Conclusions and recommendations

Symposium of the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee in collaboration with the

European Environmental Bureau

Unmasking citizenwashing: the dos and don'ts of participation

Brussels, 14 November 2023

The momentum for citizen involvement in democratic decision-making has never been greater. In a drive to revitalise democracy, citizen participation has been growing across the EU. Unfortunately, opportunities for direct citizen engagement sometimes fall short of meaningful participation. Citizenwashing[1] broadly refers to instances in which public authorities or politicians claim they have citizens' support based on participative processes that have been poorly planned or executed, or whose outcomes have been disregarded. Furthermore, the process of citizens consultation, which excludes members of civil society organisations (CSOs), particularly those who are specialists in the subject material, should be noted as extremely suspect and therefore a clear sign that the process is faulty.

The collaborative symposium on "citizenwashing" on 14 November 2023, held by the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Environmental Bureau, aimed to develop an understanding of the concept of citizenwashing and its different manifestations. The symposium saw the participation of experts in political science, academics and researchers, European CSOs, environmental NGOs, citizens with hands on experience in public consultations and policymakers. The discussion facilitated the formulation of conclusions and initial recommendations on how to ensure that public participation processes do not fall into the trap of misrepresentation.

Spotted: Defining citizenwashing and its multiple manifestations

• The term citizenwashing is under development, but broadly refers to "giving the appearance of involving the public in decision-making without taking their views into account." In certain circumstances, citizenwashing can occur unintentionally.
• Citizenwashing often equals reducing citizens' participation to a box ticking exercise or gesture politics, which results in the poor implementation of the mechanisms. Such bad practices include: unrealistic deadlines, biases in the selection of participants, placing consultation periods during public holidays, making resources only available in English and/or "cherry picking" citizen's recommendations.
• "Modernwashing" refers to the use of electronic means such as social media to create an appearance of citizen engagement in decision-making. Online consultations are often conducted at the end of the decision-making process, failing to comprehensively account for citizens' recommendations.
• "Youthwashing" can be understood as a subcategory of citizenwashing. It involves the showcasing of young people without actively involving them in the decision-making process. Youthwashing can also involve the hand picking of candidates from youth bodies that fail to represent their demographic group and do not engage in a critical discussion.
• Citizenwashing is particularly common in the area of sustainability. This is because of European citizens' high level of concern on climate issues and contention about which climate actions to pursue.
• Common consequences of citizenwashing or perceived citizenwashing are the rise of feelings of frustration, loss of faith in democracy, political apathy and distrust towards governments among citizens.

The role of civil society organisations preventing citizenwashing and ensuring meaningful participation

• Forms of public participation in decision-making should not just be an exercise exclusive to individual citizens, but also involve organised forms like CSOs. Citizen panels and CSOs can work in synergy to guarantee meaningful civic participation.
• CSOs can help hold political actors accountable by appealing to governments and EU institutions to involve citizens in decision-making processes. CSOs can help guarantee that the recommendations put together by citizens are followed up on by advocating for them in the long-term.
• CSOs can help educate local governments on the importance of having citizens involved in decision-making processes, and provide guidance on how to correctly introduce participatory measures.
• Citizens that are not trained in politics and risk feeling intimidated in the face of professional politicians. CSOs can empower citizens by providing them with the skills, background and understanding of politics necessary to enter a meaningful dialogue with political actors.

Legal enforcement of participatory requirements

• The way in which consultative processes are organised depends on political choices. Laying out clear and transparent procedures, which are in line with minimum legal requirements (e.g. the Aarhus Convention if concerning environmental policy), is essential to make participatory democracy work sustainably.
• Defining and outlining meaningful participation would restrict political authorities' freedom of interpretation and therefore prevent them from practicing citizenwashing.
• Likewise, the role of civil society in decision making should be formally recognised.
• Enforcing public consultations on local governments risks leading to poor implementation and thus to citizenwashing when public authorities disagree or have a limited budget. Checks and balances need to be put into place to monitor participatory processes as their legal enforcement is not a guarantee of their correct implementation.

Measures to guarantee meaningful participation

• The following questions should be raised to avoid (un)intentional citizenwashing and guarantee meaningful participation: Who is participating? Is there a balance between stakeholders? What is up for debate? How are citizens being consulted? To what extent will the recommendations be followed up on? What is the evaluation and feedback process?
• The naming and dictating of participatory measures can hamper creativity. The method needs be adapted to the objective of the consultation. It is therefore important to leave room for experimentation and co-design in the development of initiatives between public authorities and citizens. Citizens should also be involved in their subsequent evaluation to guarantee that their experience feeds into the development of future consultations.
• Transparency before and after the consultations is essential. Citizens must know in advance how their recommendations will be included in the decision-making process. Individuals should also be informed of the outcome of the consultation, meaning to what extent their recommendations will be implemented or accounted for in the final decision-making.
• Young people should be educated and trained to develop the knowledge and skills to demand and engage in meaningful participation. It is important to develop a shared definition and approach to citizen education in Europe. Additionally, new participatory routes should be made available and accessible to facilitate young people's participation.

A shift in culture at  EU level

• The current EU political culture can be adverse to direct citizen involvement, due to its bureaucratic nature and the lack of understanding of the benefits of direct democracy. A shift in culture is essential, moving away from top-down approaches and towards grassroot participation. This new culture should focus on medium to long-term perspectives of inclusive policy-making, which will be a win-win for all stakeholders. For this purpose, CSOs need to work closely with policy-makers in order to make them aware of the value of citizen dialogues. Steps should also be taken to incentivise such collaborative processes.
• The European Commission has institutionalised citizen panels discussing topics like food waste and educational mobility. Although this measure represents a step towards greater citizen participation, citizen panels should be introduced in the policy areas most important to the EU's future; for example, panels should debate the EU's potential expansion and environmental policy. Additionally, for citizen panels to be conducted across policy areas, they should not solely fall into the competency of services in charge of communication.

[1] European Environmental Bureau, Definition of Citizenwashing, https://meta.eeb.org/2022/07/13/citizenwashing-what-it-is-and-how-to-spot-it/