Institutions

European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) is a tool that allows EU citizens directly participate in EU policy-making and put issues that are important to them on the European agenda. This initiative gives citizens the opportunity to to start a political debate a raise awareness on common topics.

How to get involved:

• Support for existing initiatives: Citizens can sign ongoing initiativeswhich they support.
• Starting your own initiative: A group of citizens can to establish one's own initiative and after obtaining the necessary number of signatures call on the European Commission to propose new laws in areas where it has the power to act.

Basic information about ECI:

• Legal framework: The ECI is governed by EU Regulation 2019/788.
• Areas of application: Initiatives may cover areas such as the environment, consumer protection, agriculture, fisheries, energy, transport and trade.
• Who can sign the initiative: Every EU citizen who has suffrage to the European Parliament, can sign the initiative. It is not necessary to be registered as a voter, just to be of voting age.
  • Commission supports lowering the minimum age to 16 years for supporting the initiative.
• Who can organize an initiative: The initiative can be founded at least seven EU citizens from at least seven different Member States who are entitled to vote in the European Parliament.

How to support the initiative:

• Support is possible online or on paper.
• It is necessary to provide data such as name, surname, nationality and date of birth or identification number and address.
• Online signatures are protected high safety standards.
• The data is processed in accordance with the GDPR regulation.

How to organize an initiative:

1. Group creation: Creating a group at least seven EU citizens from at least seven different Member States who have the right to vote.
2. Initiative registration: Applying for registration on the ECI website and providing information about the initiative a organizers.
3. Collection of signatures: Obtaining at least 1 million verified signatures with minimum numbers in at least seven Member States.
4. Signature verification: Submission of signatures for verification by the competent national authorities.
5. Submitting an initiative: Submission of the initiative and verified certificates to the commission.
6. Commission response: The Commission has 6 months to examine the initiative and send a response.

Important aspects:

• The initiatives must be in areas where the Commission has power to propose laws.
• Initiatives must not be abusive, frivolous or contrary to EU values.
• The Commission may take the initiative register, partially register or refuse registration.
• After successful registration, the Commission took the initiative translated into all official EU languages.

Successful examples of initiatives:

• Right2Water: Contributed to the revision of the Drinking Water Directive, which guarantees access to safe drinking water for all Europeans.
• Ban glyphosate: Led to acceptance Act on the transparency and sustainability of risk assessment in the food chain.
• Stop Finning – Stop the Trade: Led to preparing an impact assessment to ban the import, export and transit of loose shark fins.
• Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics: It prompted the Commission to action to accelerate the reduction of animal testing.

Other sources of information:

• European Citizens' Initiative website:
• European Citizens' Initiative Forum:
• Newsletter:
• Europe Direct:

ECI is a powerful tool for EU citizenswho want to influence EU policies and contribute to building a better Europe. Spring 

The Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (IEECP) is a non-profit, independent research foundation dedicated since 2015 to science-based issues of climate change mitigation, energy efficiency and renewable energy policy, with an international interdisciplinary team of experts generating and disseminating scientific knowledge. (More on ieecp.org)

EIT Climate-KIC is Europe's leading climate innovation agency and community. We use a systems approach to shaping innovation to support cities, regions, countries and industries in meeting their climate ambitions, acting in the 'dirty middle' between commitments and reality.

Together with our partners around the world, we implement.

We open paths to change thinking and behavior and enable decision-makers and investors to act.

We are organizing large-scale demonstrations that show what is possible when cycles of innovation and learning are intentionally designed to trigger exponential decarbonization and build resilient communities. (More on climate-kic.org)

Climate and Environment Association Europe (CERA Europe ASBL) is a non-governmental organization based in Brussels operating on a European scale with the aim of solving environmental problems and the climate crisis facing our planet.

Today, our Earth is threatened by climate change and environmental degradation.

Overcoming these challenges is possible through the joint efforts of various actors from different sectors.

For this reason, cooperation in various fields, from the private sector to public institutions, from civil society to academia, is necessary for a safe and sustainable planet.

Steps and actions must take into account not only the person, but also the nature in which the individual lives.

Because everything in life is connected to each other by invisible threads.

A change in one thread will affect the entire network.

The steps we take affect what we do to the web of life, as well as what we do to ourselves.

From this perspective, CERA Europe aims to prevent the climate crisis, environmental pollution and habitat loss, support efforts to protect ecosystems, and work on food security and agricultural sustainability in an impartial and non-profit manner.

In the face of these challenges, CERA Europe implements projects, research and training and develops local, national and international cooperation in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Green DEAL objectives. (More on ceraeu.org)

The European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA) is an agency of the European Commission established to manage EU programmes that contribute to decarbonisation and sustainable growth.

CINEA plays a key role in supporting the European Green Deal through the effective and efficient implementation of its delegated programmes.

Its mission is to support stakeholders in implementing the European Green Deal through high-quality programme management. (More on cinea.ec.europa.eu)

People who spend more time in school are more aware of climate change. This was shown in a global observational study in 2015. And it's not just a correlation – a recent causal study uses a natural experiment (changes in compulsory schooling laws) – to show that people who drop out of school a year later have four percentage points higher probability. to vote for the Green Party and at the same time be more concerned about climate change and more likely to try to reduce their own energy consumption.

So we know that the how long people spend in school affects attitudes towards climate change. But how else can education play a role in solving the climate crisis? What about what's on the syllabus? One of the (many) UN Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure that “ all students acquired the knowledge and skills needed to support sustainable development ". In order to monitor progress towards this goal, the UN asks countries to report on whether sustainable development is included in education policies and curricula. A questionnaire is sent to every country in the world with the question: "Is education for global citizenship and education for sustainable development part of the formal curriculum?". (Lee Crawfurd, Radhika Nagesh, more at cgdev.org)

The Center for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum is a multi-stakeholder platform focused on protecting our environment and promoting sustainable practices. Our goals include achieving net zero emissions, promoting the responsible use of land and oceans, and improving the management of key resources such as food, water and raw materials. (More on centers.weforum.org)

Search all EU institutions and bodies (More on european-union.europa.eu) (more…)

The European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA) manages European Commission programs that contribute to decarbonisation and sustainable growth. (More on commission.europa.eu)

Unless greenhouse gas emissions fall dramatically, warming could exceed 2.9°C this century, with catastrophic consequences for life on this planet. UNEP uses a four-pronged approach to solving the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement. Organization;

→ provides cutting edge research to support science-based decision-making on climate change

→ he works across sectors to support the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future

→ ensures a just transition to a carbon neutral world by enabling communities adapt to changing climate conditions ; a

→ develops sustainable mechanisms to release of funding to help countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. (More on unep.org)

EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion   is a one-stop shop for researchers and innovators looking to advance their careers and personal development to other countries. We provide free tailored information and support to researchers, entrepreneurs and research organisations. Our unique web portal offers job opportunities, funding and hosting options, career development advice and free tools and much more. The EURAXESS network includes 43 European countries and 9 global nodes. Get in touch! (More on euraxess.ec.europa.eu)

The Copernicus Interactive Climate Atlas (C3S Atlas) is a web application of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) that enables flexible exploration and analysis of past and future climate monitoring and change information from multiple lines of evidence provided by observation, reanalysis and climate change. change of projection data files available in the C3S Climate Data Store (CDS). The Atlas facilitates a global and regional in-depth assessment of past trends and future changes in key variables and (extreme) indices for different periods across emission scenarios or for different politically relevant levels of global warming (eg 1.5°, 2°, 3° and 4°). (More on atlas.climate.copernicus.eu)

The institutional arrangement of the European Union is unique and its decision-making system is constantly evolving. There are seven European institutions, seven EU bodies and over 30 decentralized agencies located throughout the EU. They work together to take into account the common interests of the EU and European citizens.

In terms of administration, there are another 20 EU agencies and organizations that perform specific legal functions and four inter-institutional services that support the institutions.

All these organizations have specific roles – from making EU law and policies to implementing policies and working in specialist areas such as health, medicine, transport and the environment.

The EU administration is governed by four main decision-making institutions. Together, these institutions give the EU political direction and play different roles in the law-making process:

• European Parliament (Brussels/Strasbourg/Luxembourg)
• European Council (Brussels)
• Council of the European Union (Brussels/Luxembourg)
• European Commission (Brussels/Luxemburg/representations across the EU)

Their work is complemented by other institutions and bodies, which include:

• Court of Justice of the European Union (Luxembourg)
• European Central Bank (Frankfurt)
• European Court of Auditors (Luxembourg)

EU institutions and bodies cooperate to a large extent with the network of EU agencies and organizations across the European Union. The main function of these bodies and agencies is to translate policies into practice.

Around 60,000 civil and other employees work for 450 million Europeans (and countless others around the world). This is actually a relatively small number – the French Ministry of Finance has approximately 140,000 employees for 67 million citizens. (More on european-union.europa.eu)

The EU Delegation to the United Nations Office in Geneva will continue to support the UN as an essential forum for multilateral solutions to global challenges and will continue to demonstrate global leadership to promote a safer and better world for all. We focus on key priorities such as human rights and gender equality, promoting peace and security, building a just globalization, accelerating the global transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral future, and leading the transition to a new digital world. Preserving the humanitarian space and ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles will continue to be equally important for the EU. (More on eeas.europa.eu)

GREENPASS enables cities and municipalities to evaluate, optimize and certify development projects with regard to 6 main urban challenges that will ensure resilience to climate change. In addition, it will also evaluate the effectiveness of the considered costs. GREENPASS is the first comprehensive tool for the development of climate-resilient cities worldwide. Based on expert systems, it analyzes up to 6 basic challenges: climate, water, air, biodiversity, energy and costs. Join us and let's set measurable indicators of the environment we live in together!

An environmental study of the assessment of the impact of buildings on the landscape and inhabitants is a professional assessment of the impact of a planned construction or landscaping project on the surrounding environment and at the same time determining the impact of the immediate surroundings on the actual construction of the project. The goal is to demonstrate measurable outputs of the intended behavior in the country, which will provide a multi-criteria evaluation of the project for the resulting approval process.

The basic parameters of environmental studies are:

• assessment of the formation of a heat island and the effect of radiation on the location (e.g. increase in actual and perceived temperature in the project location and the immediate surroundings),

• loading or consumption of CO2 (with other greenhouse and monitored gases, if these are monitored in the project location),

• green effect on the project location (shading, evapotranspiration, increase in thermal comfort),

• management of rainwater and drainage characteristics of the area,

• wind behavior in the locality (preserving natural ventilation corridors to limit the occurrence of negative impacts due to the dynamic effect of wind),

• important local parameters that are specific or key for the given area, e.g. assessment of airborne dust concentration in industrial areas. ( National Recycling Agency Slovakia, abbreviated NARA-SK)

More: Environmental assessment of the impact of buildings on the landscape and inhabitants

Example: GREENPASS® – A living city breathes and survives the one who looks at it, EU Taxonomy and Slovakia Program 2021 – 2027

The European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and the Environment (CINEA) is the successor organization of the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA). Officially established on February 15, 2021, started its activity on April 1, 2021 with the aim of implementing parts of some EU programs. CINEA plays a key role in supporting the EU Green Deal through the effective and efficient implementation of its delegated programmes. 

It is a dynamic and innovative workplace where professional and experienced employees feel empowered and committed to achieving the organization's mission and strategic goals.

The Agency promotes effective knowledge sharing and synergies between its various programs and builds strong partnerships with its stakeholders.

.

    The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union whose task is to provide reliable and independent information about the environment. The EEA aims to promote sustainable development by helping to achieve significant and measurable improvements in Europe's environment by providing policy makers and the public with timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information.

.