L’Initiative citoyenne européenne, meilleure innovation politique de 2011

Le quotidien américain “Politico” a publié une liste des meilleurs innovations politiques de l’année 2011 et l’un des membres de son jury, Joe Mathews, a sélectionné l’initiative citoyenne européenne pour les raisons suivantes :

“The most important policy innovation this year came not in the U.S. but in Europe.

The 27 countries of the European Union finished designing the first transnational instrument of direct democracy in the world. It’s called the European Citizens’ Initiative. And it gives the people of the 27 member states of the EU the opportunity to introduce legislation directly to the European Commission — the most powerful body in the EU structure — simply by gathering signatures on petitions.

The proponents of the legislation must collect a total of 1 million valid signatures across at least seven EU countries. This is a novel tool of transnational democracy, allowing Europeans to come together and advocate as Europeans — and not merely as citizens of their own country — for legislation. The initiative process also could provide a counterweight for a distant, bureaucratic European government that makes policy transnationally, without facing any kind of transnational democratic accountability.”

Joe Mathews, journalist and author, senior fellow at the New America Foundation
Pour accéder à la liste complète: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69812.html

And this is an idea that could spread. Once the European Commission starts turning down this legislation, it won’t be long before Europeans begin demanding the right to vote on legislation directly — which would give them transnational elections and ballot initiatives. In a world where multinational corporations and government bodies hold so much power, multinational democratic structures and institutions must be built, as well. Europe has made a beginning.