Participatory Constitutionalism in the European Union

ongoing

The PARTICON-EU project aims to involve citizens, civil society organizations, researchers, and policymakers in the co-creation of an innovative research tool — the Index of the Social Embeddedness of Constitutions (SEC Index). Citizens will not only contribute to its development but also participate in testing, evaluating, and being trained in its use. The SEC Index will enable the monitoring of the extent to which citizens identify with constitutional principles, norms, and values, and are inclined to engage in the making and shaping of the constitutional frameworks. It will be a useful tool to measure the condition of democracy in EU Member States and citizens' consciousness of the norms, principles, and values underpinning the constitutional framework of the EU. In response to growing concerns about democratic backsliding, declining constitutional resilience, and diminishing public trust in constitutional institutions, PARTICON-EU will strengthen participatory practices and enhance citizens' engagement at the local, national, and EU levels. The project will be implemented by a consortium of six universities, five NGOs, and the Municipality of Kraków City. Its research tasks entail the conduct of in-depth interviews with leaders of marginalised groups, two rounds of citizen surveys in six EU Member States, and a series of SWOT analysis workshops in eight EU Member States. It will offer training sessions for lawyers and NGO members, deliberative workshops for citizens, a round table for policymakers, and conferences and seminars open to the public. PARTICON-EU will also set up an Experimental Lab for university students, hold a moot court competition and a micro-learning course competition for secondary school students, and develop several disseminating activities directly targeting local, national, and EU-level policymakers. Finally, the project will result in the development of a theoretical framework of participatory constitutionalism (Constitutionalism 3.0).