The European Citizens' Initiative: pushing the frontiers of a European Public Sphere via movements & EU NGOs?

The European Citizens' Initiatives (ECI) proposed thus far fulfil intentions that the measure should not be 'hijacked by lobbyists'.   Nonetheless, only three campaigns have acquired a significant number of signatures, each embedded within established and professionalised movements and each employing frames which are contentious of the European Commission's agenda.  For those launching an initiative with no grounding in a civic movement the realistic outcome seems limited to an opportunity to publicise a cause and develop a profile.   The only campaign to reach the required signature thresholds links the resources of EU NGOs with the depth of a civic movement.  Key global NGOs which have long bridged EU NGOs with wider movements seem to have concluded that the costs of running an initiative are disproportionate to the benefits.  The participation of such organisations seems crucial to the ability of the ECI to expand the European public sphere, placing emphasis upon ways to change the cost/benefit weighting in the review of the scheme planned for 2015.