Gathered in Podgorica on June 19 and 20 for what was originally intended to be two full days of training, the facilitators devoted the first day to preliminary discussions. June 20 then saw an intensive day of practical training led by our facilitator’s expert Hannah Vanbelle and hosted by CEDEM. The goal: to equip participants for the European Parliament’s upcoming Citizens' Forums in Albania and North Macedonia.

Six sessions. That’s how long it took to complete Brussels’ 7th Deliberative Commission, which focused on cleanliness and waste management in the capital. Following the information and deliberation sessions covered in our previous article, here is an account of the final two stages: the vote on the recommendations, followed by their official submission. The moment when collective work meets institutional reality.

The proliferation of democratic innovations is not enough. This is the central argument of this article, published as part of the YouthDecide 2040 European research project and co-authored by Andrea Gaiba, Jonathan Moskovic, Kalypso Nicolaïdis, and Edit Zgut-Przybylska (European University Institute and IFIS PAN).