Permanent Citizens’ Assemblies
Reassembling Democracy
Imagine randomly selected citizens having a permanent seat at the decision-making table—a body that persists, rotates members, and increases citizens' voice in public institutions. As the current democratic model fragments, we are reassembling it into a more resilient system.
Cities and regions throughout Europe—such as East Belgium, Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen and Milan—have led the way in establishing Permanent Assemblies. Building new institutions takes time and continuous refinement. That’s why we’re working closely with early adopters to help this model flourish wherever it takes root.
"Permanent assemblies are part of the next wave of development of climate citizens’ assemblies. They respond to many of the weaknesses we have experienced with ad-hoc assemblies."
From Experiment to Institution
Held in the Plenary Hall of the Brussels Parliament, this session was part of the Democracy R&D 2025 pre-programme, spotlighting Belgium’s pioneering role in institutionalising citizens’ assemblies.
On October 14, 2025, we gathered leading practitioners and researchers at the Brussels Parliament for a landmark discussion on permanent citizens’ assemblies — a frontier where Belgium has become a global pioneer.
Representatives from the Ostbelgien Model, the Brussels Parliament’s Deliberative Committees, and the Brussels Climate Assembly came together for the first time to exchange lessons on what it takes to move from one-off experiments to enduring democratic institutions.
Moderated by Dr. Nabila Abbas (FIDE – Europe), with contributions from Ben Eersels (G1000) and Marjan Ehsassi (FIDE – North America), the conversation explored how permanence can deepen citizen participation, strengthen democratic learning, and shape the future of governance.