Written question asked by James Clappison (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 July 2010. It was answered by David Lidington (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 July 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EC Nationals: Citizenship

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the draft regulation on the European Citizen's Initiative proposed by the European Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Government welcome the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) as an innovation to empower the citizens of Europe and to help address the perceived democratic deficit in the European Union. In order to avoid a bureaucratic or burdensome outcome for either citizens or member states, the UK will continue to press for changes to the draft provisions on requirements for citizens to provide varying amounts of personal data before being able to join a petition, and the means by which these data will be verified by member states. Going forward therefore, the Government will be seeking a more flexible, open and citizen-friendly system.

Secondary information