Amid global chaos ECI activism is important as ever, says Commissioner Šefčovič

Global instability should not impede European citizens’ initiatives but serve as a reminder that citizen activism is growing increasingly important, European Commissioner in charge of the ECI Maroš Šefčovič told ECI community on 8 April, opening their yearly meeting.

"In this very turbulent time, when the basic tenets of democracy are often challenged… reflections on how to deal with the future are very important."

Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency

Commissioner Šefčovič acknowledged that a large part of people’s lives today takes place on social media, and citizen activism must adjust to this huge shift. Citizens today are much more likely to be trapped in their own information bubbles and some may even become radicalised by unrelenting algorithms. 

This new reality requires an adjustment to “how we want to bring citizens directly into the decision making, into the opinion making, into planning or the future,” said Šefčovič.

Here, ECIs will continue to be a key tool for citizen engagement. They allow citizens to pro-actively push their ideas for EU policymakers’ consideration. To give them their full firepower, ECI must be accessible, easy to understand and well-known.

The Commission updated the rules for ECIs to make them more accessible, as of 2020. Since then, 49 initiatives have been registered. 

“I think our collective task here is to raise awareness - just to explain the people at large, but especially the youth which is very much used to the digital means of communication, what can be done, how this can be used and what is the most efficient way to approach it,” said Mr Šefčovič.

While the latest challenges to democracy in Europe and abroad are worrying, Mr Šefčovič believes they have started an unexpected debate on the fundamentals of democracy – and that’s a positive development. 

A healthy democracy to-do list 

But talking and raising awareness are not magic solutions. Debates and ECIs must lead to real change to make citizens engaged with policy long-term and hopeful about the future of democracy. 

"Awareness and impact go hand in hand. There's little value in knowing about the ECI if people don't see it leads to real change."

Oliver Röpke, president of the European Economic and Social Committee 

Democracy as a “pizza taxi”?

Yet, tangible change often requires time and effort. Katarina Barley, vice-president of European Parliament, stressed that trust in democracy is eroding, because people increasingly view it “a bit like a pizza taxi”. Citizens ask for change and if they do not get it, quickly, they declare democracy to be a bad system. They do not see it as a process in which they have to actively engage to bring about change. “But of course that is not how it works,” Ms Barley said, as tangible change often requires time and effort.

ECIs have an important role to play in countering this trend. The ECI gives citizens the opportunity to express their wishes. They do not even have to join a political party but can become active by simply getting involved with an issue they care about, Katarina Barley added.

Becoming more than a European citizens’ initiative

Perhaps paradoxically, to engage citizens in this way, an ECI must do more than just campaign for signatures. Signing one is a good start, but a truly successful campaign inspires citizens to engage beyond a signature. 

“One of the very good lessons learned from current success with ECIs is that those that manage to collect 1 million signatures (and more) have always gone for the development of a broader movement than just approaching citizens and asking them to sign ECIs” 

Assya Kavrakova, Executive Director of the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS). 

Advising organisers in the room, Assya Kavrakova spoke from experience, as she and her organisation ECAS are a major civil society driving force behind the ECI Forum. Her advice for turning an ECI into a movement is simple: engage your audience with the latest news on the subject from their countries and beyond, ask for their opinions, and create communities of practice.

“Creating such a community of engaged citizens on the subject can pay off also beyond the 12 months [of ECI campaigning] and be useful for you,” advised Kavrakova. 

Campaigning challenges arising from political turmoil

Novel roadblocks to activism on social media were among the many issues that featured heavily in the discussions. As democracy is challenged on the global stage, social media platforms appear to be cracking down on citizen activism by demoting politically-charged posts and discouraging users from leaving their websites. 

The team behind the ECI “My Voice, My Choice” experienced this first hand. Around the time of the 2024 US presidential elections, their posts started losing traction. Interest in their cause was not waning; social media sites simply stopped sharing their content on users’ feeds due to their political nature. 

The organisers had to recalibrate fast by diluting their activist content with non-political posts. For example, on Instagram, they started posting cat memes together with calls to sign their ECI. This way, the platform would not label their content as ‘political’.

Other organisers had the opposite problem. Some of their more political posts spread like wildfire, inviting negative attention. 

The activists had a dilemma: should they invite controversy to get more views, or stick with a safe script but reach fewer potential supporters? 

Organisers who have gathered thousands of signatures advised their counterparts: dilute strongly politicised content, post as much as possible, and track changes to algorithms to keep on top of latest updates that may influence how your content spreads across the web. 

One clear takeaway from the ECI community’s experience: to succeed today, citizen-led campaigns need to be agile and strategic. Adapting to the shifting algorithms of social media, to the changing political climates, and efficiently addressing an often fragmented audiences take more than good intentions—it takes professional campaigning skills, efficient communication, and the readiness to move fast when the landscape changes.

Looking for more campaign advice and insights? 

Explore the various resources below:

• Ask an expert
• Learning from experience: why doing your best may not be enough to succeed with your European citizens’ initiative
• Real-world strategy tips from campaign organisers
• Patience, Engagement, Action, Courage, Errors: The Formula that Leads to a Winning European Citizens’ Initiative Campaign
• How to succeed with the European Citizens’ Initiative: Strategic planning, cross-border collaboration and targeted campaigns