On 31 December 2023, the CDDG ceased to exist, with the creation of a new Steering Committee on Democracy in 2024.

The European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) is the Council of Europe intergovernmental forum where representatives of member States meet to develop European standards (recommendations, guidelines, reports), to exchange and follow up on the state of democratic governance in Europe, and to work together to strengthen democratic institutions at all levels of government.

On 31 December 2023, the CDDG will cease to exist, with the creation of a new Steering Committee on Democracy becoming operational in 2024.

In 2022-2023, the Committee has been working on:

Earlier in 2023, the Committee published a Report on new forms of deliberative and participatory democracy, to complement the Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)4 on the participation of citizens in local public life and the 2017 Guidelines on civil participation in decision-making and taking into account its work on e-democracy.

The Committee also  organised a conference on E-voting and ICT in elections: taking stock and moving forward, to prepare the bi-annual review of the implementation of the Recommendation CM/Rec (2017)5 on standards for e-voting.

In addition, the Committee continued to contribute to the preparation of the Convention and the overall work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on democracy and governance.

Finally, the Committee has provided direct support to member States through peer reviews and the rapid response system to respond to requests for assistance in the area of democratic governance. It relies on the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance for the implementation of country-specific programmes,  overseeing also of the work of the Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy.

themes in focus

Governance

The 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance at local level have been an inspiration for public administration reforms, decentralisation and strengthening democratic institutions at local and regional level. How can they be adapted to be applicable to all levels of governance? (read more...)

Deliberative and participatory democracy

Active participation of citizens is essential for democracy. In recent years, member States have witnessed a trend towards falling voter turnout in general elections. (read more...)

Green public administration

Climate change is increasingly recognised as an area of concern calling for determined action, as more and more member States are starting to feel its various consequences. (read more...)

Democracy and technology

Digital technologies shape all aspects of life, including the activities, functioning and decision-making of public institutions and their relations with citizens and society. The CDDG supports member States, at all levels of government, to harness the opportunities offered by digital transformation whilst reducing possible risks. (read more...)

Other Issues

bureau
working groups