The Public Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival is an open and free event that brings together people of diverse backgrounds that are interested in, and work on, engagement of citizens in science, policymaking and deliberative democracy in Europe (and globally).These include EU countries, EU institutions, civil society organisations, research and academia, and artists.

The programme each year features a variety of events including open conversations, interactive sessions, artwork, and an exhibition of participatory and/or deliberative democracy projects. The Festival is also the principal annual networking event for the Community of Practice of the Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy.

In 2020, the Festival was held entirely online. In 2022, however, it will be a hybrid event where participants will be able to attend and interact either in person – in Brussels, Belgium, Ispra, Italy, and/or online.

To coincide with the European Year of Youth, the theme of the Festival this year is ‘Youth Participation’.

2022 is a year in which we find ourselves with difficult decisions to make, amid conflict, whilst looking to a future beyond the pandemic. That is why the Commission is reaching out to young people for their vision, engagement and participation to co-create the futures they want. According to the 2021 European Year of Youth Survey, 62.9% of respondents did know or were not sure how to make their voice heard or express their opinion. In response to these findings, therefore, we at the Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy are interested contribute to a participatory reflection on how young people can be better, and more, engaged in policy and research processes.