The BCOP Budget Literacy and Transparency Working Group (BLTWG), which comprises of members from 16 BCOP countries, held an event co-designed and co-organized with the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) in Cascais, Portugal. The first day was dedicated to the exchange of information about the two networks (PEMPAL and GIFT) and presentations of their recent achievements in the area of public participation. Additionally, parallel group discussions on how to motivate citizens to use information technologies, supporting public participation in budget process, were organized. The second day was dedicated to presentations of Portuguese government experience in enhancing public participation. On the third day the participants of the event visited Cascais municipality, which is considered a global champion in participatory budgeting.
