Introductory text

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on the citizens' initiative^f1 and in particular Article 16 thereof,

Whereas:

Article 7(2) of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 provides that, in at least one quarter of Member States, the minimum number of signatories of a citizens' initiative should correspond to the number of the Members of the European Parliament elected in each Member State, multiplied by 750. Those minimum numbers are set out in Annex I to that Regulation.

On 29 March 2017, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the ‘United Kingdom’) submitted the notification of its intention to withdraw from the Union pursuant to Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The Treaties will cease to apply to the United Kingdom from the date of entry into force of a withdrawal agreement or failing that, two years after that notification, that is to say from 30 March 2019, unless the European Council, in agreement with the United Kingdom, unanimously decides to extend that period.

In order to mirror these rules with regard to the minimum number of signatories set out in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 211/2011, it is appropriate to amend Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 211/2011. That amendment should start to apply on 2 July 2019, when the 2019-2024 parliamentary term begins. However, should the two-year period referred to in Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union be extended beyond that date, the amendment should become applicable after the extended period has expired. For reasons of clarity, Annex I should be replaced.

Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 provides that the organisers of a proposed citizens' initiative are required to register it with the Commission, providing the information set out in Annex II to that Regulation.

Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 provides that for the submission of the citizens' initiative to the Commission, the organisers are to make use of the form set out in Annex VII to that Regulation.

The forms in Annexes II and VII to Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 contain a footnote, providing information on how initiative organisers' and sponsors' personal data are processed. The information in that footnote needs to be shortened and simplified, in order to avoid confusion with the privacy statement used for the data processing concerned.

The text of the footnotes refers to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f3. Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 was repealed and replaced as of 11 December 2018 by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f4. The reference to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 should thus be removed from those footnotes.

Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 should therefore be replaced and Annexes II and VII to that Regulation should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: