European Citizens’ Initiative

On 5 April, the European Commission formally replied to the ‘Save Bees and Farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment’ initiative, the 7th valid citizens’ initiative.

The organisers of the initiative called for the phasing out of synthetic pesticides by 2035; the restoration of biodiversity in agriculture; and support for farmers in the transition to sustainable farming. The Commission welcomed this initiative and appreciated that the level of support for the initiative demonstrated the strength of feeling of EU citizens.

In its reply, the Commission pointed out that, after the initiative had been initially registered, a number of legislative proposals had been submitted that deal with the very issues raised, and it called on the Parliament and Council to agree on and move forward with these proposals swiftly.

See the factsheet on this reply here.

Commissioner Sinkevičius and representatives of the involved directorates-general presented the Commission reply to the organisers at a meeting on 25 April 2023.

On 18 April, the European Commission registered the initiative ‘Connecting all European capitals and citizens through a highspeed train network’. This is the 100th citizens’ initiative registered since 2012.

The organisers ask for the establishment of a European high-speed train network as quickly as possible. This means linking up the existing high-speed railway networks and building high-speed lines where these do not yet exist. They now have six months to collect 1 million signatures of support from at least 7 EU countries.

‘VEGAN MEAL’. As more and more people are turning to a vegan lifestyle, for moral, environmental or health reasons, this initiative asks for a legal requirement that there is always a vegan option available in private and public venues selling food and drink in Europe.

Ensuring a dignified reception of migrants in Europe. The initiative stems from the fundamental EU value of human dignity and asks for two regulations: one on the distribution of asylum seekers in the EU, based on their own free will; and another for guaranteed standards for their reception in all EU countries.

‘Whatever It Takes’. In 2012, when Europe was dragged into the international financial crisis, Mario Draghi uttered these three ‘magic words’ and marked a new era for the role of the ECB in the eurozone, paving the way for financial stability in the face of the worst recession to hit Europe since the Second World War. This initiative calls for a day to be dedicated to this event to remind all of us what the EU is capable of achieving, even when faced with such overwhelming obstacles.

During its 26 April meeting, the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament listened to a presentation from a representative of the initiative Ensuring Common Commercial Policy conformity with EU Treaties and compliance with international law, also known as ‘Stop Trade with Settlements'.

This ECI finished collection in February 2023, with over 270,000 signatures. Watch the recording by clicking ‘more’.

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.

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!

Introducing a new way to connect and interact with organisers, stakeholders and interested citizens through the European Citizens’ Initiative Facebook Group! As a member of this group, you will be able to stay informed and share information, news and events concerning the European Citizens’ Initiative in general and specific initiatives.

Learn more about the Central Online Collection System from an interview with Jérôme Stefanini, the IT project officer responsible for the system at the Commission. In this blog post, he describes the key properties and advantages of the system.

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 an important tool more specifically. Over 400 students attended sessions organised throughout the year.

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

There may be costs involved in getting your initiative started and getting people to support it. If you receive financial help to organise and promote your initiative, there are rules about what you must declare.

You must provide information on all funding above EUR 500 per sponsor and you need to provide this information when you submit your request for registration and update it at least every 2 months.

If you receive any non-financial support, this may also have to be declared.

The details of your support and sponsors will be published in our online register. For reasons of transparency, it is important that people who sign your initiative know where your funds are coming from.

For more information about this and anything else you need to know about the ECI, check out our FAQs.