THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE – SILENT REVOLUTION1 OR SILENT FAILURE?
The Treaty of Lisbon created the possibility for European citizens to participate directly in determining the EU agenda through the instrument of the European Citizens’ Initiative. This instrument constitutes an invitation to the European Commission to propose legislation on topics within its legislative initiative competences – ranging from environmental protection, to agricultural policy, and from the Internal Market to fisheries. In order to be successful, an European Citizens’ Initiative has to be supported by at least 1 million European citizens from at least 7 of the 28 Member States, with a specific number of supporters required in each country.
The European Commission has recently proposed a revision to the legal framework of the Initiative, in an attempt to enhance its effectiveness.
Dr. Linka Toneva comments on the lessons learnt from the first years of the implementation of the Initiative and the road ahead for improvement in this important democratic instrument of the EU.