"There are some really brilliant resources out there through the European Citizens’ Initiative Forum”, says Ella Jakubowska, one of the coordinators of the European citizens' initiative “Reclaim Your Face”.
According to Stephanie Poppe, organiser of the ECI “Dignified reception of migrants in Europe” "what is helpful is to use the ECI Forum for legal advice, because whether you are an expert in European law or not, you will need it".
In the 4-year period 2020 – 2023, three-fourths of the 37 newly registered European citizens’ initiatives (ECIs) have benefited from the services of the European Citizens’ Initiative Forum, many of whom used it multiple times. All six successful ECIs that received the European Commission's reply in this period have used it and are featured on the Forum.
The European Citizens' Initiative Forum (the ECI Forum) is a multilingual online platform, providing practical information and advice to organisers of European citizens’ initiatives and the opportunity for citizens to discuss any topics related to it. The ECI Forum (referred to as ‘online collaborative platform’) is officially required in the new Regulation on the European Citizens’ Initiative, applying since 1 January 2020.
The current version of the Forum was launched on 7 January 2020 with enhanced possibilities, compared to the previous pilot version, and new features available to users. Over the following four years, the content of the Forum has been enriched by new videos, articles, webinars, success stories and guidance notes and by complementing the multilingual platform with new “hosts” of the Forum’s content – EU Academy and the new ECI Facebook group. Since October 2021, 1,378citizens have benefited from the opportunity to take the ECI online course, hosted on the EU Academy. The ECI Facebook group, launched in March 2023, already fosters exchange and interaction among 1,200+ interested citizens, including past, current, and future ECI organisers and promoters, such as the ECI Ambassadors.
In the four-year period after the entry into force of the revised Regulation, the Forum has proven its value as an essential support infrastructure for citizens and organisers of citizens’ initiatives, as well as a reference entry for information and capacity-building for the European Citizens’ Initiative.
The ECI Forum is fit for purpose with regard to both of its objectives: supporting ECI organisers and providing capacity-building for citizens interested in this tool for participatory democracy on the EU level.
Firstly, the Forum has provided advice and information to organisers before, during and after the process of launching and implementing an initiative, acting as their “best friend”. ¾ of the 37 newly registered European citizens’ initiatives (ECIs) have benefited from the services of the ECI Forum, many of whom have used it multiple times:
- 14 initiatives’ organisers have used the Seek Advice function to enquire about legal, campaigning or practical advice, 2/3 of whom used it more than once;
- 17 initiatives attended the Forum’s tailored training sessions, “Welcome Calls”, before starting to collect their statements of support;
- Representatives of 12 initiatives took part as speakers in the Forum’s webinars, exchanging views, experience and lessons learnt;
- 10 initiatives featured in the Forum’s videos and 12 in its blog articles, promoting their initiatives and reflections on the ECI journey.
All six initiatives which successfully collected one million and more statements of support in this period have also extensively used the Forum’s support infrastructure and are featured in its articles, videos, webinars and success stories (three of them to be available soon).
With regard to its second objective – raising awareness and providing capacity-building for the European Citizens’ Initiative – the Forum and its complementary platforms have recorded over 422 000 unique visits in the four-year period, with more than 60% increase in the number of visitors in 2023 in comparison with 2022. This has been possible thanks to the rich and diverse content of the Forum, comprised (not exhaustively) of:
- 85 original blog posts
- 8 Guidance notes
- 7 Success Stories
- 11 webinars with recordings
- A Seek Advice function used by 163 enquirers
- 10 videos featuring 14 organisers
Moreover, the European Citizens’ Initiative and its support infrastructure was presented to 480 students and professors from 17 universities in the EU, 18 consultation events activities solicited organisers and relevant stakeholders’ feedback and ideas on the Forum’s content and 34 events contributed to raising awareness of the ECI and the Forum.
The European Citizens’ Initiative Forum is operated by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) on behalf of and under contract with the European Commission.
In 2024, the ECI Forum team is committed to making it even more useful, user-friendly and visually appealing. If you wish to help us do so, please share your ideas and recommendations with us at eciforum@ecas.org.
Contributors
Assya KavrakovaAssya Kavrakova is the Executive Director of the ECAS with twenty-five years’ experience in senior management positions and thorough knowledge of the European Citizenship, EU law, EU civic participation formal and informal mechanisms, including the European Citizens’ Initiative. Assya is a keen promoter of digital empowerment of citizens, with a forward-looking attitude towards digital democracy and digital management. She is a member of the Chancellery of the European Citizen's Prize of the European Parliament 2020 – 2024 and a member of the Board of EUobserver - https://euobserver.com/.
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