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
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#
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
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.
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.
Alberto Cottica
