European Citizens’ Initiative – 15 years and going strong!

This year we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the European Citizens’ Initiative – a unique way for you to act on causes you care about. Launching an initiative allows you to shape the EU by calling on the European Commission to propose new laws on your chosen issue that falls within the EU’s competences. This is your democratic right as an EU citizen. 

Over the years, citizens have led several successful initiatives, from saving bees and providing clean drinking water for all, to ending the trade in shark fins. What started as a citizens’ initiative ended up in concrete EU laws. 

How do you get started? You will need to set up a group of organisers that includes at least seven EU citizens, resident in at least seven EU countries. You must then submit a registration request to the Commission. Before registering your proposed initiative, the Commission will check whether your proposal falls within an area where it has the power to act.    

Once registered, you will have a year to get 1 million citizens from across the EU to sign it in support. If the initiative reaches the threshold, the Commission will consider it and you will get a formal reply from them within 6 months.  

Since the creation of the European Citizens Initiative in 2011, more than 1000 people have started more than 120 European citizens’ initiatives, while more than 20 million signatures of support have been collected online or on paper. 

If you’re passionate to see change on an issue that concerns you, why not get together with like-minded people from other EU countries and be that agent of change? Find out how the European Citizens’ Initiative works step by step or consult the ECI forum for legal and practical advice. 

For more information 

European Citizens’ Initiative 

Protecting our democracy, upholding our values