The European Citizens’ Initiative

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2019/788 on the European citizens’ initiative

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

Regulation (EU) 2019/788 updates rules on the European citizens’ initiative, which is designed to contribute to strengthening democracy through the participation of citizens in the democratic and political life of the EU.
It aims to give EU citizens a greater say in the EU policies that affect their lives with a procedure allowing them to call on the European Commission to propose new laws in areas in which the Commission has the competence to do so.

KEY POINTS

Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union established the right to a European citizens’ initiative. Article 24 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union lays down the procedures and conditions for European citizens’ initiatives.

Right to support a European citizens’ initiative

Every EU citizen has the right to submit a statement of support to a European citizens’ initiative after it has been registered by the Commission. Once 1 million signatures have been collected, the organisers of the initiative can approach the Commission directly with a request inviting it to submit a proposal for an EU law, provided that the initiative concerns an area of EU law in which the Commission has the competence to do so for the purpose of implementing the EU Treaties.
Any EU citizen who is old enough to vote in European Parliament elections has the right to support a European citizens’ initiative by signing a statement of support. EU countries can set the minimum age for supporting an initiative at 16. Once an initiative gathers 1 million signatures, the Commission decides on what follow-up action to take, if any.
People with disabilities should have equal access to information on initiatives and equal opportunities to support them.

Information and assistance by the Commission and EU countries

The Commission will:
- provide citizens and groups of organisers with easily accessible and comprehensive information and assistance concerning the European citizens’ initiative, including redirecting them to relevant sources of information and assistance;
- make available to the public, online and in paper format and in all the official languages of the EU institutions, a guide to the European citizens’ initiative;
- provide a free online collaborative platform dedicated to the European citizens’ initiative;
- provide translations of the registered initiatives in all the official languages of the EU institutions.
The platform provides practical and legal advice and a forum for discussion and exchanging information on the European citizens’ initiative for citizens, groups of organisers, stakeholders, non-governmental organisations, experts and other EU institutions and bodies who wish to participate.
The Commission ensures that information on registered initiatives is published in the online register set up for that purpose.
Each EU country sets up 1 or more contact points to inform and assist groups of organisers, free of charge.

Registration

The group of organisers must submit the registration form to the Commission via the register.
The Commission should:
- verify that the registration criteria set out in the regulation have been met;
- give reasons when refusing a registration and inform the group of organisers of all judicial and other remedies available to it;
- make available to the public in the online register all decisions relating to requests for registrations of proposals by groups of organisers for citizens’ initiatives that it has adopted.

Collection of statements of support

The group of organisers of the registered initiative has 12 months to collect the necessary number of statements of support (1 million overall with minimum thresholds to be reached in at least a quarter of the EU countries).
Models for the statements of support are set out in Annex III to the regulation.
Organisers can collect statements of support in paper format and/or online.
The Commission makes available a central online collection system that a group of organisers can use for the collection of statements online.
Once the minimum numbers of statements of support are collected, each EU country must verify and certify that the statements of support signed by its nationals comply with the requirements of the regulation. To that end, the group of organisers must submit the statements of support (collected online and on paper) to the EU countries concerned within 3 months of the end of the 12-month collection period. They can use the Commission’s file transfer service to do this, however this is optional if they have used their own individual online collection system instead of the Commission’s central online collection system. The group of organisers can also use the Commission’s file transfer service to transfer paper statements, or decide to transfer these statements themselves.

Publication and public hearing

When the Commission receives a valid initiative which has reached the required number of valid statements of support, it publishes a notice to that effect in the register and transmits the initiative to the Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions and the national parliaments.
Within 3 months of the initiative being presented, the group of organisers is given the opportunity to present the initiative at a public hearing organised by the Parliament.
Following this public hearing held on its premises, the Parliament assesses the political support for the initiative (see below).

Examination by the Commission and evaluation by the Parliament

Within 6 months of the publication of the initiative and following the public hearing in the European Parliament, the Commission should set out in a communication its legal and political conclusions on the initiative and the action it intends to take, if any, and its reasons for taking or not taking action.
Where the Commission intends to follow up on the initiative, including, where appropriate, by adopting proposals for an EU law, the communication also sets out an implementation timetable. The Commission should provide updates, in the register and on the public website for the European citizens’ initiative, on the measures adopted as a result of the initiative.
The Parliament then assesses the measures taken by the Commission.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

Regulation (EU) 2019/788 has applied since 1 January 2020, except for Articles 9(4), 10, 11(5) and 20-24, which have applied since 6 June 2019.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

European citizens’ initiative — How it works (European Commission)
European citizens’ initiative (European Parliament).

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the European citizens’ initiative (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, pp. 55-81)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) 2019/788 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.