“LET’S GET SPECIFIC, EUROPE!”: THE RESULTS ARE IN

More than 3,300 citizens went online to participate in “Let’s Get Specific, Europe!” and contribute their ideas. Carried out by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe and independent organisation Make.org Deutschland, the multi-level process will enter its second stage in March.

Food waste; mobility; mental health; social participation for people with special needs; equality; and new careers: in 2021/2022, Berlin gathered these six ideas and proposals over the course of the Conference on the Future of Europe, a Europe-wide participation format. In the autumn of 2022, Berliners were able to comment on them as part of the online participation format titled “Let’s Get Specific, Europe!” (“Europa, jetzt wird’s konkret!"). Citizens posted more than 3,300 entries – thus providing fresh stimuli.

Dr Klaus Lederer, Berlin’s Senator for Culture and Europe, was delighted. “The many suggestions based on personal experience and perceptions from daily life contributed greatly to the project,” said the leading initiator of “Let’s Get Specific, Europe!”. “Berlin is thus not only continuing the important debate on Europe’s future but is also leading the way when it comes to implementing ideas for Europe.”

PARTICIPATION PHASE TWO: PROJECT LABORATORIES ON RELEVANT THEMES FOR BERLIN

Phase two of the participation format launches in March: the ideas that have been gathered will be developed into concrete project concepts for Berlin – in what are known as project laboratories and in cooperation with various actors of urban society, among them experts from the Berlin administration, science and civil society. The laboratories will initially focus on health, new careers and food waste; these three issues are particularly important to Berliners, as the results of phase one have shown. The EU is currently reviewing which proposals can be realised at European level.

TAKING PART IS EASY

Residents looking to contribute to the second phase of “Let’s Get Specific, Europe!” can easily do so: to register for one of the three project laboratories, simply go to about.make.org/warum-dieses-projekt/berlin-europa (German only).