A Participatory Legislative Process is defined to occur whenever a Public Administration, either at national, regional or local level, is obliged (by an imperative norm) or committed (by voluntary mechanisms) to involve citizens’ participation in the process of legislation.

Recent reflections conducted at EU level have clarified that the issue of participation can arise within four distinct stages of the legislative process:

1) policy formation (agenda setting and prior analysis);

2) discussion of draft legislation;

3) implementation of legislation;

4) amendments and follow-up.

At all stages, not only do requirements for participatory legislation include the establishment of mechanisms for the expression of a “separate judgement” by interested people (with respect to their elected representatives), but also settle the conditions for a timely, informed and responsible judgement, that are definitely harder to achieve.