Democratic Odyssey : a transnational citizens assembly

Facilitation

The Democratic Odyssey is a pioneering long-term initiative designed to navigate the complexities of contemporary democratic challenges. As a decentralized, collaborative, and transparent process, it aims to bring together contributors from diverse backgrounds to co-create solutions that strengthen democratic engagement and governance.

As part of the Democratic Odyssey initiative, I had the privilege of serving as a facilitator during the second stage of the process, which took place in Florence. (February 2025). In this capacity, I was involved in guiding deliberations and fostering inclusive discussions among participants. It was truly inspiring to witness the collaborative efforts of such a diverse and passionate group of individuals working toward meaningful democratic change.

Concept and Methodology

The methodology behind Democratic Odyssey is built upon three core concepts: Citizen Assemblies, Sortition, and Institutionalisation. These are supported by three key instruments: the Modular Framework, the Constituent Network, and the Flotilla. Each element answers essential questions that drive the project towards its objectives and implementation.

Citizen Assemblies

At the heart of the Democratic Odyssey are the Citizen Assemblies, which aim to engage citizens in EU decision-making processes. These assemblies are transnational, interconnected, transparent, and empowering. Over 170 citizens from at least 15 EU Member States participate in multiple deliberative sessions, focusing on critical issues that shape EU governance. The assemblies are designed to foster a sense of belonging to the European Union and allow citizens to have a real impact on its policies.

Sortition

The assemblies’ participants are selected through sortition – a democratic lottery process that ensures a balanced representation across various socio-economic backgrounds, including age, gender, location, and ethnicity. This approach guarantees that traditionally underrepresented voices are included, ensuring that the decision-making process is truly representative. Institutionalisation The ultimate goal of the Democratic Odyssey is to institutionalize Citizen Assemblies as a permanent and integral part of European democracy. By embedding the assembly process within the EU's broader democratic framework, the project aims to create a self-sustaining model of citizen participation, complementing existing tools like the European Citizens’ Initiative.

Key Instruments

The Modular Framework serves as a knowledge base that supports mutual learning and the institutionalization of the Citizen Assemblies. It facilitates transparent, crowdsourced collective decision-making and provides a foundation for the collaborative efforts of the Constituent Network.

The Constituent Network comprises key stakeholders such as trade unions, NGOs, media, and citizens’ groups. This network plays a crucial role in shaping the process, providing valuable feedback, and ensuring accountability. It also helps expand the project’s reach and works toward the long-term goal of embedding a permanent Citizens’ Assembly within the EU.

The Flotilla is an outreach campaign aimed at raising public awareness of participatory and deliberative processes within the EU. It mobilizes a broad community of supporters who help disseminate project outputs and encourage public engagement with the institutionalization of the Citizen Assembly concept.

The core consortium

The European University Institute’s STG Transnational Democracy Programme launched the Odyssey in 2022. Particip’Action, the deliberative practitioners, are overseeing co-design, budgeting and facilitating for the 2024 assembly. European Alternatives, the transnational civil society organisation, are building bridges with grassroots networks, bringing minorities and non-EU citizens into the process, and introducing experimental and theatrical formats of assembly. The Citizens Takeover Europe coalition of over 60 civil society organisations is involved in co-designing the process and advocacy. The Democracy and Culture Foundation, based in Athens, contributes expertise in arts, technology and communications.

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