Article 23 of the Spanish Constitution states:

• 1. The citizens have the right to participate in public affairsdirectly or through representatives, freely elected in periodic elections by universal suffrage. […]

This is a fundamental right.

Citizen participation allows citizens to intervene, collaborate and participate in the management of public affairs.

Citizens must be able to channel their opinion and commitment towards public policies.

Participation is one of the pillars of Open Government that establishes the Open Government Partnership. It promotes the right of citizens to actively participate in and improve public policies, specifically in the early stages of the public policy cycle.

Examples of effective participation:

• Participation in the development of standards
• Participation in public plans and programs
• Participation in public consultations:
  • Prior Citizen Consultation for the elaboration of the V Open Government Plan 2024-2028.
  • System of Integrity of the General State Administration.
  • Reform of Law 19/2013 on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Government.
• Elaboration of proposals in HazLab, which is a digital laboratory to facilitate citizen participation in public policies and promote innovation and collaboration between public administrations and citizens.

A demonstration of Civil Society involvement is the Open Government Forum.

Sections of the Transparency Portal related to the Right to Participation:

• Public participation in policy projects.
• Participation in public plans and programs.
• Participation in public consultations:
  • Prior Citizen Consultation for the elaboration of the V Open Government Plan 2024-2028.
  • System of Integrity of the General State Administration.
  • Reform of Law 19/2013 on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Governance.
• Open Government Forum.