The idea of a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) was introduced in the Lisbon Treaty (in effect from December 2009) and serves as an agenda-setting tool for the Commission in the hands of citizens.
The ECI’s history dates back to April 2012, after entry into force of the European Citizens' Initiative Regulation which implemented the Treaty provisions.
See - http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/successful
Once formally registered, a ECI with one million citizens from at least one quarter of the EU states (i.e. seven states) “invites” the European Commission to propose a legal act if the proposal is areas outside the EU exclusive competence (i.e. where the Commission has the power to take actions).
So far, there have been only 3 ECIs, all adopted by the Commission for consideration in 2012.
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) invites the Commission to propose “a set of incentive measures, including support and monitoring, to develop citizenship education in curricula on all levels of formal education throughout Europe, aimed at shaping democratic citizens”.
The present registration starts a one-year process of collection of signatures in support of the proposed European Citizens' Initiative by its organisers.
The Commission's decision to register the Initiative concerns only the legal admissibility of the proposal. The conditions for admissibility, as foreseen by the European Citizens' Initiative Regulation, are that the proposed action does not manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission's powers to submit a proposal for a legal act, that it is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious and that it is not manifestly contrary to the values of the Union.
The Commission concluded that the legal conditions for the registration of the European Citizens' Initiative were fulfilled. The Commission has not analysed the substance of the initiative at this stage. Should the European Citizens' Initiative receive one million statements of support within one year, from at least seven different Member States, the Commission will have to react within three months. The Commission can decide either to follow the request or not follow the request and in both instances would be required to explain its reasoning.
