Consultations

Consultations are a participatory tool which enables single citizens or groups of citizens to provide comments, opinions and suggestions to the Government and administrations which are useful for taking decisions or adopting measures.

The administration or the competent governmental body keeps the responsibility for the final decision, but this process of citizen empowerment helps to improve the quality of public decisions, as well as their implementation.

The principles to be respected for consultations

The Public Consultation Guidelines provide the general principles for carrying out public consultations that result in sound and quality decisions and that are as inclusive, transparent and efficient as possible:

• Inclusiveness and accessibility

The administration must plan and carry out the consultation aiming to ensure the widest possible participation and expression of all positions, user-friendliness and text clarity. The consultations last between 8 and 12 weeks, based on the decision urgency and citizen participation.

• Effectiveness and timing

The consultation is designed with the aim to produce useful results, therefore, the participants’ contributions must be considered in the decision-making process. Stakeholders must be involved throughout the entire process, especially at the stages when participation can significantly impact the decision.

• Transparency and feedback on results

The process must be transparent in all stages. Before launching the consultation, administrations must provide clear information on the subject, objectives, target audience, the responsible, the rules of participation, the type of expected feedback and the timing. On the other hand, once the consultation is concluded, it is necessary to assess the received contributions and the process results.

Take part in the open consultations on the ParteciPA platform

Learn more about the consultations on the dedicated portal