<\/span><\/h2>\n\nBut if our recent history should have taught us anything, it is that good intentions are not enough. This is not the first time Andorra has organized collective exercises to reflect on the future.<\/p>\n\n
\u00a0Let us recall the project Andorra has a future (2010\u20132012), and the Brand Andorra project (2016\u20132019),<\/strong> promoted by the CEA, with studies, workshops, and high-quality documents that were meant to help reposition the country\u2019s image and strategy. Both processes ended up, to a large extent, in the drawer of history<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\nAnd now, in fact, reading some reports about the Citizens\u2019 Assembly, I detect this risk once again<\/strong>. It is said that the 50 citizens<\/strong> will work on the proposals collected since October, that they will produce a strategic report<\/strong> that will be made public and forwarded to the Government, the General Council, and the Comuns. But at the same time, we are reminded that these conclusions will not be binding<\/strong> and that, in fact, there is no formal guarantee that they will be studied in committee or incorporated into the legislative or governmental agenda<\/strong>, as has already happened with reports from Andorra Research and Innovation or the Chamber of Commerce.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n<\/span>And now, in fact, reading some reports about the Citizens\u2019 Assembly, I detect this risk once again. It is said that the 50 citizens will work on the proposals collected since October, that they will produce a strategic report that will be made public and forwarded to the Government, the General Council, and the Comuns. But at the same time, we are reminded that these conclusions will not be binding and that, in fact, there is no formal guarantee that they will be studied in committee or incorporated into the legislative or governmental agenda, as has already happened with reports from Andorra Research and Innovation or the Chamber of Commerce.<\/span><\/h2>\n\nAre we facing a bold reinterpretation of participatory democracy or a new exercise in institutional theatre to keep citizens entertained and, ultimately, controlled? Is this about sharing power or managing discontent? The problem is that trust is a scarce asset, and that leads us to ask whether they really want our opinion or only our photo.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n<\/span>Wanting to believe: first step and collective learning<\/span><\/h2>\n\nThis is only the first step. A young democracy like ours needs to experiment with new forms of participation, and one cannot move overnight from a purely representative system to one in which citizens\u2019 assemblies have binding power. It takes time, learning, and mutual trust.<\/p>\n\n
Three commitments<\/h3>\n\n
It will not be enough to produce a brilliant report and hold a press conference and take the photo, of course! If we want this Citizens\u2019 Assembly not to end up like other initiatives that \u201csleep the sleep of the just,\u201d we will need, at minimum, three concrete commitments:<\/p>\n\n
\nThat the document be debated in a public<\/strong> session in the General Council;<\/span><\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\nThat a clear timetable be set for the Government and the Comuns to respond in writing<\/strong> to the main recommendations; and<\/span><\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\nThat, after some time, there be accountability<\/strong> for what has been implemented, what has not, and why.<\/span><\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nOnly in this way will this innovative strategy to listen to citizens cease to be an aesthetic exercise and become a real tool of co-governance. Only then can we say that, truly, the country is building a long-term vision that goes beyond legislatures and party interests<\/p>\n\n
<\/span>The wish for 2025\u20132026: empowerment with consequences<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\u2013That a new era of real empowerment of the Andorran citizen begins<\/strong>\u2013 will only become reality if that citizen decides to take the step. If they participate, if they educate themselves, if they read, if they compare, if they organize, if they demand from their representatives that participatory processes have consequences. And if political leaders understand, once and for all, that listening is not only inviting people to speak, but being willing to change attitudes, priorities, and policies in light of what citizens express<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\nI therefore reinforce the wish, thinking about the future of the country, imagining that this Citizens\u2019 Assembly is not an isolated chapter, but the beginning of a new political culture. One where, in a few years, we can say: we knew how to seize that opportunity, we ensured that people\u2019s voices had real impact, we integrated their proposals into a true strategic plan for the country. One where our welfare state, our economic model, our relationship with Europe, and our territorial management are the result of a mature dialogue between institutions and citizens.
\n<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A year ago, at Christmas, within our professional group we expressed a very specific wish for this 2025 that we have now left behind: that the Andorran citizen truly becomes empowered, makes their voice heard, and conveys their vision to those who govern. We called for that collective \u201cclick\u201d that makes us understand that each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":16214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-auge","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16176"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16219,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16176\/revisions\/16219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augelegalfiscal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}