As a result of a new initiative of The Innovation in Politics Institute and the support of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, Barcelona has been chosen as the first European Capital of Democracy 2023-2024.
In fact, the city’s candidacy was the most voted among 13 European cities and won in the final straight against Braga and Brussels.
Helfried Carl, co-founder of the initiative, announced last week at an event at the Barcelona City Hall, that the Catalan candidacy was the most voted by the jury composed of experts in various fields and European citizens.
Voting took place between January 2 and 15, where more than 2,500 citizens from the member states of the Council of Europe had the opportunity to evaluate the projects presented by the finalist cities: Braga, Brussels and Barcelona.
The assessment favored Barcelona for the diversity of innovative projects being advanced in the Catalan capital, including the Decidim platform for citizen participation that was developed in 2016.
Another project that stood out was the Superilla Barcelona plan for the urban transformation of the Eixample, where the neighbors gave their opinion and made the design of the spaces a reality.
The participatory budget initiative was also taken into account, in which the population (some 70,000 registered), managed to decide the destination of 30 million euros in investments in the 10 districts of the city.
The candidacy was also reinforced with projects such as the Fòrum Jove or the Climate Assembly.
What does it mean for Barcelona to be the European Capital of Democracy?
The recognition means that from September 2023 to August 2024, Barcelona will host a program of events and activities aimed at strengthening democracy in Europe, according to the city council.
In addition, the title is a source of pride for the city and the municipal government.
Mayor Ada Colau said that the award is given in the midst of “a global context where hate speech and authoritarianism are growing every day. Therefore, cities must be the place where it is possible to work together with citizens in order to strengthen democracy”.
It is an award and a recognition to citizen participation and to those projects that transcend and succeed in moving forward with the participation of an entire community.
The promoters of the initiative
It is “The Innovation in Politics Institut GmbH”, a European organization whose main purpose is to promote innovation and democratic strengthening in Europe and internationally.
The initiative is supported by the European Commission and the award is a very important recognition for the political context of the region.
