European Parliament votes for citizen’s initiative

Green MEP and co-draftsperson for the EP on the ECI, Gerald Hafner said: "Today is a major step forward for European democracy. We have opened the doors in Brussels to European citizens, giving them the right to make proposals for EU rules or laws, alongside the Commission and Parliament.”

The citizens’ initiative is to bridge the gap between citizens and institutions throughout the EU. The Greens have long pushed for a greater and more meaningful involvement of citizens in the EU and believe that the ECI is a step in the right direction.

Hafner said that the EU Commission will now play a crucial role in the success of its citizens initiative as it was supported by 1 million Europeans and may draft a legislative proposal on it. Although citizens have no direct decision-making powers at present, they can directly alert decision-makers in Brussels to their problems and force the European Commission to deal with their requests properly.