ECAS has sent in its response regarding the Commission’s Green Paper on Citizens’ Initiatives.

This text can be found on our website here

At a hearing organised by the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament on 27 January, ECAS stressed with MEPs its concern that there is no requirement under article 11 of the Lisbon Treaty that the Commission must follow a request backed by over one million signatures. The future regulation should therefore strengthen the position of the citizens and the organisers of the initiative, so that it becomes more than just a mass petition. This can be done in three ways:

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First, principles of participatory and representative democracy in the Lisbon Treaty should work together and reinforce each other. The initiative is addressed to the Commission but the European Parliament should be in the loop at the outset. There should be an initial hearing of the organisers of the initiative in a meeting of the petitions and other competent parliamentary committees to test out with the Commission and the legislative bodies the substance of the proposal.
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Secondly, ECAS is against the undoubted pressures which could effectively stifle citizens’ initiatives in too much regulation, verification of signatures, time constraint and prior registration procedures. Instead, the association recommends the European Civil Society House should provide legal advice and support and their own European space for citizens. To find out about this innovative idea click here.
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Thirdly, although the citizens cannot challenge the Commission’s right not to initiate legislation, the latter should be fully accountable to them for its decision. In addition, the organisers of the citizens? initiative should be able to appeal on procedural grounds to the Commission and if necessary to the European court of first instance or the ombudsman, similarly to the rights of appeal under the access to documents regulation.

ECAS is glad to see that the implementation of the Lisbon treaty has got off to a good start. The questions asked by the Commission and the indication of their own answers are close to the position adopted by the European Parliament before the June European elections.

Nevertheless European initiatives are different and more challenging than national ones and no one really knows what will happen once the regulation is in force. Therefore it should not be over-restrictive to avoid capture of this new instrument by well organised lobbies and allow for revision after 5 years in the light of experience.

On 26 February ECAS is organising a « European Citizens’ Panel: New democratic toolbox for new institutions » which will deal with these issues in a trialogue between citizens, experts and the EU Institutions. The overreaching objective of this innovative project is to try to answer two fundamental questions: How should the citizens engage in European participatory processes and how do the citizens expect their recommendations to be followed up? For more information/to register for this conference click here.