European Citizens’ Initiative

Dear readers,  

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• The Commission registered a new European citizens' initiative entitled ‘Good Clothes, Fair Pay’ on 1 June. Initiative organisers call for legislation requiring companies in the garment and footwear sector to carry out due diligence in respect of living wages in their supply chains. They announced that they will open signature collection on 19 July. Learn more about the initiative’s 6 objectives.
• The (extended) signature collection period finished in June for two citizens’ initiatives: ‘Voters without Borders, Full Political Rights for EU Citizens’ and ‘Start Unconditional Basic Incomes (UBI) throughout the EU’.
• One initiative decided to withdraw from collecting before the official closing date: ‘Freedom to Share’.

On 22 June the Commission made a proposal for renewed pesticides rules to meet the goal of reducing by 50% the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 2030. It drew inspiration, among others, from two European citizens’ initiatives (each with more than 1 million signatures) and citizens’ proposals at the Conference on the Future of Europe, mentioned in the proposal's foreword.

These were, on one hand, the successful 2017 ‘Ban glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides’ initiative with a view for a pesticide-free future, and on another, the initiative ‘Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment’ (under verification of signatures by Member States authorities) aiming to phase out synthetic pesticides in EU agriculture by 2035.

Watch the recording of the press conference by clicking ‘more’.

Minimum age to support European citizens’ initiatives corresponds to the age to be entitled to vote in elections to the European Parliament. Belgium has lowered the minimum voting age for these elections from 18 to 16 for all EU citizens living in the country. This measure will enter into force on 1 May 2023. As of this moment, young people aged 16-18 will also be able to support European citizens’ initiatives.

The Central Online Collection System has new features to improve functionality for ECI organisers. The sample social media messages have more formatting options, and the initiatives’ logos can be displayed in Facebook messages. In addition, organisers can easily download the latest metrics, find translations added in the user feedback pages and there is better guidance for citizens entering an incorrect postal code. 

Finally, feedback shared in a survey by people supporting the initiatives will allow the Commission to prepare other future improvements. The majority of open initiatives use COCS, and all new initiatives registered from 1 January 2023 will be required to use it. 

The 2022 edition of the ECI Day, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and its partners on 2 June, focused on the theme "European Citizens' Initiative 10 years on: ready for the future?".  

The workshop on the Central Online Collection System (COCS) allowed to present new features of the COCS and to collect feedback from users and stakeholders for the continuous improvement of the system. The workshop on 'Successful initiatives: when NGOs across the EU unite for a common cause' gave several insights into civil society's engagement with the ECI. 

Read more in the conclusions prepared by the European Economic and Social Committee, or watch the full recording.

The ECI is being featured at several festivals in France this summer!

If you’re in Marseille for the Delta festival - a three-day music, sport, and arts festival – you can visit the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) stand and learn more about how to actively get involved in participatory democracy in the EU. Come meet ECI Ambassadors from Mouvement Europeen and Democratie Ouverte who will share their experience and answer your questions, challenge your friends to the ECI quiz, and learn how the ECI can help you have a say on issues that matter for Europe and the world.

The ECI will also be present at the European Commission’s stands at the Les Eurokeennes (Belfort, 30 June – 3 July), Vieilles Charrues (Carhaix, Bretagne, 14-17 July), and Rock En Seine (Saint-Cloud, Île-de-France, 25-28 August) festivals. 

Interested in learning how to do effective campaigning during challenging times due to external circumstances?  

Join us online Wednesday, 6 July as communication expert, John Holland, and ECI organiser from ‘Stop Finning – Stop the Trade’ , Nils Kluger, share their expertise and experiences. Starting at 12:30 CET – this webinar lasts 1 hr 15 min.

To register to this webinar please send an email to: ECIforum@ecas.org

Find further information on the webinar by clicking ‘more’ below.

Mark your calendars for two more opportunities to meet the ECI in person this summer! Currently confirmed opportunities include:

• The Political Festival of Europe – 25-28 August in Mariager, Denmark
• The Prinsjesfestival – 14-15 September in The Hague, Netherlands

  More information will be added to the ECI website in due time.

With 7 episodes released in season 1 and production for season 2 kicking off, we invite you to share your views on the 'CitizenCentral' podcast. This survey takes approximately 8-10 minutes and is open until 15 July – click more below.

Summer survey! If you’re a civil society representative, we want to know your organisation’s perspectives about the European Citizens’ Initiative. We only need 5 minutes of your time. Click ‘more’ below.   

Curious to learn more about the process and practice of developing a successful European citizens’ initiative?  

Check out the new and improved online course: Essential Skills for European Citizens' Initiative Organisers (click more below). This interactive online course gives participants the opportunity to learn under the guidance of experts in the field.  

Check out the latest video with current ECI organisers in the ECI Forum LEARN page. Meet-and-greet with five organisers of the following citizens’ initiatives: ‘Civil Servant Exchange Programme’, ‘European EcoScore’, and ‘Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics’.

Check out the new blog post on the ECI Forum: "Young Italians Test the European Citizens Initiative as a Tool to Mobilise for the Climate” .  Maria Pia Napoletano, a youth professional and coordinator of the Young European Ambassadors (YEA) initiative, outlines how participants learned about the ECI and simulated starting their own initiatives during the workshop.

This event was a part of the #TheGreenTrack campaign, launched in 2022 by the European Commission to amplify youth voices and participation in relation to environmental issues, and organised by YEA.

Check out other blog posts on the ECI Forum by ECI organisers and experts: https://europa.eu/citizens-initiative-forum/blog_en

The ECI Forum has updated an infographic where you can find interesting facts and figures on citizens’ initiatives between 2012 and 2022, their organisers (country of origin and residence, age) or funding.

For instance, did you know that more than 1.4 million people - in Germany, France and Italy alone -signed ECIs through the Central Online Collection System between January 2020 and May 2022? Find more figures in the PDF by clicking ‘more’.