Commission registers European Citizens’ Initiative on the right to food

Last July 8, the European Commission registered the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘Food is a Human Right for All! Guaranteeing healthy, just and sustainable food systems’.

This initiative calls ‘on the EU to make the right to food a reality’ and integrate it into the EU legal framework. The organisers consider that the ‘EU must systemically guarantee the right to food and promote healthy, just, humane and sustainable food systems’. The organisers therefore call on the Commission to amend various EU rules.

Following a thorough legal analysis, the Commission considered the initiative admissible for registration under the European Citizens’ Initiative Regulation. The Commission has not yet reviewed the details of this initiative. The registration does not influence the Commission’s final decision on its merits, or any potential action it may take. The Commission will make its decision after the initiative has collected at least 1 million signatures from EU citizens, if it reaches that threshold.

Next steps

Following last July 8’s registration, the organisers have six months to start collecting signatures. If a European Citizens’ Initiative receives at least one million signatures within one year (with minimum thresholds in at least seven different Member States), the Commission has to react. It has to decide whether it will take action in response to the initiative, justifying its decision.

Background

The European Citizens’ Initiative was introduced with the Lisbon Treaty as an agenda-setting tool for the citizens. It was officially launched in April 2012. Once formally registered, a European Citizens’ Initiative allows one million citizens from at least seven EU Member States to invite the European Commission to propose legal acts in areas where it has the power to act. The conditions for admissibility are: (1) the proposed action does not manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission’s powers to submit a legal proposal, (2) it is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious and (3) it is not manifestly contrary to the values of the Union.

Since the beginning of the European Citizens’ Initiative, the Commission has registered 120 initiatives.

The content of the initiative only expresses the views of the group of organisers and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Commission.

More information: European Commission