The best and the safest way to achieve successful and sustainable patterns to ensure citizen participation is through structured and institutionalized mechanisms. Therefore, this section aims at emphasizing the institutionalized mechanisms for citizen participation.

Mechanisms of civic participation and development of direct democracy are oultined in a separate chapter of the Law on Local Self-Government. These mechanisms are: public information; public consultation; the right to petition; civic initiatives; referendum; and consultative committees.

Civic participation mechanisms in general are effective when citizens see them as credible, and where there is political commitment/engagement for their implementation.

Civic participation mechanisms will not work when:

• Efforts are made to present party positions as independent and legitimate voices of citizens
• There is no political commitment/engagement for implementation of the mechanisms
• The system exists in principle (i.e. when it sounds fine on the paper), but when the mechanisms are put into operation, there is lack of necessary resources for them to be properly implemented.

Fulfilling some of the very simple prerequisites is crucial for public participation to be successful. This includes the need that:

• Participation process to be meaningful and to be seen as meaningful;
• That the municipality and the citizens, apart from sharing opinions, should also listen to one-another;
• There should be resources in place that support civic participation, this also means forms of funding initiatives;
• One should understand the difference between
  • Providing information,
  • Consultation,
  • Participation;
• Understand which mechanism is being used in which situation;
• Members of the assembly should be involved in the process of civic participation;
• Understand that public meetings are just a form of participation, and if they are not properly managed, they can be seen as biased and be put to the service of those who are more vocal and articulate;
• There should be policies in place that push the municipal staff to promote civic participation.