08 Dec Enabling European E-Participation (Telecentre-Europe’s policy position)
08 Dec, 2015
In an increasingly digitalized society, e-participation and e-citizenship are becoming key aspects of citizenship. Public finance healthcare and social services are all going online. The Internet is becoming the place to express our opinion, participate in the decisions that concern us, to raise a problem and find supporters for a cause.
This paper comes at a time when EU relevance to citizens is decreasing. European Union’s institutions are therefore looking for ways to redefine EU citizenship and create more open and cost-effective e-services.
Our recommendations are the result of a broad consultative process conducted by Telecentre Europe within its community of practitioners. During the e-Participation Day on May 7th 2015, participants of events in 11 countries responded to a questionnaire on different aspects of the usefulness of EU and national e-participation tools. In September this same year during our Annual Conference, more than 80 telecentre leaders looked at existing digital tools, discussed their actual use by citizens and the role of telecentres, libraries and civil society in fostering e-participation.
