The Facebook page for fans of “ not being on fire” has almost a million members. This is not because people are passionate about the cause, but rather, it’s because gathering the support of so many has become very accessible.
The Lisbon Treaty, if ratified, will allow the Commission – the EU body that has the power to propose legislation – to consider making a proposal on an issue if it receives a million petition signatures in favour of doing so. Depending on the issue, the Commission may listen, or it may not. Still, this proposed capability holds promise.
This is probably old news for Europeans. I’m a Canadian student on a study tour to learn about the EU, so all of this is new to me. I present an outsider’s initial reaction.
One thing I’ve learned here in Brussels is that the region is not just the home of EU institutions. It’s also brimming with thousands of interest groups that are working to defend whoever or whatever.
Should the treaty ever stand, many of these groups could relatively painlessly take the Commission up on its offer, especially if online petitions are allowed. But will this translate into real change?
If the Commission only has to consider proposal requests, then I doubt it will entertain any petition that advocates for something far removed from its established line, unless the parliament really strives to keep the Commission accountable on this issue.
Unless a precedent is set, my gut reaction is that this part of the treaty might just be elaborate lip service (with 27 sets of lips speaking 23 languages, of course).
Still, I hope I’m wrong.
(7 votes, average: 3.57 out of 5)
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