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The Ulster Manifesto
The Ulster Manifesto
Ulster
Manifesto
on
the
promotion
of
electronic
participation
for
territorial
development
in
Europe
Signed
at
the
University
of
Ulster,
Belfast,
on
September
23rd,
2011
We,
the
undersigned,
are
policy
makers,
spatial
planners,
researchers
and
professionals
in
the
domains
of
open
and
citizen
centred
innovation
and
electronic
participation.
In
common
with
an
increasing
number
of
academics,
politicians
and
ordinary
people
today,
we
share
the
belief
that
only
by
including
and
engaging
citizens
and
businesses
systematically
in
the
democratic
decision-making
process
-
under
fair,
transparent
and
cost
effective
conditions
-
could
we
contribute
to
the
improvement
of
our
and
our
childrens
community
and
personal
lives
in
the
years
to
come.
We
also
think
that
the
potential
of
ICT
Information
and
Communication
Technologies
is
decisive
in
enabling
and
creating
the
desired
level
of
empowerment
of
a
wider
spectrum
of
actors
in
society.
We
believe
that
ICT
tools
are
essential
in
setting
up
the
infrastructure
and
processes
that
enhance
those
collective
action
effects
that
are
actually
needed
to
participate
in
the
governance
of
our
complex
societies.
Those
tools,
we
believe,
will
also
inform
a
new
generation
of
public
electronic
services
and
institutional
processes
which
are
co-created
and
co-produced
by
the
local
constituencies
on
a
peer
basis
with
their
own
democratic
representatives
and
the
service
providers.
This
challenge
has
been
clearly
accepted
by
the
Ministerial
Declaration
on
eGovernment
of
November
2009
in
Malm,
Sweden.
The
declaration
was
followed-up
by
the
eGovernment
Action
Plan
of
December
2010
by
the
European
Commission,
and
it
is
also
envisioned
in
the
Citadel
Statementi,
now
having
the
support
of
every
major
local
government
association
in
Europe.
Thus,
we
acknowledge
that
there
is
a
growing
awareness
of
the
big
social
value
residing
in
an
infrastructure
using
ICT
enabled
processes,
which
needs
to
be
channelled,
reinvigorated,
and
turned
into
action.
One
promising
example
is
the
impact
of
Toscanas
Regional
law
on
public
participation
of
December
2007ii,
which
has
since
introduced
a
soft
revolution
in
the
relationships
between
local
governments,
constituencies
and
bearers
of
vested
interests
on
the
occasion
of
large
investment
plans.
Similarly,
there
are
several
international
chartersiii,
action
plansiv,
territorial
development
frameworksv
and
European
directives
already
transposed
into
the
legal
systems
of
Member
Statesvi,
which
make
a
mandatory
reference
to
the
citizens
right
to
be
fully
informed
and
consulted
before
decision-making,
whether
by
public
notices
or
other
appropriate
means
such
as
electronic
media.
Having
this
in
mind,
we
have
focused
our
attention
on
spatial
planning
and
strategic
environmental
assessment
as
the
most
promising
fields
whereby
the
use
of
ICT
can
lead
to
the
desired
outcomes
stated
above.
As convinced Europeans, we look with confidence at the opportunities offered by the Open Method of Coordinationvii to achieve more convergence of policy targets, programmes and initiatives across the Member States, for issues that mostly reside under the legal competence of the national, regional and local parliaments and governments. And yet we believe that in several respects, the time is ripe for a broader and more encompassing initiative, specifically with regard to electronic participation for territorial development. Such an initiative could be actively supported by the creation of stable links and the convergence of interests and goals within a EU-wide community of practice. By signing this Manifesto, we engage to: - Continue the generation and exchange of experiences in the deployment of ICT tools and applications for the promotion of public participation in spatial planning and strategic environmental assessment. Support the creation of a European network of stakeholders for the dissemination of practices and the diffusion of innovative policy aspects in these domains. Enable the establishment of ties of collaboration with stakeholders active and experienced in methods, such as the Living Labs approachviii, of user-focused, user- driven, citizen-centred innovation, driving systemic and social innovation. Facilitate co-operation in e-participation demonstrations to enhance the validation and diffusion of both practical and theoretical knowledge of real-life community events using ICT-enabled tools and processes. Support the setting up of a knowledge base of electronic participation processes and findings according to open data principles. Use our own institutional relations to promote EU, national, and regional legislative and regulatory reform in the above stated directions.
- -
- -
The Ulster Manifesto is proposed as an open document, for the addition of new signatories in the future, with the aim to reach the coverage of all European countries. Signed by Monica Andreou Evdokia Balamou Maria Cerreta Brian Cleland Grazia Concilio Luciano De Bonis Project Manager at Larnaca District Development Agency Research Director at Larnaca District Development Agency Researcher at the University of Naples Federico II Reader at the University of Ulster Associate Professor at the Polytechnic of Milan Associate Professor at the University of Molise Cyprus Cyprus Italy UK Italy Italy
Anna De Liddo Spyros Elenodorou Tiina Ferm Brendan Galbraith Emanuela Galetto John Heaven Patrizia Hongisto Abdul Khakee Oskari Kiviniemi Rolf Luehrs Angelo Marcotulli Jesse Marsh Suzanne Martin Francesco Molinari Jos Carlos Mota Maurice Mulvenna Olli Ojala Iolanda Romano Ferdinando Trapani Jonathan Wallace
Research Associate at The Open University President of Voroklini Community Council Professor at the Technical University of Turku Professor at the University of Ulster Project Manager at Avventura Urbana s.r.l. Project Manager at TuTech Innovation GmbH Senior Researcher on Social Innovation and Living Labs Professor emeritus at Royal Institute of Technology Professor at the Technical University of Turku
Co-Founder & CEO at Demos The eParticipation Company Germany Manager at Regione Toscana Practitioner of territorial development and Living Labs Reader at the University of Ulster Practitioner of eParticipation and Living Labs Researcher at the University of Aveiro Professor at the University of Ulster Technical Manager at the Technical University of Turku Founder and CEO at Avventura Urbana s.r.l. Professor at the University of Palermo Professor at the University of Ulster Italy USA UK Italy Portugal UK Finland Italy Italy UK
i
http://www.globalcitiesdialogue.com/downloads/Citadel%20Statement.pdf
ii
No.
69
of
2007,
http://www.parterre-project.eu/LEGGE%2069%20DEL%202007%20IN%20INGLESE.pdf
iii
The
European
Regional
Spatial
Planning
Charter
(1983)
adopted
by
the
European
Conference
of
Ministers
of Spatial Planning of the European Union, http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/som_en.htm and the Territorial Agenda of the European Union, approved by the Informal Council of Ministers of Spatial Planning and Development in
May
2007,
http://www.eu-territorial-agenda.eu/Reference%20Documents/Territorial-Agenda-of-the- European-Union-Agreed-on-25-May-2007.pdf
vi
The
SEA
Directive
(2001/42/EC),
http://eur-