The European Commission has given a positive response to the first successful European Citizens’ Initiative, by pledging to improve water quality across the EU.
The Commission has said that it will respond to citizens’ concerns by implementing measures such as a benchmark for water quality, as well as holding a consultation on existing water legislation. The response, released in a communication on 19 March, gives an early indication of how the Commission might react to future petitions concerning research.
“We have listened to the concerns and we are replying with substantial commitments,” said the commissioner for institutional relations, Maroš Šefčovič at a press conference. “The ECI are a success, and are now a permanent feature on the EU landscape. This is just the beginning.”
The European Citizens’ initiative began in 2012, as a way to give the EU public a greater say in legislation. Under the rules of the initiative, the Commission must examine any proposal that receives 1 million signatures within a 12-month time-frame, and either produce legislation to support the proposal or justify why they have rejected it.
The Right2Water campaign called for the EU to guarantee access to water an sanitation, as well as calling for a ban on the privatization of water services. In response, the Commission promised to take steps within its power in line with the request. “Water quality, infrastructure, sanitation and transparency will all benefit as a direct result,” said Šefčovič.
However, the Commission stated that the operation of water services would remain under the control of member states, because action on this point was beyond the competency of the EU. “We have to respect the treaty and the principle of subsidiarity,” said Šefčovič.
A petition calling on the EU to ban funding for stem cell research has also passed the threshold target for support, and the Commission has until 28 May to respond to the request. The One of Us campaign, which received 1.7 million signatures, states that the EU should not fund activities that involve the destruction of human embryos, including in the areas of research, development aid and public health.