Since December 2019, several civic tech players have joined forces to structure and embody the sector in Europe. On May 19, 2020, ACTE officially came into being.
Representing civic tech on a European scale: this is the vocation of the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE), officially launched during a webinar in English on May 19, 2020 by its founding members, Fluicity, Make.org, Quorum, Civocracy, Novoville and Cap Collectif.
"We have different business models, but a common mission: to provide a response to the democratic crisis and increase citizen participation, explains Julie de Pimodan, co-founder of Fluicity and President of ACTE, in her introduction to the webinar. We founded this association to speak with one voice in Europe.”
"Today, institutions and civic techs have a common objective, which is to re-intermediate democracy through the active participation of citizens in all areas", continues Axel Dauchez, founder of Make.org and vice-president of ACTE.
Civic techs are players independent of any political or economic movement, who use technological innovations to increase citizen participation in democracy and forge new links between citizens and institutions. They are now an economic sector in their own right. The members of ACTE wish to contribute to its development, while becoming the privileged interlocutor of public authorities and stakeholders at European level.
At a time when the Covid-19 epidemic is preventing gatherings and disrupting the democratic process, the digital solutions offered by civic techs are more essential than ever. "Let's promote citizen engagement in times of crisis", write the members of ACTE in an article published on VoxEurop: "Civic techs give citizens the tools they need to stay in touch and engage in dialogue with each other, and to respond to urgent societal issues. They enable ongoing collaboration between citizens and decision-makers to develop solutions for a better future."