APROPOS - Activities

APROPOS-Advancing Process in Politics is dedicated to providing better political decision-making procedures where they are needed. We cooperate with policymaker networks, foundations, and the public sector. We empower people through trainings and publish research to improve their own political processes. We design and carry out conferences and meetings to provide an adequate setting for deliberative policymaking. And we connect policymakers to form powerful and collaborative networks that achieve change together. Below, you can find an overview of our activities.

2023 COMING SOON!

2022

OED Annual Dialogue

9-11 September

Blank Canvas: An Opportunity for Europe? A dialogue for parliamentarians, by parliamentarians. The Annual Dialogue is a tailored space for parliamentarians. Thanks to the internationally recognized ‘Good Offices’ of the Open European Dialogue (OED), and an innovative open-agenda format, policymakers are able to choose and discuss the issues that matter most to them, connecting and collaborating with colleagues who share their same interests. The Open European Dialogue is specialized in creating a secure space for dialogue and understanding between parliamentarians.

Partners Open European Dialogue, Mercator Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation, Robert Bosch Foundation.

Revisiting European Strategic Autonomy

14 June

During the conversation, policymakers had the chance to share their own views on the topic and learn from other national and parliamentary perspectives, by tackling, among others, the following questions: What is the state of play on the debate on European strategic autonomy? What is the European Commission’s Strategic Compass, and what are the challenges it expects to tackle? How is the concept of strategic autonomy understood by national members of Parliament, and how can they contribute to the debate with their national perspective? How could strategic autonomy be operationalized at the EU Member State level? Members of Parliament were joined by Spyros Blavoukos, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Ariane Condellis Programme at ELIAMEP and Associate Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), and Pol Morillas, Director of the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB).

Partners Open European Dialogue, Mercator Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation, Robert Bosch Foundation.

FACTS Conference

19-20 May

FACTS - From Alternative Narratives to Citizens True EU Stories. FACTS aims to identify the existing rumours, narratives and fake news about the European Union that are present among mobilized and non-mobilized citizens. It also aims to clarify if these elements hinder the development of a European citizenship. APROPOS has contributed with the process design and facilitation of the final conference, which took place in Barcelona.

Partners Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Wise Europa, Das Progressive Zentrum (DPZ), German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF).

Toward a New Storyline

19 January

Facilitation and Process Design of a workshop for GMF’s Young Transatlantic Network for Future Leaders. Fifteen university students from different academic disciplines discussed the past, present, and future of transatlantic relations. The workshop focused on three central themes: security, diversity and inclusion, and climate. During the workshop, the participants worked together on prototypes for a new transatlantic narrative. These will serve to connect the perspectives of different generations and evaluate whether the group’s ideas have resonance among the policy community.

Partners The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF).

2021

Policy Design Sprint

Date 2021/06/02 - 2021/07/19

Full Title Policy Design Sprint

Description In the context of the global pandemic in June 2021, policymakers from six different parliaments across Europe pioneered a completely new approach to cross-border policy design. They agreed to participate in an intensive, multi-session workshop that had them work together and brainstorm on finding solutions to a given topic. We called this new format the OED Policy Design Sprint, and the topic challenge that the participants decided to tackle was: “How can parliaments better oversee executive action during crises?” The OED Policy Design Sprint format thrives on a small group of dedicated participants who want to find a new way to collaborate on possible solutions to a single policy issue. While they did so, the OED team supported participants by providing expertise, resources, and ad-hoc and continuous research in-between meetings and throughout the whole process. At the end of three workshops, the participating policymakers had a proposal ready: to ensure democratic oversight in crisis by setting up a parliamentary crisis committee that can work in connection with a citizen’s platform that is swiftly activated in times of crisis and where citizens can make their voice heard. Read the final report here: https://www.openeuropeandialogue.org/latest/oed-policy-design-sprint-final-report/

Partners Open European Dialogue

2020

Government after Shock: Connection Lost?

Date 2020/11/17

Full Title Government after Shock: Connection Lost? Managing the relationship between policymakers and citizens in times of crisis and beyond

Description Online dialogue with members of parliament. Part of the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation's (OPSI) "Government after shock" global dialogue

Project Government after Shock. Mercator European Dialogue

Partners OECD OPSI, EU Commission, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), Stiftung Mercator (funder), King Baudouin Foundation (funder)

Mercator European Dialogue: MED120

Date 2020/10/19

Full Title The Next Generation EU Recovery Package: The Role of National Parliaments

Description 120-minute video call with members of national parliaments and expert input by Damian Boeselager, MEP, and Hans Kundnani, Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House

Project Mercator European Dialogue

Partners The German Marshall Fund of the United States, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), Stiftung Mercator (funder), King Baudouin Foundation (funder)

2023 COMING SOON!