The European citizens' initiative enables one million EU citizens from at least seven EU countries to call on the European Commission to propose legislation on matters where the EU has competence to legislate. It is a right that is enshrined in the EU treaties. The rules and procedures governing the citizens' initiative are set out in an EU regulation adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in February 2011.

Making the European Union more democratic and transparent is one of the priorities of the Juncker Commission. It is against this background that the European citizens' initiative is particularly important since it gives them the opportunity to express their concerns in a very concrete way and to influence the European political and legislative agenda. On 31 March 2015, the Commission published its first report on the implementation of this instrument. After only 3 years of existence, the facts show the interest of the general public for the citizens' initiative. In particular, about 6 million citizens have already made use of their new right, and three initiatives have managed to gather more than 1 million signatures. However, we are aware that some aspects can still be improved, and we have started a reflection on possible options for improving the tool and have the intention of involving all relevant stakeholders in this exercise.

This publication gathers contributions to understand better and further develop the European Citizens’ Initiative. This participatory and agenda-setting tool introduced into the Treaty of Lisbon has not yet reached its full potential of citizen engagement, nor has it driven the significant policy changes initially expected. Bearing this in mind, the project ECI: From A to Z aimed to promote the knowledge and use of the European Citizens’ Initiative within the higher education arena by engaging investigators and students from four different Universities (University of Coimbra; Georg-August University of Göttingen; Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi and the University of Vigo) to work together to share their concerns and common views on the European Union role and policies. This publication describes the methodology followed and results reached under the project, but more than that, it is a practical toolkit for all who wish to know more about the European Citizens’ Initiative and how to put it in motion.

An exploration and analysis of the regulation and practices of citizens' initiatives in eleven European democracies and the EU. The contributors to this volume shed light on how citizens' initiatives influence patterns of political agenda-setting in representative democracies and how they can contribute to participatory democracy.

This publication gathers contributions to understand better and further develop the European Citizens' Initiative. This participatory and agenda-setting tool introduced into the Treaty of Lisbon has not yet reached its full potential of citizen engagement, nor has it driven the significant policy changes initially expected. Bearing this in mind, the project ECI: From A to Z aimed to promote the knowledge and use of the European Citizens' Initiative within the higher education arena by engaging investigators and students from four different Universities (University of Coimbra; Georg-August University of Göttingen; Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi and the University of Vigo) to work together to share their concerns and common views on the European Union role and policies. This publication describes the methodology followed and results reached under the project, but more than that, it is a practical toolkit for all who wish to know more about the European Citizens' Initiative and how to put it in motion.

The European Union grants European citizenship to all citizens of its member states. EU Citizenship is supplementary to national citizenship. The rights, freedoms and legal protections offered under EU law are granted to all European citizens. These constitute the right to free movement, settlement and employment across the European Union. Citizens are free to trade and transport goods, services and resources through EU state borders, with no restrictions or fees on asset movements. They have the right to vote in and run as a candidate in elections in the state where they live, while also voting for European elections. European citizens can also participate in the European Citizens' Initiative, which aims to increase direct democracy. This book unravels the recent studies in the field of European citizenship. It consists of contributions made by international experts. For all readers who are interested in this field, the case studies included in this book will serve as an excellent guide to develop a comprehensive understanding.