On 13 May 2025, Sarajevo hosted Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first National Participation Day, gathering civil society actors, public authorities, and international partners to explore how local engagement can strengthen the country’s path toward EU membership. Organized in cooperation with the Directorate for European Integration and the Local Democracy Agency Mostar, the event placed a spotlight on the role of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) in supporting this process.

This article recaps the international online conference “Civic Participation and Democracy – Limits, Potentials and Extremes” and highlights its key takeaways. From grassroots initiatives in rural Europe to civic resistance under authoritarian regimes, it explores how citizen engagement can drive democratic change — even in the most challenging contexts.

Experte Johannes Selinger erklärt im Interview, wie der Klimawandel den Wasserhaushalt im Raum Neusiedler See beeinflusst – und welche Maßnahmen jetzt für Landwirtschaft, Kommunen und Raumplanung nötig sind.

Join the project’s local path of Austria from the NAZI regime to human rights, rule of law, democracy and EU membership. Discuss current challenges to democracy on the national and European level.

Our recent online conference explored three pivotal themes: foresight, participatory governance, and democratic engagement. With 140 participants from across Europe, the event provided a platform for discussions on how foresight can shape sustainable policies, how participatory governance fosters inclusive decision-making, and how democratic engagement can be enhanced in modern societies

Am 6. Februar 2025 haben ca. 40 ExpertInnen, Stakeholder, Wirtschaftstreibende und WissenschaftlerInnen im Rahmen des EU-geförderten Projektes FOSTER an der Entwicklung eines zukunftsfähigen Konzeptes zur Wassernutzung und Beteiligung alles Betroffenen in der Region beraten.

The National Participation Day (NPD) has been awarded the prestigious Danube Strategy Flagship certificate, marking a significant step in fostering regional cooperation within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). As a national platform for structured civil society dialogue, the NPD strengthens collaboration between public actors and stakeholders, enabling valuable exchanges on ongoing projects and funding opportunities. This recognition highlights the NPD's crucial role in enhancing economic, social, and territorial cohesion across the Danube Region.

Organised under the FOSTER - Future oriented Solutions Toward Environmental Resilience initiative this Public Conference will be a chance to exchange in an interactive way on how to overcome short - termism when it comes to local management of climate change-related phenomena, and planning for the future for more prepared and participatory environmental governance.