"The decision to insist that the million signatures must come from at least a quarter of the states means that the initiatives will be truly federal in character.
"Likewise, the decision to return to the Treaty wording to describe the scope of an initiative is much better than the previous drafts which were too narrow in their interpretation of the Treaty.
"The way is now clear for a formal legislative agreement between Council and Parliament before Christmas. Those involved in the negotiations from both Parliament's side and the Council presidency should be congratulated.
"The Citizens' Initiative is a huge step forward in boosting the popular legitimacy of the European Union."
Editors' Note
Andrew Duff is a British Liberal MEP. He co-chairs the Federalist Intergroup in the European Parliament and the new Spinelli Group of MEPs. He represented the Parliament at the Lisbon IGC.
The UEF, founded in 1947 is a supranational political movement dedicated to uniting Europe along federal lines.
Press contact:
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01 December, 2010
Andrew Duff welcomes political agreement on European Citizens' Initiative
Following the trialogue yesterday evening which reached a political agreement on the European Citizens' Initiative, UEF President Andrew DUFF said:
"Agreement on the Citizens' Initiative is a very good way to celebrate the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty."
