First session of the EU-Mexico Think-Tank Dialogue “Modern challenges to democracy with Latin America and the European Union” was held on October 14 at the Delegation of the European Union to Mexico gathering representatives of think-tank community representing both Europe and Latin America.
Within the panel discussion “Regaining legitimacy and citizens’ trust: the path ahead for democracies” Wojciech Białożyt, Managing Director at WiseEuropa spoke about the use of new technologies to improve relations between citizens and governments, focusing particularly on the impact of the digital revolution in decision-making and citizen participation, as well as in the implementation of transparency and accountability principals. The intention of the panel was to discuss transversal principles and values that democracies could reinforce to respond to and represent citizens better. It aimed for an exchange of more general approaches that could be applied for national democracies in the EU and Latin America, as well as to the EU institutions. Other panellists included Steven Blockmans, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Alejandro Alday Gonzalez, Instituto Matias Romero, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Isaak Pacheco Izquierdo, ETHOS Public Policies Lab in Mexico. The debate was moderated by professor Jean Francios Prud’homme, El Colegio de Mexico. During the discussion, following issues were covered: solidarity and European identity as principles for a citizens’ Union, the role of international law and institutions in safeguarding and promoting democratic values, accountability and transparency at the core of democracies. Wojciech Bialozyt presented a topic of how digital technologies can improve the relationship between citizens and States, how can it enhance governmental efficiency and what the underlying principles that must guide actions in the digital era are. The European Union-Mexico Think Tank Dialogue Initiative aims to response the concerns: a generic state of play of democracy within Latin America countries and the European Union and ideas on ways to strengthen the functioning of democracy in both regions, keeping in mind the varying political context.
