Conference on European Citizens’ Initiative brings new impetus to participatory democracy in the EU

On 16 June, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU, The ECI Campaign, and the Council General Secretariat gathered the voices of stakeholders and the wider public at the conference “The European Citizens’ Initiative and the Promise of Participatory Democracy .

The aim of the conference was to take stock of the three years since the creation of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), and to give impetus to discussions on how to make the instrument more efficient and user friendly.

Opening the conference, the Latvian Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica set out the situation: “The past three years have shown that the European Citizens’ Initiative is part and parcel of the EU's democratic structures. However the experience of stakeholders and the recent report from the Commission have clearly highlighted that there are still issues which need to be addressed quickly if the ECI is to continue to be seen as a viable instrument .

“The European Citizens’ Initiative is a real force for mobilising and inspiring public opinion. Six million people have demonstrated this through their signatures , said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica.

The conference organisers valued the importance that Latvia tributes to participatory democracy, putting the ECI and civil society involvement high on the agenda at home and in the EU. One of the conference participants was the Latvian e-petition platform ManaBalss.lv, which is one of the most innovative and successful e-petition platforms in Europe.

The ECI is the world's first tool of transnational, participatory and digital democracy. Nevertheless, none of the three initiatives, which secured the required one million signatures, have resulted in a legislative proposal, raising a number of questions.

The conference was the first public debate on the ECI in the Council, bringing together those from the institutions, stakeholders, and the wider public with the twin aim of reviewing the role of participatory democracy in the EU and refining a set of joint recommendations for improving the instrument.

The discussions at the conference highlight that some progress can be achieved through immediate action, without legislative changes, by means of raising public awareness about the initiative and its procedures. Another suggestion is to provide greater assistance to the organisers of initiatives.

More political impetus and possible legislative changes are needed to address the structural problems, such as the too tight deadlines for collecting signatures. Measures should also be taken in simplifying or digitalising the signature collection procedures. The extended conference conclusions will be published on 18 June at http://www.citizens-initiative.eu/eci-conference-in-council/