practice THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE (ECI) - a new form of public participation!
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20 January 2012 | 183 Visits | Rating: 3.2 (maximum:5)
THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE (ECI) - a new form of public participation!
The Europeam Citizens' Initiative is a new form of public participation in shaping European Union policy!
The Lisbon Treaty introduces a new form of public participation in European Union policy shaping, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). As required by the Treaty, on a proposal from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation which defines the rules and procedure governing this new instrument (Regulation (EU) No. 211/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council 16 February 2011 on the citizens' initiative).
The ECI will allow 1 million citizens from at least one quarter of the EU Member States to invite the European Commission to bring forward proposals for legal acts in areas where the Commission has the power to do so. The organisers of a citizens' initiative, a citizens' committee composed of at least 7 EU citizens who are resident in at least 7 different Member States, will have 1 year to collect the necessary statements of support. The number of statements of support has to be certified by the competent authorities in the Member States. The Commission will then have 3 months to examine the initiative and decide how to act on it.
There is just one week left for the conference on the ECI! The conference will be live streamed with webchat and interested stakeholders will be able to watch it and chat on European Commission's Webcast portal. Alternatively interested parties can watch it and chat on, by joining the debate on FB http://on.fb.me/A83cdR or Twitter using the hashtag #ECI.
Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of inter-institutional relations and administration, Maroš Šefčovič will join for the debate about ECI on the EC's Facebook page (#initiative_eu). Interested stakeholders can also follow @MarosSefcovic and hashtag #ECI on Twitter!
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Showing 3 comments
keotykim
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) is one of the major innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon, aimed at increasing direct democracy in the European Union.
Good idea
Its really good for the European citizens ...
Messages from the conference & Maroš Šefčovič interview on ECI
Indeed it is a great initiative!
For those that did not have the chance to follow the conference on the ECI you can read all the messages from its live streaming here: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/citizens_initiative/index_en...
Additionally read the interview of the EC Vise President Maroš Šefčovič regarding the initiative: http://www.euractiv.com/future-eu/ef-ovi-citizens-initiative-bridge-euro...