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At this year’s Public Affairs Summit in Brussels, the workshop “Empowering Citizens: Enhancing Engagement for a Resilient EU Future” will look at how citizens can play a stronger role in shaping EU decisions, including with the European citizens’ initiative. Speakers include David Knight, Policy Assistant in Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič’s team and Elisa Lironi, Deputy Executive Director at ECAS.

Thursday 6 November 2025, 12:00 (CET)

The European Parliament will hold a public hearing on the twelfth successful European Citizens’ Initiative 'My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion' on 2 December. The organisers will present the initiative's objectives and engage with Members of the European Parliament. European Commission's representatives will also participate.

The meeting is web streamed and recorded. 

In line with Article 15 of the ECI Regulation, the organisers of the twelfth successful European citizens’ initiative  ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion' were given the opportunity to explain the objectives of their initiative in detail. They were received on 1 October 2025 by Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib and European Commission officials.

On 29 September, the Commission had to refuse the registration of the ‘Ethical selection of European representatives’ initiative. The initiative did not fulfil the formal conditions established in the ECI Regulation.

This is the second refusal since the new ECI Regulation started applying in January 2020.

The European Commission published today its response to the European citizens' initiative Cohesion policy for the equality of the regions and sustainability of the regional cultures, the eleventh successful initiative supported by over 1 million citizens across the EU. The initiative collected over 1.2 million valid signatures and reached required thresholds in 8 Member States.

Read the Commission communication.

On 1 September 2025, the European citizens' initiative ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion' was submitted to the European Commission, making it the 12th successful initiative that will be examined by the Commission. The initiative has obtained 1,124,513 valid statements of support from EU citizens, surpassing the required minimum of one million valid statements of support and reaching thresholds in 19 Member States.

The organisers of the initiative call on the Commission to submit a proposal for financial support to Member States that would enable them to perform safe termination of pregnancies for anyone in Europe who lacks access to safe and legal abortion.

The Commission has until 2 March 2026 to present its official reply, outlining the actions it intends to take, if any. The Commission will meet the organisers to discuss the initiative in detail in the coming weeks. A public hearing will then be organised by the European Parliament.

In its reply to the ‘Fur Free Europe’ initiative, presented in December 2023, the Commission tasked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide a scientific opinion on the welfare of animals farmed for fur. The EFSA opinion was published on 30 July 2025. Building further on this scientific input, and on an assessment of economic and social impacts, the Commission will communicate on the most appropriate follow-up action on the initiative by March 2026. 

On 16 July the Commission registered a European citizens' initiative entitled ‘Save your right, Save your flight!’.

It calls for the reversal of changes that undermine passenger's rights and the preservation of the ‘current compensation eligibility thresholds' for air passengers.

The initiative organisers have six months to open the signature collection.

On 8 July the Commission registered a European citizens' initiative entitled ‘Food is a Human Right for All! Guaranteeing healthy, just and sustainable food systems'.

It calls on the Commission to propose or amend legislation in various areas, with the aim of ‘making the right to food a reality’ and integrating it into the EU legal framework that impacts the right to food.

The initiative organisers have six months to open the signature collection.  

As of 1 July 2025, the legal age to sign a European citizens’ initiative in Finland was lowered to 16.  It is now possible to sign an initiative below the age of 18 in 7 EU countries. See data requirements for each country.