Second nationwide Citizens' Assembly: Workshop on November 10 concludes the Agenda-setting Phase

A workshop with participants from political circles, ministries, and civil society organisations on the topic of "Germany's role in the world" will conclude the preparatory phase of the second nationwide citizens' assembly next Tuesday (10 November). The focus will be on the topics and issues on which the citizens' assembly in January/February 2021 is to develop proposals.

The workshop is the last of several components in the preparatory phase for the Citizens' Assembly "Germany's Role in the World" under the patronage of Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble:

1. All parliamentary groups in the Bundestag have made submissions by e-mail on what they believe should be discussed on the topic of "Germany's role in the world".

2. In cooperation with the research institute civey, a representative survey was conducted among 2,500 people on various subject areas related to the overarching theme of "Germany's role in the world".

3. There were four online discussion rounds with about 100 citizens drawn by lot from four medium-sized German cities (Lübeck, Freising, Chemnitz and Völklingen), who narrowed down the topics.

4. Though an online survey, the opinions of foreign policy experts were obtained on a range of topics and possible detailed questions for the citizens’ assembly.

5. In a workshop held on November 10 to identify topics, an initial draft work program for the citizens' assembly will be discussed with participants from the Bundestag, responsible ministries, and civil society organisations.

Subsequently, all elements will be brought together by the institutes implementing the assembly: ifok, IPG, and nexus. The results of the preparatory phase are expected to be available in December. The selection of participants for the citizens' assembly has already begun. The citizens’ assembly will begin meeting starting from January,

+++ Background +++

The Citizens' Assembly "Germany's Role in the World" is the second randomly-selected citizens' assembly at the federal level, following the "Citizens' Assembly on Democracy" in 2019. The project is coordinated by the association Mehr Demokratie. The association enables an independent implementation which is financed by donations, and works with a team of professional partners such as the participation institutes IFOK, nexus, IPG, and the organisation EsgehtLOS! Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble has taken up patronage.

In addition to the content-related topic, the aim is to further test the citizens’ assembly format and to find out whether it is suitable for supporting parliamentary work. The results and recommendations of the citizens' assembly are to be presented to the Bundestag for consultation before the end of this legislative period.

+++ Note for the editorial offices +++

Upon request, a recording of the workshop on November 10 can be made available for research purposes. If you are interested, please contact Caroline Vernaillen, vernaillen(at)democracy-international(dot)org, +49 178-9459007 .

If interested, we will also be happy to refer you to citizens from Freising, Lübeck, Chemnitz, and Völklingen who participated in the agenda-setting online discussions.