Get a greater say in the policies that affect your life. The European Citizens' Initiative is a unique way for you to help shape the EU by calling on the European Commission to propose new laws. Once an initiative has reached 1 million signatures, the Commission will decide on what action to take. See how it works step by step
If you consider starting an initiative, consult the ECI Forum for legal and practical advice.
On 17 September, the European Commission published a call for evidence on animal testing in chemical safety assessments and Commission roadmap to phase it out.
The development of such roadmap is one of the commitments made by the European Commission in response to the European citizens’ initiative ‘Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe without animal testing’. The roadmap should include milestones and specific actions to further reduce animal testing and ultimately transition to an animal-free regulatory system under relevant pieces of chemical legislation.
The call for evidence aims to seek expertise on non-animal testing in chemical safety assessments and particularly submissions that synthesise the current state of knowledge in relevant fields. In addition, outreach to stakeholders continues through a series of workshops (in December 2023, October 2024 and May 2025).
On 11 September the European Commission decided to register two European citizens' initiatives.
The aims of the ‘ECI for a Water-Smart and Resilient Europe' initiative include: an action plan for water; elevating water resilience to the same priority as decarbonisation; shifting towards water-efficient industry and agriculture; ensuring the right skills for a water-smart economy and the right to clean and safe water and sanitation.
The organisers of the ‘PsychedeliCare' initiative call on the Commission to support expert consensus on psychedelic care standards and the rollout of psychedelic therapies. The initiative also urges the Commission to boost research into the therapeutic applications of psychedelics and the development of research networks.
These initiatives are the tenth and eleventh initiatives registered in 2024. The organisers now have six months to open the signature collection.
On 24 July the European Commission decided to register two European citizens' initiatives.
The ‘Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter’ initiative calls for incentives for producing plant proteins, including plant-based milk and egg substitutes, as well as cultivated meat. The organisers also call for reducing the number of farm animals and progressively closing all animal farms.
The ‘Stop Fake Food: Origin on Label’ initiative calls for measures that ensure European consumers’ access to transparent information about the food they buy, as well as clear and explicit labelling of the origin for all products and for adherence to environmental, health and labour standards in the internal market.
These initiatives are the eighth and ninth registered in 2024. The organisers have now six months to open the signature collection.
Check the upcoming events related to the European Citizens’ Initiative. You can also see the list of past events; for some, recordings are available.
