A year ago, participants of the first Citizens’ Climate Assembly presented their recommendations on housing to the Brussels Regional Government. This first cycle initiated a permanent dynamic of participation. As committed, the Government returned to the citizens to update them on the status of their proposals..
The feedback event took place on May 15th at the Brussels Environment premises with about thirty citizens in attendance, including Alain Maron, Minister of Environment and Participatory Democracy, and Elke Van den Brandt, Minister of Mobility, Public Works, and Road Safety.
“When the Brussels government requested the creation of the Citizens’ Climate Assembly, it represented a unique challenge on a global level. This robust and flexible model places citizens at the center (…). Studies have shown that when well-informed and consulted, citizens are ready to tackle complex problems and adopt bold measures that authorities sometimes hesitate to implement,” said Ben Eersels, director of G1000, a Belgian platform for democratic innovation and one of the architects of the Assembly, in his opening remarks.
To recall, the Citizens’ Climate Assembly is composed of 80 to 100 randomly selected citizens from Brussels. It meets over four sessions to produce advice and recommendations on a climate-related theme. The first cycle focused on housing in the broad sense, the second on food, and the third will address the circular economy. Citizens from the previous cycle decide, along with local actors, on the next Assembly topic.
“This is the first closure of a cycle, the precursor!” declared Alain Maron, acknowledging the difficulty of the follow-up work: “it’s also somewhat laborious for us because the administrations and ministerial offices are not used to this follow-up. In this process, we learn by doing to improve in the next cycle.” The minister expressed his gratitude to the participants and emphasized the importance of including citizens in modern democratic processes to address environmental and social justice challenges. Some elements proposed in the recommendations, such as the modification of the EPC certification or the encouragement of self-renovation, particularly resonated with the Government’s work.
Elke Van den Brandt also highlighted the importance of learning from mistakes and involving citizens to implement solutions locally. She emphasized initiatives such as the depaving of roads and the increased use of bicycles in Brussels to illustrate the common ambitions of the recommendations and government action.
Sophie, a citizen member of the monitoring committee, reflected on “this pioneering experience” and sometimes “frustrating” due to the committee’s difficulty in finding a clear direction. Indeed, the 80 recommendations issued by the first cycle made the follow-up even more complex. She also regretted the technocratic jargon sometimes used by the administrations, which was not easily understandable. Despite this, Sophie highlighted the quality work accomplished by this group of 10 volunteers and the rigorous methodology they employed.
“We put our hearts into it,” concluded Sophie. The members of the monitoring committee of the first cycle symbolically passed the baton to the citizens of the second cycle’s monitoring committee, who thanked them for “clearing the ground.” The citizens now hope that their commitment can continue after the upcoming elections in Brussels and that the third cycle of the Assembly will indeed take place.
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