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European Citizens' Initiative
The European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) was included in the EU Constitution. This is a big success for civil society. But the Constitution was rejected in two referendums in France and the Netherlands. The head of states and governments have decided to ignore these results and proposed an EU-Reform-Treaty. In this treaty the ECI is included.
This result is partly a success of our campaign. But we will continue our work. The EU needs more democracy.
Europe wide Campaign
In 2006/7 we campaigned for an immediate introduction of the ECI. More than 110 NGOs supported us. In addition, 45 MEPs supported our demand. Citizens initiatives are widely known in Europe. This is shown in our overview.
fundamentals
The ECI opens up the possibility for citizens to submit a proposal to the European Commission. At least one million EU citizens have to sign the initiative. The wording of Article 47(4) is quite open to interpretation. Experience in EU member states has shown that citizens’ initiatives, if they are to be workable, need to be citizen-friendly.
An international group of experts and activists have worked out ten basic elements for fair implementation - based on the best practice in Europe.
download the fundamentals (pdf, 115 kB)
