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CIVITEC partners advance work on citizen participation during interregional meeting in Ljubljana
The CIVITEC partnership gathered in Ljubljana on 12–13 November for its fifth interregional meeting, focusing on how participatory budgeting and digital tools can enhance citizen involvement in local decision-making.
Hosted at M Hotel Ljubljana, the two-day event brought together regional authorities, municipalities, and civil society organisations committed to strengthening participatory democracy across Europe.
The meeting opened with remarks from Mr Stanislav Sraka, Director of the Development Agency Sinergija, and Mr Jure Trbič, State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration, who underlined Slovenia’s commitment to creating more open and inclusive governance structures. Their intervention set the tone for a programme centred on practical experience and knowledge exchange.
The agenda featured two keynote contributions, including a presentation from Matic Primc of the Association for a Participatory Society on promoting citizen participation in local decision-making. Municipalities of Puconci and Koper shared their experiences in implementing participatory budgeting with the support of digital tools, providing useful insight into the contrasting realities of smaller and larger local authorities. Partners from Nièvre and Estonia complemented this with examples illustrating how participatory budgeting can be managed from start to finish.
A panel discussion followed, examining current ambitions and challenges for expanding participatory budgeting in Slovenia. Speakers reflected on the practical needs of municipalities, the role of civil society, and the added value of digital platforms in reaching wider groups of citizens.
In the afternoon, participants visited Danes je nov dan (Today is a New Day), an organisation supporting municipalities in the use of digital tools for participatory processes. Hosted at the Computer History Museum Slovenia, the visit offered a closer look at how digital engagement can strengthen transparency and trust.
The second day focused on internal discussions among partners. The steering group reviewed progress on communication, exchange of experience and good practices, and planning for the next meeting in Donegal in spring 2026. Partners also worked through different types of policy change relevant to the CIVITEC project, examining cases from Slovenia and Cyprus and reflecting on how lessons learned can translate into practical improvements in their own regions.
A round table invited each partner to identify ideas for policy improvement, drawing on previous study visits and context analyses.
The meeting concluded with a study visit to Prostorož, an organisation exploring how public spaces can be revitalised through community engagement. Partners learned how digital tools can help residents express their needs and contribute to shaping their environment in meaningful ways.
The Ljubljana meeting marked another step forward in the partnership’s collaborative effort to improve policy instruments supporting citizen participation.
The discussions and field visits provided inspiration for the next phase of the project, as partners continue to adapt and refine their approaches to participatory budgeting.