European Citizens` Initiative comes into force in 2012

Update February 2011

A final agreement was reached in trialogue talks between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament by December, allowing the European Parliament to adopt an EU regulation governing the implementation of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) on 16 December 2010. Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi, and EP President Jerzy Buzek solemnly signed the regulation, at the EP’s plenary meeting, on 16 February 2011 at an official ceremony.

The use of Citizen’s initiatives should be functional by 2012.

Background

One of the changes brought on by the Treaty of Lisbon is the introduction of the European Citizens’ Initiative,, also known as the ’One million signature’ initiative. In other words, if a European petition received more than one million signatures, the European Commission will have to consider it. For the first time, European citizens and civil society organisations would be directly able to propose EU legislation.

The draft Regulation sets out the mechanisms through which this can become a reality:

 It has to come from at least one third of EU nations, which is currently nine countries as EU bloc contains 27 members.

 In addition, a minimum number of signatories for each participating country will be developed. The Commission proposal calls for the number to be "degressively proportional to the size of each member state." In the proposal`s annex, the numbers required from each Member State ranges from 4,500 signatories for smaller Member states, such as Luxembourg, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta (higher than 0.2% of the population). On the other hand for France the number is 55,500 and 72,000 for Germany (lower than 0.2% of the population).

 Each citizens’ initiative will be registered and the Commission will decide on its admissibility once 300,000 signatures have been collected from three member states. The European Commission will then have two months to assess the admissibility of the proposal.

 Two basic principles have to be respected for a proposal to be admissible. The initiative should deal with "a matter where a legal act of the Union can be adopted for the purpose of implementing the Treaties" and it has to be "within the framework of the powers of the Commission to make a proposal." (Article 8) Initiatives can also be rejected on the grounds that they go against European values.

 Organisers of an initiative will have 12 months to collect signatures, and signatures can be collected "in paper form or electronically."

 The minimum age for a person to sign a petition for an initiative is the same age as that for European elections.

 The organisers of an initiative will have to provide information proving that they are not lobbyists.

 Once a citizens’ initiative is presented, the Commission will have four months to make a decision and communicate its conclusions on the initiative and if it intends to take action. The organiser of the citizens’ initiative as well as to the European Parliament and the Council will be notified of the decision.

Previous Updates

**Update July 2010** Diana Wallis (ALDE UK) and Gerald Hafner (Greens/EFA DE) presented a working paper on the Citizen’s Initiative to the Petitions Committee on July 2010.

Ms Wallis, joint rapporteur of the working paper commented:

’Putting forward ideas on behalf of the Petitions Committee our whole idea has been to make this exciting new instrument as accessible, as citizen friendly and as simple as possible whilst acknowledging that this is a serious tool allowing citizens to set the EU policy and law making agenda.’

The three main innovations that were proposed are:

There should be no latter admissibility check, as he Commission originally proposed after the organisers gathered of 300,000 initial signatures, rather there should be a pre-registration check that could evaluate if the petition is within an area of EU competence, or complies with the Charter of Human Rights.

The right to petition the European Parliament should be open to all European citizens and residents with no lower age limit, in other words it should not be limited to European Parliament electors, but should especially reach out to encourage debate and interest amongst young people.

The European Commission should be obligated to hold a public hearing with the organisers of the initiative once one million signatures have been reached. A working document has also prepared in the AFCO Committee the rapporteurs for the Citizens’ Initiative are Zita Gurmai (S&D HU) and Alain Lamassoure (PPE FR). The working paper was discussed in the AFCO meeting on 12 July where representatives from the Committee of Regions and Economic and Social Committee were present. On 30 September this item will be discussed with representatives of national parliaments. A draft report is expected in the beginning of November

Timeline
 30 October 2010 report scheduled for adoption in committee PETI Committee, 1st or single reading
 15 December 2010 EP plenary sitting

*Updated June 2010*

On 14 June 2010, the Council of the European Union reached agreement on a general approach on a draft regulation of the European Citizens` Initiative. The Council of the European Union also asked the Spanish Presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament, using the general approach as a basis, to allow for the draft regulation to be adopted at first reading.

The meeting of the Council of the European Union emphasised the importance of the ECI and how adds a new dimension of participatory democracy.

The Council clarified two issues: Petitions can be submitted either online on in paper. In addition, the Council defined what a "significant number" of Membe States mean:
 a significant number is considered as at least one third of EU Members.
 a key is established for calculating the number of supporters necessary from each member state.

According to the Council’s text, “a proposed initiative must fall within an area of EU competence and be consistent with the Union’s values. The also text contains provisions on the verification of signatures and to prevent potential abuses.”

After the registration of an initiative, there would be a time period of a year for the organisers to collect the required one million signatures. The organizers would also be required to provide information on funding and support. One the threshold of 100 000 signatures has been reached, the Commission would have to decide on admissibility of the initiative.

Agreement on draft regulation implementing the European citizens’ initiative

For Further Information
 Daft regulation on the Citizen`s Initiative is available here.
 Public consultation on the European Citizens’ Initiative

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 European Citizens` Initiative comes into force in 2012
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