Preamble
Based on Articles 11 (citizen participation) and 227 (right of petition) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), we, the undersigned EU citizens and civil society organisations, hereby submit this petition to the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament. We act within the legal framework of the Union and demand concrete legislative and political initiatives.
European policy today increasingly serves the interests of financial lobbies and external influences instead of the citizens of its Member States. This has led to a crisis of trust, economic stagnation, energy and security instability, and an erosion of European identity, culture and values, along with a lack of transparency.
We believe that citizens must have a decisive influence on political decisions at the level of the EU and the Member States. Poor political decisions made against the will of the people and the interests of Member States threaten the very existence of the European community. Therefore, we call for a fundamental reform of the European system and its policies, aimed at ending political conflicts, promoting prosperity, and ensuring peace and security for all.
1. Affirmation of Continental European Culture and Values
The European order must safeguard human rights in balance with social responsibility and the public interest. We demand equality of all nations and languages, respect for cultural traditions and values of individual peoples, active protection of European traditions and identities, and protection against disproportionate external cultural influences—in politics, education, entertainment, science, demography, economy, and other sectors. At the same time, we support intercultural cooperation based on mutual respect.
As a first step, we demand the recognition of continental European culture within programmes such as Creative Europe and the European Heritage Label, with binding annual budgets for the protection of human rights in balance with social responsibility and the public interest.
2. Direct and Electronic Democracy
We demand the immediate introduction of direct and electronic democracy at all political levels in Europe. Citizens must have the right to decide directly on key political issues through referenda, petitions, and elections to citizens’ chambers of parliaments, the possibility to veto decisions, and to express no confidence in individual representatives or parties.
As a first step, we demand the immediate establishment of an EU Citizens’ Referendum Portal under Article 11 TFEU, with legally binding status for a qualified majority of votes, and a measurable target of at least one referendum per legislative term.
3. Sovereignty in Security and Geopolitics
The European community must urgently establish an independent and autonomous security policy and develop appropriate defence mechanisms in the military, informational, political, technological and economic spheres. Together with neighbouring countries and global powers, it must form a regional security architecture.
The EU must immediately cease participating in armed conflicts in its neighbourhood and take initiative to end wars in Ukraine and Palestine. Armament of countries in war must stop, escalation must be halted, and humanitarian aid and long-term political solutions must be ensured. The root causes of conflicts must be systematically addressed, aiming at long-term stability, peace, and European prosperity.
We demand reinforcement of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) instruments, including PESCO, with a plan for interoperable rapid response forces by 2026 and annual strategic reviews. Furthermore, the European Commission must restore mechanisms for security and cooperation in greater Europe by Q1 2026.
4. Economic Sovereignty and Competitiveness
Europe must ensure full sovereignty and self-sufficiency in the fields of finance, information and media, technology, food, health, energy, and other strategic sectors. The highest investments must be directed towards developing European competitiveness, especially in underdeveloped areas such as information technology, space programmes, and energy innovation.
We demand that the Commission, as a first step by Q2 2026, present a strategy proposal for ensuring technological autonomy and competitiveness and a directive on the resilience of critical supply chains in IT, space programmes and clean energy innovations.
5. Autonomous Socio-Economic Development for Highest Quality of Life
The European socio-economic model must make Europe the region with the highest quality of life in the world. It should become the most desirable environment for living, working, and creating—in science, culture, economy, and other key sectors. It must ensure sustainable and balanced prosperity by valuing financial and intellectual capital equally and providing the best social conditions for all citizens.
We demand a revision of the European Semester to include a mandatory “Quality of Life” indicator and the establishment of a European “Prosperity Fund” to co-finance social infrastructure in all Member States.
6. Credibility of Information, Communication, and Media
The European community must sovereignly manage its information sources and media. It must prevent the imposition of foreign soft power into civil society, politics, and security structures.
We demand full transparency of registers on media and NGO funding at the EU and Member State levels, and the establishment of an independent European Media Authority by the end of 2026 to assess sources of information, media, and adherence to journalistic standards.
7. Responsible Solidarity and Social Cohesion
Europe must continue the tradition of the welfare state and solidarity, but not as unlimited support or charity for irresponsible individuals and communities. We demand the establishment of a system of responsible solidarity, based on mutual satisfaction between recipients and contributors, enabling contribution to the common good where possible. It must encompass both social security and health protection.
As a first step, we demand a regulation on responsible solidarity mechanisms, including preventive health programmes and conditional financial aid programmes ensuring mutual satisfaction through interim evaluations.
8. Protection Against Physical and Psychological Violence
Psychological violence is a pervasive and often overlooked phenomenon. It operates covertly but can be as harmful as physical violence. It manifests through manipulation, soft coercion, and distortion of reality, causing suffering, conflict, and harm to individuals and communities for the benefit of narrow interest groups.
The EU must establish legal frameworks and mechanisms to prevent such violence—against individuals and communities, in political, economic, and all other societal contexts.
We demand a directive on psychological violence to legally define it at the EU level and the establishment of national observatories by 2026 to monitor and prevent covert forms of aggression.
9. Environmental Protection and Conservation
Europe must remain a global leader in sustainable environmental protection and development. Environmental protection must be intelligently balanced with economic development and used as a field of new, including business, opportunities.
We demand that the European Commission prepare an assessment of the economic impacts of the green transition and identify opportunities for developing EU economic value and competitive advantage in this field.
10. European Partnerships and Future Multilevel Integration
For long-term stability and competitiveness, a renewed EU must deepen cooperation with all European countries that express interest — including the Balkan states, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Russia, and the Caucasus states. The new European Community must be based on shared interests, comparable values, and compatibility of social systems. We must build an open Europe — a community of states cooperating on multiple levels based on clear and measurable criteria, mutual commitments, and benefits for all member and associated states.
We call on the European Commission to prepare a proposal for solutions regarding multilevel integration of the EU, member states, and other interested European countries based on clear and measurable criteria by 2027.

Requested Action

• We respectfully urge the Committee on Petitions (PETI) to:
  Call on the Commission and the Council to formally respond to each of the above points with legislative or political initiatives.
• Submit a timeline for the proposals and their implementation within three months of receiving the petition.
• Provide annual updates to the signatories on progress.

Annexes
A. Eurobarometer – Trust in EU Institutions (2024)
A special report by the European Commission showing worrying trends regarding transparency, lobbying influence, and citizens’ distrust, along with support for greater participation.
B. Expert Opinion: Participatory Democracy and Digital Referenda in the EU
Author: Prof. Maria Schneider, University of Heidelberg. Provides a legal analysis of the possibility to introduce binding digital referenda based on Article 11 TFEU and best practices from member states.
C. Best Practice Example: The Swiss Model of Direct Democracy and Its Transferability to the EU
Prepared by: Center for Democratic Innovation (CDI), Brussels. An analysis of the implementation framework and proposals for gradual integration into EU multilevel governance.
D. Position Paper: Cultural Identity and the European Project
Author: Institute for European Cultural Policy. Supports the demand for affirming continental culture as a shared value foundation in EU programs (e.g. Creative Europe).
E. Technical Summary: Establishing a European Directive on a Living Wage
Authors: European Observatory on Social Policy and the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). Models for defining an EU minimum wage based on purchasing power and living costs.
F. Fact Report: Media Pluralism and NGO Funding Transparency
Source: European Centre for Media Pluralism (CMPF), Florence – 2023 analysis with legislative recommendations for registration and independent oversight.

On behalf of civil society and freedom-loving Europeans.
For peace, prosperity, and a European future for all.

Libertas Europa