Democracy Unboxed: A Citizen Assembly for the International Day of Democracy

“Democracy Unboxed: Bridging EU-German Democracy in a Comparative Analysis: democracy, democratic instruments and citizens’ participation”

On 11 September 2025, Democracy International hosted 'Democracy Unboxed' to mark the International Day of Democracy with a Citizens’ Assembly in Germany. The event examined how innovative democratic tools operate in Germany and at the EU level, highlighting how citizens can influence laws beyond elections. Bringing together experts, citizens, and civil society from across Europe, it offered a space to learn, debate, and co-create ideas to strengthen democratic participation.

During the Citizens’ Assembly, participants explored the working and implications of two main instruments: Citizens’ Initiatives and Citizens’ Assemblies. 

The first panel, on Citizens’ Initiatives, was moderated by Daniela Vancic and Daniel Shily – focusing on the German tools and practices as well as on the ECIs (European Citizens’ Initiatives). 

The second panel, on Citizens’ Assemblies, was moderated by Daniela Vancic and Thorsten Sterk – focusing on the German Bürgerrat tool as well as on the ECPs (European Citizens’ Panels)

After each panel, participants took part in workshops for hands-on session to create their own initiative and assembly. Each group came up with two innovative tools that were then presented to the group, highlighting strenghts and challenges of the existing tools. The outcomes of the discussions emerged during the presentations have been collected by Democracy International in a list of recommendations that will be then shared with the European Commission.