We’re excited to share the latest updates on the Horizon Europe RETOOL project!

RETOOL project is on a journey of research and dialogue to open conversations on climate democracy and provide fresh perspectives on existing practices and innovations across key domains to deepen the understanding of the relationship between democratic governance and the climate imperative. It aims to identify new frameworks to address the climate crisis's complexity, urgency, and long-term impacts and contribute to the strengthening and revitalising democratic governance in Europe more broadly!

A new study by RETOOL maps how national parliaments across the EU are reforming their own workings to address climate governance challenges. The research identified 4 key types of parliamentary innovation:

Commitment: Binding future governments with climate laws & budgets.

Overshight: Strengthening scrutiny of government action.

Information: Using expert councils to cut through the noise.

Participation: Bringing citizens into the process via digital tools & assemblies.

What matters most is sustained political will and smart integration into existing work. From Austria's climate budget office to Estonia's digital democracy, parliaments are becoming pivotal sites for democratic climate adaptation.

Read the full paper: https://zenodo.org/records/17527008

New research investigates the efficiency and democratic implications of the European Union's use of non-legislative processes for climate governance.

The key findings are:

Efficiency: Both delegated and implementing acts are efficient for making technical amendments to existing climate laws.

Democratic Deficiencies: Despite their efficiency, these processes show significant weaknesses across four democratic pillars, accountability, representation, knowledge and participation.

The report concludes that a fundamental tension exists between the need for efficient regulatory updates and the commitment to democratically robust policymaking. It calls for further research to address this tension, especially in a political context where the European Parliament may be a less ambitious climate actor.

Read the full paper: https://zenodo.org/records/17527070

For years, the success of Deliberative Mini-Publics has been measured by their direct impact on policy. But new findings reveal this focus is too narrow. A review of 121 articles confirmed that academic research is focused on policy outcomes. However, empirical case studies in Belgium, Sweden and Ireland revealed a different reality. In practice, these assemblies often had a greater impact on "ways of thinking" and building governance resources than on immediate policy change.

The takeaway is clear: citizens’ assemblies can shift discourse and build collective understanding that can strengthen both climate action and democracy.

Read the full paper: https://zenodo.org/records/17527119

Join us in zenodo

Learn more:
https://retoolproject.eu/news-events/call-papers-international-interdisciplinary-workshop-university-trento

To bridge knowledge gaps and promote shared understanding, we are working with the ACHIEVE project to create an accessible glossary. This includes a collaboratively-built glossary and a series of short videos that explain fundamental concepts in climate science and democracy.

ACHIEVE project: https://www.achieveproject.eu/communication/videos

Our consortium partners attended the annual Democracy R&D summit in Brussels and they held a workshop and gathered democracy practitioners to explore a vital question: How can democratic innovations like climate assemblies deliver real climate action while deepening trust in governance?

Read more: https://retoolproject.eu/news-events/workshop-annual-democracy-rd-summit-october-2025

Our RETOOL partners Alice Brawley Chesworth and Lea Schewe participated in the RIFS 2025 Conference "Tough Conversations in Tough Times", in Berlin. As backlash becomes more vocal in public and political debate, our research on democratic innovations is directly relevant. We explore how inclusive, deliberative processes, like climate assemblies, can help navigate polarization, rebuild public trust and foster the just and inclusive societal transformation we urgently need.

Read more: https://retoolproject.eu/news-events/participation-rifs-conference-berlin-34-december-2025

Our partner Robert Tesei held educational meetings with secondary school students on the theme 'The Nuclear Age: War, democracy and movements from Hiroshima to the present day'. These sessions engaged directly with young people, applying insights from the RETOOL project’s research 'Lessons from environmental movements of the past' to contemporary discussions on peace, democracy and civic engagement.

RETOOL partner Alice Brawley Chesworth, presented the paper “Irish civil service accountability for taking action on climate change”. The presentation examined the structures and mechanisms for holding the Irish civil service accountable in the implementation of climate policy, contributing a crucial national case study to broader discussions on governance and environmental action.

RETOOL attended “The dimensions of conflict in political discourse” and presented “Greenpeace and environmental conflict: practices, knowledge and narratives in the European public sphere”. The analysis examined Greenpeace’s role in shaping European environmental conflict from the 1980s-1990s, highlighting its top-down yet innovative model that combined technical expertise, powerful communication, and the linking of local protests to transnational networks to impact the public agenda.

Our partner Roberto Tesei, presented “Hybrid sources, dispersed archives. Practices and challenges in the historical study of Italian environmentalism.” The paper addressed the unique methodological opportunities and challenges of working with associational archives, digital materials, and scattered collections, including a critical reflection on the use of LLMs and new digital tools for historical research.

Our consortium partner Nina Koistinen attended the inaugural conference of the European Association of Climate Law (EACL) in Berlin. The event, "Climate Law in Europe: Taking Stock – Looking Forward", was a pivotal gathering of legal minds shaping our future.

Our partner presented her presentation, "Litigating the climate transition in the EU: mapping climate-relevant litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Union", explored the crucial role of litigation in driving and defining the EU's path to net-zero.

Our consortium partner Dr. Áron Buzogány gave an interview with Dr. Liz Hicks ''Between Disruption and Renewal: Rethinking the Climate Movement in a Time of Democratic Stress''

They argue that while the movement's peak visibility around the 2019 "Global Week for Future" has passed, it is now navigating a complex landscape defined by democratic stress, shifting tactics and the search for renewal.

Read the interview here: https://revdem.ceu.edu/2025/11/20/between-disruption-and-renewal/

Send us an email for any questions or to express interest in the RETOOL research.

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