Ms. Glaab, the first citizens’ council set up by the Bundestag is to draw up recommendations on the subject of “nutrition in transition”. Is nutrition a good topic for a citizens’ council?
Yes, because it is controversial and also emotionally charged. This can be seen in the debates about vegetarian food, substitute products such as soy milk or the food traffic light. But nutrition is also a good topic because it affects each of us directly. The participants in the Citizens’ Council can actually speak as “experts in their own field” and contribute their everyday knowledge and experience.
But the members of parliament also have this knowledge. Why is there still a need for a rather complex participation format?
Citizens’ councils fill a gap that political parties are obviously no longer able to fill – because they are suffering from a dwindling membership and a lack of grass roots. With its recommendations, the Citizens’ Council can contribute to the objectivity of the debate and to understanding. It is not least important that the arguments are brought to the attention of the general public, which is not a sure-fire success.
What else is important for citizens’ councils to be successful?
They should not be overloaded with expectations as far as their effect is concerned. Citizens’ councils offer space for fundamental debates, but they cannot remedy all representation deficits in a democracy. And their mission must be clearly communicated from the start, otherwise the participants will inevitably be disappointed.
Do you think: It must be clear to everyone that the recommendations of the citizens’ council are not binding?
Exactly, citizens’ councils are a so-called consultative participation format in the political process. They should not be confused with forms of direct democracy such as referendums. If the recommendations of citizens’ councils were binding for parliament, “loose citizens”, i.e. people selected at random, would receive more voting rights than voters. Citizens’ councils are not mandated to make decisions for others. That is a matter for the elected representatives, who have a free mandate and ultimately bear political responsibility for their decisions.
But don’t the MPs come under a certain amount of pressure to take up the proposals of the citizens’ councils, despite their free mandate?
It doesn’t have to be like this. Members of Parliament assume their responsibility by making their free decisions – with the best possible advice. The input of citizens’ councils can enliven the parliamentary debate. And if “accidental citizens” succeed in discussing things more objectively and thoroughly than is sometimes the case in parliaments, that can be an incentive for the members of parliament, better explain their decisions.
Union politicians like Philipp Amthor warn that representative democracy is being undermined by citizens’ councils.
In the end, the legislative work on nutrition or other complex issues is not done by citizens’ councils. The loss of autonomy through this form of citizen participation is therefore limited. But of course, citizens’ councils cannot replace permanent and voluntary engagement of citizens in political parties.
According to supporters of citizens’ councils, this instrument creates more understanding for the work of politicians and offers a forum for people who would otherwise hardly have a chance to speak. Given the tendencies towards division and growing political skepticism, don’t we then need even more citizens’ councils?
Opportunities to participate beyond elections, especially for non-political sections of the population, are desirable in themselves. Participation definitely has added value for the individual: they receive in-depth information, they experience how to exchange ideas with people who have very different views, they experience how difficult it is to formulate compromises that as many people as possible can agree on and that are practicable at the same time. But citizens’ councils can only be a building block that offers new opportunities for participation.
Why is that so – and what other building blocks are needed?
More public participation can only come about through an interaction of the various opportunities for participation. In addition to elections, these are parties, citizens’ initiatives, voluntary commitment or even direct-democratic decisions in federal states and municipalities. Due to the high costs – time, personnel, money – it will not be possible to carry out citizens’ councils across the board and you should think carefully about at which level and on which topics it is worthwhile. At a municipal or regional level, a citizens’ council can possibly set more things in motion with its recommendations than if abstract topics are discussed at the federal level. For example, when it comes to neighborhood development in cities or regional mobility concepts.
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