Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is in a particularly vulnerable moment as it faces a wave of populism, polarization, and growing public disengagement against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Citizens’ assemblies give people agency, strengthen quality information ecosystems, and overcome polarization by bridging divides. In doing so, they help strengthen people’s resilience to authoritarianism and populism.
A transnational Citizens’ Assembly could enable a deliberative opening far beyond national enclosures and the ‘Brussels bubble’
Claudia Chwalisz talks about deliberation, new democratic models, and commitment as a form of participation. More