The European Commission's Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy, hosted by the Joint Research Centre, has announced the 6th Citizen Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival. Taking place from 4 to 6 November 2026 in Brussels, Belgium, this flagship event serves as the primary gathering for the European Union's Community of Practice in democratic innovation. The festival brings together public officials, researchers, civil society representatives, civic tech developers, and citizens to share insights, showcase emerging methodologies, and reflect on the future of participatory governance across Europe.
Through a programme of expert panels, interactive workshops, method demonstrations, and networking sessions, the festival offers a space to evaluate how citizen engagement can be integrated into science, public policy, and institutional decision-making. By addressing pressing societal challenges, ranging from institutional distrust and political polarisation to the ethical integration of new technologies in public consultation, the event provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art democratic practices across Member States.
For the INNOVADE project, the 6th Citizen Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival represents an important milestone in the European digital democracy landscape. As an initiative funded under Horizon Europe, INNOVADE’s core research directly intersects with the priorities established by the Joint Research Centre and the Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy. The festival’s focus on building trust, expanding democratic legitimacy, and evaluating the real-world impact of citizen engagement mirrors INNOVADE’s mission to deliver evidence-based governance frameworks and open-source civic tools.
In particular, the themes explored during the festival align with INNOVADE’s ongoing work in developing trustworthy digital participation solutions. As public administrations seek to complement physical deliberation with digital platforms, the lessons derived from INNOVADE’s research provide timely solutions to the operational challenges faced by decision-makers. The festival also offers an invaluable platform to engage with key stakeholders and plan our real-world municipal pilots in Geel, San Martín de la Vega, and Thessaloniki, demonstrating how co-designed digital applications can bridge the gap between citizen input and administrative action.
By connecting with this central European gathering, INNOVADE continues to strengthen its synergies with key institutional actors and civil society networks. Linking our research directly with European policy mechanisms ensures that the tools, toolkits, and policy baselines developed throughout the project contribute to building a more resilient, inclusive, and participatory democratic sphere across the European Union.
Find out more at the following link: official event page