The Citizens’ Initiative - first set out in the Constitutional Treaty - should be enacted immediatley to open a new channel for democratic participation in Europe and help to create the public realm the EU badly needs.

The Citizens' Initiative stipulates that a petition with at least one million signatures obtained from a number of Member States may be sent to the Commission inviting it to take a legislative initiative, provided the latter is compatible with the EU's rules and principles.

In order to make such a new democratic channel practical, the EU should create a petition website similar to the one 10 Downing Street already runs (http://petitions.number10.gov.uk).

If there was such a direct channel between citizens and the EU, Europe-wide campaigning and organising around political issues could take place more easily. This would generally raise awareness of EU affairs in the Member States, tackle the "democratic deficit" and help to create a pan-European political realm for debate.

So, what are we waiting for?