Interactive Policy Making (IPM):

2006-07-14

Region

Term 2001-04-01

Short description: Interactive Policy Making (IPM): The European Commission's IPM initiative is meant to collect feedback directly from citizens, consumers and businesses - in order to better understand how they perceive EU policies and to learn from their experience. IPM includes Internet-based instruments, available via the 'Your Voice in Europe' web portal, which enable citizens to play an active role in the European policy-making process

Participants: (1) All users of 'Your voice in Europe' web site: individuals, bussinesses, who contribute their experience and opinions. (2) Participating intermediaries: Euro Info Centres, European Consumer Centres, Citizens Signpost Service (3) Directorates General who use this information in policy and decision making

Objectives: To collect feedback on EU policy measures directly from citizens, consumers and businesses - in order to better understand how they perceive EU policies and to learn from their experience.

Activities: (1) The development of a common Internet-based reporting tool through which intermediaries can quickly give detailed (and anonymous) information on their views and problems. (2) The development of a single Commission-wide feedback database which covers all Community policy areas. This is where the information given by intermediaries is stored, and allows the different Commission departments to search for specific input on policy issues within a very short time. (3)The development of an on-line consultation tool which allows different Commission departments to gather directly users' views on proposed or existing policies. (4) The creation of the 'Your Voice in Europe' webportal, which is the Commission's 'single access point' for all consultations.

Process: (1) Feedback Mechanism: collects information from citizens and businesses through about 300 intermediaries (such as Euro Info Centers, European Consumer Centers and the Citizens Signpost Service) throughout the EU, candidate countries and EFTA countries. They collect problematic cases occurring every day and record them in the Commission's Feedback database. (2) On-line Consultation Mechanism: enables the creation of on-line, structured questionnaires, which are answered on the Internet and from which the views and feedback on a particular policy-related issue can be obtained. The tool enables to perform statistical analysis on the results immediately, meaning that it is possible to act upon the opinions and views much more quickly and effectively. As soon as possible after the end of the consultation the results of the consultation are available on the 'Your Voice in Europe' webportal.

Results: Thousands of cases are collected annually in the Commission's Feedback database and several Directorate Generals have already started to use it as an input for policy making. Several on-line consultations have already been carried out and have made a concrete contribution to discussions on future policy proposals. For example, the consultation on the revision of the data protection directive received over 10,000 replies, and these results have been used in shaping the future direction of the policy. This instrument is also being used to set up and operate the European Business Test Panel, a representative panel of businesses throughout Europe which will evaluate the impact of new legislative proposals.

Source of information

Homepage: http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice/index_en.htm http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice/ipm/index_en.htm

Comments

Impact on nature and environment: Indirect, through potential improvement of policy measures regarding their environmental impacts

Economic value added: Indirect, through potential improvement of policy measures regarding support for bussinessess and their competitiveness, and through better accessibility of information to bussinesses. This instrument is also being used to set up and operate the European Business Test Panel, a representative panel of businesses throughout Europe which will evaluate the impact of new legislative proposals.

Socio-cultural value added: The instrument offers a rare opportunity for individuals to enter into direct communication with EU level administration. It also enables them to report their (negative) experience with EU legislation. While no direct feed back is ensured, the users may at least assume that their comments are considered in future policy - making.

Innovative content: There has not been much communication to citizens and individual enterprises from the EU level. The Eu administration has been criticized for being much too bureaurocratized and detached from people. Therefore, such efforts are rare and innovative, especially for EU level. Although rather simple, it still offers a good finctionality in terms of information exchange. Even many national governments do not operate similar tools. More interactivity would be even better.

Good governance: The IPM initiative is part the effort to improve the way in which the European Union is run by increasing citizens participation in the policy-making process. By taking into account stakeholders' views on new policy ideas and their reactions to policies already put into place, better, more relevant and effective policies should result. The IPM helps to gather these views and to do this transparently, so that everybody can see the results. It should also help the Commission to respond more quickly and accurately to the demands of citizens, consumers and business with a view to making EU policy-making more transparent, comprehensive and effective.

PR impact: The 'Your voice in Erope' site has proved extremely popular, having been used by over 3 million citizens, not only from Member States but also from candidate countries and beyond, since its launch in October 2001 until beginning of 2003. Annual reports are prepared by the IPM team to promote the database and also the results

Multiplier effect / networking: Data not available, but can be expected other european institutions to follow

Transferability: Similar internet-based instruments can be used in deferent levels and situations to establish communicatiion between the administration and citizens (users). Such approach is especially important on higher levels of administration (national, regional, crossborder) where more direct ways of communication are difficult (e-governments). All three tools (data base of policy effects, on-line consultation mechanism, data-base on formal and structured consultative bodies and NGOs) are potentially interesting and transferable.

CIPRA