Barcelona, European Capital of Democracy

Barcelona European Capital of Democracy 2023-2024 was an initiative that positioned the city as a point of reference in innovation and democratic participation. Promoted by The Innovation in Politics Institute, with the support of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, this distinction aims to strengthen democracy at the local, metropolitan, European and international levels.

Barcelona’s candidacy was based on several pioneering initiatives that had been carried out in the city, such as the Decidim platform and the participatory budgets, which demonstrated the city’ commitment to citizen participation and democratic innovation. Finally, after being named a finalist along with Braga and Brussels in January 2023, a jury of European citizens made up of 2,500 people from all over Europe chose Barcelona as the first European Capital of Democracy from among 13 cities listed as candidates.

On 14 September 2023, the technical office of the European Capital of Democracy, formed by the Barcelona City Council and the PEMB, unveiled the programme of events at the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Council, taking place almost exactly at the same time as the International Day of Democracy (15 September).
 

More than 100 activities

During its year as the capital, Barcelona developed an extensive, participatory programme with more than 100 activities and events on a local, metropolitan and international scale on various topics that intersect with democracy, such as technology, culture, education, video games, climate challenges and fundamental rights. The main activities include:
 

As international events:

• The Decidim Fest 2023. Under the slogan “Democracy, technology and collective intelligence”, this annual meeting took place at the Canòdrom - Center for Digital and Democratic Innovation of Barcelona from 18 to 20 October 2023, this time as part of the European Capital of Democracy (ECoD).
   
• The debate entitled “Public code and technologies: next digital and democratic challenges for Europe” at the Smart City World Congress, 8 November 2023.
   
• “The annual Innovation in Politics Awards” were held on 2 May 2024 at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, which presented the most innovative initiatives for citizen participation at the European level.
   
• A game jam or 48 hours of video game creation on how to combat fake news under the title “Truth, Lies & Democracy”, which was held at the Canòdrom from 17 to 19 May 2024.
   
• “Democracy Lab”, an intensive workshop that brought together 60 local government specialists and democracy experts from across Europe at the Canòdrom to promote and collaborate on problem-solving by implementing digital practices for democratic innovation at the local level.
   

As city events:

• A conference on democracy and participation entitled “Policies and technologies for participatory democracy. Global views of the Decidim platform, democratic quality and inclusion”, which took place on 11 April 2024 at the Canòdrom and where the right to participation, digital rights, the technological gap and inclusion in participation were discussed in depth based on two international experiences carried out through the Decidim platform in Brazil and New York.
   
• The Biennial of Thought, one of the city’s most influential events. The ECoD offered a space for reflection and citizen participation at the Canòdrom on 10 and 11 October 2024.
   
• Institutional closing ceremony of the European Capital of Democracy, at the Smart City Expo World Congress, on 6 November 2024.
   

Finally, we should highlight that the programme has hosted around a hundred local, metropolitan and international activities and events organised by various institutions and civil society organisations, such as Future4Citizens Dialogues by Re-imagine Europe; International Youth Conference 2023 by the International Youth Think Tank; the Open Government Week by the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the ALDA Festival & General Assembly by the European Association for Local Democracy.
 

Innovative participatory processes

The Capital stood out for its capacity to promote transformative participatory processes:
 

• Volem decidir! (We Want to Decide!), a pioneering initiative aimed at children and young people from 8 to 17 years of age to make sure their voice was heard in the matters of the city. To do so, they were asked a question that they had to answer: “As young people, how do we want to participate in the matters of the city?” The results were as powerful as they were poignant: some of the issues of concern among 8-11 year old children are bullying, poverty and inequality, as well as the environment and the planet. Adolescents aged 12-17, on the other hand, are more concerned about difficulties in accessing housing, problems in the education system and emotional well-being.
   
• The Manifiesta Metropolitan Assembly was a deliberative space with citizens from 12 cities in the metropolitan region that focused on culture and sustainability. The aim of the assembly was to answer questions such as: “How can we create spaces in the metropolitan region that have a positive impact on culture?” and “How can we achieve this by adopting a more environmentally friendly lifestyle?”. As a result of this participatory process, a Declaration was drafted which sets out the objectives, policies and actions needed to achieve these aims.
   

A legacy for democracy

The Barcelona European Capital of Democracy programme only promoted activities, it also created a tangible legacy for the future. With spaces for collaboration, reflection and innovation, Barcelona has shown that democracy can be an engine of real local and global transformation.