European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn today met with representatives of the organising committee of the European Citizens' Initiative "One of Us". The meeting was also attended by the Director General for Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits, and by Deputy Director General for Development and Cooperation, Marcus Cornaro, on behalf of the European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs.
Following the meeting, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn and Commissioner Piebalgs made the following statement:
"This is the second European Citizens' Initiative that has collected the required number of signatures to earn the right to put their ideas forward. We at the European Commission intend to give this ECI all due attention, and the meeting today was very useful in this regard. The Commission is very much in listening mode, and that will continue tomorrow in the public hearing in the European Parliament. The Commission will then by 28 May present its Communication in response to the ECI."
