TID+
In June 2001, the Estonian government launched a public participation portal named “Today I decide” (known under the Estonian acronym “TOM”). The tool gave citizens an opportunity to propose, discuss and vote on new legislation, after which decision-makers are obliged to deliver a motivated response to the entered initiatives.
This tool has proven to be a big success, with over 6.600 registered users proposing and discussing 1.021 new initiatives. It has helped citizens’ participation by allowing them to launch new ideas and to discuss them on an open forum, while guaranteeing them a concise answer from the decisionmaking level. Five years of experience with this tool have made clear that it can be a meaningful instrument for all governments and public bodies throughout the European Union.
The present project, TID+, aims to disseminate the tool and the experiences with it to interested parties in the EU. It will re-evaluate and ameliorate the present solution, develop comprehensive documentation on how it can be used optimally, and make it available free for non-commercial use to all interested actors as a tool to increase citizens’ participation. In this light, the main objectives of the project are:
1. to develop and disseminate an online tool, based on open source solutions, that allows for citizens’ initiative and participation in the legislative decision-making process; this tool should be easy to use by the citizen, and should be easily adaptable by interested governments and institutions.
2. to develop and disseminate the necessary documentation and guidelines that allow a productive and effective use of the tool in the legislative decision-making process; this documentation should include past experiences, information on traps and pitfalls that could render the tool ineffective, and pointers on how to best use the outcomes of citizens’ initiatives and participation.
To realise these objectives, a project consortium has been composed led by the Estonian e-Governance Academy and further consisting of the Estonian State Chancellery and the Italian European University Institute. The composition of this consortium ensures a synergy of analytic capacity, hands-on expertise in e-governance and practical implementation of the project results.
The project runs over a period of 18 months, starting with a three-month analysis of the existing tool and of its use. The results of this analysis are then translated in a set of recommendations and specifications, which serves as the basis for the subsequent tender procedure. These phases will take one and three months respectively. After a development time of six months, a period of three months is reserved for testing and fine-tuning the tool. During this period, the new tool will be opened to the public, and its use will be closely monitored. After a further month to evaluate the test results, the final implementation and hand-over is marked by the integration of all conclusions into the final documentation, which will ensure not only the presence of a working tool, but also of all information needed to make the best and most effective use of it.
During the course of the whole project, much attention is devoted to publicising and disseminating the project’s progress and results. To this end, 2 consultation workshops and two larger dissemination conferences are planned.
The project will work on a total budget of € 272.567, of which € 203.805 is financed by the European Commission under the “eParticipation 2006/1 Programme”.