Working with the European Commission

Citizens and the European Commission on climate change.

The Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 declared that the European Union must give citizens a say.

One way to achieve this is the European Citizens‘ Initiative, which aims to put on the agenda any citizens’ proposal supported by at least one million Europeans in at least 7 countries.

From 17 to 21 March, the European Economic and Social Committee organised a civil society week, bringing together a large number of elected representatives and interested persons, and providing space for as well as conferences and booths for European initiative bearers.

On 8 April, the Commission invited initiative promoters along with facilitators and local logistical support, known as ambassadors. The first speaker was Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Transparency and Economic Security, who affirmed the importance of citizens' appeals for true democracy.

The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Katarina Barley, explained how Parliament Members closely monitor citizens' proposals to inform and guide their actions and votes. The Austrian President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Oliver Röpke, stressed the need to listen to the employer, worker, and civil society intermediary bodies that he represents in the EESC, stressing the need to grasp the innovations and demands made by citizens, particularly with regard to the environment. 

The Commission's website now lists a number of initiatives currently under way: to prevent double payment for video games, to promote environmentally-friendly architecture, to secure access to abortion, to provide information on food, to safeguard water resources, or to improve medicines for mental illnesses or to promote the climate.

So now an inspiring climate initiative has been launched, the https://eci.ec.europa.eu/051/public. It is in line with the principle of the carbon account, distributing a carbon currency that decreases each year to ration the ultra-rich and reward the most modest. 

This mechanism proposes the creation of an independent carbon agency in each country, with equal representation. It would distribute to each citizen carbon money needed to ‘pay’ for the carbon content of all purchases of products and services. This endowment will be renewed each year with 6% less to reach equilibrium before 30 years (80% less in 30 years). This obligation requires carbon labelling of all products, by each company. This will be verified by chartered accountants. The labelling incentivizes companies to decarbonize so as not to lose customers to competitors with lower carbon footprints. Rewarding the most modest is achieved by the fact that their surplus carbon allowance can be sold through the carbon agency to the ultra-rich who exceed the allowance that is based on the average carbon footprint (9t for France, 12t for Belgium or Germany, 6t for Romania or Slovakia...).

But we need a million supporters, so in order to reach all Europeans, this proposal for a carbon account has been declined to stress air transport, the sector with the fastest growing greenhouse gas emissions.

The mechanism guarantees carbon reduction, firstly mechanically (6% less per year generates an 83% reduction in 30 years) but also through the virtuous circle of labelling. Companies will reduce carbon content in order to display a lower carbon footprint on the label: decarbonisation is stimulated by the labelling obligation.

Naturally, this issue deserves to be debated and decided democratically. This is why we are asking the European Commission to organise Citizens' Assemblies in each of the 27 countries. Since this will be put on the agenda only if one million people support https://eci.ec.europa.eu/051/public, we are counting on all the readers of this letter to act, and to ask everyone close to them to endorse the initiative, in every EU country.

Also on https://air-quotas.eu in any language.

A number of organisations are concerned that the bar has been set very high (at one million), perhaps to discourage citizens' initiatives. What's more, signing up online is complicated, and the organisers can't follow up with signatories as e-mails and telephone numbers are not collected.

In 15 years, only two proposals have been validated by the Commission, one on access to water (and this is still very defective) and another on copyright. But nothing has ever been done about the climate, despite the vital urgency of the issue. With so little result, many NGOs are opposed to these European citizens' initiatives. 

But that's all the more reason to make the aircraft carbon counting campaign https://air-quotas.eu on https://eci.ec.europa.eu/051/public - a success.