General aspects
What is a European citizens’ initiative?
A European citizens’ initiative is a way for you and other EU citizens to take an active part in EU policy-making.
If you want to ask the EU to take action on a particular issue, you can create a citizens’ initiative, to call on the European Commission to propose new EU legislation on that issue.
For an initiative to be considered by the Commission, you need at least 1 million people from across the EU to sign it.
What’s the difference between petitions to the European Parliament and citizens’ initiatives?
Petitions to the European Parliament differ from citizens’ initiatives mainly in that:
- they relate to existing EU activities; they cannot request proposals for new EU laws (citizens’ initiatives propose new EU laws)
- they can be submitted by a single petitioner (citizens’ initiatives have formal groups of organisers)
- there is no minimum number of signatures (citizens’ initiatives need at least1 million signatures).
Citizens’ initiatives are submitted to the European Commission, inviting it to submit a proposal for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties.
Do EU countries have their own version of citizens’ initiatives?
YES.
Initiatives and similar tools exist either at national, regional or local level in most countries. They differ in scope and procedure.
You can find examples in this study:
Getting started – the initiative
We would like to register an initiative but do not know where to start. Is there somewhere where we can get help?
YES.
You can get independent advice on legal aspects of an ECI, as well as on campaigning, fundraising and other organisational aspects, from the European Citizens' Initiative Forum. Each question submitted for advice on the ECI Forum is answered by an expert.
Please note that you must be a registered user of the Forum in order to ask for advice. See more information on registering on the ECI Forum.
The ECI Forum also provides guidance materials to assist you at every stage of starting and running an ECI. For further details, see the ‘Practical guidance’ section of the ECI Forum.
As organisers, can we use an initiative to propose changes to the EU Treaties?
NO.
A citizens’ initiative can only concern proposals on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required to implement the Treaties (and therefore not modify them).
As organisers, can we propose an initiative that is similar to – or opposed to – another initiative that has already been registered?
YES.
There are no restrictions on this in the rules. Each initiative is assessed individually and can be registered if it meets the registration requirements.
Getting started – the organisers
Can some organisers have the same nationality? Is it enough to simply be resident in at least 7 different EU countries?
YES.
What counts is their country of residence. Organisers can have the same or different EU nationalities as long as they are resident in at least 7 different EU countries.
As a non-EU national, can I join a group of organisers?
NO.
You must be a national of an EU country.
How old do I have to be to join a group of organisers?
You must be old enough to vote in European Parliament elections.
In most EU countries this means 18 years old – except:
- Belgium, Germany, Malta and Austria, where the voting age is 16.
- Greece, where the voting age is 17.
Do I need to be registered to vote to be able to be part of a group of organisers?
NO.
You only need to be old enough to vote in European elections (see previous question).
What is the role of the representative (and substitute)?
The representative and the substitute speak and act on behalf of the group of organisers.
They liaise between the group and the Commission, in particular by managing all submissions to the Commission.
They both have access to the organiser account and receive all correspondence from the Commission.
What role do contact persons play?
The contact persons – the representative and their substitute – are authorised to speak and act on behalf of organisers.
They can be among the 7 group members living in 7 different countries or be 2 different members of the group.
They liaise between the group and the Commission, in particular by managing all submissions to the Commission.
They both have access to the organiser account and receive all correspondence from the Commission.
As an organiser, how do I prove that I meet the requirements set out in the rules?
When submitting a request for registration, the representative of the group of organisers needs to upload documents with the full names, postal addresses and nationalities of the 7 group members living in 7 different EU countries.
The same documents are required for the contact persons (representative and substitute), if they are not among these 7 members.
The Commission will check these documents and may require the representative to provide further information.
Important: an identity document might not be sufficient proof of the country of residence. The supporting documents proving the country of residence should be as recent as possible and preferably not more than one year old (e.g. utility bills indicating the current place of residence).
For more information see the guidance on the ECI Forum.
Can we make changes to the group?
YES.
If you do so, you (the representative or the substitute) must use your organiser account to inform the Commission of the changes.
When the changes affect the minimum number of group members living in 7 different EU countries, you must provide the necessary documents showing that your group still complies with the requirements in terms of nationality, age and residence.
When the changes refer to the representative and/or the substitute, the statement of support forms are updated to reflect these changes. If you are using paper forms, you will need to print new ones from your organiser account.
The names of the new group members will appear in the online register. The names of the former representative and/or substitute will remain visible in the register throughout the procedure (this is so that the relevant authorities can check the validity of the signatures collected and submitted for verification).
Can I take part in different initiatives as an organiser?
YES.
There are no restrictions on this in the rules.
Does the group have to set itself up as a legal entity?
NO.
This is just an option.
If you do set one up, the entity is legally in charge of managing the initiative.
Are there specific requirements for the legal entity?
YES.
Any legal entity that manages an initiative must be set up according to the national law of the country where it is registered. Documents need to be provided to prove that it has been registered specifically for the purpose of managing the initiative and that the representative is authorised to act on its behalf.
Getting the initiative registered
As organisers, what do we need to provide to register an initiative?
- the title of the initiative (max. 100 characters without spaces)
- the objectives of the initiative (max. 1,100 characters without spaces)
- the Treaty articles that you as organisers consider relevant for the proposed initiative
- the full names, postal addresses, nationalities and dates of birth of 7 group members living in 7 different EU countries
- additionally, for the representative and substitute, their email addresses and telephone numbers
- The representative and substitute can be among the 7 group members mentioned above (living in 7 different EU countries) or can be other group members.
- documents that prove the full names, current postal addresses, nationalities and dates of birth of each of the 7 group members and of the representative and substitute, if they are not among those 7 group members (see also the FAQ ‘As an organiser, how do I prove that I comply with the requirements set out in the rules’)
- the names of other members of the group
- all sources of funding and support (known at the time of registration) above EUR 500 per sponsor
- if relevant, documents proving that (i) a legal entity was formed to manage the initiative and (ii) that the group representative is authorised to act on behalf of this entity.
- You can also provide:
- an annex giving more background details about the initiative (max. 5,000 characters without spaces), to be filled in online
- additional information, for example a draft legal act (to be uploaded – max. 5 MB)
- the address of the website hosting your initiative (if any).
- Note: after submitting the registration request no changes can be made to the title, objectives, annex or additional information of your initiative.
- For more information on preparing an initiative for registration see the guidance on the ECI Forum.
- For videos from experts and recordings of relevant webinars, see: Practical guidance | European Citizens´ Initiative Forum (europa.eu)
What are the conditions for an initiative to be registered?
The Commission will register your initiative if:
- the group of organisers has been formed and the contact persons named
- the supporting documents proving full names, current postal addresses (residence) and nationalities of the 7 group members living in 7 different EU countries have been submitted
- the legal entity (if you are intending to use one) has been specifically set up to manage the initiative and your representative is authorised to act on its behalf
- the initiative concerns an issue where the Commission has powers to propose an EU law
- the initiative is not abusive, frivolous or vexatious
- the initiative is in line with (i) EU values, as set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and (ii) the rights in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Can the Commission register an idea for an initiative posted on the ECI Forum?
NO.
The ECI Forum is an informal space where (potential) organisers can discuss ideas for initiatives, as well as find people to team up with or get advice.
To get your initiative registered and to start collecting signatures, you first need to submit a formal request for registration to the Commission.
How long does it take the Commission to decide whether to register an initiative?
You will be notified of the Commission decision within 2 months of making your request.
Exceptionally,the registration process can take up to 4 months, if your initiative meets all the requirements except it is not in an area where the Commission has powers. In this case, your group will receive a reply within 1 month already, along with an invitation to change your proposal in this regard.
You would then have up to 2 months to send your updated version to the Commission (or you could decide not to continue with this initiative or to keep it as originally submitted).
If you send an updated version or maintain the initiative as originally submitted, the Commission will take a final decision within 1 month to::
- register the initiative in its full version OR
- partially register the initiative OR
- refuse to register the initiative.
What does partial registration of an initiative mean?
An initiative is partially registered if not all its objectives fall within the Commission’s powers to propose an EU law.
With partial registration, statements of support may be collected only for those parts of the initiative that are registered. If the initiative obtains at least 1 million signatures and is submitted to the Commission, the Commission will examine only the registered parts of the initiative.
With partial registration, how can signatories know what they’re supporting?
Only the registered objectives are mentioned on the online collection system and the paper statement of support forms.
The registration decision in the Commission’s online register contains information on which parts of the initiative have been registered.
The group of organisers must also inform signatories on the scope of registration on their own campaigning websites or other means they may use to promote the initiative.
Once the initiative is registered, what information is published on this website?
Only the following information is published:
- the description of the initiative (title, objectives and any other information provided)
- the full names of the organiser group members and the email addresses of the contact persons (representative and substitute)
- if there is one, the full name and email address of the data protection officer
- the country of residence of the representative
- if a legal entity was created to manage the initiative, the name of the entity and the country where it is based
- the campaigning website, if any
- information on sources of funding and other support.
For more on data protection, see the privacy statement.
Which language can we use to submit a request to register an initiative?
You can use any of the 24 official EU languages.
Are translated versions of the initiatives published (and who’s responsible for translating them)?
YES.
The Commission translates the title, objectives and annex of your initiative into all official EU languages and publishes these on its public register.
If you want to have anything else translated (e.g. a draft legal act), it is your responsibility as organisers to provide the translations through your organiser account. The Commission will then add these translations to the public register.
As organisers, can you appeal a decision not to register your initiative (or to register only partially)?
YES.
The decision is based on legal grounds, which means you can challenge it. The Commission will set out the reasons for its decision and explain which legal or out-of-court remedies are available to you.
This includes bringing proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union or filing a complaint with the European Ombudsman (to complain about maladministration).
Where can I find information on proposed initiatives that have not been registered by the Commission?
You can consult the Commission’s record of past refusals to register initiatives.
As organisers, can we withdraw an initiative once it is registered?
YES.
You can withdraw an initiative at any time before submitting it to the Commission (i.e. after you’ve collected all your signatures and had them certified).
Once you’ve withdrawn it, you can’t reopen it, and all signatures become null and void.
But you will still be able to view it, in the ECI register under ‘withdrawn initiatives’.
Collecting signatures
As organisers, when can we start collecting signatures for our initiative?
You can choose when to start collecting signatures – but this must be no later than 6 months after your initiative was registered.
You must inform the Commission of the start date at least 10 working days before your chosen date. We will then publish the start and end dates of the collection period in our online register.
For more information, visit the ECI Forum’s ‘How to collect signatures’ section.
Can the collection period be shortened once we’ve collected the minimum number of signatures?
YES.
You have 1 year at most to collect signatures.
You can stop at any time if you’re confident you’ve reached the minimum number of signatures (at least 1 million in total, with minimum numbers in at least 7 EU countries). You should aim for as many signatures as possible in excess of the minimum 1 million, to take into account the fact that some signatures may be invalidated during the verification process carried out by the different EU countries.
To terminate the collection of signatures before the end of the collection period, you must inform the Commission of that intention at least 10 working days before the new date chosen for the end of the collection period.
As organisers, can we design the statement of support forms ourselves?
NO.
To collect signatures, you have to use specific forms that comply with the models set out in Annex III of the Regulation on the European citizens' initiative and include all the necessary information on the initiative, as published on this website.
Also, the data that signatories must provide depends on the country they’re from.
To guarantee you have the right forms, you can download pre-filled forms from your organiser account. These already include the relevant details for your initiative. You can add a logo or image of the initiative.
The form should be printed on one single A4 sheet (double-sided printing is allowed).
Can we use the same paper form to collect signatures from any individual?
NO.
You must use separate forms, according to the nationality of the signatories. This means that all signatories on any one form must be nationals of the same EU country.
On each form, you must first indicate the country where it will be sent for verification. Only nationals of this country can then use this form.
Do the forms have to be in an official language of the country of nationality of the person signing?
You can collect signatures in any official EU language irrespective of nationality.
As organisers, can we use more than 1 online collection system?
NO.
As an organiser, you must use the Commission’s online collection system to collect signatures online.
This system is a free, off-the-shelf solution, complying with technical and security requirements.
All you have to do, is sign an agreement as joint data controller with the Commission.
You can then start collecting signatures, 10 days after you’ve informed the Commission about the start of the collection period.
For more information see the ECI Forum’s guidance on the central online collection system.
Is approval required if we use the Commission’s collection system?
NO.
This system is a free, off-the-shelf solution. It already complies with technical and security requirements.
All you have to do, is sign an agreement to be a joint data controller with the Commission.
You can then start collecting signatures, 10 days after you’ve informed the Commission about the start of the collection period.
Why are minimum numbers of signatories needed in at least a quarter of EU countries?
To ensure that support for an initiative is spread among a sufficiently broad range of nationalities.
If the minimum is not reached for a country, does it mean their support doesn’t count?
NO.
All signatures are added to the total number of signatories to reach the 1 million target.
Signing an initiative
How can I sign an initiative?
You have to fill in a statement of support online or on paper. For most EU countries, you can also sign an initiative using electronic identification (eID).
What information do I need to provide?
This varies from one country to another.
For all EU nationals, the following is required: nationality; full first name and family name; and, depending on the country:
either
A. full postal address and date of birth
(for nationals of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia)
or
B. a personal identification number and the type of number/document
(for nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).
Some EU nationals can also use e-Identification to sing an initiative.
Once an initiative has reached the required number of signatures, the details you have collected will be validated by the authorities in each country. Any statement of support that contains erroneous data will not be valid.
Who can sign an initiative using electronic identification (eID)?
For the list of EU countries whose nationals can sign an initiative using eID see: Data requirements (europa.eu).
How old do I need to be to sign an initiative?
You must be old enough to vote in European Parliament elections (18 years old in most EU countries). Some countries lowered the minimum age to sign ECIs to 16 years. See the full table.
Do I need to be registered to vote, to sign an initiative?
NO.
You just need to be old enough to vote in European elections or be 16 years of age at least for the countries that have decided to allow support from that age (see previous question).
Can non-EU nationals living in the EU sign an initiative?
NO.
Only EU nationals (nationals of an EU country) can sign European citizens’ initiatives.
I’m an EU national living in another EU country. Where will my signature be counted?
In the country of which you’re a national.
For example, if you’re a Lithuanian living in Ireland, you will choose Lithuania as the country of nationality when signing an initiative online or you will fill in the paper form used by the organisers for Lithuanian nationals. Your signature will be verified and counted in Lithuania.
I’m an EU national with dual nationality. How do I sign an initiative?
If you have dual nationality, just choose 1 of your nationalities and fill in only 1 form. You can only sign an initiative once.
I’m an EU national living outside the EU. Can I sign an initiative?
YES.
When signing, choose the EU country of which you’re a national. Your signature will be verified and counted in that country.
How can I keep track of whether I have already signed an initiative?
After signing an initiative, you are prompted to download a unique identifier, a .PDF file with the name of the initiative and a string of letters and numbers (for example: a9f774f7-ae4b-45e5-a891-09ae1b7a2bba). If you saved this file, it serves as proof that you signed and can help you identify which initiative(s) you have signed.
Getting statements of support verified
Is there a time limit for us as organisers to submit the signatures we have collected to the national authorities for verification?
YES.
You must submit the signatures collected to the national authorities for verification within 3 months of the end of the collection period.
How are statements of support checked?
Designated authorities in all EU countries carry out checks to certify the number of statements of support collected from their nationals.
They have 3 months at most for this. These checks may be exhaustive or based on random sampling.
How are the statements of support collected on paper sent to the national authorities for verification?
There are 2 options:
- You (the organisers) may choose to submit statements of support collected on paper forms using your own means. Statements of support collected on paper may be submitted in paper form, or they may be scanned and submitted using electronic transmission or physically such as via an electronic storage device. If statements of support are submitted in physical form (paper or electronic storage device) this also needs to be done securely, e.g. sent by registered post or delivered by courier. You must comply with all relevant data protection rules at all times.
- You (the organisers) must inform the Commission whether you wish to upload statements of support collected on paper using the Commission’s file exchange service. Scanned versions of the forms can be uploaded in an encrypted form. You will have to upload all statements of support collected on paper within 2 months from the end of the collection period and then inform the Commission when this has been completed.
How are signatures collected online sent to the national authorities for verification?
The Commission sends the signatures collected using its online collection system to the Member States via its file exchange service. This is a system that allows the secure transfer of statements of support to the Member States. The information is sent in an encrypted form and can only be decrypted by the national authority concerned.
What is the Commission’s file exchange service?
The file exchange service is a system that allows the secure transfer of statements of support to national authorities.
The information is sent in an encrypted form and can only be decrypted by the national authority concerned.
What happens at the end of the verification process?
Each national authority will send, free of charge, a certificate to the organisers specifying the number of valid statements of support collected from its nationals. Once all the required certificates from the national authorities are obtained, the organisers may formally submit the initiative to the Commission for examination.
Which means of redress are available to us if the responsible national authorities fail to issue the certificates within the 3-month time limit?
You can use the means of redress available under national law – for example via national administrative or judicial authorities (including national or regional ombudsmen).
You can also lodge a complaint with the Commission for an infringement of EU law.
Submitting an initiative
Is there a time limit for us as organisers to submit our initiative to the Commission so it can prepare an answer?
YES.
You have 3 months to do this, from the date you received the last certificate from the national authorities.
Do we have to deliver all signatures to the Commission?
NO.
You only have to send the submission form via your organiser account, and copies of all the certificates you received from the national authorities confirming the number of signatures you collected.
Getting an answer
What’s the aim and format of the meeting between organisers and the Commission?
This meeting is held within 1 month of the date when the organisers submitted the initiative.
It consists of a structured discussion on the content of the initiative, to ensure the Commission has a clear understanding of its objectives (including any clarifications needed), before it prepares its answer.
As organisers of a valid initiative, do we need to contact the European Parliament directly to arrange a public hearing?
NO.
Once you’ve submitted your initiative, the Commission informs the European Parliament. The European Parliament then contacts you to organise the hearing.
In addition to the European Parliament, the Commission also informs the Council of the European Union, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, as well as all national Parliaments in the EU.
By when must the Commission reply to a valid initiative?
Within six months from when it is published as a valid initiative.
What form does the Commission’s reply take?
The Commission issues a communication stating the measures it plans to take, if any, as well as justifications, and an envisaged timeline for implementing the measures.
The communication will be published on this website in all EU official languages.
The Commission also notifies the European Parliament, Council of the European Union, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions as well all national Parliaments in the EU.
Does a successful initiative automatically become EU law?
NO.
The Commission must first examine the substance of successful initiatives and give a reply within 6 months. In its reply, the Commission will explain whether it intends to propose legislation. If the Commission decides to propose legislation, that proposal will need to follow the process for the adoption of EU law.
Is the Commission obliged to propose legislation following a successful initiative? What if the Commission does not propose legislation?
The aim of the European citizens’ initiative is to enable EU citizens to launch a debate and influence the EU agenda by calling on the Commission to propose legislation.
The Commission has 6 months to examine the specific requests of successful initiatives and to decide what action to take, if any. The Commission is not obliged to propose legislation in response to a successful initiative, but can decide on other types of follow up e.g. non-legislative actions or implementation of existing legislation. Whatever decision the Commission takes in response to the requests of an initiative, it will explain its reasons clearly.
If the Commission decides to propose EU legislation in response to a citizens' initiative, what happens next?
The Commission’s proposal needs to follow the relevant legislative procedure.
This means, to become law it will have to be examined and then adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, or in some cases only by the Council.
For more information see: Policy, law – decision-making process | European Union (europa.eu)
Funding and other support
As a group of organisers, do we need to declare financial support?
YES.
You must provide information on all funding above EUR 500 per sponsor.
You need to provide this information when submitting your request for registration and then update it at least every 2 months up until the end of your collection or, if your initiative is successful, until the Commission reply.
You also need to provide information on any non-financial support received for your initiative.
The Commission will publish the details of your sources of funding and other support on our online register. You will need to publish the same information on your campaign website (if any).
More information on reporting financial support can be found in the related guidance on the ECI Forum.
As a group of organisers, where do we report all sources of support and funding?
You declare all sources of support and funding in your organiser account, which is the account you used to request the registration of your initiative.
You will receive an automatic reminder in your organiser account to update the information on funding and support every 2 months.
Who is considered a sponsor?
Sponsors are people or organisations providing financial support over EUR 500.
Legal persons or organisations providing other economically quantifiable (in-kind donations) or non-economically quantifiable support to an initiative are also considered sponsors.
Individuals providing non-financial support, such as volunteering, are not considered sponsors under the ECI Regulation and do not need to be reported.
If you are unsure whether support you are receiving should be reported, please contact the ‘Ask an expert’ service of the ECI Forum.
Is there any type of EU funding available to us as organisers?
YES.
You can apply for funding under existing EU programmes (e.g. the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme) within the criteria of each call for proposals.
The Commission also provides free of charge support to organisers, including:
- legal advice and practical guidance on all aspects of the ECI process through the ECI Forum;
- a secure and user-friendly online collection system;
- translation services;
- awareness-raising activities.
For more information and advice on fundraising see the related guidance on the ECI Forum.
Can I make complaints about how registered initiatives are funded?
YES.
If you want to trigger alerts or submit complaints about sponsors and support declared for a particular initiative (e.g. you believe the information published is incorrect or incomplete), use the contact form available on the page dedicated to the initiative.
How does the Commission deal with complaints related to funding of initiatives?
The Commission will contact the organisers of the initiative to establish the facts and ask them to correct any inaccuracies on funding/support.
Communicating
Can the Commission help me promote my initiative?
NO.
The Commission is obliged to be neutral towards all ongoing initiatives.
However, it does run general publicity and information campaigns to raise public awareness of the European citizens’ initiative as a tool of participatory democracy and of the fact that people can sign initiatives.
How can I stay informed about citizens’ initiatives?
You can visit this site for the latest developments on the European citizens’ initiative in general and specific initiatives or subscribe to the newsletter.
You can also subscribe to receive specific updates on initiatives from organisers and from the Commission when signing an initiative using the Commission’s online collection system.
You can also visit the ECI Forum website for videos, success stories and blog articles featuring different initiatives.
As an organiser, can I keep in touch with those who have signed my initiative?
Signatories can choose to provide their email addresses for communication and information purposes. Their explicit consent is necessary and you must comply with the relevant data protection rules.
Data protection
If I sign an initiative, is it normal and legitimate that I need to provide personal data?
YES.
The ECI Regulation requires organisers to collect specific personal data from you, online or on paper, and to communicate this information to the national authorities in charge of validating the collected support. Without this data, your support for the initiative cannot be validated by the national authorities.
If I sign an initiative, for how long will my personal data be kept?
The organisers and the Commission must destroy all statements of support for an initiative (and any copies) by whichever of these dates comes first:
- 1 month after the organisers submit the initiative to the Commission
- 21 months after the collection period starts.
However, if the organisers withdraw their initiative after the beginning of the collection period, the statements of support (and any copies) must be destroyed within 1 month from the withdrawal.
The national authorities that verify statements of support must destroy all the statements (and any copies) within 3 months from completing this process.
Privacy policy concerning signatories' personal data collected using paper forms (europa.eu)
Email addresses:
The organisers and the Commission must destroy all records of email addresses within:
- 1 month after an initiative is withdrawn or
- 12 months after the end of the collection period or
- 12 months after the organisers submit their initiative to the Commission.
However, if the Commission replies to an initiative with a formal communication, the retention period for the email addresses ends 3 years after the communication is published.
If I sign an initiative, how can I be sure my personal data won’t be used for other purposes?
All personal data processed for the purpose of an initiative are subject to data protection legislation.
For the personal data that they process, the representatives of the groups of organisers must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant national data protection legislation.
For the personal data that it processes, the European Commission must comply with the Regulation on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the EU institutions (EUDPR).
For the personal data that they process during the verification of the statements of support, the Member States are subject to the GDPR and relevant national data protection rules.
How can I be sure that signing an initiative online is secure?
The Commission’s online collection system provides the highest level of security for users (including data encryption) in accordance with its rules on secure communication and information systems. It also allows citizens to sign initiatives simply by using their national eID.
As organisers, can we use signatories’ data for communication purposes?
You cannot use the data you collect in the statements of support for communication purposes.
However, you can ask signatories for their contact details separately – subject to their consent - for communication and information purposes.
For more details, see the Data protection guidance for organisers.
Who is data controller for a citizens’ initiative?
The data controller for a citizens’ initiative is:
- the representative of the group of organisers, or
- the legal entity, if one has been created to manage the initiative.
This role relates to the processing of personal data (including email addresses) gathered from individuals during the process of collecting signatures.
The role of data controller is shared with the Commission if an initiative uses:
- the Commission’s system to collect signatures and email addresses online
- the Commission’s file exchange service to transfer signatures to EU countries.
The national authorities are also data controllers during the process of verifying signatures.
For more details, see the Data protection guidance for organisers.
Which data protection rules do ECI organisers have to follow?
Specific rules are set inthe Regulation on the European citizens’ initiative – see Article 19.
For all the other aspects, the organisers, as well as competent authorities in EU countries are subject to the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation.
Where the Commission acts as a joint controller, its actions are governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.
For more details, see the Data protection guidance for organisers.
