The
E.U. Commission has a real job to win hearts and minds of European
citizens for this weeks launch of the European Citizen's Initiative
programme.
This
brand new tool for participatory democracy....... will strengthen the
democratic foundations of the Union and bring Europe closer to its
citizens.......I hope that EU citizens and especially young people
will seize the opportunity and embrace this new right.....Maroš
Šefčovič Vice-President
of the European Commission
Yippee!
we're all getting a say in the running of the European Union....but
what about the elected parliament and the council of Europe, is
policy not their job. Well actually the commission tables the
policies and the parliament discuss their proposals.
OK
game back on, so what do we do to.....easy, you propose an
initiative. It gets approved by the commission. No time wasters,
frauds, meanies or Euroskeptiks need apply.
Oops,
didn't the entire Jacques Santer commission resign in March 1999
over fraud allegations or was that just an old fashioned power
struggle with the Parliament which gave rise to the Euroskeptik
movement.
Never
mind we soon got a new commission with some of Santer's boys
reinstated including Mario Monti who is now running Italy. But it was
all because of that nasty French woman Edith Cresson
Great
stuff. So what's the time frame for a citizen's initiative? It can
take up to about 2 years of your life from start to finish. Ah but
the opportunity to make a difference is worth
it.......right......Well its not exactly that straight forward. You
see even though the commission reserves the right to approve or not
approve the initiative at the outset depending on your moral
credibility, there is some small print...There always is.
Once
you have done all the work and been transparent about your sources of
support and funding ..hmmm...... the commission reserves the right
under Article 10 to
(c)
within three months, set out in a communication its legal and
political conclusions on the citizens’ initiative, the action it
intends to take, if any, and
its reasons for taking or not taking that action.
 |
| It can seem surreal for the commission to promote a citizen's initiative which includes possible penalties for those who participate. 2012 |
In
other words ignore the initiative.....Oh dear and while we are at it
the commission can wash its hands of any fallout from the initiative
it gives approval to.
Article
13 Liability
Organisers
shall be liable for any damage they cause in the organisation of a
citizens’ initiative in accordance with applicable national law.
And
the never ending punishments that go with all EU legislation.
Article
14 Penalties
1.
Member States shall ensure that organisers are subject to appropriate
penalties for infringements of this Regulation and in particular for:
(a) false declarations made by organisers; (b) the fraudulent use of
data.
2.
The penalties referred to in paragraph 1 shall be effective,
proportionate and dissuasive (discouraging)
Now
that commissioner Cresson was punished over the fraud when vast sums
of money went mission under her watch. No of course not she go off
with it. Ah but don't they all these days.
At
least the information about the citizens is safe as the initiative
rules under Article 12/ No 3
The
organisers shall ensure that personal data collected for a given
citizen’s initiative are not used for any purpose other than their
indicated support for that initiative, and shall destroy all
statements of support received for that initiative and any copies
thereof at the latest one month after submitting that initiative to
the Commission.
But that clever old
commission just further down the page in Article 12/ No 5
reserves the right to keep
Statements
of support for a given citizens’ initiative and copies thereof may
be retained beyond the time limits laid down in paragraphs 3 and 4 if
necessary for the purpose of legal or administrative proceedings
relating to a proposed citizen’s initiative.
Hmm....
why take a chance participating in democracy......just so much
punishment about these days.
.jpg)
