Campaigners behind the ‘Save Europe Act’ say the European Commission is preparing to reject their European Citizens’ Initiative after receiving a letter warning that its proposals appear to violate the European Union’s fundamental rights and values.
In a video published on Tuesday, June 30th, the initiators of the act—Dutch conservative commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Austrian identitarian activist Martin Sellner—said they had received a letter from the European Commission, warning them that the Save Europe Act appears to be “manifestly contrary” to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU’s “values.”
The Commission also stated that the initiative’s proposed moratorium on “non-Western” immigration and its stated objective of protecting the “ethnic and cultural continuity” of Europe’s native peoples would amount to discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin.
According to Eva Vlaardingerbroek, the letter is “the ultimate proof that the European Union hates Europeans.”
They don’t want Europe to belong to the Europeans. They are saying that even claiming that there is such a thing as the ethnocultural identity or continuity of our peoples, that that in and of itself is racist. Our mere existence is racist to them.
The Act’s main demands are a halt to non-European immigration—both legal and illegal—and the creation of a Europe-wide remigration system. The charter also calls for the removal of “social welfare incentives and benefits that function as pull factors for migration” to reduce incentives for further migration, encourage remigration, and “lessen the burden on European taxpayers.”
The duo stressed that despite the Commission’s warning, they will not alter their campaign. Instead, they will “double down” and continue collecting signatures. As Martin Sellner said:
We don’t accept that unelected bureaucrats like Ursula von der Leyen decide whether Europeans have a right to exist in Europe. So our response is clear. We are not backing down. We are not taking one word back of the Save Europe Act.
At the time of writing, more than 440,000 people have signed the petition, and approximately 100,000 supporters have volunteered to take an active role in the campaign.
Under the rules governing European Citizens’ Initiatives, campaigns must collect at least one million validated signatures from citizens across a minimum of seven EU member states before the Commission is required to consider them. However, even if those thresholds are met, the Commission is not legally obliged to propose legislation.
Brussels’ reaction to the Save Europe Act is unsurprising, given that EU institutions have advocated for pro-migration policies in recent years and have punished member states that have introduced stricter border controls.
Nevertheless, Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Martin Sellner have announced a demonstration in Brussels on July 15, where they intend to deliver signatures collected in support of their campaign.
