Speaking at the meeting of the Oversight team of the Citizens’ Assembly of Mostar held on 20 October 2021, Congress Rapporteur on Deliberative Democracy Karl-Heinz Lambertz (Belgium, SOC/G/PD) and Spokesperson on the Observation of Elections Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG) underlined the added value of deliberative democracy for local governance and the potential for building new alliances between the citizens and local authorities.

During the exchange on the proceedings and achievements of the first Citizens’ Assembly held in Mostar and in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 2021, representatives of the City authorities and civil society of Mostar as well as Congress members emphasised the follow up by the City authorities as the key element in the process. “It is now time for the focused work based on the citizens’ recommendations. The response by the City authorities will be a true test for the success of the Citizen Assembly”, concluded Karl-Heinz Lambertz.

Representatives of the City of Mostar expressed their gratitude to the Congress of the Council of Europe for the support and announced the development of an Action Plan for the implementation of citizens’ recommendations, which will be discussed at a forthcoming meeting of the City Council.  

In his capacity as member of the Oversight Team and Secretary General of the Congress, Andreas Kiefer reiterated the readiness of the Congress to continue promoting innovative solutions in Mostar and in the country, as part of the new Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025 under preparation.

This event is organised in the framework of the project “Building democratic participation in the City of Mostar” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018-2021. The aim of the project is to create opportunities for citizens to engage in a deliberative process and increase their contribution to local decision-making. In turn, this process fosters dialogue at local level and contributes to the revitalisation of democratic processes in the City of Mostar.