The European Commission will host a one-hour webinar on October 17, Thursday (11:30—12:30 Eastern European Time) on the topic: “How to Enable Citizens in Your Region to be (Cross-border) Active in the EU: The European Citizens’ Initiative and Other Opportunities for Citizen Participation.”
This webinar is part of a series of activities organized by the European Commission for the network of local elected representatives from all Member States who work together on EU-related communication at the local level, “Building Europe with Local Councillors” (BELC). Local authorities (at the municipal or regional level) wishing to become partners of the BELC network can apply through the open call for applications.
All EU citizens are entitled to participate in European democracy. The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) serves as a unique instrument for them to engage in participatory democracy. The initiative allows people from different Member States to call on the European Commission to propose legislative changes on issues that matter to them. Additionally, citizens can participate in public consultations and thematic discussions on various topics. Local authorities are encouraged to share information on how their constituents – EU citizens – can actively participate in shaping the Europe they want to live in. To facilitate the promotion of the ECI tool, a “European Citizens’ Initiative Advocacy Handbook” has been developed, available in all official EU languages, containing ready-to-use materials and digital resources.
The one-hour online meeting will discuss different ways EU citizens can help shape EU policies, including through the European Citizens' Initiative, as well as the role of local and regional authorities in disseminating information about the initiative. The ECI communication network and opportunities to participate in it will be presented.
You can register for participation at https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/webinar-registration. The meeting will be in English, with live interpretation to/from German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Greek, and Polish. The access link to the event will be sent to the email used for registration 3 days before the announced start.
Representatives of local/regional authorities who carry out significant information activities will receive an invitation to the annual meeting of the ECI communication network in Brussels in the spring of 2025. More information will be provided during the webinar.