Alberto CotticaMar 2

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

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 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 Cottica
@mihamarkic agreed. And here's a chance to support the part of the parliament that wants to change that.
Mar 2 at 12:08pmWeb
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.