Democracy International eV

Democracy International e. V.
Founded 30 June 2011
Type registered association (= eingetragener Verein e. V.)
Location
Slogan The global coalition for democracy
Website www.democracy-international.org

Democracy International e.V. is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) working on strengthening direct democracy and citizens' participation at local level, in the nation states and on the global level. Democracy International has been existing as a loose network of democracy activists since 2002. The organisation was formally established in June 2011 [1] as a registered membership association (eingetragener Verein e.V.) according to German non-profit law. Democracy International is politically independent and funded by membership fees and individual donations. The headquarters are based in Cologne, Germany.

Organisation

Individual people and democracy groups of the council are both members of the organisation. The members elect Democracy International’s executive board [2] at the general assembly, which is held at least every two years. The board steers the political course and represents the organisation externally.

Democracy groups with more than seven members can become a member of the council.[3] The task of the council is to advise and to support the executive board with its work.

Membership fees vary according to country of residence.[4]

Campaigns

Democracy International regularly runs campaigns, such as the campaign in 2012 for a transnational European voting law[5] over the so-called "Duff Report".[6]

Campaign for a European Citizens’ Initiative

In 2002 Democracy International together with numerous democracy activists throughout Europe campaigned for the inclusion of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) in the EU draft Constitutional Treaty, which then was integrated in the Treaty of Lisbon. The ECI requires one million signatures from at least seven EU Member States to suggest an EU law proposal to the European Commission. Since the launch of the ECI on 1 April 2012, Democracy International advocates that the ECI must become more citizen-friendly and that the general public must be more aware of the first tool of direct democracy at transnational level.

In 2015 Democracy International has been campaigning for a reform of the European Citizens' Initiative. Window of opportunity was the revision of the ECI - the EU regulation on the European Citizens' Initiative demands a review of the ECI every three years. In this context of reform, Democracy International submitted to the EU institutions a set of reform proposals. Also, Democracy International run a broad campaign. The petition "Save the ECI", which French economist Thomas Piketty and the German political scientist Gesine Schwan both supported, was the core element of this campaign. More than 75.000 citizens from all across the EU signed the petition that Democracy International together with Mehr Demokratie e.V. and WeMove.eu handed over to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg on 28 October 2015. On the same day, the European Parliament adopted the report on the European Citizens' Initiative, which contained seven out of nine reform proposals by Democracy International. The next step of the campaign is to put pressure on the European Commission as it still has all power to block ECI reform.

Moreover, Democracy International supports democracy activists and young democracy groups with running campaigns.

Research & Publications

Democracy International regularly issues monitoring reports and position papers on actual direct democracy issues.[7] The reports assess actually held referenda and plebiscites with international standards of direct democracy as set by the Venice Commission and leading experts on direct democracy.[8]

Moreover, Democracy International is a core partner of the Direct Democracy Navigator, a unique global information platform that lists legal instruments of direct democracy available throughout the world.

References

  1. ↑ Democracy International Founding Meeting, Kortenberg, Belgium June 2013.
  2. ↑ Democracy International's board
  3. ↑ Democracy International's council
  4. ↑ Democracy International membership
  5. ↑ Reform European Voting law
  6. ↑ Andrew Duff's Report on Electoral Reform of the EU Parliament
  7. ↑ Democracy International's list of publications
  8. ↑ Venice Commission, Code of good practice.

External links

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