If you’ve ever wondered if it matters what you think, here’s the answer – there is! And more than you think.
There is an instrument that enables every EU citizen not just to express an opinion, but to put a topic directly before the European institutions. This is the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).
This is not a petition. This is a real influence. The ECI is one of the strongest instruments for civic participation in the EU. It allows every European citizen to say: “This topic is important and needs to be addressed”. And when enough people stand behind an idea, the institutions are obliged to react.
How does an idea reach the European Commission?
The process is simpler than it sounds: One idea. One million votes. A real chance for change.
1. Idea: A group of citizens formulates a cause they want to change
An initiative needs to be organised by at least seven EU citizens living in seven different Member States to start. After registration and approval by the European Commission, the process of collecting support begins.
2. Support: 1 million signatures collected from EU citizens
For a citizens’ initiative to be considered, it needs to collect at least one million signatures from EU citizens, while reaching minimum national thresholds in at least seven Member States. Once the collection of signatures has been completed, they shall be verified and validated by the competent national authorities.
3. Reaction: The European Commission examines the initiative and gives a formal response
Successful initiatives are officially presented to the European Commission. Within six months, the Commission is obliged to declare whether it intends to take action, legislative or non-legislative, and to give reasons for its decision.
Ideas in action
The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is increasingly showing that citizens can influence the European Union’s agenda. Since the establishment of the mechanism, more than 120 initiatives have been registered, some of which have already reached the European Commission and received an official response.
To date, a total of 14 initiatives have successfully passed the threshold for support, some of which are under consideration by the Commission and others are already leading to specific political and public debates.
Behind these numbers are specific causes that reach the highest institutional level.
The My Voice, My Choise Initiative
An illustrative example is the ‘My Voice, My Choice’ initiative, which raises the issue of access to safe and legal abortion in the EU. The campaign collects over 1.12 million verified signatures from citizens in different Member States, allowing it to move on to the next stage of the procedure.
After its official submission to the European Commission, the organizers held a meeting with representatives of the institution, and the topic reached the European Parliament, where a public hearing was held. Subsequently, the initiative became part of the wider public debate and was reflected in EU strategy papers, including in the framework of policies related to equality and public health.
This process clearly shows that even complex and sensitive public issues can be raised at European level when there is strong civic support behind them.
You don’t have to start from scratch
Getting involved in this process does not require the creation of your own initiative. On the contrary, everyone can become part of it today. The official platform of the European Citizens’ Initiative gives access to all ongoing campaigns and provides the opportunity to participate directly here.
– Sign it
Supporting an already existing initiative takes a minute, but it can contribute to an initiative that reaches the European Commission.
– Share
Sharing a cause increases its visibility and its chance to gather the necessary support.
– Tracks
Keeping track of topics that are important to you means being part of a conversation that takes place at European level.
These are small actions, but they are what make it possible to gather broad public support.
One signature does not change everything. But it can be the beginning.
A signature alone may seem like a small gesture. But when enough people stand behind an initiative, it becomes part of a process that reaches
to the European Commission, to the European Parliament and to the political agenda of the European Union.
This is how change happens, through the accumulation of votes that together have weight.
The European Citizens’ Initiative reminds us that democracy is not something we just observe from the sidelines. It is a process in which we participate with position, with choice and with action.
And sometimes it all starts exactly like that – with one voice.