Speaker: Maarten de Groot, ECI Campaign
Moderator: Elisa Lironi, European Citizen Action Service
Languages: EN, ES, DE, FR, IT
If you missed the webinar, check the video recording (available in English, Spanish, German, French and Italian) and the PowerPoint presentation to learn about the challenges of building a strong coalition of partners and practical advice on finding the right partners. You can access the different language versions via the respective selection option of the video player.
Our speaker Maarten de Groot used to work as a campaign coordinator for the ECI Campaign and organised a European citizens’ initiative himself.
Webinar Agenda
1. Introduction by Elisa Lironi [Minute 0 to 3]
2. What is the European Citizens’ Initiative by Elisa Lironi [Minute 3 to 7]
3. Looking for partners by Elisa Liorni [Minute 7 to 21]
4. What is the ECI Campaign by Marten de Groot [Minute 21 to 27]
5. Personal experience of a European citizens’ initiative organiser by Marten de Groot [Minute 27 to 33]
6. Tips and tricks when looking for partners by Marten de Groot [Minute 33 to 44]
7. Q&A [Minute 44 to 51]
In this webinar, you will find answers to the following questions:
-How can you find partners to launch a European citizens’ initiative?
-Why is it important to have enough partners on board?
-Why can it be burdensome to work with too many partners?
The key takeaways from this webinar are:
-Sufficient partners are crucial in order to have a successful campaign and to collect sufficient signatures. Do not shy away from contacting organisations as early as possible.
-National partners are key! While it is good to have a great European network, national partners are the biggest help to collect signatures on the ground.
Disclaimer:
Please note that this webinar has been recorded in 2018. Therefore, some of the information is not in line with the current legal framework on the European Citizens’ Initiative that entered into force from the 1st of January 2020. The outdated information refers to the following points mentioned during the webinar:
- The 12-month period for the collection of signatures starts directly after the registration of the initiative.
- The European Commission has 2 months (maximum) to assess the registration of an initiative.
- Organisers will always be free to use the open ECI Software.
According to the current legal framework, the correct information is:
- Organisers of citizens’ initiatives have six months to decide the starting date for the collection of signatures after the registration of their initiative.
- The European Commission has 2 months to assess the request for registration. If the initiative manifestly falls outside the framework of the Commission’s powers to propose legal acts, organisers are given the possibility to review their initial request and send an updated version; in this case the process will last up to 4 months.
- Using individual online collection systems will only be possible for initiatives registered before 31 December 2022.
More information on the new rules on the European Citizens' Initiative can be found by watching this webinar, by reading this blog post and on the European Citizens’ Initiative website.