In recent years, the use of the participatory approach in the decision-making process has increased in frequency,
meaning that the involvement of stakeholders who are interested in the decisions or have useful knowledge to share
has grown. Active participation is based on a partnership involving many actors, such as politicians, citizens, experts
and stakeholders. The key of any active participation is to involve different stakeholders by giving them not only the
possibility to listen and watch but also the power to interact with the processes, making them accept the possibility
that they could change them. The quality of the participatory process can be influenced by many different elements:
content is very important, of course, but so are procedure and atmosphere. The participatory approach can be
categorized into two basic types: the more directive one and the more cooperative (and less directive) one. The latter
focuses on the process itself and the relationships, aiming to generate a creative group that is able to face change
(Bigaran et al., 2013). A good participatory approach enables diverse opinions and voices to be heard – this creates a
productive atmosphere, one which the participants will preserve in the future. For a successful participatory
approach it is important to closely observe the bottom-up method, thereby reaching every single individual.