eParticipation Initiative opens

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eParticipation is a preparatory action that aims to harness the benefits of ICT to improve legislative and decision-making processes and to enhance public participation in such processes at all levels of government decision-making.

The eParticipation action addresses the legislative and decision-making processes from two perspectives: citizen-driven, or proactive, civil society initiatives and decision-maker driven initiatives to open up to public participation. From both perspectives, the focus will be on key issues of clear EU relevance.

  • With the citizen-driven approach, the aim is to empower citizens to form, debate and voice opinions as input for decision-makers and politicians on significant topics.
  • With the decision-maker driven approach, the core aim is to enable citizens and politicians to better appreciate the impact of legislation, making the complex political debate meaningful and interesting for all citizens.

Call for proposals
The call for proposals covers two types of projects: trial projects and one support action.

Trial projects
eParticipation trial projects will aim to test state-of-the-art ICT-based tools and solutions in concrete legislative and decision-making processes.

  1. Citizen-driven initiatives
    Proposals should cover tools, applications or services that empower citizens to contribute to legislative and decision-making processes and address at least one major EU legislative or policy issue
  2. Decision-maker driven initiatives
    Proposals should cover tools, applications or services that enable decision-makers to improve the transparency, legitimacy and outcomes of legislative and decision-making processes through the enhanced participation of citizens in these processes.

Support action
A coordination action, running for up to three years, will put together a network of existing and new projects in order to help collect and consolidate their results and disseminate them to all relevant institutions in the EU and to all interested civil society actors.

Indicative budget for the programme for 2007 is set at €4.7 million.

Common requirements
All proposals must address a number of common policy aspects namely to explain how they will improve legislative processes, the participation of citizens and their interaction with policy-makers. All proposals should also include actions to ensure joined-up implementation among all selected proposals (cross-project cooperation) and avoid isolated or disconnected implementation.

Eligibility

  • The call is open to proposals from legal entities in the 27 EU Member States.
  • The minimum number of participants in a proposal is three independent legal entities, from at least two different Member States.
  • Closing date is 13 Sept 2007

Proposals are to be sent to the following address:
European Commission -- DG INFSO
For the attention of Mr Thanassis Chrissafis
BU31 07/17
B-1049 Brussels

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