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27-06-2018
CALL FOR CO-SIGNATORIES - Join the #EPForgetUsNot campaign!
The European Citizens’ Initiative needs civil society to mobilise!
The legislative revision of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has entered a crucial stage. In order for the reform to be successful, we call upon all civil society organisations across Europe to join our...
14-06-2018
Open Letter: European Parliament, make the ECI work!
On 20 June, the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) of the European Parliament will cast a vote of crucial importance for the future of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).* With this open letter, civil society organisations and former ECI organisers call upon the...
22-05-2018
Report on Milan Networking Meeting on Empowering Citizens for the Future of Europe
With only one year to go until the next European elections, civil society organisations across Europe are joining forces to explore the paths the EU can take to become closer to the citizens. On May 11thand 12th European...
15-05-2018
"No one should be angry"
On May 5 it finally happened: the first event of the NRW tour of the European Public Sphere took place in Bonn. This time the wooden dome was set up on the Münsterplatz in Bonn's city centre, where a major sporting event in bright sunshine and summery temperatures was taking...
15-04-2018
The challenging making of the European Citizens’ Initiative
“Take the Initiative!” This request by the European Commission to all citizens of the European Union marks the latest development in embracing participatory and direct democracy at the transnational level. In reality, the making and application of the European Citizens’...
13-04-2018
ECI Day 2018: Working together
On April 10, 2018, the ECI Day took place in Brussels for the seventh time, with the main organiser and host once again being the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). In addition to organisational partners such as Democracy International, European Citizen Action...
13-04-2018
“We are fighting with unequal means”
In a last-minute bit of good news ahead of this year’s ECI Day, the ‘Minority SafePack’ European Citizens’ Initiative announced that they had reached the hurdle of one million signatures required for their proposals to be taken into consideration by the EU Commission. That the...
13-04-2018
An online platform to support ECIs
At ECI Day this week, the European Commission announced the launch of a new online platform to support organisers of European Citizens' Initiatives. The platform has the ambitious goal of getting more ECIs across the one million signatures finish line, by offering professional...
13-04-2018
Under construction: the ECI
This year's European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Day showed once again that the world's first and only transnational tool of direct democracy is very much a work in progress. Daniela Vancic, European Programme Manager at Democracy International glances ahead at the upcoming...
19-03-2018
How the Dutch government is trying to delete the referendum law
Having entered into force barely 3 years ago, the Dutch Referendum law is now under threat. The newly elected Government wants to abolish the law and have had their first succes when their Repeal Law passed the Dutch Lower House last month. Arjen Nijeboer, Democracy...