Key facts
- The European Commission rejected a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) called 'Save Europe Act'.
- The ECI sought to suspend asylum and family reunification and return 'unintegrated' non-European migrants.
- The Commission cited discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin as the reason for rejection.
- Organisers, led by Martin Sellner, plan to sue the European Commission.
- The petition also called for the return of legally resident non-European nationals deemed 'unintegrated' or a 'burden'.
- The campaign claims to have gathered nearly 600,000 signatures informally.
The European Commission has rejected a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) proposed by the far-right "Save Europe Act" campaign, which sought to suspend asylum and family reunification and return "unintegrated" non-European migrants. The Commission deemed the initiative "manifestly contrary" to EU values, citing potential discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnic origin.
Organisers, led by Austrian activist Martin Sellner, have announced their intention to take legal action against the Commission, with their legal team reportedly ready to file a lawsuit as early as Monday. Sellner stated that they believe the Commission acted against European law by preventing citizens from requesting specific measures.
The petition called for a temporary halt to "non-Western immigration channels," including study and family reunification visas. It also proposed the return of legally resident non-European nationals who are considered "unintegrated" or a "serious cultural or financial burden" on member states.
The concept of "remigration" has gained traction among some far-right parties in Europe, with figures such as Hungary's Viktor Orbán, Spain's Santiago Abascal, Romania's George Simion, and Italy's Roberto Vannacci reportedly backing the campaign. The "Save Europe Act" campaign claims to have informally gathered nearly 600,000 signatures and recently held a demonstration of around 200 supporters outside the European Parliament in Brussels.
The Commission clarified that the proposed suspension of migration channels was based on ethnic, cultural, or civilisational origin, which deviates from the individual case-by-case assessment required by EU law. MEP Cristina Guarda, of the Greens/EFA group, described the petition as "hate propaganda promoted by the far right."