Spanish EU President-in-office, Minister Garrido to EuroFora: EU Citizens' Initiatives in 1 Month+?

It's in about 1 Month that EU Citizens' new right to collectively lodge a Legislative Initiative, should have an effective framework, said to "EuroFora" the Spanish EU 2010 Chairman-in-office, Minister for EU affairs Diego Lopez Garrido, after a hearing by EU Parliament's Constitutional Committee, this Monday evening in Strasbourg, on various issues concerning the implementation of Lisbon Treaty in real practice, after it entered legally into force since last December 2009.

The January - June 2010 Spanish EU Presidency gives such an importance to EU Citizens' issues, that Lopez Garrido stressed the fact that he "divided (his) presentation to the (EU Parliament's Constitutional) Committee in 2 Parts : A) on Institutional matters, and B) on developments concerning EU Citizens' role".

- "We (Spanish EU 2010 Chairmanship) hope to have everything ready for the Citizens' Initiative the soonest possible", Garrido stressed, afterwards to "EuroFora".

- Already, "the EU Council has accepted that Unanimously, and EU Parliament agrees", he observed.

- "So, now it's up to the EU Commission" to prepare a communication and "present a proposal" to determine the concrete procedure to follow, Garrido pointed out.

Questioned by "EuroFora" on "how long" he thinks that the EU Commission's move should take, the EU 2010 Spanish Chairman in office replied that he expects that to take no more than "1 Month, or one and a half", at the latest.

This new EU Citizens' right, which allows to 1 million EU Citizens (i.e. 1 out of 500 in average), from various EU Countries, to officially present a proposal for a new EU Legislation at EU Parliament's Petition Committee, raised several practical questions from MEPs during Garrido's Hearing, (fex. on "how many EU Countries should participate ?", etc).

The new EU Commissioner in charge also of EU "Citizenship" is Viviane Reding from Luxembourg, who joins a rare experience of EU mecanisms, as both former EU Commissioner , former Minister, and former MEP.

As Reding recently stressed to "EuroFora", speaking in general for her new portofolio, which includes Justice, EU's new Charter of Fundamental Rights, and EU Citizenship, she is well aware that 2010 will be a very interesting but also "hard" working year..
Meanwhile, "EuroFora" met, at this occasion, also with the new EU Ambassador at large for "European Integration Projects", the experienced long-time former MEP Carlos Carnero Gonzalez, (personally known since .. 1995, when we were starting to work as a Journalist at EU Parliament, i.e. more than 16 Years !)

Recently appointed by the Spanish EU 2010 Presidency, Carnero Gonzalez' new mission was warmly welcomed also by the vice-President of EU Parliament's Constitutional Committee, MEP Zita Gurmai from Hungary, the next, January-June 2011 EU Chair, which works "in trio", on a 18 Months-long framework program, together with the current Spanish (January-June 2010) and the forthcoming Belgian (July-December 2010) EU Chairs.

Asked by "EuroFora" about the scope of the "EU Integration Projects" on which he intends to focus, Carnero Gonzalez replied that he aims to cover a wide horizon, with various kinds of projects, without excluding also ideas such as "EuroFora"'s declared aim to help EU Citizens' joint Debates on the European decision-making process, (See relevant publication)".