- Residents over the age of 16 will be able to give their opinion for six weeks through an online platform.
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| Grand Palace Brussels, Belgium. / Pixabay |
The Belgian federal government has launched a consultation for citizens to decide on the path they would like their country to take in aspects such as the protection of new fundamental rights, access to electricity, or the languages that the authorities should use.
The reflection is part of the government agreement between the coalition of liberals, socialists, environmentalists, and Christian Democrats and is being carried out through a platform called "a country for tomorrow" (unpayspourdemain.be), in which they can give their opinion all those over 16 years of age residing in Belgium, a Central European country of 11.5 million inhabitants.
It will be possible to answer the questions and reason for the answers for six weeks, until June 5, and then a report will be presented to Parliament and the Senate with the aim that the reflection contributes to an eventual reform of the State. “This report will be a rich source of information for the renewal of our democracy”, stated the Ministers for Institutional Reforms and Democratic Renewal Annelies Verlinden and David Carnival.
The questions are structured into six thematic areas that address the structure of the State, the role of the citizen in political life, the functioning of the Government and Parliament, the distribution of powers, fundamental rights, and the organization of elections. Before responding in each area, illustrative explanations of the debate are offered with fictional characters, such as Marcel, who seeks to reconcile his professional and family life, or Rebecca, who lives in Brussels and has difficulties in enrolling her daughter in a bilingual French and Dutch, the two majority languages of the country.
The platform also allows organizations, local authorities, universities, and schools to organize spaces for dialogue with their members, students, or alumni with the aim of promoting debate. “Digital tools are not an end in themselves. They are meant to serve society. In this case, the 'one country for tomorrow' platform is a tool that will serve to build the way we want to live together in the coming years", explained the Secretary of State for Digitization Mathieu Michel.
The consultation inquires about the participation of regional or linguistic communities in federal politics but, although the answers in each area are open, it does not ask specifically about the most politically sensitive aspects, such as the independence of some territories or a possible reform of the parliamentary monarchy structure of the state.
The platform "a country for tomorrow" is part of a broader process, the so-called "dialogue platform" on the future of Belgian federalism. This initiative includes, in addition to the current consultation, inter federal thematic working groups, a deliberative process through mixed panels or citizen panels in the House of Representatives, as well as a dialogue between political representatives.