European Citizens’ Initiative

The European Commission registered a new European citizens’ initiative called ‘End the Slaughter Age’ on 27 April. Organisers are asking to exclude livestock farming from activities eligible for agricultural subsidies and to include [in subsidies] ethical and ecological alternatives, such as cell farming and plant proteins. Their second aim is for the Commission to create incentives for the production and sale of plant-based products and those produced by cell farming.

After having their initiative registered by the Commission, organisers have 6 months to start the collection of the required 1 million signatures from at least 7 EU countries.

Learn more about this citizens’ initiative in the press release or by clicking ‘more’ below.

The Fundamental Rights Agency organised on 6 April the webinar “European Citizens' Initiative: how can civil society organisations make use of it?”. Representatives from the European Commission, the ECI Forum, and two ECI organisers (‘Reclaim your Face’ and ‘Voters without borders’) spoke.

Organisers described what they’ve achieved through launching an ECI – even if the process towards collecting 1 million signatures is ongoing. Running an ECI provides an opportunity to ‘open doors’ and work with politicians from many parties and on various levels. It also helped organisers start conversations on their topics and encourage people to take action.

A recording of the webinar is here.

The city of Rennes in France has been conducting a participatory experiment with residents since the autumn of 2021. Les Rennais prennent l’Initiative (‘Rennes citizens take the initiative’), a project launched by Labo Europe, invites citizens to build a European citizens’ initiative together around key themes.

A Citizen Factory was set up alongside 6 thematic workshops, with nearly 400 people taking part. This led to a total of 97 contributions submitted and a shortlist of 12 proposals. Residents of Rennes have until 30 April to vote for their favourite. After which, partners in other EU Member States will be sought to create an organiser group which can formally submit the project as a European Citizens’ Initiative.

Check out the full project by clicking ‘more’ below (in French).

Discover how to make a difference with the European Citizens’ Initiative during a webinar on Tuesday, 3 May 2022, 18:00 – 19:30 CET.

You will find out all about this unique participatory democracy tool, meet and interact with people who have started initiatives and get your questions answered.

The webinar will be held in English. You can register via the link below. The event will be recorded and offered as part of the European Commission Open Days online. You can also visit the ECI stand at the physical Open Days in Brussels – if around, come to meet the ECI team in the Berlaymont (Rue de la Loi 200) on 7 May between 10 am and 6 pm.

Looking back on the past 10 years, this event hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee will discuss the ECI successes, its challenges, and what its future will look like. As part of the event, a workshop on the Central Online Collection System (COCS) will be organised by the European Commission with the support of the ECI Forum.

In the context of the European Year of Youth, particular attention will be focused on young people's participation in the ECI, with a view to making suggestions on what can be done to encourage them to embrace this opportunity and make their voice heard in the EU policy-making process.

This is a hybrid event - join us in Brussels or online! Registration will open at the beginning of May.

1 April 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the ECI, marking the date the first ECI regulation started to apply. That’s why, throughout the year, we will honor 10 years of the European Citizens’ Initiative and we invite you all to use this milestone as an opportunity to raise awareness about this unique instrument of transnational democracy. Head over to our Communication material page for resources in all EU official languages to help spread the word. Share your activities with us: SG-ECI-COMMUNICATION[at]ec.europa.eu.

We asked Iva, one of our ECI Ambassadors from Croatia, a few questions about her work. This is what she has to say:

“Becoming an ECI Ambassador gives our organisation, Lota’s Box, opportunities to talk more often and more efficiently about participatory democracy at national and international level. A lot of our work consists of virtual exchanges and non-formal learning, and we have incorporated ECI activities into as much as we can. We use media channels to announce new initiatives and when signing starts for initiatives. Our international network is strengthening as well, bringing added value to our local work. Recently, we contributed to an article about the ECI in national newspapers and I was invited as a speaker to a panel organised by the Croatian News Agency about participatory democracy in March.”

Shout out to the ECI organisers: “For organisers, it takes a lot of time and energy to pass the full ECI process. We should be thankful for your enthusiasm - you are trying to build a better future through your creative ideas and concepts.”

Meet your ECI Ambassadors by clicking ‘more’ below.

Did you miss the ECI Forum workshop on 12 April exploring tips on in-person signature collection? Read on for some initial insights.

When it comes to in-person campaigning, ECI organisers Balász Tárnok (‘Minority SafePack’) and Olga Kikou (‘End the Cage Age’), as well as local and national initiative organisers agreed on two critical factors for grabbing people’s attention:

• 1. Hold physical stands to access pedestrians for direct signatures
• 2. Create a simple, captivating message to engage people on the street.

  In addition, mobilising volunteers to commit time and effort can make a big difference to a campaign’s success. Participants were also advised to collect 10 % more signatures than the 1 million thresholds, just as a back-up measure.

Kinga Joó, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, outlines the opportunities for citizens to engage in Europe. The European Democracy Passport provides an overview on how participation and engagement can take place. Among such opportunities, obviously: the European Citizens’ Initiative. As every year, the EESC organises the 2022 ECI Day. Read more about all of this in Kinga Joó's blog post on the ECI Forum.

The European Commission has launched a tender procedure for the management of the European Citizens’ Initiative Online Collaborative Platform (ECI Forum). The procurement documents, including the tender specifications, are available on the TED eTendering website.

Organisations interested in this contract are invited to submit a tender in one of the official languages of the European Union by 31 May 2022.

If you want to know what European citizens are discussing - in relation to the ECI and EU policies, you should join the ECI Forum. The latest discussion threads cover the topics of strategic independence, social policy, energy and EU passports. Join in and discuss with your fellow citizens today!

The ECI Forum continues to directly engage with university students. ECI experts take the opportunity to discuss the potential of participatory democracy in Europe generally, and the ECI as a tool more specifically. An upcoming exchange is scheduled with students from the University of Latvia.

Would you like us to make a presentation at your university too and exchange with you and other students? Contact the ECI Forum via eciforum[at]ecas.org

Collecting signatures is a vital part of your ECI campaign. Until the end of 2022, registered initiatives have two options for collecting signatures online – the Commission’s Central Online Collection System (COCS) or using their own system.

The Central Online Collection System offers quick and easy set-up, full compliance with technical, security and data protection standards and can be used free of charge by organisers. Do you have questions or suggestions for further improvements? Join the dedicated workshop at the ECI Day on 2 June.

You can also check out a quick comparison of your options by clicking ‘more’ below – so you make an informed decision before getting started.