(1)

A request for registration of a European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘“I’m Going European”: An ECI to Connect your National and European Citizenship’ was submitted to the Commission on 15 September 2023.

(2)

The objectives of the initiative are expressed by the organisers as follows: ‘[t]his ECI [European Citizens’ Initiative] demands a right for everyone, and not just the few, to have a basic knowledge about the EU and their European Citizenship from an early age.’ The organisers call on the Commission to propose a legal act that would, ‘for all the Member States [,] introduce a right for every child to education in European Citizenship and the values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law’ and ‘[g]ive everyone who desires it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put this knowledge to good use and explore what Europe has to offer’. The organisers back this up through ‘a European civic education requirement in EU legislation on freedom of movement, and the protection of European values’, ‘a Statute on European Citizenship as a model for civic education’ and the creation of ‘a centre of excellence for exchange of best practice in quality education and teacher training.’

(3)

An annex to the initiative provides further details on the subject matter, objectives and background to the initiative. It explains that the initiative ‘aims to ensure that from an early age everyone in the EU is equipped with the necessary competence and given the opportunity to take advantage of what Europe has to offer’. The organisers consider that ‘a right to education about European citizenship is a critical enabling condition for the exercise of rights granted by the European Union’ and that this education ‘is a way to bring the European Union closer to all of its citizens’ and to increase ‘the resilience of communities and individual citizens to exposure to multiple forms of misinformation’.

(4)

An additional document providing an analysis of the proposed acts has also been submitted by the group of organisers as part of their registration request.

(5)

As regards the objectives of the initiative, the Commission considers that it could propose a provision establishing a right to education about the Union and Union citizenship on the basis of Article 25 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). However, that provision could not define the precise content of the education, so as to fully respect the responsibility of the Member States for the content of teaching provided for in Article 165 TFEU.

(6)

As regards the introduction of a European civic education requirement in Union legislation, it could be proposed on the basis of Article 21(2) TFEU, with a view to facilitating the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.

(7)

As regards the establishment of a ‘Statute on European Citizenship’, it could be proposed based on Article 25 TFEU. Alternatively, it could be based on Article 21(2) TFEU if the proposal aimed to facilitate the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States. In addition, the Commission could propose a legislative act establishing incentive measures for teacher training in the European dimension of civic education, including the creation of a centre of excellence, based on Article 165(4) TFEU.

(8)

For those reasons, the Commission considers that none of the parts of the initiative manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission’s powers to submit a proposal for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties.

(9)

That conclusion does not affect the assessment of whether the concrete substantive conditions required for the Commission to act, including compliance with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity and compatibility with fundamental rights, would be met in this case.

(10)

The group of organisers has provided appropriate evidence that it fulfils the requirements laid down in Article 5(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 and has designated the contact persons in accordance with Article 5(3), first subparagraph, of that Regulation.

(11)

The initiative is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious, nor is it manifestly contrary to the values of the Union as set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union or to the rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

(12)

The initiative entitled ‘“I’m Going European”: An ECI to Connect your National and European Citizenship’ should therefore be registered.

(13)

The conclusion that the conditions for registration under Article 6(3) of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 are fulfilled does not imply that the Commission in any way confirms the factual correctness of the content of the initiative, which is the sole responsibility of the group of organisers of the initiative. The content of the initiative only expresses the views of the group of organisers, and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Commission,