Hello, your local EU Lawyer is here to explain what this is!
This is a type of European Citizen's Initiative, or ECI.
ECIs are a way for citizens to reach out to European institutions directly! As opposed to being represented by your State in the EU institutions, or by your elected representatives at the European Parliament. They were added in 2007 to the official European Treaties, as a way to address the democratic deficit of the EU, and how *far* it often feels from citizen. You find its legal basis on Article 11 of the Treaty of the European Union and Article 24 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
It basically petition the EU Commission to do something. The EU Commission, in Brussels, is the institution in the EU which can kickstart the legislative process, in the EU.
If successful, it forces the hand of the Commission, by telling it "Now you ARE talking about this. You have to consider this."
Ok, so how do we make it successful?
An ECI is not like a traditional petition, where it is all about numbers. Here it is not only numbers, but also where the numbers are from. You need:
1 million signatories in total
From at least 7 different Member States
With a specific threshold from each of these 7 Member State
If we have people from more than 7 Member States, we still only need to meet the threshold in 7 of them.
Yes, if you are an EU national (not necessarily resident!) AND either 16, 17 or 18 - check the rules for your country.
IF YOU ARE NOT AN EU CITIZEN OR UNDER THE REQUIRED AGE: do not sign! To be fair you would probably not be able to, since it requires a state ID. But do not even try. There will be a check of signatures that ACT will have to provide if we reach the thresholds, and you will make their life difficult (and potentially artificially inflate the numbers of signatories, which means we fall under the threshold once we remove your signatures)
And then, will we get the ban on conversation therapy?
What we will get is: the Commission having to take a stand on the proposal. What that means has been varied. Here is the link to all 10 successful ECIs, if you want to have a look at what happened for each of them. Long story short: sometimes, the Commission just says "Ok, request considered, the answer is no because X, Y, Z" (for example: the one asking for restriction of abortion went against recently discussed and adopted EU policies). Sometimes the Commission has the European Parliament publicly debate it, and adopts an official Communication, eg taking a stand and committing to future action (like on the ECI calling for the end of shark finning, or the one on bees protection). Sometimes it actually kickstarts a proper legislative process, drafting a proposal for other EU institutions to debate and adopt, and leading to the adoption of binding instruments all over Europe (the poster child for this is the ECI on Access to Safe Water)
So what we get varies. But the Commission WILL HAVE TO take a stand publicly.
So what about that particular ECI?
I think it is actually pretty good, in terms of being realistic and leading to actual action (and a girl is not linked to ACT, the organizer, at all).
The Commission itself agrees on what an action following the success of that ECI could look like (or at least, it found it plausible enough):
a non-binding instrument that the Commission would have to draft, and that a different institution, the Council [where individual member states are represented by their Ministers] would adopt, calling for a general ban on CT
some broad, binding, incentive-oriented measures facilitating the ban of CT by member state. This would be placed on the agenda by the Commission like a normal legislative proposal,and then discussed, debated and potentially adopted by the other institutions involved in the legislative process as usual.
criminalizing conversion therapy and associated behaviors if they take place cross-border (eg: marketing a Poland-based CT in Luxembourg), which the Commission can table, but not adopt on its own (other institutions need to be involved)
including victims of CT in the current EU framework on victim's protection: a binding instrument, that would also go through the normal legislative procedure.
I don't have access to all documents, but I'm pretty sure that is roughly it.
Additionally, this does not come out of nowhere. EU institutions have shown some interest in talking about conversion therapy in Europe - and, if I may add, in trans rights, just trust me on that one. Specifically because that ECI and what it asks for is straight drawn from a report of the European Parliament on the topic, from 2023 ! [also it was technically requested by the LIBE Commission, which is 1) massive in weight an 2) exactly the relevant one].
This matters for a few reasons:
the issue with ECIs is often that they don't relate to what the EU can do. Very often, "why isn't the EU doing anything about X" is because the EU is no allowed to! But having an existing report by the EP means you can argue more easily that is does fall under EU competences.
it could signal that there is also interest in the question at the Parliament, which could make the Commission more confident in actually involving it in any follow up.
it gives the Commission something very detailed to actually work with, as opposed to an abstract 'please do something' request.
it places more weight on the Commission to even DO something. The Parliament is the EU institution with the most democratic credentials, and historically its influence has been on the rise for the last decades. So if one of the most influential EP Commission has adopted a report on the question, it's a bad look to not at least pay it good consideration.
Kudos to Act for picking up on the report and making sure it does not get ignored !
This only works if we share it everywhere. Tumblr is good to spread the word across Europe, so share and sign! share and sign! But also: share it beyond Tumblr ! Share it with your college societies, with your book club, the your friend's Whatsapp group, on other social media, talk about it with your librarian, your hairdresser, your cool aunt, people you meet at pride event or in safe spaces!
Grab your ID, grab your friends, commit to each other that you will sign it! Make it a challenge, put it on your monthly to-do list, have a signing-the-ECI evening with snacks and drinks of choice, share it on IG, make it visible and exciting because it is !
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