Civic Tech is often seen as a competitive landscape—platforms battling for users, clients, or institutional partners. But this view misses the point. In practice,
Civic Tech tools are not designed to replace each other—they complement one another.
Whether it's mass mobilization, participatory democracy, election campaigns, or supporting civil society organizations, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for citizen engagement.
Citizen engagement is never about one tool alone—it’s about using the right tools, at the right time, and at the right scale.
Interoperability: A democratic strategy
Interoperability was a central theme in ACTE’s June 2025 interventions—particularly during the URBIS conference in Brno and TICTeC conferences in Mechelen. Why does it matter so much?
Because effective citizen engagement often relies on combining multiple approaches:
- Thinking long-term instead of short-term campaigning
- Bridging top-down and bottom-up processes
- Blending digital strategies with grassroots organizing
3 concrete examples of Civic Tech interoperability
1. Mini & Maxi publics : deliberation meets scale
In large-scale consultations—at the national or even transnational level—the challenge is to maximize participation while also giving citizens the option to contribute in greater depth if they wish. This means combining accessible entry points for the general public with more detailed, structured input pathways for those who want to go further.
Make.org and Decidim integrate to offer a unified engagement funnel that combines ease of use with the ability to participate more deeply.
2. Blended engagement : online meets offline
The aim is to build a seamless connection between online citizen contributions—collected through public consultations on institutional or municipal platforms—and in-person citizen panels. More broadly, the goal is to unify all forms of input, whether written, spoken, or otherwise, to ensure that everyone can take part in an inclusive and accessible process.
The Go Vocal consultation platform is partnering with Dembrane’s AI-powered citizen panel moderation tool.
3. Comprehensive campaignes : from streets to screens
In electoral campaigns, the objective is to reach supporters and volunteers wherever they are—both online and on the ground. To build meaningful, lasting relationships, it’s essential to centralize all contact data and track individual interactions over time, across every channel.
Citipo and Qomon integrate to provide candidates with a comprehensive campaign space, both online and on the ground.
What Comes Next?
Interoperability isn’t just a technical question—it’s a democratic strategy.
It enables cities, public institutions, NGOs, and civic movements to build coherent citizen journeys, align efforts across channels, and
leverage the richness of Europe’s Civic Tech ecosystem.
At ACTE, we are committed to advancing this collaborative vision across Europe.
If you’re working in this field—or simply curious to learn more—we’d love to connect. 📩 contact@acte-europe.org
