"Civic education on democratic values is the vaccine for the survival of our European community of values. We must not allow the deterioration of civil rights and freedoms in the EU Member States. When civil rights and freedoms in one member state deteriorate, this has a real and negative effect on the condition of democracy across the European family and poses a risk to our European values." Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk and the CoR's rapporteur on European Democracy Action Plan made these remarks when presenting her opinion during a CoR plenary session held in Brussels.
Dulkiewicz said that as the closest level of governance to the citizens, local and regional authorities, should play a key role in the process of supporting democracy, freedom and civic participation. Sharing a good practice from her city, the Mayor said "In Gdańsk - the city of freedom and solidarity, we are drafting the Gdańsk Model of Civic Education, which is guided by the teaching of critical thinking and civic responsibility."
The opinion prepared by Dulkiewicz includes a series of recommendations intended to help the development of a "democratic vaccine" and which serve as an endorsement of the European Democracy Action Plan presented by the European Commission in December 2020. The action plan sets out a range of initiatives intended to protect and develop European democracy in a digital era. The CoR, is asking for the plan to tap into the potential contribution of local and regional authorities to improving the health of European democracy. It argues that municipalities and regions can play an important role in promoting media literacy, critical thinking and transparency in political campaigning, as well as in supporting citizens' participation in politics.
The proposals highlight the importance of cultivating an on-going debate about freedom of expression on the internet and the importance of taking preventive measures to tackle disinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. Among other proposals is a call for the EU to support civil society activities to help build up the institutional and administrative capacity and stimulate public participation in political life. The opinion also underlines the need to create a catalogue both of threats to democracy and of innovative good practices for citizen participation.
The rapporteur also called for more emphasis on access to public information. In this regard the opinion outlines how local and regional authorities, which use tools (such as open data, citizens' budgets and citizens' panels) enabling citizens to access information and to participate directly in the exercise of power, are good examples of openness and accountability.