The European Commission (EC) recently
reviewed three European Citizens’ Initiatives
–
registering two and rejecting
one – that relate to union citizens’ rights in the wake of the United Kingdom’s
Brexit referendum.
The EC recently registered “EU Citizenship
for Europeans: United in Diversity in spite of jus soli and jus sanguinis” and
“Retaining European Citizenship,” and rejected “Stop Brexit.”
The two approved initiatives are related to
the rights of EU citizens, with the first proposing that union citizenship be
separated from member state nationality and the second proposing that the EC
reaffirm that EU citizens have the right to move and reside freely within the
union. “EU Citizenship for Europeans” was formally registered on March 27,
while the “Retaining European Citizenship” initiative will be formally
registered on May 2.
The EC rejected the “Stop Brexit”
initiative because it contradicts Article 50(I) of the Treaty of the European
Union, which allows member states to withdraw from the Union.
European Citizens’ Initiatives allow
European Union (EU) citizens to propose subjects of legal action to the EC .
Once proposed, the EC reviews an initiative for admissibility, based on the
factors like the commission’s power to act on the proposed legal action, and
either registers or rejects it. Once an initiative is registered, if it gains 1
million signatures from at least a quarter of EU member states within a year of
its formal registration, the EC is invited to propose a legal act on that
initiative and, if it declines, must explain its decision.
