On 25 November, The European Alliance Vice-President, Mr Jerzy Zająkała participated in the CoR Working Group on relations with Turkey. The meeting took place In Giresun tha city situated on the Black Sea border in Turkey. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the country with regard to the progress towards EU accession and the impact of the enlargement process at local level.
After the debate on the participative democracy Mr Zająkała said: "I have a conviction that the quality of democracy depends on citizen participation in democratic processes. The participation of citizens in public life is a central component of the idea of democracy. Effective democracy is not possible without the involvement of citizens. This is no less important at local and regional level than in national politics. It is at the level of our families and after local and regional communities – villages, towns, cities, provinces and regions – where people learn their first democratic experience, and where their interaction begins with society, with public authorities and with democratic institutions and mechanisms."
