Activites

• 2011/03/11 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2011/211
  • OJ L 065 11.03.2011, p. 0001
  • OJ L 094 30.03.2012, p. 0049
• 2011/02/16 Final act signed
• 2011/02/16 End of procedure in Parliament
• #3066
• 2011/02/14 Council Meeting
• 2011/02/14 Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
• 2010/12/15 Results of vote in Parliament
  • Results of vote in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
  • T7-0480/2010 summary

    The European Parliament adopted by 628 votes to 15, with 24 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the citizens' initiative.It adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure (formerly known as the codecision procedure). The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of a compromise negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council. They amend the Commission proposal as follows: Minimum number of signatories per Member States: Members proposed to reduce the threshold in order to facilitate the launching of initiatives and to simplify and lighten the procedure. The signatories of a citizens’ initiative shall come from at least one quarter of Member States.  In at least one quarter of Member States, signatories shall comprise at least the minimum number of citizens at the time of registration of the proposed citizens’ initiative. Those minimum numbers shall correspond to the number of the Members of the European Parliament elected in each Member State, multiplied by 750.Requirements for organisers and for signatories: the organisers shall be citizens of the Union and be of the age to be entitled to vote in European Parliament elections. The organisers shall form a citizens’ committee of at least seven persons who are residents of at least seven different Member States. The organisers shall designate one representative and one substitute (‘the contact persons’), who shall perform a liaison function between the citizens’ committee and the institutions of the European Union throughout the procedure and who shall be mandated to speak and act on behalf of the citizens’ committee.Registration of a proposed citizens’ initiative: within two months from the receipt of the required information, the Commission shall register a proposed citizens‘ initiative under a unique registration number and send a confirmation to the organisers, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:the citizens’ committee has been formed and the contact persons have been designated;the proposed citizens’ initiative does not manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission's powers to submit a proposal for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties;the proposed citizens’ initiative is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious;the proposed citizens’ initiative is not manifestly contrary to the values of the Union as set out in Article 2 TEU.Where it refuses to register a proposed citizens’ initiative, the Commission shall inform the organisers of the reasons for such refusal and of all possible judicial and extrajudicial remedies available to them.At any time before the submission of statements of support, the organisers may withdraw a registered citizens’ initiative. If a proposed initiative is withdrawn, an indication to that effect shall be entered in the register.The organisers shall provide, for the register and where appropriate on their website, regularly updated information on the sources of support and funding for the citizens’ initiative.After the registration is confirmed, the organisers may provide the proposed citizens’ initiative in other official languages of the Union for inclusion in the register. The translation of the proposed citizens’ initiative into other official languages of the Union shall be the responsibility of the organisers.Statement of support forms: Member States shall forward to the Commission any changes to the information set out in Annex III. Taking into account that information, the Commission may adopt, by means of delegated acts, amendments to Annex III.Procedures and conditions for the collection of statements of support: the organisers shall be responsible for the collection of the necessary statements of support from signatories for a proposed citizens’ initiative which has been registered. They may collect statements of support in paper form or electronically. Statements of support, which are electronically signed using an advanced electronic signature, within the meaning of Directive 1999/93/EC shall be treated in the same way as statements of support in paper form.Signatories shall be required to complete statement of support forms made available by the organisers. They shall indicate only the personal data that are required for the purposes of verification by the Member States, as set out in Annex III. Online collection systems: the online collection system shall be certified in the Member State in which the data collected through the online collection system will be stored. The organisers may use one online collection system for the purpose of collecting statements of support in several or all Member States. The organisers may only start collecting statements of support through the online collection system once it has obtained the certificate issued by the competent authorities. The organisers shall make a copy of that certificate publicly available on the website used for the online collection system. By nine months following the entry into force of the Regulation, the Commission shall set up and thereafter maintain open-source software incorporating the relevant technical and security features necessary for compliance with the provisions of this Regulation regarding the online collection systems. The software shall be made available free of charge.Verification and certification of statements of support by the Member States: the organisers shall submit statements of support to the relevant Member State as follows: (a) to the Member State of residence or of nationality of the signatory, (b) to the Member State that issued the personal identification number or the personal identification document provided in the statement of support.For the purpose of the verification of statements of support, the authentication of signatures shall not be required.Procedure for the examination of a citizens‘ initiative by the Commission: where the Commission receives a citizens‘ initiative, it shall: (a) publish the citizens‘ initiative without delay on its website; (b) receive the organisers at an appropriate level to allow them to explain in detail the matters raised by the citizens‘ initiative; (c) within three months, set out in a communication its legal and political conclusions on the citizens‘ initiative, the action it intends to take, if any, and its reasons for taking or not taking that action. The organisers shall be given the opportunity to present the citizens’ initiative at a public hearing. The Commission and the European Parliament shall ensure that this hearing is organised at the European Parliament, if appropriate together with such other institutions and bodies of the Union as may wish to participate, and that the Commission is represented at an appropriate level.Protection of personal data: the organisers shall ensure that personal data collected for a given citizen's initiative are not used for any purpose other than their indicated support for that initiative, and shall destroy all statements of support received for that initiative and any copies thereof at the latest one month after submitting that initiative to the Commission or 18 months after the date of registration of the proposed citizens’ initiative, whichever is the earlier.Statements of support for a given citizens’ initiative and copies thereof may be retained beyond the time-limits laid down in the Regulation and if necessary for the purpose of legal or administrative proceedings relating to a proposed citizen's initiative. Liability and sanctions: the amended text stipulates that the organisers shall be liable for any damage they cause in the organisation of a citizens’ initiative in accordance with applicable national law.  They shall be subject to appropriate sanctions for infringements of this Regulation and in particular for: (a) false declarations made by organisers; (b) the fraudulent use of data. Those sanctions shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.Review clause: three years after the entry into force of this Regulation, and every three years thereafter, the Commission shall present a report on the implementation of this Regulation. It shall apply from one year following the date of its entry into force.

• #3060
• 2010/12/14 Council Meeting
• 2010/12/03 Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
  • A7-0350/2010
• 2010/11/30 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2010/06/17 Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
• #3022
• 2010/06/14 Council Meeting
  • 3022 summary

    The Council reached agreement on a general approach on a draft regulation aimed at making it possible for EU citizens to call for legislative proposals to be made on a specific issue.It asked the presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament, on the basis of the general approach, so as to enable the regulation to be adopted at first reading. The initiative, one of the main innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon, will enable citizens to ask the Commission to bring forward legislative proposals if the signatories to such a demand number at least one million and come from a significant number of Member States.

• #3010
• 2010/04/26 Council Meeting
  • 3010 summary

    The Council held an orientation debate on a proposal for a regulation aimed at making operational the "citizens' initiative", one of the most visible innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon.In the light of the debate, it asked the Permanent Representatives Committee to oversee further work on the draft regulation so as to enable a general approach to be defined at the Council's meeting on 14 June 2010.The Treaty of Lisbon introduces a new dimension of participatory democracy, alongside that of representative democracy on which the EU is founded, with the aim of bringing the EU closer to its citizens and encouraging greater cross-border debate about EU issues. The "citizens' initiative" will enable citizens to invite the Commission to bring forward legislative proposals on a specific issue if the signatories to such a request number at least one million and come from a significant number of Member States. The proposal sets out the procedures and conditions for how the citizens' initiative will function in practice.The Council's debate focused on the following issues:registration of a proposed initiative and admissibility;the minimum number of signatories per member state;procedures and conditions for the collection of statements of support;online collection systems.

• 2010/04/21 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2010/03/31 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2010)0119 summary

    PURPOSE: to establish procedures and conditions applicable to the practical functioning of the citizens’ initiative.PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.BACKGROUND: the Treaty on European Union (TEU) introduces an important innovation in the democratic functioning of the Union by providing a citizens' initiative right whereby one million citizens may invite the Commission to bring forward certain legislative proposals. This new provision is a significant step forward in the democratic life of the Union. It provides a singular opportunity to bring the Union closer to the citizens and to foster greater cross-border debate about EU policy issues, by bringing citizens from a range of countries together in supporting one specific issue.The key features of the citizens' initiative are enshrined in the Treaty. In particular, the Treaty requires that the signatories of a citizens' initiative should number at least one million and that they should come from a significant number of Member States. The initiative must also be within the framework of the Commission's powers and must concern matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required in order to implement the Treaties.However, the Treaty leaves it up to the European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, to set out in a Regulation the procedures and conditions for how the citizens' initiative will function in practice.Given the importance of this new provision of the Treaty for citizens, civil society and stakeholders across the EU and considering the complexity of some of the issues to be addressed, the Commission launched a broad public consultation with the adoption of a Green Paper on 11 November 2009. The consultation elicited over 300 replies from a broad range of stakeholders, including individual citizens, organisations and public authorities.The responses to the Green Paper underlined the need for the procedures and conditions for the citizens' initiative to be simple, user-friendly and accessible to all EU citizens and that they should be proportionate to the nature of the citizens' initiative. The responses also confirmed that a number of requirements are necessary in order to ensure that the instrument remains credible and is not abused and that these requirements should ensure uniform conditions for supporting a citizens' initiative across the EU.IMPACT ASSESSMENT: an impact assessment was not undertaken.LEGAL BASE: Article 24(1) of the Treaty in the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU): the European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, will set out in a Regulation the presentation of a citizens’ initiative, within the meaning of Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union, including the minimum number of Member States the citizens of which present it must come.CONTENT: this proposal is based on the following principles:the conditions should ensure that citizens' initiatives are representative of a Union interest, whilst ensuring that the instrument remains easy to use.the procedures should be simple and user-friendly, whilst preventing fraud or abuse of the system and they should not impose unnecessary administrative burdens on the Member States.The main aspects of the proposal are as follows:Minimum number of Member States: the proposal fixes the minimum number of Member States at one third, drawing on other provisions of the Treaty, according to which nine or one third of Member States is sufficient to ensure the representation of a Union interest. This threshold also reflects the result of the public consultation.Minimum number of citizens per Member State: drawing on the argument made during the consultation that a fixed percentage for all Member States would not be equitable, the proposal provides for a fixed threshold for each Member State, which is degressively proportional to the population of each State with a minimum threshold and a ceiling.In order to ensure that these thresholds are based on objective criteria, the Commission has based them on a multiple of the number of Members of the European Parliament for each Member State. The multiple chosen is 750 in order to reflect the demands of many stakeholders to set a threshold below 0.2% of the population and to take account of concerns that the threshold in small Member States should not be too low.Minimum age: in light of the outcome of the consultation, the proposal sets the minimum age as the age at which citizens are entitled to vote in the European Parliament elections.Registration of proposed initiatives: the proposal provides for a mandatory system of registration of proposed initiatives on an online register made available by the Commission. Registration will not imply an endorsement of the proposed citizens' initiative by the Commission.Procedures and conditions for the collection of statements of support: the proposal does not set any restrictions as to how statements of support should be collected. It also provides for statements of support to be collected online as long as it can be ensured that statements of support collected online are as genuine as those collected in paper format and that the Member States can check them in similar fashion. The proposal also requires that online collection systems should have adequate security features in place and that the Member States should certify the conformity of such systems with those security requirements, without prejudice to the responsibility of the organisers for the protection of personal data. Online collection should nevertheless be allowed from the outset.Time-limit for the collection of statements of support: the proposal provides for a time-limit of 12 months for the collection of statements of support.Decision on the admissibility of proposed citizens' initiatives: the organiser of an initiative must submit a request to the Commission for a decision on the admissibility of the initiative after having collected 300 000 statements of support from signatories coming from at least three Member States. The Commission would have two months to assess and take a decision as to whether the initiative falls within the framework of its powers and concerns a matter for which a legal act of the Union can be adopted for the purpose of implementing the Treaties.Requirements for the verification and authentication of statements of support: the proposal leaves it up to Member States to decide on the checks to be carried out in order to verify the validity of statements of support collected for an initiative which has been declared admissible. Such checks should enable them to certify the number of statements of support received for the Member State in question and should be carried out within a time-limit of three months.Examination of a citizens' initiative by the Commission: the Commission would have a time-limit of 4 months to examine a citizens' initiative. It would then be required to set out its conclusions on the initiative and the action it intends to take in a communication, which would be notified to the organiser as well as to the European Parliament and Council and would be made public.Personal data protection: the requirements of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council apply to the processing of personal data carried out in application of this Regulation. It was considered necessary to designate the organiser of a citizens' initiative as the data controller within the meaning of Directive 95/46 /EC and to specify the maximum period within which the personal data collected for the purposes of a citizens' initiative may be retained. In addition, Member States would have to ensure that organisers of a citizens' initiative are liable in accordance with their civil or criminal law for infringements of the Regulation.Revision of the annexes and review clause: the proposal provides for a review clause, which requires that the Commission should report on the implementation of the Regulation after five years. It also provides the possibility for the Commission to amend the Annexes by means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the TFEU.BUDGETARY IMPACT: this proposal would have no impact on the budget of the European Union.

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Secretariat-General'}, ŠEFČOVIČ Maroš

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2010)0119
• Debate in Council: 3010
• Debate in Council: 3022
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A7-0350/2010
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0480/2010
• : Regulation 2011/211
• : OJ L 065 11.03.2011, p. 0001
• : OJ L 094 30.03.2012, p. 0049

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)