EU officials backtrack on petition scheme, as campaigners defend marriage

EU officials have called for a review of the European citizens' initiative mechanism, after campaigners launched an initiative in favour of marriage between a man and a woman.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and his officials designed the European citizen’s initiative to make the EU more democratic. The scheme was adopted in 2011.

A European citizens’ initiative is "an invitation to the European Commission to propose legislation on matters where the EU has competence to legislate". The petition must be backed by a minimum of one million people across at least seven member states, with a minimum number of signatories required in each member state.

The Commission must then respond by drawing up legislation or explaining why there are no grounds to do so.

In light of this, Christian Concern and other pro-marriage lobby groups have sought to change European law to recognise marriage as strictly defined between one man and one woman.

Initiative to protect marriage and family

The EU’s chief lawyer has said that there are no legal grounds for rejecting the proposed petition, titled: "Mum, Dad & Kids - European Citizens' Initiative to Protect Marriage and Family".

The petition to defend true marriage will be open for signatures later this month. Although it would not change national law, the initiative would affect cross-border EU law on issues such as access to benefits and human rights, which are informed by the concept of marriage and family.

Now EU chiefs want a review of the scheme, claiming it may have negative "political consequences" and that it will not "move the European project forward".

Minutes from a meeting of the European Commission disclose:

"During the ensuing discussion, the Members (i) regretted that experience to date had shown that citizens’ initiatives did not always move European law or the European project forward, but tended instead to involve highly controversial and emotionally charged issues of greater interest to minorities than to the vast majority of EU citizens and, ultimately, generated Euroscepticism."

Members "(ii) called for a debate on how to rectify this situation and (iii) stressed that, in the current European context, the Commission should take account of the political consequences that this mechanism could have in the longer term."

Mr Juncker was in favour of "discussing these matters at the Commission seminar to be held early in 2016".

'Political agenda'

The director of Care for Europe, Paul Moynan, has described this response as "preposterous".

"The European citizens' initiative process was created to give direct initiating power to ordinary Europeans.

"It is regrettable and undemocratic that the Commission seems to begrudge any initiative that does not fit their political agenda."

Chief Executive of Christian Concern Andrea Williams commented:

"We fully back this initiative that seeks to voice the long held conviction that marriage is the life-long union of one man and one woman. EU officials have downplayed this important move by dismissing it as a 'minority issue'.

"The European citizens’ initiative was created to give a voice and power to the people. Now officials are trying to take away the platform because they recognise the power of the people. This is disturbing to them, especially when it conflicts with their radical liberal agenda.

"They used the political machinery to kill off the previous European citizens’ initiative that sought to give the embryo ‘personhood’, despite over one million signatures collected.

"Now, once again, they are misusing their political power, because the viewpoints expressed by the citizens of Europe are uncomfortable and inconvenient for them and the radical, secular agenda they propagate.

"We shall press on with this brave initiative."