On 21 January 2025, the European Commission registered a European Citizens’ Initiative, entitled ‘HouseEurope! Power to Renovation’.
The aim of the initiative is to create incentives for the renovation and transformation of existing buildings. The organisers call on the Commission to propose legislation incentivising the reuse of existing buildings based on: (i) ‘tax reductions for renovation works and reused materials’; (ii) ‘fair rules to assess both potentials and risks of existing buildings’; and (iii) ‘new values for the embedded CO2 in existing structures’.
This European Citizens’ Initiative fulfils the formal conditions established in the relevant legislation. The Commission therefore considers that it is legally admissible. The Commission has not analysed the substance of the proposals at this stage.
The decision to register an initiative is based on a legal analysis of its admissibility under the European Citizens’ Initiative Regulation. It does not prejudge the legal and political conclusions of the Commission on the initiative and the action it would take, if any, in case the initiative obtains the necessary support of at least one million EU citizens.
The content of the initiative only expresses the views of the group of organisers and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Commission.
Next Steps
Following today’s registration, the organisers have six months to open the signature collection. If a European Citizens’ Initiative receives at least one million statements of support within one year with minimum numbers reached in at least seven different Member States, the Commission will be required to react. The Commission will have to decide whether or not it will take action in response to the requests from the organisers of the initiative and will be required to explain its reasoning.
Background
The European Citizens’ Initiative was introduced with the Lisbon Treaty as an agenda-setting tool in the hands of citizens. It was officially launched in April 2012. Once formally registered, a European Citizens’ Initiative allows one million citizens from at least seven EU Member States to invite the European Commission to propose legal acts in areas where it has the power to act. The conditions for admissibility are: (1) the proposed action does not manifestly fall outside the framework of the Commission’s powers to submit a proposal for a legal act, (2) it is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious and (3) it is not manifestly contrary to the values of the Union. Since the beginning of the European Citizens’ Initiative, the Commission has registered 119 initiatives.
Timeline
→ ECI Registration (Autumn 2024)
In November 2024, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) will be officially registered with the European Commission. This step involves submitting the initiative’s proposal and getting approval to start collecting signatures.
→ Start Voting Period (February 2025)
The voting period for the ECI begins on 1. February 2025. This marks the start of the campaign where citizens across the EU can begin to support the initiative by signing online via a central EU page. The link will be available as soon as the voting starts. You can submit your vote here.
→ Campaign and Voting Period (January 2025 – December 2025)
From January to December 2025, the campaign and voting period will be in full swing. During this time, the goal is to gather at least one million signatures from citizens in at least seven different EU member states, represented by the National Organizing Members.
→ End Voting Period (2026)
The voting period will officially ends on 30. January 2026. All collected signatures will be submitted for verification to ensure they meet the required thresholds.
→ Submission and Consideration (2026)
Once the signatures are verified, the ECI will be presented to the European Parliament and the European Commission. They will review the initiative and start the procedure of negotiation and implementation.
https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2025/000001_en
