Work Packages

WP1 serves as the central hub for the coordination of administrative, scientific, and implementation activities within the project. The University of Coimbra will lead WP1 as the coordinating partner, collaborating closely with all other project partners. This work package will span the entire duration of the project, ensuring seamless integration of efforts across all phases.

Goals

1. Planning and Documentation: This involves meticulously planning and documenting meetings to ensure adherence to all legal, financial, and reporting requirements set forth by the European Commission (EC). It guarantees timely achievement of project objectives from both technical and financial perspectives.

2. Effective Communication: Work package 1 aims to establish and maintain efficient communication channels among project partners and between partners and the EC. This facilitates consistency and coherence throughout the project, ensuring alignment with tasks and milestones.

3. Risk Management: This objective involves identifying and monitoring project risks, as well as implementing mitigation and contingency plans. By doing so, work package 1 ensures the quality of project outcomes while upholding ethical and legal standards mandated by the EC.

Deliverables

1. 03/2024 D1.1 Project Handbook and quality plan

2. 06/2024 D1.2 Periodic and final reports in accordance with the project requirements

3. 03/2024 D1.3 Data Management Plan

4. 06/2024 D1.4 Risk Management Plan 

WP2 aims to establish the theoretical and methodological foundations necessary for the successful implementation of the project's objectives, particularly focusing on the design and evaluation of Citizens’ Assemblies through the lenses of democracy, intersectionality, equality, inclusiveness, and deliberation.

Goals
Provide clear definitions of central concepts such as intersectionality, equality, inclusivity, and deliberation.
Develop a thorough theoretical understanding of deliberative and participatory democratic practices, with a focus on mini-publics, through an intersectional lens.

Further develop the framework for the Citizens’ Assembly, setting the tone for the project's remaining work packages by integrating theory developed under Goal 1.

Deliverables  
05/2024 D2.1 Bibliographic Map
08/2024 D2.2 Interim Report on the project’s analytical and normative framework
12/2024 D2.3 Development of the Framework for the Design of a Citizens’ Assembly  

Goals
1. Assess existing Citizens' Assemblies: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing forms of Citizens' Assemblies at both EU and national/local levels, with a focus on intersectional equality perspective.

2. Propose plausible models: Develop three plausible models for a Citizens' Assembly, incorporating features identified during the assessment to ensure consideration of intersectional equality issues in design and implementation.

Tasks:
1. Mapping existing Citizens' Assemblies:
Review and assess existing forms of Citizens' Assemblies at both EU and Member State levels, considering parameters such as governance level, legal character, and citizen involvement.

2. Analysis of selected Citizens' Assemblies in practice:
Conduct qualitative evaluations of the practical operation of selected Citizens' Assemblies, including user experience and intersectional equality issues.
3. Survey-based evaluation of existing Citizens' Assemblies:
Gather insights from citizens who have participated in Citizens' Assemblies through surveys to assess perception and effectiveness.
4. Experts' workshops:
Organize workshops involving experts in participatory and deliberative democracy to exchange ideas, feedback, and suggestions for model design.
5. Evaluation and models' design:
Analyze data collected from previous tasks to assess inclusiveness and effectiveness of existing mechanisms. Design three Citizens' Assembly models based on evaluation findings, considering variables identified and collaborating with relevant institutions.

Deliverables
07/2025 D3.1 Data set of empirical results
07/2025 D3.2 EU-CIEMBLY Experts’ Workshop Conference 1 in Essex
10/2025 D3.3 Report on the effectiveness of the existing Citizens’ Assemblies against the normative framework developed in WP2
10/2025 D3.4 Report on the models’ design 

This work package is structured to manage the technical and practical aspects of piloting three Citizens’ Assemblies models, conduct the pilots, and evaluate them.

Goals
1. Manage technical and practical aspects:
Oversee the logistics and execution of the pilot Citizens’ Assemblies.
2. Conduct pilots:
Implement the three Citizens’ Assemblies models in real-world scenarios.
3. Evaluate pilots:
Assess the effectiveness and feasibility of the pilot assemblies to propose a final recommended prototype for an EU Citizens’ Assembly.

Deliverables
12/2025 D4.1 Report on the practical management of the model Assemblies
01/2026 D4.2 Online training of facilitators
06/2025 D.4.3 Data set of empirical results on pilots
02/2027 D4.4 Report on the evaluation of the pilot  

Goals
Deliverables

Goals
Deliverables