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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