The Citizens' Forum

An important political pillar of the citizens' dialog is the Citizens' Forum - a committee of the Aachen City Council - which offers a pioneering form of direct consultation between politics, administration and citizens on current citizens' applications, plans, projects and resolutions.

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The results of the 2026 Citizens' Assembly will be presented at the Citizens' Forum on November 24

How can Aachen become and remain cleaner? This year’s Citizens’ Council addressed this question. The result is a set of concrete recommendations for greater cleanliness in public spaces, which have been summarized in a citizens’ report. This report will be publicly presented on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. during the Citizens’ Forum meeting in the Council Chamber at Aachen City Hall.

Anyone interested is cordially invited to attend the meeting, learn about the Citizens’ Assembly’s findings, and join the discussion. The members of the Citizens’ Assembly will present their report and provide insights into their deliberations and the process by which the recommendations were developed.

Working Together for Cleaner Public Spaces

The Citizens’ Assembly engaged in an in-depth discussion on how Aachen can become and remain cleaner. The participants, who were selected at random, learned about different perspectives, discussed them together, and developed concrete recommendations.

The citizen report highlights the ideas and suggestions that participants have developed for a clean public space. The results will be presented publicly and opened for discussion at the citizens' forum.

What is the Citizens' Council?

The Citizens’ Council is composed each year of Aachen residents selected at random. The participants discuss an important issue concerning the city’s future and develop concrete recommendations based on their discussions. The results are summarized in a citizens’ report, presented and discussed publicly at the Citizens’ Forum, and then submitted to the Aachen City Council for further discussion and decision-making.

Through this format, the city of Aachen is creating opportunities for citizens to participate in political decision-making processes on a permanent and systematic basis.

Insights into the process

The Citizens’ Assembly brings together people with diverse experiences and perspectives. With the support of experts, the participants engage deeply with the topic at hand and work together to develop recommendations for policymakers and government officials.

The focus is not solely on the specific results. The collaborative consultation process is also an essential part of the format: different perspectives are brought together, arguments are exchanged, and solutions are developed collaboratively.

Also on the agenda

In addition to presenting the citizens’ report, the Citizens’ Forum will discuss a citizens’ petition pursuant to Section 24 of the North Rhine-Westphalia Municipal Code. The petition proposes the installation of a large, modern sign bearing the city’s name as a public landmark for Aachen. The installation is to be placed as centrally as possible and should also serve as a photo opportunity for social media.

Those interested can find more information about the Citizens’ Assembly and the latest Citizens’ Report at (http://www.aachen.de/buerger_innenrat). If you have any questions about the Citizens’ Assembly, please contact Albert Halfmann by phone at 0241 432-7223 or by email at buerger_innenrat@mail.aachen.de.

Tasks and procedures of the citizens' forum

The Citizens' Forum deals with citizens' applications (suggestions and complaints) submitted to the Aachen City Council or one of its specialist committees or to the Citizens' Forum itself in accordance with Section 24 of the NRW Municipal Code. The Citizens' Forum also provides information on new significant municipal projects and plans.

The constitutionally guaranteed right to petition is implemented at municipal level by the North Rhine-Westphalian municipal code. This enables everyone to write to the council or district council with suggestions or complaints on matters relating to the respective municipalities. The City Council of Aachen has set up a committee, the Citizens' Forum, to deal with such citizens' petitions. It is made up of councillors delegated by the City Council of Aachen as well as citizens appointed by the Council. These members of the Citizens' Forum are entitled to vote on resolutions.

So if you would like the City of Aachen to take action in a certain direction, please submit a petition to the Citizens' Forum in accordance with Section 24 of the NRW Municipal Code.

After the relevant specialist administration has been involved, your citizens' application will be discussed publicly in the citizens' forum. You yourself will be invited to the meeting of the Citizens' Forum and will be given the opportunity to explain your application in more detail. You can present your request in the form of your choice, for example by means of a digital presentation or an oral presentation.

Following your explanations of the application, a lively discussion between citizens, politicians and the administration is desirable so that a genuine exchange of opinions can form the basis for the decision of the Citizens' Forum in addition to all technical opinions.

The Citizens' Forum has the opportunity to make a recommendation to the relevant specialist committees, district councils or the administration as part of a resolution. You will be informed of the Citizens' Forum's decision in writing after the meeting.

Another task of the Citizens' Forum is to provide information on new projects and plans for the city of Aachen in the areas of infrastructure, urban development, transport, the economy, social affairs, schools, children and young people. This also makes it possible to participate in the development of the city in dialog with elected representatives and representatives of the administration.

Question time for residents is also an integral part of the Citizens' Forum meetings. The Council and the district councils also hold question and answer sessions for residents.

The Citizens' Forum aims to encourage people in our city to participate in local self-government and not only enables a communicative exchange through its content-related structure, but also, where possible, meets in close proximity to those affected by the main point of discussion at the respective meeting.

If you have any questions about the Citizens' Forum and the participation opportunities offered by the City of Aachen, you are welcome to contact the Citizens' Forum office.

A children's forum for Aachen

The Children's Forum offers children the opportunity to share their concerns and ideas with local policymakers and to actively participate in democratic processes.

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