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Participation in public life

Citizenship can take many different forms, including voting, taking part in the public debate and expressing your opinion.
Every citizen can assert their rights as they see fit and must fulfil their duties to the State to ensure that society functions well. This engagement can take various forms, including voting for local political representatives, taking part in the public debate, joining an association and making a difference to society’s well-being through civic actions.

Citizenship is about participating in how society is organised, participating in political life and participating in the voluntary sector, with the input of young people. This section also addresses the various ways in which you can express your opinion.

Local democracy, a new focus in the regional politics of Brussels:

Recognising the role of neighbour committees, developing participatory budgeting, improving information on council agenda’s and public inquiries and the recommendation of the consultation committees – the local Brussels authorities are increasingly conscious of the need to develop a culture of participation among citizens.

European local democracy week:

European local democracy week is an annual initiative organised by the local and regional authorities of 47 Member States of the Council of Europe. The aim is to enhance citizens’ knowledge of their local authorities and to promote their responsible participation.

Participants in Brussels are the City, the communes alongside the CPAS branches, Brulocalis (formerly the Association de la Ville et des Communes de la Région Bruxelles-Capitale ) and the Brussels-Capital Region.

Contact:

Brulocalis
Rue d'Arlon 53, 1040 Brussels
Phone: +32 (0)2 238 51 66
Website: www.brulocalis.brussels

Understanding the Brussels institutions:

To understand how democracy works you need to know the activities and responsibilities of the various institutions. See the About the Brussels-Capital Region section of this website for full information on how the public authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region are organised.

 

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