About: citizen initiative
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Citizens must be at the forefront of the CoFoE follow-up
Citizens must be actively involved in the process of implementing the CoFoE proposals, according to Antonis Kourras, member of the Conference Citizens’ Panels.
Weak participatory tools hinder citizens’ attempts to shape EU policies
The EU’s attempts to encourage citizens’ engagement through participatory tools has made little impact due to the lack of information and clear follow-up, experts say.OpinionPromoted content

Our time to shape Europe
The CoFoE brings European citizens closer to the EU. For this reason, JEF Europe and its sections could not be more active in promoting this initiative. Hence, JEF Athens-Piraeus aims to motivate citizens to make their voice heard and express their proposals for a better European Union.
Cities’ empowerment initiatives risk being ‘paper exercises’, experts warn
Projects meant to give power to EU city dwellers risk being reduced to a 'box-ticking' exercise unless municipal leaders can convince as many of their constituents as possible to participate.
DEMOTEC – Democratising Territorial Cohesion: Experimenting with deliberative citizen engagement and participatory budgeting in European regional and urban policies
DEMOTEC investigate the role of participatory budgeting in fostering greater and more informed citizen participation in policy-making.
German minorities criticise EU for rejecting citizens’ initiative
More than 1.1 million people demanded that the Commission do more to protect minorities, but Brussels neglected to take action. German minority associations are outraged and are trying to build up the pressure through the member states. EURACTIV Germany reports.![CREDIT[World Development Movement/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/ttip_demonstration_creditworld_development_movement_flickr.jpeg)
Commission opposes European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP
The European Citizens' Initiative STOP TTIP has been dismissed by the European Commission. Its organisers now want to take the decision to the European courts.![Herman Van Rompuy, European Council president, with Conny Reuter of SOLIDAR [April 2012; Social Platform/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/07/vanrompuy_reuter_civil_society_credit.jpeg)
EU’s civil society giants push for treaty change
NGOs and civil society organisations demanded "a new wave of inclusiveness" and more citizens' participation in EU decision-making on Tuesday (8 July), pushing to put treaty change back on the political table.
The European Citizens’ Initiative
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) is the EU's foremost instrument of direct democracy and the first of its kind in a transnational context. Introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, will be used from 1 April 2012.The European Citizens’ Initiative: Next step, implementation
The rules for the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) will place politically sensitive burdens on the European Commission while offering the European Parliament new opportunities to engage with its voters, argue Corina Stratulat and Janis A. Emmanouilidis, analysts at the European Policy Centre (EPC). Failure to clearly specify not only the potential but also the limits of the ECI could in the end breed popular frustration with the new instrument, which would have detrimental effects across the board, they warn.
EU institutions close in on citizens’ petitions
Representatives of all three EU institutions this week outlined an agreement on implementing the European Citizens' Initiative, paving the way for the first petitions to be accepted next year once outstanding issues have been ironed out later this month.
Socialists plan ‘Citizens’ Initiative’ on taxing speculation
The Socialists may become the first to use the new European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in their bid to request new EU legislation on taxing financial speculation, according to their leader Martin Schulz.A Revolution in Disguise: The European Citizens’ Initiative
Despite being undiscovered by many, the European Citizens' Initiative plants the seeds for the creation of a common European sphere and genuine European parties, write Dominik Hierlemann and Anna Wohlfarth in an August commentary for the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Ministers pave way for first EU ‘Citizens’ Initiatives’
EU governments yesterday (14 June) outlined a "general approach" to the European Citizens' Initiative, paving the way for citizens to call on the European Commission to table legislative proposals on specific issues.