From Deliberation to Action: The Role of European Climate Assemblies in Strengthening Democratic Climate Governance

Addressing the climate and ecological crisis requires deep and rapid economic and social transformation that will have a significant impact on citizens’ lives. At the same time, democratic institutions are facing a crisis of legitimacy, with levels of trust declining across the EU. In this context, deliberative minipublics (DMPs), such as climate assemblies, have gained traction as a tool to meaningfully engage citizens in climate governance and enhance the acceptability, as well as the quality and justice of climate policy. This paper draws on findings from several empirical case studies of DMPs across Europe to advance our understanding of their impact on not only climate action, but also broader democratic governance. It considers the instrumental, capacity, and conceptual impacts of climate assemblies considering empirical examples from Belgium, Sweden and Ireland. It also examines how a range of factors, including levels of institutionalisation and embeddedness of DMPs, shape their impact. And through case studies of DMPs in younger democracies, including Poland and Estonia, it also aims to shed light on the potential of democratic innovations to simultaneously help to address climate change and strengthen democratic governance. The paper further outlines policy takeaways for enhancing the impact of DMPs.