Post on 07-Apr-2018
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TheUlsterManifesto
onthepromotionofelectronicparticipationforterritorial
developmentinEurope
SignedattheUniversityofUlster,Belfast,onSeptember23rd,2011
We,theundersigned,arepolicymakers,spatialplanners,researchersandprofessionalsinthedomainsofopenandcitizencentredinnovationandelectronicparticipation.Incommonwith
anincreasingnumberofacademics,politiciansandordinarypeopletoday,wesharethebelief
thatonlybyincludingandengagingcitizensandbusinessessystematicallyinthedemocraticdecision-makingprocess-underfair,transparentandcosteffectiveconditions-couldwe
contributetotheimprovementofourandourchildrenscommunityandpersonallivesinthe
yearstocome.
WealsothinkthatthepotentialofICTInformationandCommunicationTechnologiesisdecisiveinenablingandcreatingthedesiredlevelofempowermentofawiderspectrumof
actorsinsociety.WebelievethatICTtoolsareessentialinsettinguptheinfrastructureand
processesthatenhancethosecollectiveactioneffectsthatareactuallyneededtoparticipateinthegovernanceofourcomplexsocieties.Thosetools,webelieve,willalsoinformanew
generationofpublicelectronicservicesandinstitutionalprocesseswhichareco-createdandco-producedbythelocalconstituenciesonapeerbasiswiththeirowndemocratic
representativesandtheserviceproviders.
ThischallengehasbeenclearlyacceptedbytheMinisterialDeclarationoneGovernmentofNovember2009inMalm,Sweden.Thedeclarationwasfollowed-upbytheeGovernment
ActionPlanofDecember2010bytheEuropeanCommission,anditisalsoenvisionedintheCitadelStatementi,nowhavingthesupportofeverymajorlocalgovernmentassociationin
Europe.
Thus,weacknowledgethatthereisagrowingawarenessofthebigsocialvalueresidinginan
infrastructureusingICTenabledprocesses,whichneedstobechannelled,reinvigorated,andturnedintoaction.
OnepromisingexampleistheimpactofToscanasRegionallawonpublicparticipationof
December2007ii
,whichhassinceintroducedasoftrevolutionintherelationshipsbetweenlocalgovernments,constituenciesandbearersofvestedinterestsontheoccasionoflargeinvestmentplans.
Similarly,thereareseveralinternationalchartersiii,actionplansiv,territorialdevelopmentframeworksvandEuropeandirectivesalreadytransposedintothelegalsystemsofMember
Statesvi,whichmakeamandatoryreferencetothecitizensrighttobefullyinformedand
consultedbeforedecision-making,whetherbypublicnoticesorotherappropriatemeanssuchaselectronicmedia.
Havingthisinmind,wehavefocusedourattentiononspatialplanningandstrategic
environmentalassessmentasthemostpromisingfieldswherebytheuseofICTcanleadtothe
desiredoutcomesstatedabove.
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AsconvincedEuropeans,welookwithconfidenceattheopportunitiesofferedbytheOpen
MethodofCoordination viitoachievemoreconvergenceofpolicytargets,programmesandinitiativesacrosstheMemberStates,forissuesthatmostlyresideunderthelegalcompetence
ofthenational,regionalandlocalparliamentsandgovernments.
Andyetwebelievethatinseveralrespects,thetimeisripeforabroaderandmoreencompassinginitiative,specificallywithregardtoelectronicparticipationforterritorial
development.SuchaninitiativecouldbeactivelysupportedbythecreationofstablelinksandtheconvergenceofinterestsandgoalswithinaEU-widecommunityofpractice.
BysigningthisManifesto,weengageto:
- ContinuethegenerationandexchangeofexperiencesinthedeploymentofICTtoolsandapplicationsforthepromotionofpublicparticipationinspatialplanningand
strategicenvironmentalassessment.
- SupportthecreationofaEuropeannetworkofstakeholdersforthedisseminationofpracticesandthediffusionofinnovativepolicyaspectsinthesedomains.
- Enabletheestablishmentoftiesofcollaborationwithstakeholdersactiveandexperiencedinmethods,suchastheLivingLabsapproachviii,ofuser-focused,user-driven,citizen-centredinnovation,drivingsystemicandsocialinnovation.
- Facilitateco-operationine-participationdemonstrationstoenhancethevalidationanddiffusionofbothpracticalandtheoreticalknowledgeofreal-lifecommunityevents
usingICT-enabledtoolsandprocesses.
- Supportthesettingupofaknowledgebaseofelectronicparticipationprocessesandfindingsaccordingtoopendataprinciples.
- UseourowninstitutionalrelationstopromoteEU,national,andregionallegislativeandregulatoryreformintheabovestateddirections.
TheUlsterManifestoisproposedasanopendocument,fortheadditionofnewsignatoriesin
thefuture,withtheaimtoreachthecoverageofallEuropeancountries.
Signedby
MonicaAndreou ProjectManageratLarnacaDistrictDevelopmentAgency Cyprus
EvdokiaBalamou ResearchDirectoratLarnacaDistrictDevelopmentAgency Cyprus
MariaCerreta ResearcherattheUniversityofNaplesFedericoII Italy
BrianCleland ReaderattheUniversityofUlster UK
GraziaConcilio AssociateProfessoratthePolytechnicofMilan ItalyLucianoDeBonis AssociateProfessorattheUniversityofMolise Italy
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AnnaDeLiddo ResearchAssociateatTheOpenUniversity UK
SpyrosElenodorou PresidentofVorokliniCommunityCouncil Cyprus
TiinaFerm ProfessorattheTechnicalUniversityofTurku Finland
BrendanGalbraith ProfessorattheUniversityofUlster UK
EmanuelaGaletto ProjectManageratAvventuraUrbanas.r.l. Italy
JohnHeaven ProjectManageratTuTechInnovationGmbH Germany
PatriziaHongisto SeniorResearcheronSocialInnovationandLivingLabs Finland
AbdulKhakee ProfessoremeritusatRoyalInstituteofTechnology Sweden
OskariKiviniemi ProfessorattheTechnicalUniversityofTurku Finland
RolfLuehrs Co-Founder&CEOatDemosTheeParticipationCompany Germany
AngeloMarcotulli ManageratRegioneToscana Italy
JesseMarsh PractitionerofterritorialdevelopmentandLivingLabs USA
SuzanneMartin ReaderattheUniversityofUlster UK
FrancescoMolinari PractitionerofeParticipationandLivingLabs Italy
JosCarlosMota ResearcherattheUniversityofAveiro Portugal
MauriceMulvenna ProfessorattheUniversityofUlster UK
OlliOjala TechnicalManagerattheTechnicalUniversityofTurku Finland
IolandaRomano FounderandCEOatAvventuraUrbanas.r.l. Italy
FerdinandoTrapani ProfessorattheUniversityofPalermo Italy
JonathanWallace ProfessorattheUniversityofUlster UK
ihttp://www.globalcitiesdialogue.com/downloads/Citadel%20Statement.pdf
iiNo.69of2007,http://www.parterre-project.eu/LEGGE%2069%20DEL%202007%20IN%20INGLESE.pdf
iiiTheEuropeanRegionalSpatialPlanningCharter(1983)adoptedbytheEuropeanConferenceofMinisters
responsibleforRegionalPlanning,
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/cemat/versioncharte/default_EN.asp
ivTheAgenda21actionplan,adoptedby178Governmentsin1992,http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/
vTheEuropeanSpatialDevelopmentPerspective(ESDP)approvedin1999bytheInformalCouncilofMinisters
ofSpatialPlanningoftheEuropeanUnion,http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/som_en.htmandtheTerritorialAgenda
oftheEuropeanUnion,approvedbytheInformalCouncilofMinistersofSpatialPlanningandDevelopmentin
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May2007,http://www.eu-territorial-agenda.eu/Reference%20Documents/Territorial-Agenda-of-the-
European-Union-Agreed-on-25-May-2007.pdf
viTheSEADirective(2001/42/EC),http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2001:197:0030:0037:IT:PDFandtheAarhusDirective
(2003/35/EC),http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2003:156:0017:0024:EN:PDF
viihttp://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/coordination/coordination01_en.htm
viiihttp://www.openlivinglabs.eu