Civil society

One of the more important roles, and one that gives the National Council a national profile, is the creation of links with civil society. The large number of public conferences enables civil society - in fact, encourages it - to become actively involved in joint decision-making processes on matters of public importance. The National Council is a high-profile bridge between politics and the public, bringing together different social interests which, through the medium of civil society, expand to encompass all social segments of the economy, education, culture, healthcare, social security, science and agriculture at both the national and local levels. It is the transmitter of ideas, proposals and requests which can thus be realised within the legislative process - a medium between civil society (citizens) and politics. The National Council is open and accessible to the public in its widest sense, and therefore exerts a positive influence on democratic processes within society.

Every year the National Council organises numerous conferences, public speaking events and roundtables; these are attended by representatives of various organisations, societies and specialist institutions whose contributions enrich and develop the various social and economic subsystems. The National Council publishes conference proceedings; these contain, in addition to the papers presented, summaries of participants' discussions.