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With the start of the 2024-2029 European parliamentary term on 16 July 2024, the revised Annex I to the ECI Regulation became applicable. It sets out new minimum numbers of signatories per Member State (‘thresholds’). These thresholds are linked to the number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). As the number of MEPs increased from 705 to 720 in the new term, the thresholds increased as well. For an ECI to be examined by the European Commission, it must collect at least one million valid signatures and obtain these minimum numbers of valid signatures in at least seven EU countries. 

These new minimum numbers apply to ECIs registered by the Commission on or after 16 July 2024. The new minimum numbers do not apply to ECIs registered before 16 July 2024 for which the previous thresholds continue to apply.

On 19 June the European Commission decided to register two European citizens' initiatives.

The ‘Air-Quotas’ initiative calls for a citizens’ carbon quota mechanism in each country that would encourage businesses to decarbonise through consumer demand. The organisers consider that it should cover all purchases of goods and services, starting with air transport. 

The ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’ initiative calls for a requirement for publishers of videogames in the EU to leave such games in a functional (playable) state, so to prevent their remote disabling.

These initiatives are the sixth and seventh registered in 2024. The organisers have now six months to open the signature collection. 

On 13 May the Commission registered a European citizens' initiative entitled 'Save the Planet by shifting taxation from labour to greenhouse gas emissions’. It calls on the Commission to strengthen the Fit for 55 Package and the EU carbon pricing system and for the redistribution of a substantial part of carbon pricing revenues to low-income households, strengthening the EU’s Social Climate Fund and promoting the establishment of a ‘Climate Club’ for countries wishing to adopt more robust carbon pricing.

This is the fifth initiative registered in 2024. The organisers have six months to open the signature collection. 

On 10 April the Commission registered a European citizens' initiative entitled  'My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion'. It calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for financial support to Member States for enabling safe termination of pregnancies for anyone in Europe who lacks access to safe and legal abortion.

This is the fourth initiative registered in 2024. The organisers have six months to open the signature collection. 

On 21 March 2024, the winners of the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students were honoured during an award ceremony at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. The three winning teams from France, Italy and Romania participate in a three-day study visit to the European institutions. The ImagineEU video competition builds on the concept of the European Citizens’ Initiative and aims to empower young citizens to play an active role in influencing EU policies. It invited 16–18-year-old students from across the EU to create and share short videos presenting their ideas for changes at European level that can improve the quality of life in their communities. Watch the winning videos.

On 21 February and 12 March, the European Commission published a call for evidence and a public consultation. They aim to seek views and expertise on the environmental, social and economic consequences of a potential ban on EU sales and international trade of loose shark fins and collecting feedback on potential policy options to better protect sharks and related marine ecosystems. 

The aim is to ensure the best informed, participatory and transparent way of deciding on the follow-up to the 2023 European citizens’ initiative “Stop Finning – Stop the Trade”. 

On 22 February 2024, the Court of Justice delivered its judgment in case C-54/22 P, Romania v Commission. The Commission’s 2019 decision to partially register the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘Cohesion policy for the equality of the regions and sustainability of the regional cultures’ is upheld following the dismissal of Romania’s appeal.    

The ImagineEU video competition, launched in October 2023, invited young Europeans to think of concrete ideas that could benefit citizens across the EU – similarly to the European Citizens’ Initiative.    

 The jury selected the three best videos, submitted by school teams from France, Italy and Romania. The teams are awarded a study trip to Brussels in March.  

On 9 February 2024 Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, received representatives of the successful European citizens` initiative 'Fur Free Europe'.

In the meeting the Commissioner presented the Commission's reply to this initiative, adopted on 7 December 2023, and replied to the questions of the organisers. 

On 6 February the Commission registered a European citizens' initiative entitled 'European Cannabis Initiative'.

The organisers call on the Commission to: (i) convene a trans-European citizens’ assembly on cannabis policies, including sanctions and the consistency of Member States’ policies; (ii) foster access to medical cannabis and allow the transportation of cannabis and its derivatives prescribed for therapeutic purposes to ensure the full enjoyment of the right to health and (iii) allocate the necessary resources for researching cannabis for its therapeutic purposes. 

The Commission has concluded that the initiative can only be registered as regards the second and third objectives, as only these objectives fulfil the requirements for registration. The Commission had to refuse the registration of the first objective of the initiative, as it falls outside the Commission’s powers to submit a proposal for a legal act of the Union.

The partial registration followed a two-stage procedure, in which organisers, in a first stage, were invited to amend their initial initiative, taking into account the first assessment of the Commission. 

The organisers have six months to open the signature collection.