European Citizens’ Initiatives: the Commission cannot ignore its own democratic tools
Eurogroup for Animals and Slow Food have sent a joint letter to the European Commission, urgently demanding concrete actions on the ECIs “End the Cage Age” and “Save Bees and Farmers”!
Democratic participatory tools, designed to empower citizens in shaping EU legislation, are being disregarded by the European Commission (EC), raising concerns over the lack of action on commitments made in response to European Citizens' Initiatives (ECIs).
In a joint letter addressed to Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová, Eurogroup for Animals and Slow Food expressed their concern on the inaction of the EC in response to citizens’ demands. Specifically, the NGOs highlighted the ECIs End the Cage Age and Save bees and farmers!, which both initially received clear commitments from the EC, only to be later backtracked. This failure by the EC to follow through calls into question the very raison d’etre of the ECI instrument itself and severely undermines the trust that citizens have in the EU’s democratic process.
Despite its objective to enable participatory democracy, none of the ten successful ECIs have resulted in concrete legislative outcomes, indicating that citizens’ demands have only had a marginal influence on the Commission’s legislative agenda.
The two NGOs also emphasised that the absence of a sustainable food system framework continues to jeopardise the very objectives of the EU’s Green Deal ambitions, at a time when all studies show there is a critical need for a transition to resilient farming and a focus on dietary shifts.
EU Citizens have been resoundingly vocal on the need for better legislation to protect animals, yet, the impact of democratic participatory tools have so far only been marginal. As we head to the European elections, we call on the European Commission to answer to the calls of citizens and come forward with action plans on these ECIs,
Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals
So many EU citizens have mobilised around European Citizens' Initiatives in the past years. Such a widespread engagement cannot keep being dismissed by the European Commission, because it undermines the democratic principles upon which the EU is founded. It erodes trust in the political process and risks alienating citizens who are eager to contribute to shaping policies that affect their lives
Marta Messa, Slow Food’s Secretary General
Eurogroup for Animals and Slow Food urge the European Commission to promptly address these issues and take concrete actions to fulfil the commitments made in response to ECIs.
