“I welcome this report because it is a first step towards more citizen participation in the EU. It puts more responsibility on the Commission to listen to EU citizens. Unfortunately, however, the call for a proper referendum with direct legislative input did not make it into the report,” said MEP Ripa, summarising the result of the vote.

The adopted report “Citizens’ dialogue and participation in decision-making in the EU” calls, among other things, for a strengthening of the European Citizens’ Initiative. It should be more closely monitored whether the European Commission translates successful citizens’ initiatives into legislative proposals. If this does not happen, the European Parliament should be more involved. In addition, further and simpler mechanisms for the participation of European citizens and an improved involvement of civil society are to be created.

The Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP), of which Manuela Ripa is a member, has campaigned for a strengthening of citizen participation and direct democracy since its foundation. The party itself has already carried out successful referendums several times. “As a member of the ÖDP, I particularly welcome the progress made in citizen participation. More citizen participation is one of the core demands of my party. In 2019, for example, we were already able to improve species protection in Bavaria with the help of citizens through a successful petition for a referendum. That is why I am also campaigning here in Parliament for fully-fledged referendums at European level. That the will of the citizens is reflected in the decision-making process is the best remedy against populism,” Manuela Ripa concluded.