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European Citizens’ Initiative Needs to Live up to Expectations

European Citizens’ Initiative Needs to Live up to Expectations

2015. 09. 28.

The Report on the ECI calls on the European Commission to provide clear guidance on procedures and to simplify the rules for the collection of signatures. The Commission would need to prepare a legal act within 12 months after issuing a positive opinion on an initiative. It would also be tasked with providing information regarding where citizens may get a remedy for issues that cannot be dealt with within the ECI framework.

"Hopefully the recommendations will be adopted at next week's plenary session. With the adoption of this Resolution and the Commission's own revision of this instrument, the ECI can fulfil all the hopes invested in it", concluded the Rapporteur.

The European Citizens' Initiative was originally launched at Laeken then was incorporated in the Treaties. It entered into force on 1 April 2012. Only 2 of the 49 submitted initiatives received follow-up. 20 were declared inadmissible.