaking the deadlock. More info at weneedtotalk.be

Date
2023
Location
België
Institution
Bottom-up
Level
National
Organizer
G1000, Itinera, Egmontinstituut, LEVL, De Vrijdaggroep, Aula Magna
Participants
60

Citizens' Council of Forest

In 2021, the municipality of Forest created a citizen's council, composed of 37 randomly selected citizens, in order to further involve the inhabitants in the elaboration of public policies and to feed the decisions of the municipality by formulating recommendations to the municipal institutions.

Date
since 2021
Location
Brussels
Institution
Municipality of Forest
Level
Local
Organizer
Dreamocracy
Participants
37

Let's prepare Brussels

In October and November 2021, Brussels Environment hosted deliberative workshops as part of the participatory process “Let's prepare Brussels” aiming at rethinking the resilience of the Region, during which about a hundred citizens formulated recommendations, on the basis of the results of a previous citizen consultation (online), to the competent Brussels Minister.

Date
2021
Location
Brussels
Institution
Brussels Environment
Level
Regional
Organizer
Particitiz
Participants
100

Mechelenmakers Citizens panel

The municipality of Mechelen wanted to involve the citizens more in the political life and therefore gathered in May 2021 a panel of 50 randomly selected citizens to discuss the question of the balance between a lively and a peaceful city—the recommendations resulting from this process have been forwarded to the local institutions for implementation.

Date
2021
Location
Mechelen
Institution
Municipality of Mechelen
Level
Local
Organizer
Municipality of Mechelen
Participants
50

Citizens Panel on Climate in Wallonia

In 2021, the Walloon Government commissioned a Citizens Panel on Climate as part of the revision of the Air Climate Energy Plan, asking the approximately sixty citizens selected by lot to formulate recommendations for measures to be taken to reduce greenhouse gases of 55% since 1990 by the year 2030.

Date
2021-2022
Location
Namur
Institution
Walloon Government
Level
Regional
Organizer
Tr@me
Participants
60

Permanent Citizen Council of Saint-Gilles

In 2020, the municipality of Saint-Gilles has set up a permanent citizens' council, made up of 35 Saint-Gilles inhabitants, in order involve residents in the development of public policies, encourage citizen participation and improve the interaction between residents and elected officials.

Date
since 2020
Location
Brussels
Institution
Municipality of Saint-Gilles
Level
Local
Organizer
Particitiz
Participants
35

Auderghem's Assembly of the Residents

In 2020, the municipality of Auderghem launched the project of the Assembly of Residents, made up of 10 Neighborhood Assemblies, themselves composed of 10 citizens drawn by lot. Their role is to co-organize the municipal participatory budget and to formulate public policy recommendations.

Date
since 2020
Location
Brussels
Institution
Municipality of Auderghem
Level
Local
Organizer
Particitiz
Participants
100

Brussels Mixed Committees

Since 2020, the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region and the French-speaking Parliament of Brussels organize joint commissions bringing together citizens chosen by lot and elected officials to formulate recommendations on various topics that are then dealt with in the Parliament.

Date
since 2020
Location
Brussels
Institution
Brussels Parliament
Level
Regional
Organizer
Particitiz
Participants
45

Agora Citizens Assemblies

Since 2020, the political movement Agora organizes the deliberations of the Brussels Citizens' Assembly, gathering 89 citizens drawn by lot to formulate proposals relayed to the Brussels Parliament by an elected spokesperson.

Date
since 2020
Location
Brussels
Institution
Brussels Parliament
Level
Regional
Organizer
Agora
Participants
89