Brussels, 07/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - “We, the undersigned, want the EU to give legal force to the European Citizens' Initiative, where one million European citizens can call on the European Commission to propose a change in European law”. Such is the maxim of the 80 civil society organisations that form the European Citizen's Initiative (ECI). From Thursday 9 November, this alliance will be campaigning throughout EU territory in support of citizens' right of petition at European level.
Albeit in impasse today, the constitutional treaty introduces a popular right of initiative, an idea that the ECI hopes to bring back into the European policy agenda. The treaty provides for citizens of the European Union, numbering at least one million and who are nationals of a significant number of Member States, to be able to take the initiative to invite the Commission to submit an appropriate proposal on issues for which the citizens consider EU legislation is necessary. On this basis, a European legislative act remains necessary to define the procedures and conditions required for presentation of a European initiative, such as the minimum number of Member States whose citizens present the initiative.
In order to mark the launching of its European petition, ECI is organising a press conference at the European Parliament on 9 November. It will be attended by Alexander Alvaro (ALDE, Germany), Neena Gill (PES, UK), and Gérard Onesta (Greens/EFA, France). A café-debate on participatory democracy will also take place the same day in Brussels. (Information: Stéphane Carrara, ECI press officer, Tel.: 0477/383150, http: //www: citizens-initiative.eu) (mb)