Speaking ahead of the plenary vote on the Citizens Initiative Jim Higgins MEP welcomed the excellent initiative stating that it had received cross party support.
“I was eager for citizens to benefit from this powerful instrument as soon as possible and I am delighted to see the end to the legislative procedure exactly one year after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty,” he said. “The Citizens Initiative is a major innovation of the Lisbon Treaty, it provides European citizens with a new right whereby one million citizens may ask the European Commission to propose a new EU law, thus bringing Europe closer to its citizens. The European Commission and the European Parliament must organise a public hearing on any topic which has received at least a million signatures - this has the potential to change the EU’s political landscape. This is an excellent initiative which will allow citizens to get involved in European politics, bringing the institutions closer to its citizens.”
One million signatures from people of voting age from a minimum of seven different member states are needed; signatures may also be collected online and will be verified on the basis of the information in the electoral roll for the European Parliament elections.
“This initiative will ensure that the institutions continue to work on the issues closest to their citizens’ hearts while encouraging cross border debate on European issues,” Mr Higgins added. “This is a work in progress and the Commission will present a report every three years on the implementation of the initiative.”
