EU Commission rejects Save Europe Act citizen initiative

The European Commission has formally refused to register the "Save Europe Act," a proposed European Citizens' Initiative that sought a moratorium on non-Western immigration, ruling it incompatible with the European Union's fundamental values and anti-discrimination laws. The decision, announced on July 22, 2026, blocks the campaign from using the EU's formal petition mechanism.

The initiative, launched on May 31 by Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek and Austrian activist Martin Sellner, had gathered over 580,000 signatures. Its core demands included a temporary halt to all new immigration channels from non-Western countries-encompassing study and family reunification visas-and the establishment of an EU-wide "remigration" system to encourage or incentivize the departure of certain migrants. The campaign also called for stricter border controls, faster deportations, and the removal of welfare benefits it described as pull factors for migration.

In its rejection, the Commission stated the proposal's foundation-a moratorium defined by the goal of preserving the "ethnic and cultural continuity of Europe's native peoples" against what it termed "demographic replacement"-would...