New exercise in democracy

Published: 1 April 2010 y., Thursday

Rašymas
Europeans will soon have a new way of getting the EU to act on issues that concern them. But how will the ‘citizens’ initiative’ work in practice?

Introduced by the Lisbon treaty, the European citizens initiative  is intended to make the EU more democratic by giving citizens a more direct say in its policies.

Following the treaty’s entry into force in December, the commission, which drafts legislation, will now have a formal obligation – once certain conditions have been met - to consider proposals from citizens.

The citizens’ initiative “should foster a lively debate about what we are doing in Brussels,” says Maroš Šefčovič, new commissioner for administration and inter-institutional relations.

The treaty states that to be considered by the commission an initiative must be backed by at least one million citizens from a minimum of one-third of EU countries – nine at present.

Elaborating on the concept, the commission has now drawn up a set of rules for Europeans to follow in submitting their petitions. Under the proposals, the number of signatures from each country must be proportional to its size – 4 500 for the four smallest countries up to 72 000 for the largest, Germany.

Once at least 300 000 signatures from citizens in a minimum of three countries have been collected, the petition will be registered with the commission and a decision made on whether the initiative falls within the scope of its powers. From that point, the organisers would have one year to provide the outstanding signatures.

If the initiative meets the criteria, the commission has four months to investigate and decide to pursue legislation, launch a study or forgo further action. It will need to explain its decision publicly.

To avoid fraud, signatories must provide their home address, date of birth, nationality and a personal identification number – national identity card, passport or social security number. Organisers will also need to disclose who is financing the petition.

The proposed rules must be approved by parliament and council, after which the first initiatives can be brought forward - potentially as early as 2011.

 

Šaltinis: ec.europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Opening of Brussels plenary session: support for Russian journalist Oleg Kashin

At the opening of plenary session in Brussels, Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek voiced support for Russian journalist Oleg Kashin, brutally beaten by unknown assailants in Moscow on 6 November, welcomed the 31 October opposition rally in Moscow, condemned attacks 10 days ago on Christians worshipping in Baghdad, and deplored Chinese pressure on EU Member States not to attend the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Oslo on 10 December. more »

London student protest turns violent

British students demonstrated against higher tuition fees, burned placards, and smashed windows at the headquarters of Britain's governing Conservative party. more »

Afghanistan: EU needs to radically rethink its exit strategy

It is time to acknowledge that military intervention in Afghanistan has failed and even led to a deterioration of security there, say MEPs in a controversial report blaming the coalition forces for "miscalculating their options". more »

Burma elections: "attempt to consolidate authoritarian military rule"

Burma's first elections in 20 years took place over the weekend with the poll being boycotted by the main opposition party and its leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. more »

Ancient house collapses in Pompeii

The 2,000 year old “House of the Gladiators” collapses, reigniting conservation concerns. more »

Bolivia: Commission provides €1.5 million humanitarian aid to victims of drought

The European Commission has allocated €1.5 million to provide humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by droughts in the Bolivian Chaco. more »

Nuclear waste: Commission proposes safety standards for final disposal

The Commission today proposed safety standards for disposing spent fuel and radioactive waste from nuclear power plants as well as from medicine or research. more »

The European Commission provides €1.5 million to assist survivors of the tsunami in Mentawai and the volcanic eruption in Java

Today the European Commission has allocated €1.5 million in humanitarian assistance to survivors of the tsunami in Mentawai and the volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi in Java. more »

Human rights in Turkey: still a long way to go to meet accession criteria

MEPs on Monday welcomed recent Turkish constitutional reforms, describing them as a step forward, while stressing that much remains to be done to ensure full respect for human rights. more »

Budget 2011: conciliation committee begins work

EP President Jerzy Buzek and Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme opened the first meeting of the conciliation committee for the 2011 budget on Wednesday, a step which highlights the importance of the new budgetary procedure introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. more »