The European Commission registered the European citizens' initiative 'All On Board - For your right to citizenship without borders' on 17 July 2026, allowing its organisers to begin collecting signatures across the EU. The initiative, submitted on 26 May 2026, calls on the EU to close the gap between the principle of equal citizenship and the reality that it addresses only a privileged minority. Organisers demand that every EU citizen and legal resident has the right to learn about European rights, values and participation; experience a European exchange programme once in a lifetime; and have academic, technical, vocational and transversal qualifications treated equally across the EU.
The Commission's implementing decision, published on 24 July 2026, outlines the legal boundaries of the initiative. The Commission could propose creating these rights under Article 25 TFEU, but it cannot define teaching content or affect education systems' organisation and cultural/linguistic diversity under Article 165(1) TFEU. Furthermore, rights cannot be conferred on legal residents who are not Union citizens, as Article 25 TFEU only adds rights to those listed in Article 20(2) TFEU, which apply only to Union citizens. The group of organisers is represented by Suzana CARP and Jana SPROUL as contact persons.
The registration marks the first step in a process that could lead to EU legislation if the initiative gathers one million signatures from at least seven member states within one year. The initiative's demands touch on EU citizenship, education, and mobility, potentially impacting EU citizens, legal residents, national education systems, and EU institutions. While the Commission's scope for action is limited by the Treaties, the initiative could still spur debate on expanding citizenship rights and mutual recognition of qualifications. The next institutional step will be the organisers' signature collection campaign, after which the Commission will have three months to respond if the threshold is met.