Il primo scoglio del diritto di iniziativa dei cittadini europei

In the next few months the General Court of the European Union will rule on the issue of the admissibility of an European Citizens’ Initiative (hereinafter ECI) rejected on 6th September 2012 by the European Commission. This judgment is expected as one of the first assessment of the brand new instrument for participatory democracy introduced in the Lisbon Treaty (Article 11 of TUE). ECI is designed to allow the citizens to take an active role within the lawmaking process of the EU. One million citizens who fulfil a petition to call on the Commission have the right to propose a legal act on a specific issue. This innovation represents an unprecedented means of transnational democracy insofar it establishes the conditions for increased public engagement within the EU. The ECI is viewed as significant institutional response to the EU’s perceived democratic deficit. In light of these circumstances, this article investigates the problems related to the power of the European Commission to refuse an initiative. It considers first the origins of the ECI, the main elements of the new mechanism and its legal background. It then describes the power of the Commission to refuse an initiative and the first case before the General Court. Finally the article analyses the main problems that are emerging in this first phase of implementation of the ECI.