The Good Lobby welcomes the “All on Board”, the latest European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).
The new ECI, spearheaded by the ECIT foundation, demands a more inclusive model of citizenship, one in which the rights associated with being a European citizen are genuinely accessible to all, not the few as it is today. The initiative calls for establishment of EU civic education, wider access to exchange programs such as Erasmus and guaranteed equal recognition of academic, technical and vocational qualifications across the EU.
Why does it matter?
Despite the Treaty article 9 emphasising the equality of its citizens, the opportunities and rights offered to its citizens are not evenly distributed. Only a relatively minority of Europe’s inhabitants has the opportunity to engage meaningfully as European citizens. This means that the vast majority of the EU’s population remains, to varying degrees, on the periphery of EU civic and democratic participation , whether due to socioeconomic barriers, limited access to information, educational inequalities, or structural exclusion from political processes.
For instance, while Erasmus benefits millions of citizens, those benefits remain confined to a well defined group of individuals who enjoy access to higher education, have financial capacity, and possess some language skills.
The uneven distribution of EU citizenship’s rights and entitlements amounts to a structural vulnerability that leaves the Union exposed at times of democratic backsliding.
To strengthen European citizenship education, the ECI calls for the establishment of a statute which will bring together all the rights and responsibilities that come with a European citizenship and explain them in an accessible way. In addition, the “All on Board” calls for establishment of dedicated Centres of Excellence, which will provide teachers with additional training and resources.
To expand access to exchange programs the ECI calls on the European, national and local structures to take measures which will reach disadvantaged people, minorities and those living in remote areas. This can be done through partnerships with civil society. Europe Direct offices across EU regions should become European Citizens Houses.
To ensure universal recognition of qualifications across the EU, the ECI demands that credits for vocational training and competences acquired through practical experience should be recognised equally to those for academic learning. This will support mobility across a wider range of sectors.
After almost 5 years in the making, the ECI is nearing its official registration. Behind this proposal there is a long history and several different initiatives, which inspired and informed its final formulation.
“All on Board” Joint Conference, organised by ECIT together with the CLEVER on 3 February 2026 in Brussels, served as the official launch moment of ECIT’s European Citizens’ Initiative.
The preparatory phase of the ECI is planned to finish in September 2026, when the collection of the signatures will begin. The ECI must collect at least 1 million signatures across the European Union within 12 months, including a minimum number in at least 7 Member States. When the requested number of signatures is reached, it will be submitted to the European Commission. Then, it will await a response, which as shown by cases of many successful ECIs such as Fur Free Europe or Stop Finning, doesn’t always come within the expected timeframe.
A Democratic Tool That Citizens Are Reclaiming
At The Good Lobby, we recognise the crucial role of ECI as a powerful tool for agenda-setting, mobilisation and political pressure. We have provided assistance to a dozen ECIs and registered a few ourselves, such as Save Your Right, Save Your Flight! And we covered the launch of an ECI calling for stronger ethics and transparency in European politics. We are also actively supporting efforts to defend the integrity of this democratic tool, including through a pending case before the CJEU and lodging a complaint to the European Ombudsman over the Commission’s handling of the Fur Free Europe ECI.
As access to decision-makers narrows and political accountability is increasingly contested, ECIs are becoming a crucial space where citizens reclaim their capacity to shape Europe’s priorities. In that sense, initiatives like this one are not only about changing trade policy – they are also about redefining how democracy in Europe is practiced.