Less than ten weeks left until the launch of the first real European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECI) on April 1st all relevant stakeholders – citizens, institutions and media – are getting prepared for the start of the first transnational instrument of participatory democracy in world history. Please find an up-date on ECI related events, how to prepare an ECI Campaign and about some courageous citizens who are just about to run an ECI.   More…

The time has now come for the final countdown towards the launch of the first real European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). More and more people across Europe are already preparing the first official transnational ECI campaigns on a very diverse range of issues – from environmental to social to institutional topics. At the same time EU member states are still in the process of implementing the juridical and practical arrangements at the national level to make the ECI work. More…

If you are serious about organising an ECI, you will need assistance and should calculate at least half a year to prepare and another full year to collect signatures. The ECI Campaign wants to see many citizens lifting their voices through the new ECI instrument and offers an ECI Help Desk. We advise you to consider the following check-list before you start an ECI. More…

The ECI Campaign believes the single greatest weakness of the final ECI regulation is that member states may require their residents to provide ID card numbers in order to support a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).  Most  member states (18 countries) currently plan to do so. Fortunately, countries may remove this ID card requirement at any time and for any reason. However, they are unlikely to do so without pressure from pro-ECI activists working at the national level.

Speaking at “The European Citizens’ Initiative – A First Assessment” workshop at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium on 25 January, MEP Diana Wallis, co-rapporteur for the ECI, said it was the intention of the European Parliament that, over time, most member states will drop the ID card requirement. However, she said it is unclear how exactly this will happen.

According to Mr. Pecsteen, representative of the Belgian EU Presidency, More…

During recent months and years, the ECI Campaign has diligently worked for a truly citizen-friendly and usable ECI — so this tool can fulfill its potential in democratizing the EU. Read more about what has been reached as well as the next steps and events to come in 2011.

We have succeeded in reducing severe hurdles that would have made the ECI unattractive and extraordinary difficult to access for ordinary citizens. Specifically, our lobbying succeeded in convincing EU officials to: More…

However signature collection and verification rules are still excessively bureaucratic and a serious response from the European Commission is not guaranteed.

Strasbourg - Today the European Parliament approved the regulation to implement the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI): a new tool created by the Lisbon Treaty which gives 1 million citizens the right to ask for changes to European law.

According to Carsten Berg, ECI Campaign Director “We warmly welcome the introduction of the ECI. It is the first transnational instrument of participatory democracy in world history. More…

Different from what we first thought, very important detailed questions for ECI have still not been finalized. Important issues, such as the mandatory public hearing and ID card collection, are still being negotiated in technical meetings between Council, Parliament and Commission.
The ECI Campaign thus continues its work for a citizen-friendly European Citizens’ Initiative. Please support and forward our Avaaz-petition for a citizen-friendly European Citizens’ Initiative to all your friends. Only by all working together can we save the ECI!

For more background see report here (Euractiv). For further regular background articles check out our FB and Twitter-site.    For Our Avaaz-petition in different languages, click here.

Dear Friends,

Once again, thank you for your fantastic support for a citizen-friendly ECI. More than 175.000 people from across Europe have signed our Avaaz petition calling for 1) no ID numbers from ECI supporters 2) a mandatory public hearing for successful ECIs 3) 18 months to collect signatures and 4) signature quotas from 1/5 of Member States. This has helped us tremendously to keep up the pressure on the ECI negotiators within the EU institutions.

Yesterday morning, 30 November, the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) unanimously More…

We  have a new ally in AVAAZ. Please sign the petition for
a citizen-friendly ECI – and pass it on to all your friends.

Press Release by ECI Campaign, 25 November 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Citizens can bolster MEPs’ position in negotiations with Council to remove unnecessary barriers in new democratic tool allowing citizens to influence the EU policy agenda More…