European Citizens’ Initiative

A group of students from the College of Europe submitted a new citizens’ initiative which was registered by the European Commission on 21 April: the Civil Servant Exchange Program (CESP). Taking inspiration from the Erasmus exchange programme, the proposal includes giving civil servants the opportunity to work in a similar field in a different Member State for 2 to 12 months. The proposal includes teachers, hospital staff, prison staff, judges, police officers, administrative staff, etc. under the umbrella of ‘civil servants’. The initiative aims to foster exchange of best practices and strengthen freedom of movement for workers at all levels. Striving for a new spirit of unity, the organisers say: ‘As European students and future civil servants, we believe that exchanges should not stop once studies come to an end.’

Another initiative, registered at the end of April, focuses on using existing commercial rooftops as space for green garden areas. Most rooftops are barren and not used for a specific purpose. The organising team - coming from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia – want larger corporations to install rooftop gardens. They argue this will improve environmental benefits and increase awareness about reaching a healthy balance between protecting our environment and the economy. Learn more about the newly registered initiative by visiting our website.

A public hearing on the citizens’ initiative to ban the use of cages for farm animals took place in the European Parliament (EP) on 15 April. Organisers Olga Kikou and Leopoldine Charbonneaux presented the initiative’s objectives after opening statements from chairpersons of the AGRI and PETI Committees Norbert Lins (EPP, DE) and Dolors Montserrat (EPP, ES) and Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová. “Instead of using cages, we call on the EU to (...) move to alternative systems, which are already in existence, such as barns, organic systems, free range or free farrowing”, said Ms Kikou. Animal welfare and financial support for farmers during a transition period were key elements of the lively debate, involving many MEPs and Commissioners Kyriakides and Wojciechowski. This is the 6th initiative to have been submitted to the European Commission, after collecting more than 1 million signatures. Read more or watch the hearing below.

Do you or someone you know want to learn more about the European Citizens’ Initiative? Come to an upcoming event! On 20 May the European Commission is inviting Danish citizens to discover this unique instrument of participatory democracy and on 25 May it will be Sweden’s turn. You will meet engaged citizens, EU institutions' representatives and stakeholders passionate about participatory democracy. Current and former organisers will give their insights. And you can learn how to bring more attention to a cause you care about! We kicked-off our series of online events with a successful event focused on Germany on 28 April. A total of 10 events are taking place in 2021. Check out the dates on our website.

Join our webinar for the scoop on procedural steps of the European Citizens’ Initiative. Experts will share their expertise on the subject and provide participants with tips and hints related to the procedural steps. They will highlight the best practices to follow in order to successfully prepare and register an initiative and what is needed to continue a European citizens’ initiative journey. When? 18 May 2021, 12:30 – 13:45 The ECI Forum Team organises webinars and other learning activities on a regular basis.

The European Economic and Social Committee is organising the ECI Day on 3 and 4 June (online). 3 June will be a full day of debates on the ECI tool and on 4 June, the organisers of ongoing initiatives will present their initiatives. Registration will open at the beginning of May.

Collecting signatures is the core of every European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) campaign. A recent ECI Forum webinar featuring current organisers and an ECI Ambassador focused on practical guidance for effective signature collection. Fear not if you missed the webinar! A blog article covering six highlights is now online. Contributors Flavio Grazian and Hendrik Nahr boil down the essence: Broaden your message, understand your audience and be creative!

One advantage of organising a citizens’ initiative is building momentum and public debate around relevant issues. The ‘Reclaim Your Face’ campaign organisers want to help EU citizens have a say in laws that regulate artificial intelligence (AI), such as the one which is currently being prepared by European lawmakers. Officially called the ‘Civil society initiative to ban biometric mass surveillance practices’, this initiative aims to harness the power of large-scale citizen action to call for real legislative change. Read Ela Jakubowska’s blog post to discover the campaign’s concerns about the use of AI technology in public spaces. She also covers what the European Digital Rights (EDRi) network is doing to help people keep their anonymity in public.

European citizens’ initiative organisers invite you to do something special to celebrate Europe Day this year! EU Sign Day is a self-organised activity climaxing on 9 May 2021 that aims to inform as many European citizens as possible about their right to shape the future of Europe with one (or more signatures) on the ongoing European citizens’ initiatives. Read more and engage in the discussion on the ECI Forum.

Have an opinion to share or a request to make? Head to the European Citizens’ Initiative Forum discussion page to start or join a conversation. For example, a contributor proposes an outright ban on adverts that are based on personal data (e.g. browsing history, previous purchases, etc.) or cohort data (users such as myself and similar to me who visit similar websites, etc.). What ideas do you have on the topic? Another Forum user is looking for academic/scientific materials to prepare a policy paper on European citizens’ initiatives in general, from a categorisation perspective (what they are about and which kind of organisation is behind them). See another discussion thread that sparks your interest? Share your views and join the debate!

Do you have an idea in mind but aren’t sure if it qualifies to be a citizens’ initiative? Would you like expert advice? The ECI Forum is the space for you to connect with experts for independent advice on legal and organisational aspects before submitting your initiative. Check out our extensive FAQ page to learn more about the European Citizens’ Initiative. And hop on over to the ECI Forum – a peer-to-peer space to exchange ideas and help citizens’ initiatives succeed.