Brussels, 30/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - From Sunday 1 April, with the entry into force of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), it will be possible for EU citizens to contact the European Commission directly. Of course, the procedure will be long and relatively complex, but it is nonetheless a right of petition that is granted to citizens, which could lead to a truly “pan-European democratic area”, which would be “unprecedented expansion in participatory democracy”, stressed Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, responsible for inter-institutional and administrative relations, speaking on Friday 30 March.
The procedure. The first stage consists of registering the initiative with the Commission, to be carried out by a citizens' committee composed of people living in seven different member states. The Commission reserves the right to judge the legitimacy of such a request, through evaluation of conformity of the request with its competences and with “European values”. Once the committee has obtained certificates of support from member states, the threshold again having been set at seven but with weighting depending on the number of MEPs, forwarding the ECI to the Commission will depend on two main things: - one million signatures should be gathered, this being done in at least seven member states but with specific breakdown per country. Only after all these stages can the Commission carry out a thorough examination of the initiative, retaining the right to accept it or otherwise.
Point of departure. Sefcovic has described the atmosphere reigning within the Commission as being a mixture of excitement and expectancy towards what is seen as a “new period” in the EU's decision-making process, on the eve of ECI kick-off. And yet, all is not ready. Three member states have still not designated the national authorities that will verify the authenticity of the declarations. They have until Saturday midnight to do so. The launch should also be accompanied in coming days by several initiatives, which increases pressure on the Commission so that the system is fully operational as soon as it is officially launched. The first initiatives would be more pro-European, said Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), who took part in a conference entitled “European Citizens' Initiative: time to act!”, on Friday 30 March, jointly organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The requests, which will soon land on the Commission table, are expected to range from access to water to human rights, voting rights, the European student exchange scheme, recognition of university diplomas and animal rights, Sefcovic said.
What are the risks and challenges? The ECI also involves some risks and challenges, however. How will the Commission react to these citizens' initiatives? Will they have a true influence for putting items on the agenda? And, if this is not the case, will citizens' disappointment increase the distrust felt towards European institutions? Staffan Nilsson, EESC president, believes such worries are justified, without their bringing the ECI into question nevertheless. On the contrary, such an institutionalised closing of the gap between citizens and the EU can only be beneficial as it will allow citizens to look at European policy in a more rigorous way, he said. According to Mercedes Bresso, the ECI is, therefore, also a challenge for citizens in that it calls on them to better understand the EU decision-making process, while allowing them to take part. However, will the citizens use this tool for taking part in the political life of Europe, initiating new ideas or being able to judge, if not overthrow, political choices already made by the European institutions and the governments of member states? A number of projects, like that of 11 French economists who wish to set up European protectionism, suggest that the range of themes, like the scope of their claims, will be very vast. However, French MEP Alain Lamassoure (EPP), who is co-rapporteur for the ECI, takes the view that subjects will affect problems that are concrete and urgent for citizens. Speaking on Friday 30 March, he said: “The ECI procedure's real beneficiaries will be citizens who cannot make themselves heard in today's Europe, such as Erasmus students finding that their qualifications are not recognised abroad, cross-border workers liable for tax in two countries, and citizen 'pioneers' of the European cause, who choose to live, marry and work outside their country of origin and brave apparently insurmountable bureaucratic hassles in their daily lives. A huge ideas box is now open”.
The Commission should carry out a first assessment of the ECI during 2015. This is a lapse of time considered sufficient to determine the justness and effectiveness of the procedure and of the entire system. Although some fear that the ECI will be exploited by pressure groups, Mercedes Bresso believes there is minimal risk of this, as lobbyists have less complex and less onerous means by which they can exert influence over decisions taken in Brussels and in the European capitals. (JK/transl.jl)