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European Citizens' Initiative – national contact point

31.12.2019

On January 1, 2020, new provisions on the European Citizens 'Initiative will apply - Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 17, 2019 on the European Citizens' Initiative – Rozporządzenie Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady (UE) 2019/788 z dnia 17 kwietnia 2019 r. w sprawie europejskiej inicjatywy obywatelskiej

European Citizens' Initiative – national contact point

The regulation introduces a number of solutions to improve the European Citizens' Initiative. They include in particular:

- improving the registration procedure, including the option of partial registration of an initiative;

- ensuring by the European Commission an information point and an online cooperation platform for the European Citizens' Initiative, providing a forum for debate and providing advice and support to organizers;

- launching a central online collection system operated by the European Commission;

- simplifying the requirements for the signatories concerned and introducing the possibility for all European Union citizens to express support based on their nationality;

- introducing the possibility to specify the starting date of the declaration collection campaign;

- introducing the possibility of sending current information to signatories by e-mail.

Under the new rules:

  • Any citizens’ initiative registered until the end of 2019 will have to follow the old rules for the collection of statements of support, and in particular the conditions and data requirements concerning signatories. Organisers will also have to follow the old rules for the use of (individual) online collection systems.
  • This means that organisers that have not yet started the online collection of statements of support, have to set up their own individual online collection system and have it certified by the relevant authority in the Member States where it is hosted.
  • For initiatives that are already in the process of collecting, no change will be required as far as forms (and data requirements) for the collection of statements of support is concerned. No modification of their online collection systems will be required either.
  • As regards the examination of successful initiatives, for initiatives submitted to the Commission before the end of 2019, the Commission will have 6 instead of 3 months to adopt the Commission Communication.
  • From 1 January 2020, citizens’ committees will be referred to as groups of organisers. They will not be required to alter their existing structure, but will be allowed to follow the new rules and add more members if they wish to. However, they may not be allowed to set up a legal entity. This possibility will only apply to initiatives registered from 1 January 2020.

 

The European Citizens' Initiative is a tool that allows European Union citizens to propose specific changes in those EU policy areas where the European Commission can propose new legislation, e.g. the environment, agriculture, energy, transport or trade. It is an important instrument of participatory democracy guaranteed to everyone by the Treaty on European Union.

Current information on the rules of functioning of the European Citizens' Initiative can be obtained:

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