European Citizens’ Initiative

A public hearing on the ‘End the Cage Age’ European citizens’ initiative will take place in the European Parliament on 15 April. This is the 6th initiative to have been submitted to the European Commission, after collecting more than 1 million signatures. ‘End the Cage Age’ organiser Olga Kikou also gave a presentation of the initiative in the European Parliament’s Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals in early March. Watch the recording and find the presentations here.

On 27 March the Regulation on transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain became applicable. The regulation makes sure the European Food Safety Authority has reliable, objective and independent studies to use in risk assessment. In this way, EU citizens can trust the food they eat. An important step forward in modernising EU food safety policy, the regulation is a direct response to the citizens’ initiative ‘Ban Glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides’. The initiative aimed to ban glyphosate, to reform the pesticide approval procedure, and to set EU-wide mandatory reduction targets for pesticide use. It gathered more than 1 million signatures of support in 2017.

The European Citizens’ Initiative is coming to a country near you! (Virtually, that is!) This year, 10 online events are planned - each with a national focus to spread the word and boost the network of citizens’ initiative organisers and supporters. We’re kicking off the series of events on 28 April – together with partners in Germany. Registrations will open soon. Additional opportunities to discover the citizens’ initiative – targeted at audiences in the following countries: Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Sweden – take place between May and November. Check out the dates and details in our calendar.

Political scientists, Dr Kalypso Nicolaïdis and Dr Petar Markovic, both currently working at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute look at the European Citizens’ Initiative journey since the adoption of the first ECI regulation. The authors cover the ‘birth’ and ‘adolescence’ of the citizens’ initiative, pointing out how differing “understandings of democracy lead to a different idea of the purpose, scope and potential of ECIs”. They examine the role of citizens and organised civil society so far, what changes they would like to see in the European Institutions’ approach, and more. Check it out!

What’s behind people's motivation to engage, vote, and express their opinions at EU level? Digital democracy and civic technology expert Annija Emersone believes that insufficient support for European Citizens’ Initiatives is not so much due to a lack of interest as to a lack of information. She argues that people need to understand how issues are relevant to their everyday lives. Read Annija’s post to learn more about activism levels on different scales and her proposal of how national civic platforms can serve as a bridge between the Member States and the EU, thereby helping EU citizens engage with EU-level issues.

Want to share an idea or get feedback? Head to the European Citizens’ Initiative Forum discussion page to start or join a conversation. For example, discussion threads on vaccination, petitions and improving visibility for initiatives were recently posted. See another discussion thread that sparks your interest? We encourage you to reply and continue sharing ideas.

The ‘Learn’ page on the ECI Forum has new information! There are success stories to learn from, shared by the first 4 citizens’ initiatives to reach 1 million signatures (Right2Water, One of Us, Stop Vivisection and Ban Glyphosate). In addition, translations in all EU languages of highlights from the 2020 webinars have been added. Take a look!

See a citizens’ initiative that you want to support but not sure if you qualify? Any EU national who is old enough to vote in European elections (even if not registered to vote) is eligible. For most countries, this is 18 years old, but it’s lower in Austria and Malta (16) and Greece (17). All you have to do is fill in and sign the statement of support. Good to know also that strict rules are in place to protect your personal data. Sharing the initiative with others to support is the cherry on the cake! Check out our extensive FAQ page to learn more about the European Citizens’ Initiative.