The EU will have a Citizens' Initiative under the Lisbon Treaty which for the first time will enable the people of Europe to directly request the European Commission to develop a policy proposal.
The Lisbon Treaty specified that one million citizens from a significant number of member states could request the European Commission to develop a policy proposal in an area of EU competence.
Many practical aspects of the Citizens' Initiative remain to be decided. The European Commission is seeking the views of interested parties on how the Citizens' Initiative should work in practice. The deadline for receipt of views is 31st January 2010.