[D66] Citizens' Initiative: progress towards participatory democracy in Europe

[Henk Elegeert]

Citizens' Initiative: progress towards participatory democracy in EuropeThe
Citizens' Initiative comes into force on 1 April of this year. Introduced
by the Lisbon Treaty, this new instrument will allow citizens to direct
issues to the European Commission with a view to adopting appropriate
action. A citizens' committee of at least seven people originating from
seven different Member States will be required to record an initiative, and
the one million signatures required must come from at least seven Member
States. The organizers of initiatives who have collected one million
signatures will be allowed to request a public hearing, to be organized in
the European Parliament[image: DUFF_90.jpg].

*Andrew Duff*, ALDE coordinator in the Parliamentary Committee on
Constitutional Affairs, said:  "*The Citizens Initiative is one of the most
innovative features of the Lisbon treaty and is well designed to bolster
the democratic legitimacy of the European Union. Now we need European
citizens to become actively engaged in making useful legislative proposals
aimed at deepening European unity and in making the EU more effective. I
look forward to the first ECI which says 'Yes to Europe!*'".

*[image: jaatteenmaki90.jpg]Anneli Jäätteenmäki (Keskusta Suomen,
Finland),* ALDE
spokesperson on the report establishing the Citizens' Initiative, added: "*This
is one of the means to fill the gap between the EU decision-makers and the
citizens and to increase discussion on European issues. I hope citizens use
this opportunity to express their opinions on issues that have been
forgotten on the European level, and that Commission takes them seriously*."

*[image: MCMILLAN_90.jpg]
Edward McMillan Scott (LibDem, UK),* ALDE spokesman for the monitoring of
the Citizens' Initiative in the Petition's committee concluded: "*The
Citizens Initiative is potentially an important element in re-engaging the
concerned citizen with Europe’s decision-making, providing that the ECI
mechanism allows the individual genuinely and without restraint to express
his or her priority concerns about how the EU itself spends their money or
seeks to act in their interest.”*

*"*

Ja hoor, maar een referendum neemt men niet eens serieus. Eigenlijk dient
het slechts de luie politici zonder visie. Die moet nu van burgers komen
die zgn kunnen gaan participeren. Vergeet het maar ... doekje voor het
bloeden (in het verleden).

Henk Elegeert

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