06/10/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 6 October, the European Commission launched a centre of excellence within the Joint Research Centre (JRC) with the aim of promoting citizen participation in democratic life. This centre of competence will work on: - policy guidance, including advice and practical support to policy makers regarding the co-design and management of their citizen participation activities; - capacity building by means of training; - experimentation, including pilot activities of citizen cooperation; - the creation of an online database of citizen cooperation organisations and projects within the EU; - the creation of a community network. The competence centre includes virtual and physical spaces for the sharing of ideas. More information on the Competence Centre on Participatory Democracy: https://bit.ly/3AaMMFK ; and the other JRC Competence Centres: https://bit.ly/3BjAo7A (MB)