Thematic sites - Municipality of Milan

The Permanent Citizens' Climate Assembly is made up of 90 citizens.
Every year you could be chosen by lot among all the residents of Milan, together with 10.000 other people, and receive a paper invitation letter and an email from the address assembleacittadini@comune.milano.it. 
If you respond positively to this invitation and let us know your interest in participating, you will be sent an information questionnaire, which will be used to best compose the group of 90 participants.
The 90 actual participants will be drawn from among all those who respond to the questionnaire and confirm their willingness to commit, with the aim of representing the Milanese population according to certain criteria (age, gender, nationality, municipality of residence and others).

Important European and international experiences of civic participation show that groups of citizens, adequately informed and trained with the accompaniment of impartial experts, can make important and significant decisions for their community.
To guarantee the maximum plurality of voices and points of view on the topics of discussion, the set of citizen members of the Assembly is drawn by lot and composed so that the final group is representative of the entire Milanese population and as inclusive as possible of the voice of all minorities. All this in full respect of privacy and in accordance with the regulations in force relating to the processing of personal data.

The Permanent Assembly meets in plenary every month, from January to October, excluding July and August. In each meeting, led by facilitators, experts and technicians from the Municipality are present who assure citizens of their technical-scientific support. 
Participants are invited to work in small groups to discuss and express recommendations and suggestions regarding the concrete implementation of the various Actions envisaged in the Air and Climate Plan, the tool that Milan has equipped itself with to guide the achievement of the important environmental objectives that it has mail.

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Given the invitation received from the Municipality, am I obliged to join? Does anything happen if I decide not to participate?

Participation in the Assembly is not obligatory and the decision to participate is free: there are no consequences of any kind in case of withdrawal.

How are the meetings structured? What are we talking about?

The plenary meetings of the Assembly occur every month and are held in person, with the support of staff, in places and times that will be promptly communicated to the participants. The work of the Assembly will focus in particular on:

• Develop with the citizens involved in-depth information regarding specific Actions of the Air and Climate Plan and their planning, implementation and timely evaluation;
• Contribute with recommendations, indications and timely feedback on the actions of the Air and Climate Plan (and other Municipality projects related to decarbonisation issues) which are the subject of the year's work;
• Understand the functioning of the monitoring of the Air and Climate Plan and actively monitor its implementation, with a view to transparent control over the progress made.

Do you have to be present at all meetings? 

The commitment makes sense and is effective if lived continuously: if you join the initiative, you are invited to participate in all the meetings. 
A maximum of 3 absences are allowed out of the total of 8 official matches, of which only 2 can be consecutive.

What should I study and how should I prepare before attending the Assembly?

No specific preparation is required to participate. To facilitate your participation, however, you will be offered some short training activities, in person and/or remotely, so as to share some basic cognitive elements on the topics under discussion and acquire the necessary tools to take an informed part in the work. Work materials and relevant documents will be available to participants directly in the meeting rooms. 

What do I need to bring to attend face-to-face meetings?

To participate, all you need is an identity document.

What is the final product of the Assembly's work?

The Assembly produces and decides by vote among its members on an Annual Work Report, containing recommendations and suggestions for the municipal administration regarding the implementation of the Air and Climate Plan. The Municipality is required to officially respond to the Report, specifying how each recommendation is accepted and, especially in the case of a negative response, the related reasons.

Are there other Citizens' Assemblies like this one? 

Yes, for years many assemblies of this type have spread in Europe and around the world. This is the first Assembly organized in Milan and the first in Italy to be permanent.

Will any expenses incurred to participate be reimbursed? 

We are sorry, but no refunds can be provided at this time. 

Will there be a service available to assist those who may have difficulty participating? 

In the case of particular organizational needs, please make them known to the organization before signing the "Participation Agreement". They will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Can I participate with a companion?

In order not to compromise the representativeness of the group of participants with respect to the population of Milan, other people outside the selected sample cannot be involved. An exception is made if the participant is a minor or a person with a disability: in these cases it is possible to be accompanied by an external person who, however, is not considered a member of the Assembly.

For further information and questions….

For further information and questions, write to us at assembleacittadini@comune.milano.it. Before starting work together, if you are among the participants drawn, we have also planned an individual moment to get to know each other in depth to explore all your curiosities and doubts.

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