PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE
NEW: The Commission has invited respondents to the Green Paper to a Stakeholder Hearing on the European Citizens' Initiative, which will take place on 22 nd February in Brussels. See the programme 
.
The Lisbon Treaty introduces a new form of public participation in European Union policy shaping, the European citizens’ initiative, which enables one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States to call directly on the European Commission to bring forward an initiative of interest to them in an area of EU competence.
Before citizens can start exercising this new right, a few ground rules and procedures have to be laid down in an EU regulation.
Given the importance of this new tool for citizens, civil society and stakeholders across the EU, the Commission has opened a broad public consultation in order to seek the views of all interested parties on how the citizens' initiative should work in practice.
The Commission's Green Paper on a European Citizens' Initiative [64 KB] 
, which launches this consultation, gives an overview of the legal, administrative and practical issues that will need to be addressed by the Regulation and asks a number of questions to which interested parties are invited to respond by 31st January 2010.
To know more about this consultation and to submit your views and comments, please click here.
Green Paper on a European Citizens' Initiative [64 KB]
Citizens' summary [23 KB]
FAQ [34 KB]