Comments on the European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation on the European Citizens’ Initiative taking into account the General approach adopted by the Council on 14 June 2010
ELIANT herewith presents its comments on the Commission’s proposal article by article. ELIANT bases itself on the experience gained in collecting one million signatures to support its demands on European legislation.

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First comments
on the European Commission’s Proposal
for a Regulation on the Citizens’ Initiative
ELIANT welcomes the Commission having taken up in its proposal comments NGOs made in their response to the Commission’s Green Paper. This is in particular the case for the minimum number of citizens per Member State giving their statement of support (Article 7 and Annex I). ELIANT suggested a system allowing a lower number of signatories for large countries and a higher number for small countries. The Commission has found a simple and convincing way to put this into praxis.
Unfortunately the Commission did not take up some other suggestions which ELIANT, basing itself on the experience gained in collecting Europe wide almost 1 million signatures up to now, made in its response to the Green Paper. Three of these suggestions are particularly important in order to make the ECI workable and as user-friendly as possible: Read more

 

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Perspectives for further steps of the Alliance ELIANT
by Jürgen Erdmenger LL.D.

Today the signature campaign is close to achieving its goal. In the near future, ELIANT will submit the results of its signature campaign in a memorandum to the European Commission. In this memorandum, ELIANT will, at the same time, submit “proposals on matters where citizens” who have given ELIANT their vote “consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties.” Read more HERE

 

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ELIANT gala evening at the Goetheanum as starting signal for the final push in the signature campaign
The ELIANT campaign gala evening on 26 March 2010 in the Goetheanum’s great hall was a decisive prelude to the final stage of the signature collection. The 75,000 signatures we still need are the most precious – please help us to reach the figure of one million EU signatures by the time we submit the petition to the Commission in Brussels in June! Every signature counts: we thank you for your support and – also financial – help.
 
Dornach. During the ELIANT gala evening at the Goethenaum in Dornach, around 700 guests gained an intimate sense of Europe. Speakers from 5 countries, the Prague Guarneri Trio, opera singer Marion Ammann accompanied by pianist Hartwig Joerges and three breath-taking eurythmy solo performances by Carina Schmid, Werner Barfod, Margrethe Solstad and speaker Christian Peter provided a multi-faceted evening and, in words and music, visibly and audibly embodied Europe’s cultural diversity.
 
In her introduction, Michaela Glöckler MD, who presented the evening with great style, thanked all supporters on behalf of the Alliance’s sponsors for their wonderful commitment to the ELIANT campaign, that has resulted in such a good outcome.
 
Gerald Häfner (MEP), who is currently a key figure in negotiations with the Commission and the Council of Ministers relating to elaboration of the newly enshrined European citizens’ initiative, accentuated in his speech that we ourselves are Europe. Each citizen, if he wishes to be involved in contemporary life, is called upon to experience urgently and at first hand our responsibility for social developments in Europe and the world.
 
Dr. jur. Jürgen Erdmenger, retired director general of the European Commission and founding member of the ELIANT Alliance, emphasised in his speech that ELIANT and its sponsors, with the support of a million people, are regarded as a registered NGO and a serious discussion partner in Brussels. Now it will be important for us to clearly show what kind of Europe the signatories wish for, and what the sponsors’ specific concerns are. First indications of this can be found in a paper published to coincide with the gala on future perspectives for the work of ELIANT (see above).
 
Marjatta van Boeschoten, director of Phoenix Consultancy, described her view of the current challenges for civil society initiatives: on the one hand a strengthening of inner impulses, and on the other an increased commitment to citizens’ rights.
 
Paul Mackay, Goetheanum executive council member and director of the Social Sciences Section, stressed in his speech that it is legitimate today to represent one’s own interests in a clear and constructive way, as long as one maintains an awareness of the interests of all.
 
Ron Dunselman, general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Holland reported how, through the broad support of diverse anthroposophic initiatives there, and of people interested in the relevant themes, it had been possible to get 160,000 signatures.
For Christof Wiechert, director of the Pedagogical Section, ELIANT sustains the hope of parents, teachers and children of maintaining freedom and diversity in education systems in Europe.

All this is achievable, stated Nikolai Fuchs, director of the Brussels office of Demeter International. In the past seven years, for instance, it had been possible to secure legal safeguards for biodynamic preparations.
 
The artistic performances gave a vivid sense of the range of culture in Europe, and enhanced the speakers’ contributions. The outstanding level of artistry made this part of the evening a delight and held the rapt attention of all those present.
 
The final push: now every new signature counts
 
The gala evening at the same time marked the start of the last stage of the campaign. We now only have until June to collect the remaining EU signatures. The ELIANT sponsors and coordinators are mobilising all their forces to secure the necessary one million EU signatures for submitting to the Commission in Brussels.
 
This can still be achieved if in the next few weeks as many supporters as possible turn to possible signatories in associations, clubs or via their email address lists – people who have not yet been asked whether they are willing to forward our appeal to their members and ask them for either their online signature or handwritten signature on a petition list. We will be very grateful indeed to every reader who can once again do whatever they can to find new sources of support, helping us to leap this last hurdle. Further donations to redeem an interest-free loan that has financed this major project are also very welcome.

 

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Appeal to sign the ELIANT Charter by Christopher Clouder from the EUROPEAN COUNCIL FOR STEINER WALDORF EDUCATION / ECSWE
One of the provisions within newly ratified Lisbon treaty is that one million European citizens from a “significant number “ of countries will be able to ask the European Commission to put forward new draft laws in areas where it has competences. This citizens’ initiative was inserted in order to bring about more direct democracy into the EU because of the democratic deficit that is plainly visible. It enables issues to be put on the agenda but does not actually oblige the Commission to do anything. However, it is a step towards creating a democratic debate that crosses borders and could influence future policies. How such initiatives will work in practice is still a matter of debate and negotiation. Fortunately, ELIANT, as one of the first of such initiatives and because it is on the verge of gaining the required million signatures from EU citizens, is in a position to participate in the consultation and has made proposals at the invitation of the Commission regarding how these possibilities will be implemented in the future. The present number of such signatures as of 4/02/2010 is 907,412 so with only 92,588 to go our target will be reached.

ELIANT www.eliant.eu is an alliance of ten European associations working with applied anthroposophy in the fields of agriculture, medicine, health, mainstream and special needs education. The European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education is the member that represents the 650 European Steiner Waldorf schools in 23 countries. ELIANT calls for a legal framework in Europe which acknowledges and supports the citizen’s rights for a diversity of lifestyle and cultural choices within the areas it represents.

Although the Commission’s competences within the matters concerning of education are limited, compared to say agriculture and medicine, sharing a platform with our colleagues gives us a stronger voice and enables our schools to be more readily taken into account in forthcoming debates and consultations.
If you have not signed up yet and also believe that the EU needs a human face that provides for the dignity of its citizens, respects fundamental rights and freedoms, and protects its minorities, then please sign up on the website. We have made excellent progress and already notice that we are taken more seriously in EU matters, so the sooner we achieve that million the better.
CHRISTOPHER CLOUDER - ECSWE

 

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