EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE: A PARTICIPATORY INSTRUMENT TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THE PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The Lisbon Treaty introduced the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) as a mechanism to strengthen citizen participation and to obviate the gap between the EU and the citizens. It aims to encourage EU-wide debates and to involve citizens in the decision-making process at the EU level by providing a mechanism of legislative initiative in which new actors could participate in the EU legislative procedure. ECI enables organized civil societies and citizens to have a voice in influencing the EU policy beyond mere information transfer and discussion and therefore can represent a remarkable stage for transnational democracy in the EU by contributing to the establishment of a shared political platform for ordinary citizens. It also provides individuals with a great opportunity to place neglected or politically controversial themes on the agenda of the EU directly. Hence the ECI might be a convenient tool for the protection of the environment. However, there remain obstacles which impede the progression of the ECI to become an effective and sufficient component of participatory democracy.