Insights from Athens and Lisbon on Upgrading Parliaments in a Digital World
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From the marble halls of Athens to the youth assemblies of Portugal, democracies and parliaments are rethinking how they engage with citizens, integrate research, and adapt to emerging technologies. This month, we spotlight the 4th Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies, where over 120 experts gathered to chart a path forward for democratic institutions in the digital era.
We also spotlight Portugal’s growing ecosystem of democratic innovations. In our “Around the World” section, we feature Ireland’s experiment with participatory hearings, Brazil’s efforts to strengthen legislative processes in the Senate, and how AI is reshaping everything from attendance tracking in India to legislative drafting in the EU—among other global developments.
Beatriz Rey, Ph.D.
Athens Summit Convenes Practitioners, Academics to Discuss Democratic Institutions in the Digital Era
The 4th Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies on June 13, 2025, in Athens, convening over 120 researchers and parliamentary staff from 30 countries to address one of the central questions of our time: how can democratic institutions keep pace with accelerating technological and geopolitical change?
Hosted at the historic University of Athens by the Hellenic OCR Team and Széchenyi István University, the conference featured 70 presentations across 17 sessions. With a clear theme—“Reinventing Democracy for the 21st Century”—the gathering reinforced the need for parliaments to embrace interdisciplinary research, global cooperation, and innovation-driven reform.
Source: 4th Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies
Opening remarks from Dr. Fotis Fitsilis of the Hellenic Parliament emphasized parliamentary research as a driver of democratic evolution, while Professor Zsolt Szabó traced the conference’s path from Budapest to Athens, underscoring its scientific rigor. Professor Nikos Thomaidis of the University of Athens added that research institutions must play an active role in supporting democratic resilience.
The keynote by Professor Mario Hernández Ramos, Chair of the Council of Europe’s AI Committee, explored the implications of the new Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence for parliaments as guardians of rights, law, and democratic legitimacy.
Subsequent panels tackled issues ranging from digital transformation and AI in legislative processes to disinformation, transparency, and parliamentary diplomacy. The strong showing by members of IFLAPARL (parliamentary libraries and research services) underscored the role of information ecosystems and cross-border cooperation in legislative modernization.
Several key takeaways emerged:
Technology can reinforce transparency and accountability—but only when implemented through trusted, inclusive processes.
AI adoption in legislatures must be grounded in public trust and supported by institutional safeguards.
Parliamentary innovation is most effective when it draws from diverse disciplines and international peer learning.
The conference itself is becoming a valuable forum where academic insight and institutional practice converge.
Looking ahead, the organizers announced that the 2026 Global Conference will be held in Luxembourg.
Ireland Pilots Community-Centered Model for Research-Policy Integration
One case study presented at the 4th Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies was a recent experiment in participatory science communication. Denis Naughten, former chair of Ireland’s Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, shared learnings from the Committee’s 2023 national parliamentary hearing on Arranmore Island—its first live broadcast from a remote community—focused on housing, healthcare, and energy policy.
Rather than leading with academic testimony, the Committee invited island residents directly affected by the issues to present first, with researchers offering supporting analysis. This structure aimed to make research more accessible and relevant to lawmakers by grounding findings in lived experience.
The session informed 29 policy recommendations, influenced subsequent committee work, and was shared with international parliamentary networks. It also contributed to a change in government policy on financial support for family carers following testimony that linked academic research to direct personal impact.
The Arranmore hearing is now included in a broader engagement toolkit for parliaments exploring approaches to integrating research into legislative processes through community involvement.
Democracy Innovation in Portugal
As Portugal’s newly elected National Assembly kicked off its legislative session in April, a group of researchers gathered at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon in late June to share early findings from a project exploring democratic innovation practices. These include practices beyond the usual votes, petitions, and referenda.
The study, coordinated by Roberto Falanga, identified 323 democratic innovations across 154 municipalities. Cascais, Lisbon, and Valongo stand out as the municipalities with the highest number of participatory democracy initiatives, such as participatory budgeting and youth assemblies — forms of engagement considered democratic innovations. The research also reveals that these initiatives are more common in coastal and more densely populated areas.
Roberto Falanga shares early findings from a project exploring democratic innovation practices.
The full study is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2026 and will include an open database and an interactive map to track the historical and geographic trajectories of these initiatives.
At the event, a representative from the National Association of Municipal Assemblies (ANAM) spotlighted the importance of Youth Municipal Assemblies in encouraging civic engagement. ANAM even keeps a list of best practices (in Portuguese) that show how young people are tackling real social issues. On the global stage, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) promotes similar goals through its youth participation framework and the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, helping to bring fresh voices into politics.
Around the World
Alongside other experts, Victor Marcel Pinheiro, a legislative consultant for the Brazilian Senate, published a set of recommendations (in Portuguese) to improve the legislative process in the institution.
In a landmark moment for deliberative democracy, the Scottish Parliament has formally approved a blueprint to embed citizen participation into its work.
The lower house of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh will begin using AI-powered facial recognition cameras to track and record the attendance of legislators. The cameras will also track the time legislators spend in the chamber and monitor their participation in debates and deliberations.
Interested in how parliaments evaluate laws after they’re passed? We recommend The PLS Pulse, a global newsletter on post-legislative scrutiny by the Westminster Foundation on Democracy.
UNESCO is piloting a new AI readiness assessment in six Southern African countries, starting with Botswana and Malawi. The goal: to support ethical, inclusive national AI strategies using its global framework.
A new EU report explores AI-based solutions for legislative drafting, focusing on the development of “augmented LEOS,” an open-source tool by the European Commission.
