On 10 October, the Citizens’ Climate Assembly of the Brussels-Capital Region opened its fourth cycle. Over four sessions, some 70 randomly selected Brussels residents will work on a single question: how can the Region ensure that it leads by example in its digital transformation? Their recommendations will be submitted to the Brussels government in early 2027.
Every year, 10,000 Brussels residents receive an invitation to take part. From among those who volunteer, a second random draw takes several criteria into account (age, gender, place of residence, connection to the topic, etc.). The aim: to bring together a group that reflects the diversity of the Region.
For many, it is a first. Eight out of ten have never attended a public meeting or taken part in a participatory process. Nada(1), an emergency nurse, did not even know that such a process existed. Before the first day, she was not sure she belonged there: “Does anyone else care what I think?” The discussions reassured her: “I came away convinced that we can do something together.” Her response reflects the confidence the participants have in the process: the vast majority are convinced that, together, they will be able to produce solid proposals. Cesar(2), a 19-year-old student, particularly values the diversity of the group: “It’s good to have loads of different opinions in the mix, from different social backgrounds, all able to discuss a common subject.”
Ans Persoons, the Brussels Secretary of State whose portfolio includes Environment and Climate, welcomed the participants at the first session. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment: to respond to every recommendation, explaining which ones it will adopt, which will take more time and which it will not implement. “Nothing is more frustrating than a participatory process that leads nowhere,” she stressed.
Cesar shares this expectation. He doubts whether a region can really tackle a global climate problem: “I came anyway, and I can’t wait to be proved wrong.” For him, the Assembly will be a success “if at least one of our conclusions is taken into account” by the government.
Admittedly, the link between climate and digital technology is not self-evident. “We get a lot of information about food and waste, but very little about the impact of digital technology,” Nada points out.
A document in the “cloud” is stored on servers. Manufacturing computers, networks and data centres requires raw materials and energy, and running them requires electricity. Part of this impact is felt far from Brussels, where the metals are mined.
Yet the subject directly concerns the Region. Its administrations are investing in equipment and developing online services. These choices have implications for the environment, for public spending and for the quality of the service provided to residents. The use of artificial intelligence also raises many questions, both within the administrations and within the Assembly.
On 7 and 8 November, the Assembly will meet researchers, people working on the ground and the regional administration. The following sessions will be devoted to deliberation: identifying priorities, then turning them into concrete recommendations for Brussels public services.
After housing, food and consumption, this fourth cycle confirms that the scheme, now a permanent fixture, has firmly taken root in Brussels public life.
Find out more:
- Our project page
- The Assembly’s website, where you can find the citizens’ recommendations from previous cycles, the government’s responses and the portraits we produce.
