Bürgerschaftliches Engagement und Zivilgesellschaft

Civic engagement is an essential condition for the cohesion of our society. This guideline describes the work of the Enquete Commission "Future of Civic Engagement," as outlined in the resolution of the German Bundestag. Since its establishment on February 14, 2000, the Commission has conducted numerous meetings, public hearings, and expert discussions, as well as commissioned reports from external experts, to create a comprehensive assessment of the structures and perspectives of civic engagement in Germany. In spring 2002, the Commission will present its final report to the German Bundestag, which will provide the Parliament with concrete recommendations for sustainable support of civic engagement in Germany. Furthermore, the Enquete Commission sees it as one of its essential tasks to contribute to a public awareness shift regarding the importance of civic engagement. Therefore, we have decided to publish additional working materials that have emerged during the Commission's work in a series of publications alongside the final report. The series will begin with three volumes containing short reports and presentations addressing the aspects of "Civic Engagement and Civil Society," "Civic Engagement and Employment," and "Civic Engagement and the Welfare State." These materials have resulted from expert discussions with external specialists as well as from international workshops and symposiums in the three working groups of the Enquete Commission. Further reports on specific thematic focuses will be published in additional volumes following the release of the final report in mid-2002.