Alberto Cottica

The #EU has a petition system called "European Citizens Initiative". People can initiate petitions and collect signatures online via an EU official platform. Petitions that collect over one million signatures in a year, with at least seven member states reaching a minimum number of signatures, are tabled for discussion in Parliament. I like to check the platform every two months or so to support the petitions I agree with.

https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/home_en

THREAD 1/n

European Citizens' Initiative

Mar 2 at 10:06amWeb
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2

2/n

Right now there are two brand new (2026) initiatives that some of you might want to look at.

The first one proposes to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement (AA) in view of Israel’s violations of human rights. I think it's clever. Foreign trade is an exclusive competence of the EU, so it cannot shift responsibility to member states. Suspending the AA would immediately exclude Israeli firms and universities from the Horizon Europe programme, for example.

https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2025/000005_en#

Initiative detail | European Citizens' Initiative

European Citizens' Initiative
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2

3/n We are by far Israel's main trading partner. And Horizon Europe is already channeling over 1 billion EUR to Israeli companies, universities and public bodies – even to the Ministry of Defense. Some of this money funds research in military and surveillance tech. In Israel! This is in violation of the AA, which references the Treaties of the European Union, which reference human rights everywhere.

Info on Israel's participation to Horizon Europe: https://www.ftm.eu/newsletters/bureau-brussels-eu-funds-israel-defense-sector

EU funds flow to Israeli defense sector

Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism

Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2
4/n The initiative in question looks to have very good possibilities of meeting the target of the 1 million signatures. As I write this, it stands at 506,000. The minimum threshold has been reached in 8 member states.
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2

5/n

A second initiative I am eyeing with interest concerns measures to ban certain imports from Russia and Belarus. The idea is to stop funding the war in Ukraine and reduce dependencies. This is meant to target sectors like iron and steel, inorganic chemicals and potassium fertilisers, where alternative suppliers exist.

https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000002_en

Whatever you might think of these issues, I find that European Citizens Initiatives are an under-utilized instrument of democracy in Europe.

Initiative detail | European Citizens' Initiative

Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2

6/fin

By now, the system is quite well-oiled. The platform is integrated with European e-IDs (eIDAS standard), so signing is a very simple matter. For example, Italians can sign with SPID; Belgians with the MyGov.be application and ItsMe, etc. It's a good habit to check it every once in a while and support the initiatives you agree with. Even launching your own initiative looks relatively easy, though I have not done it myself.

#EU democracy is far from perfect, but this is a nice tool.

Show threadMiha MarkičMar 2
@alberto_cottica The sad part is that an initiative from people is required for this. The EU should have severed all ties to Israel and implemented sanctions a long time ago. Instead the biggest EU countries are enabling them and others do not care.
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2
@mihamarkic agreed. And here's a chance to support the part of the parliament that wants to change that.
Show threadMiha MarkičMar 2
@alberto_cottica Yeah, already did, but the bitter taste remains. I'm also very skeptical that this initiative will change anything, I really do not see EU countries yield support to their genocidal buddies.
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2
@mihamarkic as usual, the EU and its member states are not monolyths. Plenty of people, also among professional politicians, looking for inroads. Empirically, public pressure works: the previous Commission's emphasis on the green transition, however watered down, comes from Fridays for Future etc. In this specific case, I think the main usefulness is that the ECI forces the issue into the agenda of parliament. Without it, MEPs can ask for a discussion, but it might be years before they get it!
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2
@mihamarkic with that said, I totally feel you. TBH I mostly do not do these things because I think they will work, but because they are the right thing to do. We cannot hold ourselves accountable for the failings of a vastly broken system.
Show threadwoe2youMar 2
@alberto_cottica We have one of those in the UK. There's a certain threshold where the government have to issue a response, which is always "we acknowledge your concerns but we're going to do $thing anyway for $spuriousReason", and a higher one where the same process happens in Parliament.
Show threadAlberto CotticaMar 2
@woe2you yes, I am familiar with it. The European Parliament is more divided than the British one, so your initiative has a chance to give some extra ammo to groups that are trying to mount some kind of push. For example, several member states are longing for a deeper solidarity with Palestine, and could leverage the obligation to table a parliamentary discussion that comes with a successful Citizen Initiative.