The conference will feature several high-level speakers, such as  the Vice President of the European Commission for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration, Maroš Šefčovič and the European Parliament co-rapporteur of the ECI, Gerald Häfner (Greens/EFA MEO), - alongside other prominent representatives from academia and civil society including GEF ECI Pocket Guide author Bruno Kaufmann. 

The main topics to be addressed by the conference are : information and communication campaigns for the general public promoting the ECI; designing training sessions and on-line tools for ECI organisers; creating a helpdesk for ECI organisers; and successful organisation of the public hearing in the European Parliament after the one million signatures have been collected. A particular emphasis will be given to the civil society efforts to make the ECI become reality at the local, regional, national and transnational level. 

As a tool for understanding the different processes, challenges and advantages of the ECI, the Green European Foundation has published the  “ECI Pocket Guide”. This manual provides helpful information to organisers for identifying the best approach to an ECI, guides organisers, as well as signatories through the different procedures and necessary steps of an initiative and gives a detailed list of constitutional foundations, legal statutes and procedural regulations of the instrument. The Pocket Guide will be launched during the conference, in the presence of its author (Bruno Kaufmann) and many important actors in the direct democracy field. You can already pre-order your printed copy of the pocket guide at info@gef.eu. 

To register for the conference, please visit the ECAS website here.

GEF focus on the European Citizens' Initiative 

As an exciting new tool for transnational cooperation, promotion of the ECI has been a core area of work for GEF. If successful, it has the potential to make a major contribution towards the creation of a European public space, and be a major step towards a true European democracy. GEF has organised a number of events and publications, including this handy "Ten steps to a successful European Citizens' Initiative" guide, available in print or for download in English, German and French.