Press releases

From today, all Aachen residents can suggest topics for the Citizens' Council 2025 and contribute their ideas directly to the political decision-making process.

All interested citizens are invited to use the City of Aachen's participation portal to submit suggestions for topics that they think should be addressed by the Citizens' Council. Whether social justice, climate protection, traffic solutions or cultural issues. In short, anything that affects the quality of life in the Aachen area. All ideas count.

Submitting topics, but how?

Anyone can submit proposals online via the City of Aachen's participation portal at https://beteiligung.nrw.de/portal/aachen/beteiligung/themen/1011733. Alternatively, proposals can be sent in writing to the Citizens' Secretariat or contacted by telephone. The deadline for submissions is February 12, 2025.

Every vote counts, even when selecting topics

From February 14, all Aachen residents will be able to vote on the proposed topics. Anyone can support the topic of their choice simply by clicking the mouse.

The Citizens' Council monitoring committee discusses the submitted topic proposals with at least 125 votes and selects at least five proposals that are particularly promising. These are discussed intensively in a public meeting on March 18 at the Citizens' Forum. This is where the political representatives select the final topic for the Citizens' Assembly 2025.

Active, committed, together: Citizens' Council enters its third round

The Citizens' Council is a living example of citizen-oriented democracy. People with very different backgrounds and perspectives come together here, accompanied by experts, to develop joint solutions for the challenges facing our city. The first two rounds have impressively demonstrated how valuable this form of participation is. Numerous recommendations were developed with great commitment and submitted to the Aachen City Council.

The Citizens' Council is not a one-off event, but a permanent body that goes far beyond a discussion forum. New members are drawn by lot every year, which guarantees broad participation and fresh perspectives.

The Citizens' Council not only offers participants the opportunity to play an active role in shaping their city, but also to contribute their own ideas, discuss controversial issues and develop new approaches together. They also receive an expense allowance in recognition of their commitment.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the new Citizens' Council can find further information at www.aachen.de/buerger_innenrat. If you have any questions, Albert Halfmann from the Citizens' Dialogue and Administrative Management department is also available by telephone on 0241 432-7223 or by email at buerger_innenrat@mail.aachen.dezur.