Get involved in European policy making

Want to get involved in European policy making? There are a number of ways of doing just that:

Join the European debate

Speak directly to EU politicians about your rights, the kind of Europe you want to live in, and your expectations for the European Union

European Citizens' Initiative
Public consultations
Petitions to the European Parliament
Transparency Register
Formal complaints

European Citizens' Initiative

Ask the European Commission to propose legislation on an issue you care about – through an ECI. To show it has widespread support, your initiative will need to be signed by a million EU citizens, from at least a quarter of EU member countries (7 out of the 27).

Public consultations

When the Commission starts working on a new policy initiative or revises existing legislation, it usually opens a public consultation.

Individuals, businesses and other organisations with an interest in or expert knowledge on a given topic can help shape the Commission's draft proposal before it goes to the Council and European Parliament for discussion and adoption.

Petitions to the European Parliament

EU citizens and residents, as well as companies and other organisations headquartered in the EU may petition Parliament on issues related to EU policy that affect them directly.

Transparency Register

Organisations and self-employed individuals can demonstrate their commitment to "playing by the rules" when lobbying the EU by appearing in the joint Parliament and Commission Transparency Register.

Learn more about the Transparency Register

Formal complaints

You can:

complain to the European Commission – if you think a particular EU country is not implementing EU law correctly.
complain to the European Ombudsman – if you think an EU institution has acted illegally or made an administrative error.
report fraud with EU funding/by EU staff to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
contact Europe Direct if in doubt about the best way to complain.