The introduction of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) equipped European citizens with a new right to participate in EU affairs by asking the Commission to table new legislation. Since the ECI became operational in 2012, the Commission received 66 initiatives, out of which 4 were successful in collecting the required number of signatures. Various stakeholders suggested that the performance of this new tool remained below expectations as it is complex and difficult to use. To address these and other concerns, on 13 September, the Commission tabled a proposal to reform the ECI.Source: © European Union - EP