Press Release: Ombudsman: The European Citizens’ Initiative should work in the most transparent way possible

The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, issued on 9 February 2010 a contribution to the public consultation on the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). He called on the Commission to ensure that this important new form of public participation in EU policy shaping, introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, works in the most transparent and citizen-friendly way possible. The ECI provides that one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States can call directly on the European Commission to bring forward legislative proposals in an area of EU competence.