The European Commission unveiled a new website for the European Citizens' Initiative and detailed the procedure for their acceptance. While there are high hopes that the petitions will help address the European Union’s 'democratic deficit', not all member states have implemented the legislation and some fear the procedure will be too bureaucratic to live up to its ambitions. The ECI, made possible by the Lisbon Treaty, allows citizens from at least seven member states to suggest legislation to the Commission should they receive a minimum 1 million signatures in support. Registration itself appears to be relatively easy, requiring submission of an initiative by a committee of seven citizens, each from a different member state. EU officials stressed that they would only be rejected at this stage if they were "manifestly" frivolous, opposed to European values (such as "human dignity, freedom, equality, the rule of law") or fell out of the Commission's legislative powers. You can read here the article.

[Euroactive]