During the work of the Convention preparing the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe, the representative of the Bundestag, Jürgen Meyer, proposed to create a right of popular initiative. The idea, which draws its inspiration from a number of examples (Switzerland, Italy, California, etc.), won the backing of several NGOs and around 40 members of the Convention, including its President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. It was adopted at the Convention’s final plenary assembly and was...