If you want the EU to act on a certain matter, you can do so through the European Citizens’ Initiative.
The European Citizens’ Initiative is a tool that allows the public to petition the European Commission to propose legislation or other measures in the areas of its competence. It requires that the initiative be supported by at least one million European Union (EU) citizens.
What should you do to start a European Citizens’ Initiative?
To begin the process of collecting signatures to support your initiative, you must first:
- form an initiative group composed of at least seven EU citizens resident in at least seven different EU Member States of eligible age to vote in the EU Parliament elections in their respective Member State
- file a request to the European Commission to register the initiative
Once your initiative is registered, you can set a date from which you will begin collecting the signatures.
What are the requirements with which your initiative must comply?
Your initiative must comply with several requirements:
- it must be signed with at least one million valid signatures
- it must be signed by citizens of at least seven EU Member States (including a minimum number of signatories in each Member State)
If you intend to collect the signatures via an online platform, you must file a request with the Central Electoral Commission in order to be issued a certificate confirming that this online platform complies with the necessary security and technical requirements. Detailed criteria are laid down in the Electoral Code.
What happens after the collection of one million signatures?
If you have reached one million signatures:
- within a month, EU representatives will meet with you
- within three months, you will be invited to the European Parliament, where you will have to explain your initiative at an open hearing
- within six months, the European Commission will provide you with an official answer including the reasoning why it has decided to support or not to support your initiative