Presentation of the draft report on European Citizen's initiative (ECI) by Zita GURMAI (S&D, HU) and Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR) at the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

meeting

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

citizens' initiative (T)

LAMASSOURE, Alain (EPP, FR)

GURMAI, Zita (S&D, HU)

European Citizen's initiative (ECI): extracts of the presentation of the draft report by Zita GURMAI (S&D, HU) and Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR)

SOUNDBITE (English), Zita GURMAI (S&amp;D, HU), Rapporteur, This ECI is a great unique opportunity to bring new life to our European democracy , to strengthen the participation of citizens in EU policy making.

SOUNDBITE (English), Zita GURMAI (S&amp;D, HU), Rapporteur, We would like to make sure that it is a powerful democratic tool so it is not abused , it is efficient for EU issues and worth using for our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Zita GURMAI (S&amp;D, HU), Rapporteur, Is is crucial to ensure that the process is in line with the EU data proteciton requirements and that it is fully transparent from the start until the end.

SOUNDBITE (English), Zita GURMAI (S&amp;D, HU), Rapporteur, We need to bear in mind that not all successful initiative will end with the Commission putting forward the legislative proposal so that is why we have to be very clear because of course the Commission has the monopoly of initatives prevails, of course we have to be very clear with our citizens; furthermore citizens should have to garanty that a successful initiative will be subject of an official public hearing.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, From now on there are three categories of actors who can take an initiative to the European Commission, it is the EP, the Council and the citizens.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, It is a right of political initiative but the judicial initiative remains the monopoly of the European Commission.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, We agreed between us for a minimal legal age of 16 years old, clearly this will not be shared by the Council; and we proposed that the minimal number of countries should be one fifth when the Council and trhe Commission want one third.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, We must not let the citizens engage in a procedure which end would be unknown by them, for which there would be a misunderstanding.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, If a million signatures are collected , these citizens have to right to a political follow up. They have the right to be heard, they have the right to debate, they have a right to have their initiative examined by the EC. and in cas ther would not be a legislative follow up the EC should explain the reasons why. And if we realise that the citizens concern is legitimate but that it is not subject to a law, we have a moral, political obligation to try to bring other types of response to that concern.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, This initiative can only be brought upon a subject for which the Eu is competent and for wich the EC has the competence to introduce a legislative proposal, therefor subjects proposed to modify the Treaty or linked to the enlargment of the EU can't be submitted in the frame of the citzen's initiative, the same goes for the respect of the European values.

SOUNDBITE (French), Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR), Rapporteur, We believe that if 7,8 or9 citizens sign a project for a European citizen initiative, if they belong to different Member States, it is enough to launch the procedure,. But they are obliged to be fully transparent as regard their political and financial backup. They can be backed up by a multinational company or a political group; that's fine, nothing is forbidden but there is an absolute obligation for transparency so that there is no way to lie to the citizens whose signature will be requested.