Save Europe Act: the 'patriotic' push dividing Europe

The Save Europe Act: the 'patriotic' crusade nobody believes in

It presents itself as the first European Citizens' Initiative with a patriotic character. Behind it, one million signatures calling on Brussels to legislate against replacement migration. But within hours of its release, scepticism has buried any illusion: few see real momentum, and many see an operation of dubious origin.

The text, known as the Save Europe Act, asks the political elite to protect borders and defend the ethnocultural identity of European nations. Its Article 3 is the most forceful: it proposes the systematic and accelerated return (remigration) of irregular migrants, rejected asylum seekers and people with incivil records or those deemed a threat to public order, all with enhanced cooperation with third countries for their readmission.

The suspicions do not come only from those who favour an open Europe. The very term 'remigration' has been flagged as a neologism fashionable in certain pro-Russian and Eurasian circles. For some observers, the campaign looks like a setup designed to discredit any serious attempt to reform European migration policy. Others simply point out that 'European' and 'patriotic' are hard to combine in the same sentence.

To this is added the procedural reality: a European Citizens' Initiative does not force the Commission to change the law. It only obliges it to listen and issue a response. One million signatures, a demanding figure, carries more symbolic value than real power. Hence some commentators wonder whether this is just an exercise in pointless agitation.

Whether the campaign will gather its signatures is an open question. Whether Brussels will do anything with them is almost a joke. The only certainty is that the debate has been served, and that neither side trusts the group behind it. With that much distrust, the Save Europe Act is well on its way to ending up as a damp squib.