The European Citizens? Initiative - Participatory Democracy in the European Union

• Author: Mihaela Carausan
• Position: National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Faculty of Public Administration
• Pages: 103-110

The Europe

Dem

National School of Political Stu

Buchare

Abstract:

A new democratic to

allow one million European Unio

The ECI co uld thus create a new

purpose of the paper is to analy

citizens’ initiative. At the level

democratic initiative o f the peop

Austria, Hungary, Italy, Latvia,

Netherlands. These init

iatives d

procedures. Because at EU leve

citizens’ initiative and the probl

few conditions which we intend t

Keywords: common interests;

ac

1. Background

The first step in European integra

Germany, France, Italy, Luxembo

with the signing of the European

in the aftermath of the Second W

them together as equals, coopera

e

xactly 50 years after it came

cooperation, when, in 1957, the

Community (EEC) and the Europ

(Cărăuşan, 2011)

The main goals of the future EU

among them we can find the wil

union, a union of the

people of E

evaluates its main purposes of e

and to uphold and promote its va

1

In article 3 of the Treaty of European U

opean Citizens’ Initiative

–

Participator

emocracy in the European Union

Mihaela Cărăuşan

Studies and Public Administration, Faculty of Publ

arest, Romania, mihaelacarausan@gmail.com

tool, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), starting with

nion (EU) citizens to ask the European Commission to propos

ew space

inside the EU policy-

making machine for ordinary

alyse the early implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon provi

el of the European Union, member states in their fundamenta

ople. The following Member States have citizens’ initiatives

ia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

s differ considerably in scope and generally operate accor

evel, there is no experience to build upon this, we will ana

blems which occurred in practice. So,

the citizens’ initiative

d to discover and unveil in a comparative study with the natio

active citizenship

; European democracy on-line;

European Un

gration was taken when six countries (Belgium, the

bourg and the Netherlands) set up a common mar

an Coal and Ste

el Community Treaty (ECSC) in Pa

World War, was to secure peace between Europe

erating within shared institutions. This treaty expir

e into effect. Economic areas became the focu

the six ECSC members agreed to establish the

ropean Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)

—

th

U have been identified in the Treaty of Rome estab

will to eliminate the barriers which divide Europe

of Europe.

After almost 60 years of existence, the

f existence and establishes as objectives

1

the well

values and interests and contribute to the prot

ectio

Union as it was modified after Lisbon (ex article 2 of TEU).

Legal Sciences

103

tory

ublic Administration,

ith April 2012, will

pose EU legislation.

ry EU citizens. The

ovisions concerning

ntal

laws set up the

es at national level:

nia, Spain and The

cording to different

analyze the national

ve must accomplish

tional initiative.

Union values

the Federal Republic of

arket in coal and steel,

Paris in 1951. The aim,

pe

’s nations. It brought

pired on 23 July 2002,

ocus for supranational

e European Economic

the

Treaties of Rome.

tablishing the EEC and

pe by creating a closer

he European Union re

-

ell

-being of its peoples

tion of its citizens. The