Join this year’s ECI Day on 3 March in Brussels!

For the third time in a row, the annual ECI Day will be part of European Civil Society Week, this year centred around the theme: “People, Democracy, Resilience – Our Future!” Register here.

The programme lines ups of high-level speakers from EU institutions, academia, and civil society. Similarly to last year, we are hosting a hands-on, interactive workshop “From Initiative to Implementation” focused on the legislative follow-up of European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECIs). This session builds on last year’s ECI Day discussions, addressing the key challenges of implementing successful ECIs.

Why this workshop matters?
Since its official introduction in 2012, no European Citizens’ Initiative has been fully implemented by the EU Commission. Only two ECIs have been partially adopted—and only for secondary objectives. Moreover, the full implementation of the End the Cage Age ECI has not been included in the new Commission work plan despite promises to do so which raises strong concerns about the credibility of the ECI process and potential democratic backsliding in the EU. At the same time, My Voice, My Choice, Ban on conversion practices in the European Union, Stop Destroying Videogames and Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter all surpassed the 1-million-signatures threshold.

The interactive workshop will address these challenges and exploring strategies on how to effectively engage with policymakers and enhance the likelihood of legislative follow-up within EU institutions.

Who should attend?
This session is open for anyone interested and ideal for ECI organisers, policymakers, and civil society organisations looking to strengthen participatory democracy tools—particularly the ECI.

For more on ECI follow-up, read our 2025 workshop report.