Design, Engage, Impact: The European Citizens’ Initiative 2.0 driving citizen engagement in the EU

With almost 2000 people attending a wide array of online events, the European Citizens’ Initiative Week (16-20 November 2020) attested a growing citizens’ enthusiasm to get more involved in the setting of the policy agenda of the European Union. It is the vision of creating together a better Europe that brought us together, illustrating how the European Citizens’ Initiative contributes to forming a European public sphere, diversifies policy debates at European level, and puts important issues in the spotlight.  

Throughout the Week, institutional representatives, members of civil society, citizens and organisers of past and ongoing initiatives discussed how to make the reformed European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) a success. The six thematic sessions took participants on a journey through the different aspects of the tool, from what makes the ECI unique, to how to launch an initiative and campaign in COVID-19 times. Past and ongoing initiative organisers shared their valuable experience and the achieved impact of their campaigns, once more reaffirmed the uniqueness of the ECI as a tool for participatory democracy at EU level.

See the full European Citizens’ Initiative Week agenda and watch the recordings of the various sessions

Here’s a brief overview of the main takeaways under three key topics that emerged as most significant.

1. Why do we need the European Citizens’ Initiative?

Democracy is facing challenges, such as polarisation and radicalisation, making it all the more important to further engage citizens with decision-making. Citizen engagement is crucial to the EU - it is the only way to make it  a common project for all. Europeans need to be ensured a more active role in the setting of priorities, in order to make policy more relevant and better fit for purpose.

The ECI increases the legitimacy of the EU, and this calls the necessity to increase peoples’ awareness about its possibilities.  This participatory democracy tool not only allows for citizens to express their concerns, but also to propose solutions. Such engagement results in policies that are more adapted to citizens’ needs and better received by them.

Regardless of whether or not they reach 1 million signatures, initiatives have an impact in setting the agenda at local, national and European levels. The ECI is not only an instrument to change legislation; it is also a way of deepening the European polity through engagement with citizens. Through an ECI citizens have the opportunity to put societal topics higher on the political agenda.

However, its structure has made it a tool that is not suitable for everyday use. To bring people closer to the institutions, there is a need to create as many spaces as possible where EU citizens can make their voices heard. There are many different methods of direct democracy, especially at a local level, such as public consultations, participatory budgeting, citizen assemblies, crowdsourcing platforms, etc. These can be adapted at the EU level, with the understanding that citizens want a say not only in setting the agenda, but also in decision-making itself.

2. What to do and not to do in order to succeed?

The process starts with assessing whether the ECI is the right instrument to achieve your objectives.

New rules have started to apply to make it more user-friendly, and it is important for organisers to familiarise themselves with the rules and follow them to avoid challenges down the road.

It is also important to make use of all the support available. The ECI Forum is a great collaborative platform with possibilities to get advice and discuss ideas with other citizens. It is intuitive and easy to use. On the ECI website there is an FAQ section with a lot of information, it is extremely important to take advantage of it.

If you launch an ECI, get ready for a long ride, as it is time and resource intensive; for this reason, preparation before registration is key.

For a successful launch of an initiative, keep your request short, simple and targeted. Have a snappy slogan – this is key for attracting attention, both in person and online. Think about how the title of your initiative will translate into other languages.

Do not ask the Commission to legislate in an area where it has no competence. It is important to consider what legal provisions in the EU Treaties you can rely on. Make sure you have all the legal documents and texts prepared before you start to register your initiative.

While no size fits all, there are general factors that contribute to the success of a campaign:  the commitment of national coalitions; the availability of staff and financial resources and selecting and encouraging the engagement of partners. Do not launch an ECI unless you have the necessary staff and resources. Take also in consideration that it is important to have a contingency plan in case things go wrong or collection numbers start to fall.

An ECI cannot be successful without the support of other organisations. Find out who else is working on the same issue – attracting more partners will reduce the effort and resources you need to spend. Ownership of the initiative needs to go beyond an existing organisation. Build a two-tiered network, with one tier at the EU level and a replication of it at the national level. Before you launch, have your full-time team in place at the EU level and in the Member States.

Communication is essential to the success of an initiative. Advocacy people need to cooperate with communications professionals to ensure effective outreach. Sometimes the messengers are more important than the message – it is critical to have suitable personalities/channels to share your message. To increase citizen engagement with the tool, it is necessary to reach out in all EU languages, use accessible and inviting phrases, multiply communications channels and use all the instruments in the toolbox. Transnational events will be key to facilitating networking between organisations.

Having a website to promote your initiative is a must!

In a crowded digital space, organisers need to carefully plan a successful digital campaign that stands out. Campaigns should use simple language, impactful images, and messages tailored to a defined audience, in different languages. Timing is important – look at the calendar for key dates to tie in with your campaign.

You should have a clear timeline. Testing is important – make sure you test if a tactic works, and if it doesn’t - adapt it. Once you collect the signatures, you become the news, so you get a virtuous cycle of promotion.

3. How to improve the ECI as an experience and as an instrument?

Increasing awareness of the European Citizens’ Initiative across Europe is key! The Conference on the Future of Europe will be a perfect opportunity to do so, informing citizens of the ways they can have their voice heard. The European Commission and National Contact Points could liaise with ECI Ambassadors on social media campaigns, promotion, and local community events to reach citizens. Constant communication on the ECI is needed beyond the scope of an individual communications campaign. To ignite a passion for politics in young people before they are of voting age, a big emphasis should be put on social media and new platforms to engage with them early on and keep their attention.

There is a need to ensure visibility and proper follow up by the European institutions. To increase engagement, it is important to show the resulting impact, including beyond a legislative act and in the long term. While the ultimate goal is to spark change at EU level, initiatives can also result in measures at local and regional level and this should not be underestimated.

In the COVID-19 context, the Commission could help ongoing initiatives with another deadline extension for collecting signatures of support, if appropriate. A reduction in data requirements in certain Member States should also be considered, as well as lowering the age of support to 16 in order to get younger people involved.

The ECI is not just the responsibility of the Commission; it is a shared responsibility for all EU institutions, citizens’ organisations, national parliaments, all of which can be multipliers. For this reason, more synergies should be created. Civil society organisations can help promote the instrument in general by raising awareness among their members. Initiative organisers and regional authorities should work hand in hand towards the same objectives and to drive ideas.

See the full European Citizens’ Initiative Week agenda and watch the recordings of all the sessions