The third event of the project was a two-day workshop, held at the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria. The event was focused on democratic innovations in Europe and Western Balkans grassroots initiatives. It consisted of three public open and two closed sessions. The first open session was dedicated to the democratic innovations in Europe, with guest lecturers Barbara Kieslinger, Corina Stratulat and Baldvin Thor Bergsson with contributions on: “Citizen Science”, “The European Citizens’ Consultations” and “Constitutional Experiment in Iceland”. This session ended with a discussion on their effects in Western Europe and possible implications and applications in the Western Balkans.

Lura Pollozhani, PhD student at University of Graz and Advisor to the PM on cooperation with international organisations at Government of the Republic of North Macedonia presenting research on grass-roots mobilisation in North Macedonia.

The second and third open session consisted of a roundtable with project partners and four experts for grassroots initiatives in the Western Balkans.  Lura Pollozhani presented on social movements in North Macedonia, Armin Amidžić reflected on citizen activism in the case of the city of Bihać. Boris Jokić talked about the relations between curriculum reform and social movements in Croatia and Chiara Milan presented on the right to the city groups and initiatives in Sarajevo.

The discussion of the second day focused on social movements and citizen activism in Western Balkans, the methods of innovation and mobilization, a transformation of citizen activism toward the political commitment, as well on internal organization practices of emerging social movements. Valida Repovac-Nikišić (University of Sarajevo) presented on grassroots initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Irena Fiket, Gazela Pudar Draško and Jelena Vasiljević (University of Belgrade) spoke about internal organization practices of social movements in Serbia.

The three main sessions were open to the public and were attended by researchers, including PhD students, visiting fellows as well as a research staff of the University, in particular, the Centre for Southeast European Studies. The round table was also followed by a public discussion, which was finally focused on two central questions – how to social movements to involve not involved citizens in processes and experimenting with institutional deliberative processes that could be developed.  and tried after re-democratization