Citizens' assemblies: Black-Red gives green light
In Germany, the CDU/CSU and SPD want to convene further federal citizens' assemblies. This was agreed by the three parties in their coalition agreement presented on 9 April 2025. However, almost none of the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly “Nutrition in Transition”, which was held in 2023/24, can be found in the black-red agreement.
In a press release, the ‘Mehr Demokratie’ association nevertheless credits the continuation of mini-publics. ‘Experience from the Citizens' Assembly on Nutrition shows that the instrument has proven its worth in practice. It is right to focus on continuity here,’ says Federal Executive Board Spokesperson Ralf-Uwe Beck. Mehr Demokratie proposes that a citizens' assembly should deal with the COVID-19 pandemic alongside the commission of enquiry planned in the treaty.
COVID-19 Citizens' Assembly failed in 2024
In autumn 2024, the governing parties of the SPD, Greens and FDP at the time were unable to agree on such a citizens' assembly, although representatives of all three parties had spoken out in favour of it in the months beforehand. Shortly after the announcement that no COVID-19 Citizens' Assembly would be convened, the coalition broke down.
As a result of the federal elections being brought forward from autumn 2025 to 23 February, parliamentary deliberations on the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly “Nutrition in Transition” could not be completed either.
Nutrition recommendations not implemented
Hermann Färber (CDU), Chairman of the Bundestag's Committee on Food and Agriculture, expressed his thoughtfulness when handing over a progress report to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) on 11 February 2025. ‘Due to the premature end of the parliamentary term, it was no longer possible for the committee to deal with the further recommendations. There was no majority in favour of a vote by the committee that went beyond a mere acknowledgement,’ he wrote in the report. However, the 21st German Bundestag is free to take up the citizens' report or individual recommendations again. According to the coalition agreement at least, this will not happen.
The most important demand of the Citizens' Assembly “Nutrition in Transition” was a free lunch for all children in schools and kindergartens. A state label for climate, animal welfare and health and a reform of food taxation were also proposed.
Election promises not kept
Before the 2025 federal elections, the SPD had promised to introduce free lunches for schoolchildren. The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD only addresses the issue to the extent that ‘all children entitled to the education and participation package (BuT) will also receive a free lunch at daycare centres and schools. To this end, the existing legal possibilities, for example via a collective application from the school, should be fully utilised across the board.’ The coalition wants to ‘trial a low-bureaucracy BuT budget for lunch in Startchancen daycare centres and schools’.
On the subject of animal welfare labelling, the CDU/CSU and SPD have announced: ‘We are fundamentally reforming the Animal Husbandry Labelling Act with the involvement of stakeholders from the entire value chain in order to make it practicable and align it with animal welfare.’
‘This coalition agreement (...) must be a bitter disappointment for all the committed people from the Citizens‘ Assembly on Nutrition,’ announced the consumer protection organisation Foodwatch in a press release.
‘More binding results possible’
Because Citizens' Assembly recommendations also disappear into drawers in other cases, critics are calling for the results of lot meetings to be more binding. ‘It is definitely possible for the results to be more binding,‘ says lawyer Dr Ademir Karamehmedovic, who wrote his doctoral thesis on the constitutionality of citizens’ assemblies.
It is possible for a mini-public to be given the power to request the federal government to draw up a draft law. A citizens' assembly could also be given the right to draw up a draft law itself, on which the federal government and parliament would then have to comment. It could issue statements in ongoing legislative procedures. ‘I have also come to the conclusion that a Citizens‘ Assembly's right to speak in the plenary of the Bundestag would also be covered by the Grundgesetz (German constitution),’ says Karamehmedovic.
34 federal mini-publics
To date, 34 mini-publics have been held at federal level. As early as 1982/83, 485 randomly selected citizens had already discussed energy policy issues in so-called planning cells. The procedure was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology. Since then, there have been numerous other processes on topics such as education, democracy, disinformation, Europe, free trade, climate protection and transport. The Citizens‘ Assembly “Nutrition in Transition” was the first mini-public set up by the Bundestag.
An Ariadne Citizens' Deliberation on the financing of climate measures, the heating transition and the transport transition is currently underway. In May and June, 40 randomly selected people from ten German cities and municipalities will discuss the topic of tax and financial justice in a citizens' debate in Erfurt.