Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

News - 16/12/2010 By lien.vandenbossche

©Picture European Parliament

"We’re very pleased to have adopted in first reading the regulation implementing the citizens’ initiative, a year after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon," Olivier Chastel said on behalf of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council. The citizens’ initiative is indeed one of the most spectacular innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon and will allow the introduction of participatory democracy at European level.

"We have achieved a good balance between ease of use for citizens and the credibility of this instrument," said Olivier Chastel, who negotiated the regulation on behalf of the 27 Member States. Thus, for the Council it was important that the signatories of an initiative originate from a relatively large number of Member States, to ensure the truly European character of the initiative in question. The requirement of a quarter of the number of Member States is a good compromise.

The age of the signatories was also an important issue for the Council. Linking this age to the European election voting age is the result of practical considerations. "But it is also a matter of principle: the age requirement emphasizes the importance and seriousness of this instrument," Olivier Chastel underlined. For the Member States it was important to have sufficient evidence of identity, according to specific national circumstances, in order to enable the verification of the signatures.

The State Secretary welcomed the outcome of the European Parliament’s vote this morning. For its part, the Council yesterday confirmed its political agreement on the text. The formal adoption will take place at a future council meeting. "The way is now paved for the European citizens to exercise this initiative. I sincerely hope it will help to increase their involvement in the European project," Olivier Chastel concluded.