Save the date!
2nd Annual Conference
European Citizens’ Initiatives: on the starting line
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Delegation of Saxony-Anhalt to the EU
80 Boulevard Saint Michel 1040 Brussels
9.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.
Click here to preregister
The first ever citizens initiatives for transnational deliberative democracy will start on 1 April 2012. In terms of Article 11 of the Lisbon Treaty and the regulation to bring it into effect, from that date initiatives will be registered. The citizens’ committee and coalition of organisers will then have 12 months to collect 1 million signatures for a proposal to the Commission to introduce legislation within its competence from a minimum of 7 countries. Is this an answer to bridge the gap between citizens and the EU?
ECAS and Democracy International have great pleasure in inviting you to the conference “European Citizens' Initiatives: on the starting line” which will take place on Tuesday 20 March 2012 at the Representation of Saxony-Anhalt to the EU, boulevard Saint Michel 80, from 9.00 to 18.00. This event will build on the first annual conference on ECI of 17 March 2011, “Getting European Citizens’ Initiatives started” , which was also held in the premises of the Saxony-Anhalt representation to the EU.
The conference will feature prominent speakers from the Institutions, academia and civil society. After a plenary session and debate on the new regulation, participants will divide into 4 working groups and report back to a final plenary session. The working groups will concentrate on:
• Information and communication campaigns for the general public;
• Designing training sessions and on-line tools for organisers;
• Creating a helpdesk for organisers of ECIs;
• Successful organisation of the public hearing after one million signatures have been collected.
A particular emphasis will be given civil society efforts to make this tool become alive on a local, regional, national and transnational level.
Please note that the programme is still preliminary and therefore subject to changes.
ECAS and Democracy International will provide a background discussion document.
About 200 participants are expected to attend the conference.
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Click here to download the programme