Dialogue on eParticipation in Central and Eastern Europe

When the discourse starts on 12 April 2010, you can go to www.internet-discourse.eu to take part. eParticipation and civic engagement practitioners from Central, Eastern and Western Europe will discuss a wide range of issues: from opportunities and challenges, to the structural, political and cultural problems that may stand in the way of successful eParticipation in the region.

The focus of the discourse will be the development of strategies to enhance eParticipation in Central and Eastern Europe and overcome the obstacles identified. The final outcome of the discourse will be a paper, describing the situation of eParticipation in the region and making recommendations for improvement, which will be presented to the European Commission and other influencers of eParticipation.

The discourse is broken down into three phases: “broadening”, “deepening” and “consolidating”. In the broadening phase, ideas and possible topics for discussion are fielded. Some of these are then selected for a more in-depth discussion in the “deepening” phase. This means that you can decide what is discussed before you discuss it. The final phase, “consolidating”, aims to summarize the results of the discussion and to highlight both areas where consensus has been achieved as well as those where different view points remained, resulting in a situation paper. The whole discussion is moderated by a dedicated team, so you can engage in a constructive and structured discussion.

More at the PEP-NET site here.