The European Commission has registered a European Citizens’ Initiative calling for voluntary, privacy-preserving online age checks and digital identity systems, while refusing to register a separate initiative seeking a temporary moratorium on new “non-Western” immigration channels.
The Commission announced on Wednesday it had completed eligibility checks on two registration requests submitted under the European Citizens’ Initiative, an EU mechanism that allows citizens to ask the Commission to propose new laws if a campaign gathers enough support.
It registered the initiative titled “Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification”, whose organisers ask the Commission to propose legislation ensuring that digital identity and age-assurance systems used to access online services in the EU remain voluntary, privacy-preserving and non-discriminatory.
Campaign organisers now have six months to start a 12-month signature collection period, and the Commission will only consider the initiative if it receives at least one million valid signatures from EU citizens — with minimum numbers reached in at least seven member states.
The Commission said registration does not indicate any decision on the substance of an initiative, and it assesses only whether the legal conditions for registration are met at this stage.
One initiative rejected on discrimination grounds
The second initiative, titled “Save Europe Act”, asked the Commission to propose an EU act establishing a temporary moratorium on new “non-Western” immigration channels, including study visas and family reunification, while reforming EU migration and asylum rules, the Commission said.
The Commission refused to register it, saying an initiative cannot be “manifestly contrary” to EU values and fundamental rights, and must not be used as a vehicle for offensive messages.
It stated that the proposed moratorium would be based on ethnic, cultural or civilisational origin, and would amount to discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin, contrary to EU values and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
European Citizens’ Initiatives were introduced by the Lisbon Treaty and launched in 2012, allowing one million citizens from at least seven EU countries to invite the Commission to propose legal acts in areas where it has the power to act.
Since the scheme began, the Commission has registered 135 initiatives.
