The end the 20th century saw an unprecedented expansion of democracy on the European continent with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron curtain. Today, practically all countries in Europe proclaim their commitment to the principles of pluralist democracy, human rights and the rule of law. At the same time, however, Europe’s democracies face serious problems such as steep decline in voter turnout, the decreasing influence of political parties and the rise of extremist movements.
The Forum for the Future of Democracy was set up by the 3rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Warsaw, 2005) as a response to these problems and to develop ways to promote good practice among European democracies. It brings together all relevant actors (parliaments, governments, local and regional institutions, civil society and scholars) to “strengthen democracy, political freedoms and citizens’ participation”.
e-democracy: who dares? Contains the proceedings of the 5th session of the Forum (Kyiv, 21-23/108/2009). The aim of the session was to consider the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on democracy. This volume explores the opportunities offered by e-democracy to improve the transparency, accountability and responsiveness of democratic institutions as well as to increase the accessibility and inclusiveness of democratic processes. The challenges and risks of e-democracy are also addressed.
