EU Commission rejects citizens' initiative "Save Europe Act" for violating EU fundamental values

The initiative, launched by the former spokesman of the right-wing extremist Identitarian movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, and Dutch right-wing activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek, demands that "the political elite stop replacement migration, secure our borders and protect the ethno-cultural continuity of the European nations." The initiative was presented at a so-called "remigration conference" attended predominantly by right-wing extremist activists and parties in May in Portugal.

Content of the Initiative

Specifically, the "Save Europe Act" (roughly: "Act to Save Europe") formulates a policy of "remigration," as Sellner has advocated for years and as the FPÖ has also championed for some time. The text calls for a temporary moratorium on "non-Western" immigration channels in order to restore the "ethnic and cultural continuity" of the "native peoples of Europe."

Weeks earlier, the EU Commission had pointed out to the proponents that the contested passages required clarification. Sellner and Vlaardingerbroek subsequently announced on social media that they would not change "a single word." "The initiative must contain a serious proposal and must not be misused as a vehicle for offensive or caricatured messages," the Brussels authority stated as its reason for the decision.

In substance, the citizens' initiative demands that the EU Commission put forward an EU legislative proposal providing for a time-limited moratorium on new immigration routes from non-Western countries while fundamentally reforming the EU's migration and asylum system. The focus is to be "on the protection of external borders, physical and technological barriers at the borders, rapid screening, and mechanisms for immediate return," as well as on "the creation of a harmonised, EU-wide framework for more comprehensive remigration."

Registration Procedure and Signatures

When a European citizens' initiative is registered by the EU Commission, it must gather at least one million signatures from at least seven EU countries in order to be processed further. The initiators' plan was to use the "Save Europe Act" as a European citizens' initiative to collect at least one million signatures, thereby forcing the Commission to engage with the issue.

So far, almost 600,000 people across Europe have signed the "Save Europe Act." The proponents of the "Save Europe Act" and the FPÖ claim to have already collected half a million signatures. Because the initiative was not registered, however, this signature collection is not part of an official EU procedure.

The FPÖ sees the EU Commission's position as a "scandal," according to a statement by Petra Steger. The FPÖ supports the petition, and FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl is listed as a prominent supporter. The rejection was sharply criticised by the party.

Reactions from Austria

The EU Commission stated that, while a citizens' initiative is an important instrument of direct democracy, it remains bound by the fundamental values enshrined in the Treaty. The authority stressed that the decision is not a judgement on the political opinion of the signatories, but concerns exclusively the legal admissibility of the specific text.

Initiatives rejected by the Commission can in principle be challenged before the European Court of Justice, provided that procedural errors in the examination are alleged. A substantive judicial review of the political demand is not foreseen within this procedure.

Right-wing extremist movements in several EU member states have attempted in recent months to build political pressure through the instrument of the European citizens' initiative. In such cases, the Commission regularly refers to the fundamental values and to the prohibition of discrimination.

Legal Framework and Possible Next Steps

The rejection means that the initiative will not be entered into the official register of European citizens' initiatives. This also removes any obligation on the Commission to engage substantively with the request, let alone to put forward a legislative proposal.

The Commission pointed out that the rejection does not mean that the issue of migration is not politically debated within the EU. It referred to ongoing reforms of the Common European Asylum System and to the Migration and Asylum Pact, which entered into force in 2024.

Representatives of human rights organisations had warned ahead of the decision that terms such as "remigration" and "ethno-cultural continuity" carry a discriminatory meaning in European legal language. The Commission's present decision was explicitly welcomed by these organisations.

Political Context in the EU

The initiators announced that they would not accept the rejection. It initially remained unclear whether legal action before the European Court of Justice would be considered. Regardless, according to the proponents, the collection of signatures will continue—albeit without the official status of a European citizens' initiative.

The debate over the "Save Europe Act" comes at a time when the EU is recalibrating its migration policy. At the same time, pressure is growing from right-wing populist parties to tighten EU border policy further. The Commission is seeking to reconcile both strands with its fundamental values.