Overview   Event

Interested in learning more about engaging youth in your European citizens' initiative?

This ECI Forum webinar will focus on how to get young people to sign citizens’ initiatives, how young people can be active volunteers in ECIs, and how young people can launch an ECI. Two experts and a young ECI organiser will share practical information, guidance and experience on the role of young people in European Citizens’ Initiatives on Thursday, 28 September at 17:00 CET.

For more information and registration, click on ‘more’

Over the summer, the ECI was present at various democracy festivals: the Arvamus ‘Opinion’ Festival in Paide, Estonia, in Sweden, at the Frihamndsdagarna ‘Democracy Festival’, the PLAI Festival, Romania and most recently at the ‘The Participation Festival’ in Bologna, Italy. In October, visitors of the ECI stand in the Hope and Change Festival in Brussels, Belgium, can find out more on how to use the ECI to make the world more sustainable.

This summer, ECI Ambassadors will attend various democracy festivals. We encourage you to stop by and say hello! On Saturday 12 August, the ECI will be discussed at the Arvamus ‘Opinion’ Festival in Paide, Estonia. In Gothenburg, Sweden, there will be several discussions and a stand dedicated to the ECI at the Frihamndsdagarna ‘Democracy Festival’ on Thursday 31 August and Friday 1 September. From 22 to 24 September, the ECI will have a stand at ‘Festival della Participazione’ in Bologna, Italy, where you’ll be able to learn more about open initiatives and the ECI toolkit for schools. We are also looking into participating in the PLAI Festival in Timisoara, Romania, in September, stay tuned for more!

If you are planning on coming to the Feria del Libro de Madrid, the ECI Ambassadors in Spain would love to see you at their stand in the Europe Pavilion. They will be there from the 27 to 29 May to answers any questions you may have about the ECI and will hold a panel presentation on 29 May from 18.30 to 19.30.

Pay them a visit, take the quiz, and leave a message on a postcard. Free pens may be involved!

Calling all educators! Activate your class with the European Citizens' Initiative toolkit - a webinar for teachers is scheduled for Thursday, 11 May 2023, 18:30 – 19:30 CET.

Be the first to know about a new toolkit aimed to teach high school students about active citizenship and the European Citizens’ Initiative. Hear first-hand from a teacher who piloted the 4-unit lesson plan.

The webinar will be held in English. Registration will open in April.

Every year celebrations take place for Europe Day across the EU.

On Saturday, 6 May, you can visit the ECI stand at the physical Open Day in Brussels – if you are in town, come to meet the ECI team in the Berlaymont (Rue de la Loi 200) between 10 am and 6 pm.

Find a local event in your area here.

Every year, celebrations take place for Europe Day across the EU.

On Saturday, 6 May, you can visit the ECI stand at the physical Open Day in Brussels – if you are in town, come to meet the ECI team in the Berlaymont (Rue de la Loi 200) between 10.00 and 18.00.

The ECI will be represented at various events across Europe. Check out what’s happening and where they will be in your country.

The ‘EU Democracy in Action – Have Your Say with the European Citizens’ Initiative’ toolkit has been developed by the European Commission to help educators introduce students to basic concepts of democratic participation in the EU. The toolkit will also help students develop various skills, within the framework of the ECI.

The ECI team and guests will introduce the toolkit during a webinar that will take place on Thursday, 11 May 2023, 18:30 – 19:30 CET (in English only).

Join us in Brussels or online on Thursday 8 June to mark the ECI Day 2023: Upskilling citizens for a successful ECI with impact! You will have the chance to meet initiative organisers, experts and policy-makers, as well as to exchange ideas and good practices relating to the ECI. Registration opens at the beginning of May.

On 25 May, the organiser group of the Save cruelty free cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing initiative will feature in a public hearing at the European Parliament.

Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová and Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for Internal Market, will attend, alongside MEPs and experts.

You can watch the hearing live.

More information and the hyperlink to follow live will be shared in the news section of the ECI homepage before the hearing starts.

Want to learn more about collecting signatures online and how the Central Online Collection System facilitates this process?

Join us on Tuesday, 14 March where IT expert Jerôme Stefanini and ECI organiser Nils Kluger from the successful ‘Stop Finning – Stop the Trade’ initiative will provide practical information, guidance and experience on using the Central Online Collection System.

To register for a space, please send an email to: ECIforum@ecas.org.

For more information click 'more'.

Interested in learning how to do effective campaigning during challenging times due to external circumstances?  

Join us online Wednesday, 6 July as communication expert, John Holland, and ECI organiser from ‘Stop Finning – Stop the Trade’ , Nils Kluger, share their expertise and experiences. Starting at 12:30 CET – this webinar lasts 1 hr 15 min.

To register to this webinar please send an email to: ECIforum@ecas.org

Find further information on the webinar by clicking ‘more’ below.

The ECI is being featured at several festivals in France this summer!

If you’re in Marseille for the Delta festival - a three-day music, sport, and arts festival – you can visit the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) stand and learn more about how to actively get involved in participatory democracy in the EU. Come meet ECI Ambassadors from Mouvement Europeen and Democratie Ouverte who will share their experience and answer your questions, challenge your friends to the ECI quiz, and learn how the ECI can help you have a say on issues that matter for Europe and the world.

The ECI will also be present at the European Commission’s stands at the Les Eurokeennes (Belfort, 30 June – 3 July), Vieilles Charrues (Carhaix, Bretagne, 14-17 July), and Rock En Seine (Saint-Cloud, Île-de-France, 25-28 August) festivals. 

We’ll end the European Citizens’ Initiative Week by sharing the key highlights of the Week and looking forward into the future of participatory democracy in the EU. What are the challenges and the opportunities ahead of us? What can we all do to foster citizen engagement in the EU and to make the European Citizens’ Initiative the citizens’ ally in the EU? Register by 13 November.

Two sessions during the European Citizens’ Initiative Week will focus on the experience of past and current organisers with the tool. They will discuss how they got started, what challenges they faced, how they kept the momentum going throughout their campaign year and what are their hopes for the future of the European citizens’ initiative. Register by 13 November.

Join us online to learn how the COVID-19 outbreak has affected ongoing and future European citizens’ initiatives. We will share stories of the challenges that initiatives have faced over the past year and look at how campaigns have, or how they could, overcome those challenges. To warm up, check the latest ECI Forum blog post by Daniela Vancic. https://europa.eu/citizens-initiative-forum/blog/covid-campaigning-and-pandemic-planning-tips-european-citizens-initiative-organisers_en Register by 13 November.

The European Commission’s Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová will open the Week, setting the context and the aims for the Week. A panel discussion will follow, bringing in the perspectives of key stakeholders on how to make the reformed European Citizens' Initiative a success. Register by 13 November.