MEPS AND TDS have warned about potential abuse by vested interests of a new initiative where EU citizens can petition the European Commission to introduce legislation.
The citizens’ initiative, a Lisbon Treaty innovation, is aimed at making EU institutions more accessible and more democratic. The commission can be petitioned to introduce a Bill or amend existing EU legislation with the collection of at least one million signatures from a minimum of seven states.
Fine Gael Dublin MEP Gay Mitchell warned the Oireachtas European Affairs committee that there could be unintended consequences. “I could see a coalition of Youth Defence or whatever they’re calling themselves now, UKIP, [UK Independence Party], the communist left and the Dublin confederation of mothers of seven or whatever you want, getting together very easily,” he said.
They could be “putting together 0.2 per cent of the population across Europe and then saying what scoundrels the EU is for ignoring the wishes the people.”
Labour European affairs spokesman Joe Costello said “it would be very important to be able to follow the money trail and ensure that you don’t have a citizens’ initiative that effectively is a sort of cover up or is being used by some other group for some other purpose”.
Thomas Byrne (FF, Meath East) pointed to evidence, “particularly in the area of vaccines, that private companies will use media to whip up support for particular vaccines”.
He said: “I wouldn’t want the citizens’ initiative being used to push the interests of profit.”
Labour Dublin MEP Proinsias De Rossa, the only MEP to make a formal written submission to the committee, said that while citizens can now petition “the actual decision is the commission’s”.
He suggested the electoral register could be used to authenticate signatures, with a Government department verifying them. Lucinda Creighton (FG, Dublin South East) said, however, that “the electoral register it is still wildly inaccurate” and PPS numbers should be used.
