I begin my contribution to this blog with a slightly off-topic post.
Tomorrow, or today- the 9th of May, by any means, is Europe day!
The Commission has chosen to celebrate by registering the very first European Citizens' Initiative. What is this? Since 1 April 2012, groups of European citizens from at least seven different Member States can exhort the Commission to propose legislation to certain ends, provided that the Commission has competence over the subject. The Initiatives are then put in an online register and stay open for subscription for a period of 12 months. If a proposal reaches one million subscriptions within that time span, the Commission will act towards the approval of legislation in the desired direction (see also our previous post: European Citizens' Initiatives).
The Initiative which will be registered tomorrow is "Fraternité 2020 – Mobility. Progress. Europe". It was submitted by a group of citizens living in Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania and Spain and seeks to "enhance EU exchange programmes – like Erasmus or the European Voluntary Service – in order to contribute to a united Europe based on solidarity among citizens".
Eager to step up for more Erasmus or to bring in your own initiative (maybe in the field of consumer law, or...)? All the info you need can be found on the Citizens' Initiative website.
And happy Europe day!
