The European Commission registered the citizens’ initiative “Creation of a European Digital Space (.IA) for Sovereign AI Governance” on 6 October 2026. Registration is only the first step. This is how the process continues and what it takes for the Commission to respond.
Registration is not approval. The Commission has only found the initiative legally admissible under the European Citizens’ Initiative rules. It has not assessed the substance of the proposals, and registration says nothing about whether it will act on them.
The steps ahead
- 1Start of collectionThe organisers have six months to open the signature collection.
- 212 months to collectThey must gather at least one million valid signatures from EU citizens, reaching minimum thresholds in at least seven Member States.
- 3Verification and meetingNational authorities verify the signatures. The organisers then meet the Commission and present the initiative at a public hearing in the European Parliament.
- 4Commission responseThe Commission sets out whether and how it will act, within six months of the initiative being submitted.
What is a European Citizens’ Initiative?
The European Citizens’ Initiative is a tool of participatory democracy. It lets one million EU citizens from at least seven Member States ask the European Commission to propose new legislation in areas where the EU has the power to act. The Commission is not obliged to propose a law, but it must explain publicly whether and how it will follow up.
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