On 5 October, Barcelona kicked off its activities as the first European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) with the inaugural conference "Democracy under debate. European and global challenges", at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. The opening session was attended by Daniel Innerarity, winner of Spain's National Prize for Research in the Humanities, who shared his reflections on the question of how to bring democratic values up to date in a context of multiple challenges. "Democracy is essential because it enables the link between the individual and the collective to be made, as well as ensuring the equitable redistribution of the future," shared the political philosopher.

On 18 January, Barcelona was selected as the first ECoD. The ECoD is a European initiative aimed at offering a space for reflection and citizen debate on the current challenges of democracy to explore new forms of participation and integration in collective action.

During one year - between autumn 2023 and 2024 - Barcelona will host a series of events, conferences and activities in the city to promote citizen participation and the exchange of best practices. The network of 12 cities that passed the first selection to apply to the ECoDE will join Barcelona to share experiences and innovative practices, these cities are: Cascais, Valongo, Braga, Burgos, Bologna, Brussels, Antwerp, Metz, Linz, Sarajevo, Opole and Rzeszow. 

Upcoming activities include: 

• The fifth edition of the "International Festival of Democracy and Technology - DecidimFest" from 18 to 20 October 2023.

• The European Mayors Summit: Strengthening democracy and the role of cities in the European Union, which will take place on 7 and 8 November 2023.

• The round table "Public code & technologies: Upcoming digital and democratic challenges for Europe", to be held on 8 November 2023, with experiences from France, Germany and Barcelona. 

Participate in the activities and learn more about the ECoDE and the full programme here.