Manel Larrosa, an architect and member of FEMVallès, a civic platform focused on the Vallès region, has called for the Generalitat and councils to use artificial intelligence to maintain searchable records of public proposals. Writing on Friday 18 September, he argues that this would give residents, professional bodies and universities a traceable route for contributions to public policy.

For residents seeking to follow the proposed Citizen Participation Bill, the Generalitat's Participa portal publishes the process materials and its current status. Larrosa's intervention is an opinion, not a government announcement or a change to the draft law.

“The right to participate is not so much about being listened to as ensuring that a proposal arrives and exists. Participation means contributing, not being proved right.”

Larrosa says each Generalitat department and each Ajuntament, the local council, should have a knowledge section holding submissions from society. He proposes that AI could produce summaries of that material at different lengths, while elected or responsible officials would still decide whether to accept a proposal.

Criticism of the participation bill's approach

The FEMVallès member criticises the draft's emphasis on facilitated discussion sessions, which can include selected or randomly chosen participants, equality measures and moderators. He argues that administrations retain control over which subjects reach those forums.

He also says the bill does not resolve a conflict where the person who writes a plan is also responsible for responding to public objections to it. That assessment is Larrosa's view of the draft, published in the Parlament de Catalunya's legislative bulletin.

“We have plans from 15 years ago or more, subject to cumbersome revisions, and when they are implemented their quality is not guaranteed either.”

Existing transparency and open-government duties

Larrosa contrasts the draft with Law 19/2014 on transparency, access to public information and good government, passed on 29 December 2014. The Catalan law includes open-government provisions requiring public bodies to promote citizens' participation in public policies and to respond to their proposals.

He argues that access to documents after decisions have been made is easier to secure than meaningful engagement while future plans are being prepared. His proposed AI-supported register, he says, would make submitted proposals visible even where the administration rejects them.

The official Participa portal is the channel named by the Generalitat for checking the Citizen Participation Bill materials and any participation updates.

Primary sources: Generalitat de Catalunya, gencat.cat, Boletín Oficial del Estado, Govern Obert - Generalitat de Catalunya, Participa gencat - Generalitat de Catalunya, Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Govern de Catalunya. Reported by Parlament de Catalunya, viaempresa.cat.