Vouliwatch

Vouliwatch is a Greek civic-technology initiative and informational website dedicated to monitoring and promoting transparency in the activity of the Hellenic Parliament. Launched in 2014, it was conceived as a politically independent, non-profit company that uses digital tools to strengthen transparency and accountability in public decision-making. Its core purpose is to make the legislative process and the work of elected representatives more accessible to ordinary citizens. The platform lets users follow the progress of legislative proposals, learn about the actions of members of parliament, and assess their performance. It also provides a channel through which citizens can submit questions and proposals and interact with their representatives, thereby encouraging active participation in the democratic process. Beyond tracking, Vouliwatch presents parliamentary scrutiny in a simple format, offers comparative positions of political parties, and runs awareness campaigns on transparency and openness using infographics and video. Vouliwatch was founded in March 2014 as a politically independent, non-profit company. The idea originated in 2013 with Antonis Schwarz, a young entrepreneur inspired by the success of similar initiatives in Germany. Working with Panagiotis Vlachos, a lawyer and public-policy expert who had previously led similar projects during his service in the Greek government, the final form of Vouliwatch was created in January 2014. The Greek startup Crowd Policy, founded by Michalis Psalidis and Giorgos Karamanolis, developed the digital platform, drawing on their earlier innovative public-administration applications such as "Diavgeia" and "OpenGov." Maria Nathanail and Nadia Drakoula handled promotion and communication through social networks, Eirini Kostaki became the site's main content manager, and Stefanos Loukopoulos took on team management. Together with Schwarz and Vlachos, they made decisions on the project's development, management, strategy, and financial growth. Vouliwatch positions itself as an independent, non-profit initiative that leverages digital technology to enhance transparency and accountability in public decision-making. It aims to facilitate citizens' access to information about the activities and decisions of their elected representatives, to amplify citizen concerns and demands, to influence legislative work, and to contribute to greater political accountability. It also supports reforms in the legislative process and promotes transparency in parliament and good governance across the three interacting branches of power — judicial, executive, and legislative. Through Vouliwatch, citizens can monitor the actions of MPs and stay informed about political decisions taken in parliament. The platform provides a space where citizens can submit questions and proposals and interact with their representatives, fostering active citizen participation in the democratic process. Its services are delivered primarily in Greek and are aimed at the Greek public, media, civil society, and anyone interested in parliamentary transparency.

Vouliwatch was founded in March 2014 as a politically independent, non-profit company. The idea for the platform originated in 2013 with Antonis Schwarz, a young entrepreneur who was inspired by the success of similar parliamentary-monitoring initiatives in Germany. Working with Panagiotis Vlachos, a lawyer and public-policy expert who had previously led similar projects during his service in the Greek government, Schwarz developed the final form of Vouliwatch in January 2014. The digital platform was built by Crowd Policy, a Greek startup founded by Michalis Psalidis and Giorgos Karamanolis, who had already delivered innovative public-administration applications such as "Diavgeia" and "OpenGov." Maria Nathanail and Nadia Drakoula took responsibility for promotion and communication through social networks, while Eirini Kostaki became the site's main content manager. Stefanos Loukopoulos assumed management of the team. Together with Schwarz and Vlachos, they made decisions on all matters concerning the project's development and management as well as its strategic and financial growth. From its launch, Vouliwatch set out to be a pioneering program highlighting the importance of transparency and participation in public governance. It is an independent, non-profit initiative that relies on digital technology to strengthen transparency and accountability in public decision-making. It aims to facilitate citizens' access to information about the activities and decisions of their elected representatives. The platform also seeks to strengthen participation in the political process by creating a space where citizens can make their concerns and demands heard, influence legislative work, and contribute to greater political accountability. It supports reforms in the legislative process and promotes transparency in parliament and good governance among the three interacting branches of power — judicial, executive, and legislative. Through Vouliwatch, citizens can monitor the actions of MPs and stay informed about political decisions taken in parliament. The platform additionally provides a space where citizens can submit questions and proposals and interact with their representatives, thereby promoting active citizen participation in the democratic process. Over time, Vouliwatch has continued to operate as a civic-tech watchdog and participation tool focused on the Hellenic Parliament, offering legislative tracking, simple presentations of parliamentary scrutiny, citizen questions and MP answers, comparative party positions, and awareness campaigns on transparency and openness using infographics and video.

• 2014

  In January, the final form of Vouliwatch is created with Panagiotis Vlachos; in March, Vouliwatch is founded as a politically independent, non-profit company.

• 2014

  Crowd Policy develops the digital platform; the team is assembled with communication, content, and management roles.

• 2013

  Antonis Schwarz conceives the idea for Vouliwatch, inspired by similar initiatives in Germany.

Independent, non-profit civic-tech platform for parliamentary transparency and citizen participation in Greece.

• Vouliwatch.gr platform

  Online tools for monitoring and scrutinizing legislation and parliamentary activity.

• Citizen questions and MP answers

  A channel for citizens to submit questions and receive answers from members of parliament.

• Comparative party positions

  Side-by-side presentation of political parties' positions.

• Transparency campaigns

  Awareness campaigns on transparency and openness using infographics and video.

1. 1vouliwatch - Δυναμώνουμε τη Δημοκρατίαvouliwatch.gr
2. 2Vouliwatch - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Vouliwatch - Βικιπαίδειαel.wikipedia.org