Let’s graph Europe !
The Europagraphê collective
Does the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome give the opportunity to change the European institutions?
The Europagraphê collective considers European citizens partly in charge of an answer. To this end, it just submitted to the candidates running for the French presidential elections a project to enlarge the European Citizens ‘Initiative (ECI). The actual ECI allows European citizens to suggest a legislative act to the European Commission (EC) within the framework of its powers. Every initiative should be supported by at least 1 million EU citizens from a quarter of the Members States (i.e. 7 countries before the Brexit). The ECI was included in the Treaty on European Union in 2007 and entered into force in 2012. Using the enlarged ECI, citizens may suggest institutional reforms, i.e. revising the Treaties. Every ECI supported by at least 2 million of EU citizens from a quarter of Members States would bind the EC to propose legislation.
What is at stake for the ECI? In Europe, civic participation sparks the interest of citizens. Numerous ECI were indeed submitted to the EC. 7 ECI are currently collecting signatures, 20 were rejected, 14 were removed and 18 did not collect the required support. Only 3 ECI were examined by the EC but without consecutively triggering a legislative process. The democracy addressed and researched here may be delineated as real according to the definition of the antique Greek democracy by the French philosopher Pierre Bouretz[1] “the government of all […]Right for each citizen to take part to the assembly (ecclesia), to all debates in the agora, to elect, to dismiss and also to judge the judges, to vote each decision”. The ECI appears to be a system of real democracy. Moreover it enables access of citizens to the constituent power that represents the place of the democratic sovereignty according to French professor of public law George Vedel [2].
Is now the time to review the ECI? The 2014 report of the European Parliament « European Citizens’ Initiative -First lessons of implementation » already recommended its enlargement to the revision of the European treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. Democracy international, an organisation located in Germany, was involved in the creation of the ECI and has championed for years a review of the ECI. In 2015, it submitted with two other organisations a petition including 9 recommendations to the European Parliament. More specifically, it encouraged an ECI allowing the review of European treaties and binding the EC to launch a legislative process for each “successful” ECI within 12 months. The European Parliament did not include this recommendation in its 2015 resolution. In October 2016, Democracy international put forward to another institution, the EC, a new petition enhancing this review. The EC answered in December 2016 that it does not forecast any review.
The Europagraphê activity arises within a European movement for the democratisation of EU institutions through citizen direct participation and the development of an existing system, i.e. the ECI. Democracy international achieved actions towards the European institutions. Europagraphê champion also this impetus at the national level during the French presidential elections prioritizing the powers of Heads of States.
N.B.This article clearly advocates for the ECI given that I am part of the collective.
[1] Olivier DUHAMEL, Yves MENY, Dictionnaire constitutionnel, Presses universitaires de France, 1992, p 283 -284
[2] G. Vedel, « Schengen et Maastricht (A propos de la décision n° 91-294 DC du Conseil constitutionnel du 25 juillet 1991) » in RFDA, n°2, 1992, p. 177-180
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!Hey! Which ECI would you submit?
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