On February 27, at the Vilnius Book Fair, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) will be presented at the European Parliament stand – an opportunity for citizens to directly influence European Union decisions. The Lithuanian College of Democracy (LDUK), acting as the official ECI ambassador in Lithuania, will present during the event how this initiative works and what real opportunities it provides for everyone.
At the Vilnius Book Fair, at the European Parliament stand, visitors will have the opportunity to meet initiative representatives in person, take part in open discussions, and learn how citizens’ ideas become initiatives that reach the European Commission and the European Parliament.
The European Citizens’ Initiative has been operating since 2012 and has already proven its effectiveness:
• 11 successful initiatives across the EU;
• more than 14 million signatures collected.
The engagement of Lithuanian citizens also remains active:
• more than 125,000 signatures collected in Lithuania since 2012;
• 6 initiatives have reached the national signature threshold;
• nearly 14,000 signatures collected over the past five years.
In the Baltic context, Lithuania stands out for its activity – in terms of the number of collected signatures and initiatives that have reached the national threshold, it surpasses Estonia and Latvia.
The European Citizens’ Initiative grants European Union citizens the right to directly address the European Commission and submit proposals. According to Eglė Celiešienė, Ambassador of the European Citizens’ Initiative in Lithuania, all EU citizens with voting rights may sign and submit initiatives. Once at least one million signatures have been collected from at least seven EU Member States, the initiative must be considered by the European Commission and presented to the European Parliament.
According to E. Celiešienė, in order to launch a European Citizens’ Initiative, it is necessary to gather at least seven organizers from seven different EU Member States, prepare a description of the initiative, and submit it to the European Commission for registration. After registration, at least one million signatures must be collected within the established period. The collected signatures are verified by national authorities, and the validated initiative is then submitted to the European Commission and the European Parliament.
“The European Citizens’ Initiative is a regulated process subject to clear requirements and deadlines. This ensures that citizens’ proposals are assessed according to uniform criteria,” says E. Celiešienė. According to her, a practical guide for initiative organizers — the ECI Advocacy Handbook — has been prepared to help them navigate and plan actions from the registration of the initiative to its presentation before European institutions.
According to E. Celiešienė, the European Citizens’ Initiative is also applied in the field of education. The educational toolkit for schools, “EU Democracy in Action – Have Your Say with the European Citizens’ Initiative”, is used in civic education activities and helps students become familiar with the decision-making mechanisms of the European Union. The toolkit includes video materials, practical tasks, and project-based activities adapted to different school subjects.