🇪🇸 Parlamento de Canarias
Foro Parlamento
25/06/2019 – 30/03/2023
Type of initiative
Other
Short description of the initiative
The “Parliament Forum” initiative consists of holding activities in the Parliament of the Canary Islands during this X Legislature with the aim of bringing citizens closer to the institution.
The Parliament opens its doors to host meeting, reflection and dialogue activities on issues that interest the citizens of the Canary Islands, allowing a debate on these issues from the citizen’s perspective.
All kinds of events will be held (symposiums, conferences, round tables, panel discussions, award ceremonies, etc…) of an economic, social, political, environmental, legal and cultural nature, both at a regional, national and international level.
Likewise, acts promoted both by public institutions and at the initiative of representative groups and associations of the different areas of society will take place.
This initiative tries to deepen the principles of participatory democracy as well as to defend the values of regional democracy.
Main features of the initiative
Created at the beginning of the X Legislature, this initiative is expected to be developed throughout the legislature.
Although the COVID -19 pandemic affected the programming of activities, due to restrictions on movement and concentration of people, this initiative continued to be developed, as far as possible, through the organization of events in a remote format.
The number of acts and their distribution in the calendar these acts is combined with the usual activity of the parliament, also trying to prioritize current issues.
Events with a variety of formats have been organized:
- Conferences
- Speaker panels
- Moderator-led discussion panels
- Conferences, with various panels
- Simulation of parliamentary activity
- Awards ceremony
- Memorial ceremonies
- Exhibitions
On some occasions musical performances have been included in the acts.
Regarding the theme of these acts, we can distinguish the following:
- Legislation
- Freedoms and Human Rights
- Equality
- Environmental sustainability
- Health
- Disability
- European Values
- Youth
- Communication
- Sports
- Tourism
- Transportation
- Democratic values
- Culture
Acts are organized both by the Parliament itself and in collaboration with other public institutions and/or associations. In other cases Parliament has hosted events organized by other institutions.
- Different management centers of the Government of the Canary Islands
- Organizations dependent on the Parliament of the Canary Islands
- Organizations linked to the Government of Spain
- Foundations
- Professional organizations
- Associations
- European Movement
- European Youth of the Canary Islands
It is necessary to highlight that personalities such as former presidents of the Government of Spain, former presidents of the Canary Islands and high-ranking officials of the judiciary have participated in these acts.
To achieve a greater scope of the celebration of these activities among the citizens of the Canary Islands, all have been broadcast live through the website of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, also being recorded for later viewing or consultation. Coverage was also provided through social media profiles, and a press release was sent to the media.
Some Links,
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2287
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2300
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2314
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2341
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2354
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2693
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2731
Role of the assembly in the success of the initiative
Given the institutional nature of the Parliament of the Canary Islands as representative of the will of the citizens of the Canary Islands, its ability to organize and host public events, its possibility of spreading the activities held at its premises through the media has allowed these acts have generated an impact among the publics interested to each act, as well as a greater knowledge of Parliament.
This reflects the potential of parliaments and regional assemblies as agents for the dissemination of democratic values, and the involvement of citizens in the defense of these values.
As has been said previously, the Parliament of the Canary Islands has performed the functions of organizer, co-organizer and host of these events.
In any case, there has been a contribution of both material and human resources.
European orientation of the initiative
The pro-European tradition of the Canary Islands and its special geographical situation that gives it the character of an Outermost Region of the EU and, additionally, the Presidency of the Parliament of the Canary Islands of the Conference of Regional Legislative Assemblies of the European Union (CALRE) have influenced the organization of events related to the EU, independently of those organized by the CALRE itself.
In this case, the role played by the Parliament of the Canary Islands as a transmitter of European values to the citizens of the archipelago has been reinforced with the role of greater knowledge of the European regions and institutions of the characteristics of a region such as the Canary Islands and the reality of the ORs. All this has meant a strengthening of the ties between the Canary Islands and the EU institutions.
Various pro-European activities have been organized as well as the celebration of Europe Day, including the lighting of the façade and the projection of the European flag.
The topics discussed have been:
- The Conference on the Future of Europe
- Economic and social cohesion
- European Values
- European Citizenship
- 70 years of the Schuman declaration
These activities have been organized with:
- Canarian Council of the European Movement
- JUVEUCAN (European Youth of the Canary Islands)
With this last association, a simulation of the functioning of the European Parliament was held in the plenary hall of the parliament , in which more than 90 young people from different Spanish regions participated.
In these acts we had the pleasure of the participation of the two members of the European Parliament who are from the Canary Islands.
Some links,
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2725
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2631
https://www.parcan.es/noticias/detalle.py?ID_NOTICIA=2439