Oct 3, 2025
Report on Dissemination Event for Ordinary Citizens
The Democratic Odyssey is a crowdsourced campaign aimed at democratic renewal through the establishment of a “permanent people’s assembly for Europe”. It brings together a wide-ranging and pluralistic group of actors, including academics, practitioners, journalists, institutional representatives and civil society. Inspired by earlier, tentative efforts within EU legislatures to institutionalise citizen participation, the campaign seeks to go further by embedding inclusive, transnational deliberation at the heart of European democracy.
Between 2024 and 2025, the project piloted a transnational deliberative journey, engaging over 300 randomly selected citizens from across Europe and beyond. Through multilingual assemblies in Athens, Florence, and Vienna, as well as online, participants co-created a collective vision for the future of European democracy.
This process culminated in May 2025 in Vienna, with the presentation of the Citizens’ Charter to Revitalise Democracy in Europe by Navigating Future Crises Together, a set of ten citizen-authored pathways calling for a more democratic, inclusive, and resilient Europe.
The Dissemination Event
Following the conclusion of the pilot assembly phase of the Democratic Odyssey the larger campaign towards a Permanent People’s Assembly for Europe continues, with the Dissemination Event for Ordinary Citizens which has focused on disseminating both the policy outcomes and the participatory process of the assemblies to the broader European public. The event aimed to strengthen civic awareness, promote mutual learning between assembly participants and the wider public, and foster support for participatory mechanisms available to EU citizens.
The Dissemination Event was held online on July 8th, 2025. It was designed not only to present the final outcomes of the pilot phase, including the Citizens’ Charter co-authored by more than 300 participants, but also to expand the reach of the project beyond its core community. Through this event, the Democratic Odyssey sought to engage what it calls the “maxi-public,” inviting people from across Europe into the conversation on the future of democracy, the value of participation, and the possibility of establishing a permanent People’s Assembly for Europe, therefore building momentum for the further campaign.
The event created an open and inclusive space where former participants, new audiences, and members of the newly formed Citizen Council could meet, exchange reflections, and build momentum together. It forms part of a broader dissemination strategy that includes a campaign on social media and a photo exhibition featuring participant personal reflections, capturing how the experience of deliberation altered their understanding of their place in the EU’s democratic life, which will be presented in a follow-up event in September/October. In doing so, the Democratic Odyssey continues to link participatory innovation with storytelling, care, and connection, paving the way for a more inclusive and participatory European democracy.
Agenda and Flow
The Dissemination Event opened with welcome remarks by the organisers, who framed the purpose of the event and reiterated its importance in the broader campaign phase of the Democratic Odyssey. This was followed by a short interactive moment inspired by the civic arts dimension of the project, inviting all participants to pause, reflect, and connect to the broader themes of collective care and democratic imagination.
Next, a final video trailer was shown, summarising the journey from Athens to Florence to Vienna and setting the stage for the presentation of outcomes. A concise recap of the assemblies, highlighting how participants co-created the Charter across the three stages of the process—Change (Athens), Tension (Florence), and Steps (Vienna)- was presented.
The European University Institute (EUI) partners continued with a brief reflection on the main lessons learned from the pilot. They shared insights from internal evaluation, emphasising what worked, what challenged the process, and what can be improved going forward. The significance of the charter in democratizing crisis management and the lessons learned from the assembly’s work were also discussed. It noted the importance of addressing both slow and fast-burning crises and emphasized the need for a permanent People’s Assembly for Europe. The EUI also mentioned feedback from the constituent network regarding the charter’s role in advocating for this assembly.
The core of the event was dedicated to presenting the Citizens’ Charter. A member of the crew, together with guest contributors, introduced each of the ten pathways developed during the assemblies, explaining their evolution and content. Participants were invited to interact via a Mentimeter poll, offering feedback on how clearly they understood the proposals. The session also opened space for short personal reflections by participants. This interactive approach helped gather valuable feedback to guide the Citizen Council in refining and finalising the Charter.
The Citizen Council was then introduced by two of its members, Djemila and Ondrej, who outlined its structure, priorities, and purpose. The council, composed of around 50 former assembly participants, will play a key role in maintaining momentum, supporting dissemination, and exploring future governance models for citizens’ involvement. Djemila Boulasha emphasised the essential role of the Citizen Council as guardians of the democratic process, ensuring that citizens’ voices remain central and are effectively heard.
The event concluded with a screenshot moment to commemorate the gathering, followed by closing remarks from one of the organisers, who reminded participants of the campaign’s next steps and the collective ambition to establish a permanent People’s Assembly for Europe.
Participants
The online event brought together a total of 361 people from 19 countries. Invitations were extended to all participants from the previous assemblies, as well as to newcomers via open registration and targeted outreach to civil society organisations, networks, and the broader public.
While a large number of attendees were based in Germany, the event also saw strong participation from France, Italy, Belgium, and Eastern European countries. AI-powered interpretation tools enabled multilingual participation and ensured accessibility across different language backgrounds. The atmosphere reflected the Democratic Odyssey’s ethos of pluralism, inclusiveness, and active participation.
Next Steps
The Dissemination Event marks the beginning of a broader civic campaign phase of the Democratic Odyssey. Upcoming initiatives include a larger public-facing online event planned for autumn 2025 to engage new audiences, celebrate progress, and invite wider participation in the growing movement for a permanent People’s Assembly at the EU level. This will be complemented by a social media campaign storytelling project documenting participants’ transformative experiences. Selected assembly members will be featured in the Democratic Odyssey social media reflecting on how their engagement shaped their understanding of democracy and their role within it.
Meanwhile, the Citizen Council will continue to develop its internal structure and advocacy strategies. Acting as ambassadors for the Democratic Odyssey, Council members will represent the project publicly, support outreach efforts, and guide the campaign toward the realization of a permanent, institutionalized People’s Assembly in Europe.
Furthermore, the project will produce three key deliverables to support the broader democratic innovation agenda:
- A comprehensive general report synthesizing the insights, outcomes, and lessons learned across all assemblies.
- Practical guidelines on designing effective transnational assemblies, drawing on the Democratic Odyssey’s pioneering experience.
- A detailed blueprint outlining how to establish a permanent People’s Assembly for Europe, providing a strategic framework for institutionalizing citizen participation at the EU level.
Together, these steps and resources aim to transform the Democratic Odyssey’s journey into lasting democratic renewal, rooted in care, plurality, and justice across Europe.
