As part of the European MeDeMAP research project, Citizens Parliaments on Media and Democracy will be held in Austria, Ireland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
On four Saturdays between March and May 2025, one hundred citizens – twenty in each country – will learn and reflect on the role of the media in strengthening democracy and will adopt recommendations on media regulation, representation in the media as well as participation in and through the media.
The partners from the four countries will share their journey with the citizens’ parliaments on this blog.
Citizens’ parliaments in four countries
The first two Citizens’ Parliaments will start on 15 March in the Czech Republic and in Slovenia, followed by two others, one week later on March 22 in Austria and in Ireland.
The dates and locations of the citizens’ parliaments in the four countries between March and May 2025 and the partners organizing them are summarized in the following table:
| Country | Organizer | Location | Dates |
| Czech Republic | Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Charles University | Prague, Brno, Olomouc | 15.3., 5.4., 26.4., 17.5. |
| Slovenia | Peace Institute – Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies | Ljubljana | 15.3., 29.3., 12.4., 10.5. |
| Austria | COMMIT – Community Media Institute | Vienna | 22.3., 5.4., 26.4., 17.5. |
| Ireland | Mary Immaculate College | Limerick | 22.3., 5.4., 26.4., 10.5. |
Four countries – one structure
The sessions in all four countries will follow a similar structure. Each Saturday will be devoted to a theme, starting with an introduction to the main theme of media and democracy on the first day. On the subsequent Saturdays, citizens will look at media systems & regulation, representation in the media, and participation in and through the media.
Each session will be introduced by contributions from experts and media practitioners. Following these inputs, the participants guided by expert facilitators will collectively decide on the questions they wish to explore and draft and adopt resolutions.
After the end of the four Citizens‘ Parliaments, the adopted resolutions will be first presented at the national level in Vienna, Prague, Limerick and Ljubljana to the public, media stakeholders and to policymakers. A joint presentation of the results of the four Citizens‘ Parliaments will take place in the EU Parliament in Brussels in February 2026.
Get insights into the journey of the four citizens’ parliaments
Each partner will share their journey with the citizens‘ parliaments in a series of blog posts, starting with the preparations for the first session and ending with the final results. Enjoy their insights!