We convened our General Assembly in Brussels in a hybrid format, bringing together dozens of participants from across Europe. We focused on three fronts: what matters to us as a network, how we want to govern ourselves (including the Nets4Dem 2.0 proposal), and our priorities for the year ahead. Decidim served as our single source of truth for materials, inputs and outputs. Each group appointed a Spokesperson and a Rapporteur, with a shared commitment to publish concise harvests on Decidim within one week.
Our mixed format, short joint introductions livestreamed to all, followed by parallel online and in-person discussions, sparked lively debate and led to concrete next steps that connect member agendas and resources.
The questions that kept our minds, and tables buzzing
- How do we move from talking to joint action we can show by summer 2026—pilots, prototypes, and partnerships across the network?
- Which simple, comparable metrics and learning loops will demonstrate impact beyond our own bubble?
- How do we complete the shift from consortium-led to member-driven, with Working Groups at the centre?
- What shared funding framework should we co-define to diversify revenue (awards, foundations, private sector, consulting) while staying true to our values?
- Who’s missing? Which actors to we need to engage within the network to effectively collaborate on issues of importance?
Key takeaways
a) Governance & network culture. Accelerate the transition to a more member-driven model with agile Working Groups and transparent documentation on Decidim.
b) From talk to traction. Prioritise inter-organisational pilots in the next 3–6 months, documented with light, comparable indicators.
c) Trust & communication. Strengthen a positive, concrete democratic narrative; connect with lived experience; invite in those not yet at the table.
d) Funding realism. Reduce grant dependence: explore awards (e.g., via the ECoD ecosystem), private-sector partnerships, consulting offers, and a co-decided funding framework for members of the network.
e) Infrastructure & traceability. Keep Decidim as the single repository: harvests due ≤1 week; all decks and documents stored on the Assembly page.
Why showing up together matters (a lot)
The value of this network is not only in attending events, it’s in arriving as a network. Coordinating speaking slots, co-authoring panels, sharing outreach lists, and bundling offers (benchmarking + pilot + evaluation) lets us turn conversations into visible action. By synchronising time and resources, we amplify results, open funding doors, and make the collective bigger than the sum of its parts.
Special thanks
To all participants, onsite and online, for your generosity, clarity, and disciplined documentation. A special thanks to Democratic Society for facilitation and logistics, and to everyone who brought tangible opportunities for 2025–2026.
We’re strengthening Europe’s democratic fabric, together. See you in the Working Groups and on Decidim.
