11:15 – 12:30  |  Session – Empowering the European Citizens’ Initiative: Strengthening Support across Member States (JDE 62)

The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a transnational instrument for participatory democracy, involving EU citizens in setting the EU policy agenda. Nevertheless, organising an initiative and successfully collecting signatures requires working on the ground, i.e. running the campaign and reaching thresholds across Member States. Hence, the practical part is carried out not at EU level but at national, regional and local level.

While at EU level the ECI mechanism benefits from institutional structure and support, this session will look more closely at what support is provided – or could be provided – to ECI stakeholders at different levels within Member States. What support can ECI organisers currently rely on? And what role is played by national, regional and local stakeholders, such as local and regional authorities, national economic and social committees, civil society organisations and the media? 

Moderated by Bruno Kaufmann

Setting the scene by organisers of ongoing European Citizens´ Initiatives:

• Lana Čop – My Voice, My Choice

• Mattéo Garguilo – Ban on conversion practices

• Natalia Corbalán – No Farmers, No Food

• Pavel Zálešák – Stop Destroying Videogames

• Arianna Giuliodori – Stop Fake Food

• Sabrina Cajoly – Water-smart and resilient Europe

• Armel Prieur – Air-Quotas

• Flavio Candeli – PsychedeliCare

• Olaf Grawert – HouseEurope!  

Speakers

• Adriana Mungiu, ECI team leader, Secretariat-General of the European Commission
• Bogomil Nikolov, Vice-President of The Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria
• Stéphanie Poppe, City of Rennes / Rennes Metropole, ECI on Ensuring a dignified reception of migrants in Europe

Q&A round