European Citizens' Initiative

The European Parliament today adopted a legislative compromise on the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) with an overwhelming majority. The Greens/EFA group welcomed the vote, which paves the way for the entry into force of this crucial democratic tool from 2012 on. After the vote, Green MEP and co-draftsperson/rapporteur for the EP on the ECI Gerald Häfner said:

"Today is a major step forward for European democracy. We have opened the doors in Brussels to European citizens, giving them the right to make proposals for EU rules or laws, alongside the Commission and Parliament.

"The citizens' initiative is an important measure to bridge the gap between EU citizens and the institutions. The EU must be more responsive to its citizens in the future and ensure we make the Europe of citizens a reality. The Greens have long pushed for a greater and more meaningful involvement of citizens in the EU and believe the ECI is a step on the road to achieving this.

"The EU Commission will now play a crucial role in the success of the citizens' initiative. Securing the signature of 1 million citizens is no mean feat and the Commission must respond substantially and satisfactorily to any initiative. It should start by treating the recently submitted initiative on GMOs with the respect it deserves."

Click for further information on the ECI:

http://greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dok/365/365014.the_european_citizens_initiative@de.htm