Get involved in European policy making

Want to get involved in European policy making? There are a number of ways of doing just that:

Join the European debate

Speak directly to EU politicians about your rights, the kind of Europe you want to live in, and your expectations for the European Union

• European Citizens' Initiative
• Public consultations
• Petitions to the European Parliament
• Transparency Register
• Formal complaints

European Citizens' Initiative

Ask the European Commission to propose legislation on an issue you care about – through an ECI. To show it has widespread support, your initiative will need to be signed by a million EU citizens, from at least a quarter of EU member countries (7 out of the 28).

• More about the European citizens' initiative
• Find out how the European Commission works

Public consultations

When the Commission starts working on a new policy initiative or revises existing legislation, it usually opens a public consultation.

Individuals, businesses and other organisations with an interest in or expert knowledge on a given topic can help shape the Commission's draft proposal before it goes to the Council and European Parliament for discussion and adoption.

• See all public consultations (Your Voice in Europe)
• Learn more about public consultations
• SINAPSE e-communities - linking expertise and European policy making
• European Commission and civil society:  consultations by policy area

Petitions to the European Parliament

EU citizens and residents, as well as companies and other organisations headquartered in the EU may petition Parliament on issues related to EU policy that affect them directly.

• Learn more about petitions to the European Parliament
• Find out how the European Parliament works
• Contact your Member of the European Parliament

Transparency Register

Organisations and self-employed individuals can demonstrate their commitment to "playing by the rules" when lobbying the EU by appearing in the joint Parliament and Commission Transparency Register.

• Learn more about the Transparency Register

Formal complaints

You can:

• complain to the European Commission – if you think a particular EU country is not implementing EU law correctly.
• complain to the European Ombudsman – if you think an EU institution hasacted illegally or made an administrative error.
• report fraud with EU funding/by EU staff to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
• contact Europe Direct if in doubt about the best way to complain.