Brussels, 19/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The legislative framework for implementation of the European citizens' initiative - introduced by the Lisbon Treaty - is not yet in place (the Commission draft regulation was discussed in Council end April and the Spanish Presidency hopes to reach a political agreement by end June, EUROPE 10128), but the German and Austrian Social Democrats have already announced their intention to resort to this new instrument to “put pressure on” to bring about the introduction of a European tax on financial transactions. The draft, presented in Berlin on 18 May by Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann (SPÖ) and the head of the SPD, Sigmar Gabriel, aims to rally all the members of the European Socialist Party (PES) which has long called for such a tax. European diplomats consider the legislative provision will not be operational until the end of the year so that the first initiatives may be launched in 2011.
To be launched, the European citizens' initiative must receive the support of at least one million signatures, from at least one third of member stares. Those promoting the initiative will have one year in which to gather the necessary signatures. The organiser must call on the Commission to verify the admissibility of the initiative as soon as 300,000 signatures from three member states have been collected. The Commission will then have two months in which to decide whether the initiative comes within its scope and falls within a field where it is possible to legislate. If the initiative is considered inadmissible, and once the signatures have been checked, the Commission will have four months in which to examine the initiative itself. It should then decide either to present a legislative proposal, or to go into the question deeper, for example through a study, or not to follow up the initiative at all. It should present the reasons for its decision in a public document. (H.B./transl.jl)