https://fidemocracy.org/europe-forum-2026-from-novel-to-normal
FIDE is bringing together practitioners, public officials, political parties, NGOs, and funders in Vienna on 18 and 19 November for FIDE Forum 2026, a conference dedicated to moving deliberative democracy from the margins to the mainstream.
More than 1,000 deliberative processes and 80,000 citizens have already shaped real decisions on constitutional reform, national legislation, and public spending. The evidence exists. FIDE Forum 2026 is about building the infrastructure, lifting the standards, and creating the political will to make deliberation permanent, not an experiment.
Registration is open until October 30. Calls for workshops and training sessions close August 28.
More info: fidemocracy.org/europe-forum-2026-from-novel-to-normal
Democracy runs on public infrastructure. Independent judiciaries, electoral systems, public education: these are not optional features. They are the foundations the whole system rests on. When they erode, the model erodes with them.
Deliberation belongs in the same category. More than 1,000 deliberative processes have been run around the world. More than 80,000 citizens have contributed to decisions on constitutional reform, national legislation, and public spending. The evidence is there. What is missing is the commitment to treat this as infrastructure, not experiment.
Designing policy without citizen participation is like laying foundations without soil tests. You might move faster at first. Long-term stability comes from understanding the ground you are building on.
FIDE Forum 2026 is a space to do the work that makes deliberation last.
