Daniel VAN LERBERGHE

@Catriona Seth: Thank you for this post, which is underlining all the issues at stake. As rightly pointed out the ECI is a major breakthrough in terms of democratic involvement of EU citizens in the EU decision-making process, with a potential to change the face of lobbying in Brussels. However, its success depends greatly on how smooth the process is handled and on the infrastructure it is relying on to help future initiators in mobilizing support and carry such an extensive campaign. The first ECIs will be a test ... If they successfully jumped the obstacles ... ECI will be a success and Europe will be stronger. If on the contrary due to barriers and complexity ECI can be become a "flop" and Europe will come out of this adventure much weaker than it is already. The key to the success is making the ECI a priority at EU level on the same level as the Single Market and the Euro. May be one day like Martin Luther King the dream will become reality ;)

04/04/12

Catriona Seth

Well someone has to get the ball rolling so... here goes! I certainly hope ECIs will transform European democratic life and convince citizens that they can have a direct say in what is decided by the EU. This should help to close the perceived gap between the institutions and EU citizens. I fear however that launching an ECI is like taking part in an obstacle race. There are obviously teething problems, for instance with documents not available in all EU languages, a vote-registration system which appears to pose technical problems and a very high threshold for the ECI to be taken into account. There are other extremely serious questions which need to be addressed by the Commission and by member states: some EU nationals may not be able to take part in ECIs for technical reasons (if they live outside their home country and are asked to vote in their host nation, but the host nation is one which does not allow foreign votes or has very restrictive clauses). The EU needs to make things simpler, for instance by simply requiring a passport number for expats (since they all have one). I presume internet and the social media will play a part in uniting a community of EU citizens across the Union, particularly those who live outside their home state. Their effects will probably vary according to the nature of the ECI and the target group: ECIs which interest younger and more technically minded Europeans will obviously be able to count on support from such media more than certain other ECIs. Once again, for the ECI to be a true participatory instrument, and it would be a good thing were it to become one, various problems need ironing out. I am not sure at this stage that ECIs will truly change the decision-making balance of power but, hopefully, they will lead Europeans to feel more involved and, for instance, encourage them to turn out in higher numbers for European elections. That would be a form of indirect contribution the ECIs could make to European politics. At this stage, in a country like France, where there is a general election in preparation, I am not sure political parties are even really aware of ECIs. That may change, though one of the great things about an ECI is that it is not party-political by nature. Any group of like-minded citizens can get together to launch one, regardless of their political opinions. I am not sure either that, apart from for European elections, most countries are ready for pan-European parties. I think they would scare off a number of voters - and politicians - in various countries. I certainly hope that 1 million voices - or indeed fewer than a million, but a substantial number for ECIs which might not quite make the mark - will be heard. If ECIs work, both in the vote collection process and the examination of proposals by the EU, that will surely be a triumph for Europe and for democracy. The ECI I am involved in is at the heart of questions concerning citizenship: it aims to obtain full voting rights for EU citizens living outside their home country, but within the EU. It hopes to afford a way of strengthening fairness and democracy, and to help build a true feeling of citizenship amongst Europeans. I am sure that anyone involved in an ECI will be open to other ECIs. The existence of a platform to federate ECIs and inform voters can only be a good thing.

02/04/12