European Citizens’ Initiative

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Organisers of the European citizens' initiative ‘Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment' met with representatives from the European Commission (Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency; Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and high-level officials from DG Environment, Health and Food Safety and DG Agriculture and Rural Development) on 25 November.

The organisers presented the objectives of the initiative in depth and answered questions from the Commission, after becoming the 7th successful ECI on 10 October.

The Commission will analyse the initiative and has until 7 April 2023 to present its official reply.

On 22 November the Commission registered a European citizens' initiative called 'European Day of “Whatever it Takes”’.

In reference to the statement made by the former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, on 26 July 2012, the initiative organisers call for the institutionalisation of the European Day of “Whatever it Takes” as a ‘symbolic act of pan Europeanism'. The organisers aim to mark a chapter of “EU's functional resiliency and core capabilities for institutions, nations and societies to drive progress while sailing times of multiple-crisis management”.

Organisers of the ‘Protect the EU’s Rural Heritage, Food Security and Supply’ initiative launched their signature collection period on 2 November. They have 12 months to collect 1 million signatures.

This initiative calls on the Commission to modernise its rural commitments to food security, the supply of agriculture materials and the protection of the values and livelihoods of a rural way of life.

On 19 November the signature collection period ended for ‘ReturnthePlastics: A Citizen’s Initiative to implement an EU-wide deposit-system to recycle plastic bottles’.

Upcoming deadlines:

- The initiative ‘Call to Action – Environmental protection in all policies’ will close on 7 December.

On 9 November, the Court of Justice of the EU confirmed that the Commission has not committed any infringements in its communication which stated that no further legislation was necessary at that stage to achieve the objectives sought by the ECI ‘Minority SafePack – one million signatures for diversity in Europe’. It dismissed the ECI organiser group’s action for annulment of that communication.

Click ‘more’ to read the press release from the Court of Justice.

In the past month, three countries (Austria, Malta and Sweden) have activated the option for signature collection via the national electronic identity card (eID) system. This brings the total number of countries accepting eID to sign European citizens’ initiatives to 16.

Completing the form automatically with eID not only saves you time, but it ensures that data is correct – reducing the possibility of human error. This is important when the national authorities need to verify the 1 million+ signatures collected, before organisers can officially submit the initiative.

Would you tell us more about your experiences with the ECI and yourself?

We have launched a short citizens’ survey about the European Citizens’ Initiative. Share your views today, in the language of your choice. The results will feed into the Commission’s review of the functioning of the ECI. Questions cover a variety of topics – from knowledge of how the ECI works to whether you have ever wanted to start a new ECI, and more.

We look forward to your feedback!

Four organisations have joined the ECI Ambassador programme in the past weeks. Welcome to Mihnea Chirila (GEYC – Romania), Monika Slaninová (Europe Direct Banskobystrický region – Slovakia), Mario Villamor Nodal (Europe Direct Ciudad Real - Spain) and Francesco Castiglione (Europe Direct Fyrbodal - Sweden).

About joining: “As a young volunteer who enjoys meeting and working with new people from diverse backgrounds, I've grown an interest in the European space, active participation, and involving youth in the European community. Joining the ECI Ambassador programme will improve cooperation and visibility at local and European levels.” - Mihnea

The ECI Communicators Network continues to grow. Around 60 people joined the online gathering on 15 November to discuss creative ways of communicating about the ECI. Members of this network include ECI Ambassadors, National Contact Points, Europe Direct centres and partners from various EU Institutions.

Meet your ECI Ambassadors by clicking ‘more’ below.

The next time someone asks you “what can I achieve by starting or supporting an ECI?” , here is one way to respond:

“The European Citizens’ Initiative helps bring causes you care about to the EU level. You can spark debate, raise awareness and trigger policy change in the EU.”

More facts and communication tips can be found in a powerpoint presentation added to the Communication Material page in October. Find out ‘more’.

Check out the new blog posts on the ECI Forum!

‘National Authorities' Take on How to Ensure Your Signatures Get Verified’ provides advice how to make sure that the maximum number of signatures collected get validated.

Read about how the organisers of an anti-animal testing ECI managed to collect over 1 million signatures in ‘Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics: We chose an ECI because it has meaning, and it has force!’.

The latest discussion threads in the Forum ‘Discuss’ section cover the topics of ideas for new ECIs, participatory democracy and the energy crisis. Discuss with your fellow citizens here and check out other blog posts by clicking ‘more’.

Interested in learning more about the process and practice of developing a successful European Citizens’ Initiative?

Click 'more' to check out the interactive online course: Essential Skills for European Citizens' Initiative Organisers.

Over 300 students have attended sessions organised by the ECI Forum throughout the year. ECI experts take the opportunity to discuss the potential of participatory democracy in Europe generally, and the ECI as an important tool more specifically.

Would you like us to make a presentation at your university? Contact the ECI Forum via eciforum@ecas.org.

What happens directly after a European citizens’ initiative reaches 1 million verified signatures?

First, the organisers have 3 months’ time to deliver the encrypted statements of support to the competent national authorities. These authorities check and verify the signature thresholds have been met in a country. Within 3 months, they issue a certificate with the verified numbers for the organisers. The organisers then have a 3-month timeframe (starting when the last certificate is received) to submit their initiative to the European Commission. The signatures are not submitted, rather the certificates from the national authorities.

The submission step then launches the 6-month ‘getting an answer’ phase in which initiative organisers and the European Commission meet, and a hearing is held at the European Parliament.