The European Commission has today registered a European Citizens Initiative (ECI), entitled 'Mum, Dad & Kids - European Citizens' Initiative to protect Marriage and Family', inviting the Commission to propose legislation that defines the meaning of marriage as a union between a man and a woman and of family as based on marriage and/or descent for the purpose of EU law. This registration starts a one-year process of collection of signatures in support of the proposed ECI by its organisers.
The Commission's decision to register concerns only the legal admissibility of the proposal. The conditions for admissibility, as foreseen by the ECI Regulation, are that the proposed action does not manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission's powers to submit a proposal for a legal act, that it is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious and that it is not manifestly contrary to the values of the Union.
The College of Commissioners discussed the legal admissibility of the proposed ECI and concluded that the legal conditions for the registration of the ECI were fulfilled. The College has not analysed the substance of the initiative at this stage.
