Introduction:

The “eParticipation” workshop is an initiative supported by the European Commission, Information Society and Media Directorate-General and will take place in Brussels, on 07 December 2010. The widespread use of Web 2.0 technologies has given rise to a number of civil society-driven actions, whereby key political issues at EU level are being addressed spreading from the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs, to climate change or the institutional future of the EU. The eParticipation Preparatory Action supported real-life pilot projects to demonstrate how using modern ICT tools can make it easier for people to participate in decision-making and can contribute to better legislation. Funding under the ongoing Seventh Research Framework Programme covers ICT for governance and policy modelling, which includes the development of mass collaboration tools. At the same time, the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) ICT Policy Support Programme is funding a network focusing on regional and local eParticipation initiatives (PEP-NET). 5 new Pilot B projects have just been launched under the CIP programme. This workshop aims to bring together experience and practices available in the EU. It aims to draw lessons from the variety of projects and engage citizens and civil society alike in debating top level policy issues for the European Union. This event will take place at the right time to place eParticipation on the new political agenda of the EU, while explore its possible contribution to major political reforms throughout the EU.

Workshop topics:

• eParticipation good practice: Examples of eParticipation success stories and lessons learned, related to large scale implementations in production or pilot operation.

• eParticipation experiment design: Innovative approaches to the design of eParticipation showcases that demonstrate concrete benefits for the democratic - processes.

• Assessment of impact and comparative research. Tracking and analysis of eParticipation initiatives. MOMENTUM support action results.

• eParticipation tools and services: Practical solutions for eConsultation, ePetition, conflict resolution and mediation, eDeliberation and others.

• ICT for argumentation support: How ICT tools can support eParticipation in more dimensions than simple communication media: collaboration, content management, etc.

• Policy issues: How is the eParticipation social and legal landscape formed in Europe and elsewhere? What are the key lessons learned from the projects so far?

• Social Risk assessment: What needs to be considered in order not to undermine the fundamental social requirements associated with Democracy?

• Current eParticipation Preparatory Action project reports. The workshop welcomes announcements from the current eParticipation Preparatory Action projects (EMPOWER, EUROPETITION, U@MARENOSTRUM, VIDI, VOICES, HUWY, and WAVE). The topic list is not exhaustive. Other topics related to eParticipation are also welcome based on potential speaker proposals. Speakers from recently completed eParticipation Preparatory Action projects are especially welcome.

Important deadlines to remember:

• Abstract (500 words max) & 3 slides to be submitted by 23 November 2010

• Speaker confirmation by 25 November 2010

• Final presentations by 07 December 2010

Action research, case studies, research-in-progress, and pilot programs are welcome approaches. Proposals for roundtable discussions, practitioner contributions, and product demonstrations are also invited.

Registration:

To register for this workshop, please create an ePractice account at http://www.epractice.eu/en/user/register if you are not a current member. Subsequently, kindly login and once you are in this page click the yellow button that reads "participate in this workshop" to activate your registration. ePractice members can simply login and click on the same page as described above.

Submission of abstracts/ppt slides:

To be considered for a speaker placement kindly submit an abstract (no more than 500 words) and three ppt slides of your intended presentation to events@eurodyn.com. Regarding your abstract, please download and complete the "workshop for speakers" that may be found in the ‘presentation and documents’ section below. Final presentations should not exceed 4 power point slides and should be concise and factual. Please, don't use busy slides, too many graphics or pics and include no more than 6 bullet points per slide. The main point of your presentation is to briefly inform about the project/initiative and encourage participation, questions and overall discussion.

Networking: This workshop is all about networking. A few selected speakers will set the scene with a 10 minute presentation and the rest of the programme will be dedicated to a discussion and networking purposes.

Contact:

Please, direct all queries to the above events@eurodyn.com. The event coordinator will assist you promptly.