Today sees the entry into force of the revised Drinking Water Directive, a direct response to the first ever successful European Citizens’ Initiative, Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity!. The new legislation will ensure the safety and quality of drinking water, as well as easier access to it for vulnerable groups.

The Commission has registered today a new European citizens' initiative: ‘Civil society initiative for a ban on biometric mass surveillance practices'. The organisers urge the Commission to propose a legal act to permanently end indiscriminate and arbitrarily-targeted uses of biometric data in ways which can lead to mass surveillance or any undue interference with fundamental rights.

Due to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission decided on 17 December to grant a three month extension for citizens' initiatives which were in the process of collecting statements of support on 1 November 2020. Organisers of the initiatives concerned have been notified by the Commission. Read the text of the Commission implementing decision.

The European Citizens’ Initiative Week took place online from 16 to 20 November 2020. Kick-started by Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, the event brought together high level representatives from the European institutions, the civil society and citizens’ initiatives organisers. If you have missed-out on the event, the recordings for each session are now available.

The organisers of the ‘End the Cage Age’ initiative have met with Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová and Commissioner for Health & Food Safety Stella Kyriakides.

The European Parliament will hold a public hearing on the fifth successful European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Minority Safepack – one million signatures for diversity in Europe’ on 15 October from 9.00 to 13.00. Due to current COVID-19 constraints, the meeting will be held partly remotely with limited physical presence in the room, but will be fully webstreamed for the public.

The Commission has registered today, 21 August 2020, a new citizens' initiative: Right to Cure. The organisers now have up to 6 months to start the collection of statements of support from citizens across Europe.

On 15 July 2020, the European Parliament and the Council adopted temporary measures to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of the European citizens' initiative. Find out more

The European Commission has adopted today a proposal for a Regulation allowing to extend the time limits for the collection, verification and examination phases applicable to European citizens’ initiatives.

Regarding the collection phase in particular, an extension of 6 months to the existing 12-month period is proposed for initiatives whose collection of signatures was ongoing on the day COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO (11 March 2020).

The final text of this Regulation will become applicable once it has been adopted by the European Parliament and by the Council.

The Commission has registered today, 15 May 2020, a new citizens' initiative: Unconditional Basic Incomes (UBI) throughout the EU. The organisers now have up to 6 months to start the collection of statements of support from citizens across Europe.