The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) could be more user friendly but with 14 registered ECIs being in the loop it got off to a good start: That’s how the Vice-President of the EU-Commission Maroš Šefčovič summed up the first year since ECI was launched in April 2012. Before meeting the Bundestag’s EU-Affairs Committee, Šefčovič gave a brief survey about current issues at European House near Brandenburg Gate.
In an open atmosphere, Šefčovič gave an exclusive talk to a small circle of representatives from media and PR departments from EM Germany’s member organizations. Hosted by the Representation of the EU Commission in Germany and EM Germany, his tour d’horizon started with the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). Of 26 proposed intitiatives, 14 are currently ongoing with signatures being collected. Šefčovič admitted that there were some technical problems at the beginning and that there are some lessons to be learned after the first cycle will be completed in November: User friendliness and data protection needed to be balanced, Šefčovič said, but emphasized the potential of the ECI: “This could be the first Europe wide e-democracy instrument for consulting the citizens.” An ideal would be an easy e-ID-based opportunity for every EU citizen to politically participate: „Be one click away from the decision makers”, Šefčovič put his vision into a nutshell.
Another issue was the European Semester: End of May the EU Commission will issue the third Country Specific Recommendations (CSR) which Maroš Šefčovič considers an effective tool for reforms on a national level. „Constructive pressure from outside helps to tackle touchy issues”, Šefčovič said.
The former Slovak diplomat’s enthusiasm for the European project could be felt when he shared his childhood experience of cycling next to the Iron Curtain near Bratislava ever so often: “We thought this border would never disappear and we had this famous joke about it: Father and son in front of the Iron Curtain, the son asks: ,Who is behind the bars?’ – And the answer is: ,We are, my son!’ For most of my fellow countrymen being a EU-member is still like a dream come true”, Šefčovič said and called the Europeans to “global responsibility” concerning crisis management in the financial crisis: “We are responsible for the 2nd most important currency in the world – and sometimes you have to pay for it.”