The OECD report presented in Tolosa recognises the Citizens’ Assemblies developed in the Basque Country as good practice

A broad representation of different institutions met in Tolosa to discuss the institutionalisation of deliberative democracy. 

The event took place at the Tolosaldea Garatzen Centre and was organised by Tolosa City Council, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Arantzazulab Laboratory for Innovation in Democracy. The meeting lasted all morning and several very fruitful reflection sessions were held. The event brought together a wide range of representatives from different local councils, the Basque Government and Parliament, social actors and academics to discuss the extension of deliberative democracy. 

The objectives of the event set by the organisers were as follows 

1. Public presentation of the recent OECD report Promoting Deliberative Democracy in the Basque Country in Spain.
2. To learn about and share the development of citizens’ deliberative processes developed by local entities. 
3. To deepen the reflection and debate among the participants on the institutionalisation of deliberative democracy and the conditions for it in the Basque Country. 

The event was welcomed by Andu Martinez de Rituerto, Mayor of Tolosa, followed by Naiara Goia, Director General of Arantzazulab, who set the framework for the session and presented the different initiatives carried out by the Arantzazulab, Democracy Innovation Laboratory,  on the institutionalisation of deliberative democracy. One of the main objectives of the day was the public presentation of the report on deliberative processes in the Basque Country, recently published by the OECD. This report was carried out in collaboration with the Arantzazulab and is based on the experience of the Citizens’ Assemblies held in Gipuzkoa and Tolosa, which is why it is being presented in Tolosa. 

Mauricio Mejía, Policy Analyst and Citizen Participation Lead at the Open Government team in the OECD, presented a report that brings together the analysis and conclusions of projects carried out by the OECD, Arantzazulab and the public authorities of Gipuzkoa. This report has been produced in collaboration with Arantzazulab and is based on the experience of the Citizens’ Assemblies that we have developed in the Basque Country. Based on the deliberation processes in Tolosa and Gipuzkoa (promoted and designed by Arantzazulab, in collaboration with the OECD and other local and international actors) and interviews with relevant actors in the territory.  The report sets out three pathways for promoting and systemising deliberation across all levels of government in the Basque Country: 1) institutionalising deliberative practices, 2) embedding deliberation in public administration, and 3) mainstreaming deliberation within and outside government. You can find the full report here.

After the presentation of the report, it was time for local experiences. The City Council of Tolosa, the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa presented the work they are doing to integrate and institutionalise deliberative practices in the governance strategies of each institution. The aim of all of them is to deepen deliberative democracy and move towards a political culture that involves citizens more in public decision-making. 

Finally, the participants reflected in groups on the recommendations proposed in the OECD report for the institutionalisation of Deliberative Democracy in the Basque Country: what are the opportunities and challenges? What are the institutional and political conditions? 

The background 

Since its foundation, Arantzazulab has been committed to experimenting with other democratic procedures that can complement the current representative system in order to deepen democracy and propose new tools to increase citizen involvement and participation in the public agenda. 

As a mechanism for broadening deliberation and putting collaborative governance into practice, the Laboratory promoted and launched two ‘Citizens’ Assemblies’ in the first year of the Laboratory, in pioneering collaboration with other actors: The Tolosa Citizens’ Assembly at the municipal level and the Gipuzkoa Citizens’ Assembly at the territorial level. Arantzazulab does not see these as isolated initiatives, but as projects to be developed on an ongoing basis as part of a broader institutional governance strategy. 

Through these two processes, Arantzazulab’s ultimate goal is to develop knowledge about deliberative democracy, build local capacity and create the conditions for the institutionalisation of deliberative processes in Basque institutions, in order to involve citizens in public decision-making. The laboratory is currently working on the design of new citizens’ assemblies with different institutions in the Basque Country and on the institutionalisation of this instrument of democratic innovation. This is the context of the Tolosa event. 

Areas of opportunity for the institutionalisation of deliberative democracy in the Basque Country 

Recognising that a successful path to institutionalising deliberative processes varies depending on the legislative, cultural, institutional, and administrative context in which they operate, this roadmap and its recommendations can serve as a valuable reference for policymakers in other regions and municipalities in Spain, as well as across OECD countries, to advance towards more permanent and systemic public deliberation. 

The OECD and the independent evaluation point to seven areas of opportunity for increasing the quality and impact of future deliberative processes: (1) strengthening the connection with the public beyond those who directly participated, (2) streamlining the selection of the topic for deliberation, (3) improving the dissemination of information, (4) involving civil servants to ensure ownership, (5) setting the right governance structure, (6) systematising evaluation and (7) follow up.  

A summary of the report presented in Tolosa can be found here and the full report here.

Finally, as noted in the report, the most important asset was the role of Arantzazulab, whose degree of autonomy from government, strong practical expertise in collaborative governance, and legitimacy with public and non-public organisations helped to create a reliable operating environment and safe spaces for experimentation.