Citizens' Assembly Digest #3
People Power #3: Ostbelgien’s Permanent Citizens’ Council — A New Pillar of Democracy
This is People Power essay #3 for our Just Citizens newsletter. The point of each essay is not the policy topic, but the democratic process in action. Happiness is an individual pursuit and a collective pursuit as well. The rules that govern society stem from political agreements and structures. How we manage political decisions can greatly impact human flourishing.
A Quiet Revolution in Eastern Belgium
In 2019, the German-speaking Community of Belgium, known as Ostbelgien, embarked on a groundbreaking democratic experiment. By establishing a permanent Citizens’ Council (Bürgerrat), Ostbelgien became the first region globally to institutionalize citizen deliberation as a core component of its governance structure. This initiative, often referred to as the “Ostbelgien Model,” integrates randomly selected citizens into the legislative process, providing them with agenda-setting powers and a structured platform to influence policy decisions.
The Structure: Citizens’ Council and Citizens’ Assemblies
The Ostbelgien Model comprises two interconnected bodies and an administrative support function:
Citizens’ Council: A permanent body of 24 members, serving 18-month terms. These individuals are randomly selected from the population and are responsible for setting the agenda by choosing topics for deliberation.
Citizens’ Assemblies: Temporary bodies convened to deliberate on specific topics selected by the Citizens’ Council. Each assembly consists of 25 to 50 randomly selected citizens who meet over several weekends to formulate policy recommendations.
Permanent Secretary: An administrative role that supports both the Council and the Assemblies, ensuring smooth operation and coordination with the Parliament.
This tripartite structure ensures that citizens are not only consulted but are integral to the policymaking process, from agenda-setting to recommendation formulation.
Functioning of the Citizens’ Council
The Citizens’ Council operates with a high degree of autonomy. It decides which topics will be addressed by the Citizens’ Assemblies, considering proposals from various sources, including citizens (through signature petitions), politicians, and civil society organizations. Once a topic is selected, the Council oversees the organization of the corresponding Assembly, but the Permanent Secretary handles many aspects including participant selection, expert consultation, and logistical arrangements.
Importantly, while the Council sets the agenda and monitors the process, it does not directly engage in policy deliberation or recommendation drafting. This separation ensures clarity of roles and maintains the integrity of the deliberative process.
The Citizens’ Council also monitors the follow-up of Citizens’ Assembly recommendations, ensuring the parliament considers them and provides feedback. This reinforces its autonomous role in the deliberative process.
Deliberation and Impact
Since its inception, the Ostbelgien Model has addressed several critical issues, including healthcare, inclusive education, and housing. The Citizens’ Assemblies have produced comprehensive recommendations, which have been submitted to the Parliament.
For example, the first Citizens’ Assembly in 2020 focused on care work, addressing aspects such as workforce shortages and administrative burdens. It proposed 14 recommendations to improve conditions in healthcare, such as encouraging young people to pursue healthcare education and using IT solutions to reduce administrative tasks.
While the recommendations are not legally binding, the Parliament is obligated to engage with them, providing formal responses and justifications for any decisions made. This process fosters transparency and accountability, ensuring that citizen input is taken seriously within the legislative framework.
In Ostbelgien, citizens don’t just voice opinions—they help shape the legislative agenda.
Global Recognition and Influence
The Ostbelgien Model has garnered international attention as a pioneering approach to democratic innovation. Its success has inspired similar initiatives in other regions, including Brussels and Paris, where permanent citizens’ assemblies have been established to address a range of policy challenges.
By institutionalizing citizen participation, Ostbelgien has demonstrated that deliberative democracy can be effectively integrated into existing political systems, enhancing legitimacy and public trust.
Challenges and Considerations
Despite its successes, the Ostbelgien Model faces certain limitations. The non-binding nature of the recommendations means that their implementation depends on the political will of elected officials. Additionally, ensuring sustained citizen engagement and preventing participant fatigue are ongoing challenges.
Nevertheless, the model’s emphasis on transparency, inclusivity, and structured deliberation offers valuable lessons for other jurisdictions seeking to revitalize democratic participation.
Some supporters of deliberative democracy also call for greater public education campaigns to highlight the innovations happening in these areas. Polling indicates that awareness of the new Ostbelgien Model is not widespread among the local citizens of the region.
Next Issue Preview
In our upcoming issue, we’ll explore a U.S. example of a citizens’ assembly that has received extensive media and academic coverage. This case study will provide insights into how deliberative democracy is being practiced and studied within the American context.
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Notes:
Link: The Ostbelgien Model from IOPD
Link: The Ostbelgien Model: five years on
Yeah, so let’s start a movement that welcomes all people and parties, but is led by independent thinkers offering objective analysis and proposals.
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"Polling indicates that awareness of the new Ostbelgien Model is not widespread among the local citizens of the region." - this would be a major concern to me. If the population isn't aware of the process, then the process risks becoming yet another clique ("lobby"?) having political influence but not necessarily representing the people.
This brings me to the whole topic of awareness and political transparency. Many times I've written that a huge weakness in voting is people not being aware of who they are voting for (often not even knowing who is on the ballot before they show up to vote).
I think each political entity needs to do a better job of publicizing politics. At a Federal level, electing our national representatives and senators and of course the president, there is a lot of media coverage and general awareness but this drops off rapidly when you hit the level of state positions and lower.
For a current example, my city just held an election. I was only aware the election existed because one city council candidate dropped off a flyer at my door. I don't know exactly when the election was held, I don't know where I would go to vote, I didn't know who was on the ballot and now I don't know what the results were.
Most of us are busy with our lives, we aren't going to go out of our way to research these things. At a city level, this information should be on the city website. They do an okay job of notifying us of things like "Fire Hydrant Water Flow Testing". But I'm unable to find any information about the results of the election! (Disclaimer: I've only been living here a little over a year so I am not real familiar with the area yet)