The Coimbra Municipal Council signed a collaboration protocol with the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region, the University of Coimbra and the Polytechnic University of Coimbra to hold the municipality's first Citizens' Assembly, dedicated to the challenge of retaining young people in the region. The president of the municipality, Ana Abrunhosa, stated that this initiative marks a profound change in the relationship with citizens and aims to hear from randomly selected people, but who know Coimbra, on how to make the region more attractive to new generations.
Approximately 75 people are expected to participate, selected with representativeness and inclusion criteria, seeking to involve citizens who do not usually take part in traditional public consultations. A committee of experts will also be established to accompany the assembly and ensure appropriate participation methodologies. The assembly has an advisory nature, but Ana Abrunhosa promised that the recommendations "will be considered by the competent entities and will have a public, reasoned and transparent response".
The mayor highlighted that Coimbra is joining a "European movement", with dozens of European cities using citizens' assemblies to address challenges such as climate policies and local development strategies. The initiative also marks the 50 years of local government. The rector of UP-Coimbra, Cândida Malça, considered that the assembly "will be as rich and relevant as the diversity of voices it manages to mobilize", while the vice-rector of UC, Cristina Albuquerque, highlighted the importance of giving voice to citizens who "do not have the possibility to participate directly". The president of CIMRC, Helena Teodósio, pointed out that the ambition is to leave "installed capacity in the territory" and a tested methodology that can be adapted to other municipalities in the region.
