A European Citizens’ Initiative is different from a “normal” petition: it is an official democratic instrument that enables EU citizens to help shape Europe by asking the European Commission to propose a legislative act. If we manage to collect one million (validated) signatures, the EU Commission will be legally obliged to deal with our demands.

There are many possibilities. You can support the ECI:

• By signing the ECI now on this website.
• By telling your family, friends and colleagues about our ECI and its goals. This is very important since we will only achieve the necessary system change if a sufficiently large amount of people  recognize the urgency of the current crisis and the dire need for rapid action to counter it.
• By sharing our content on social media [insert links]. You can also print out signature forms, collect signatures from relatives and send the signed forms to us by post (you will find the address on the forms).
• By supporting the work of the #StopSettlements team with a donation [link]

Yes, sign again if you’re unsure. Your signature is valid and is counted only once. The software automatically detects double signatures and sorts out duplicates.

In the case of the online signature:

• In the “please select country” box write your nationality the widget will be configured to ask you the specific requirements for that nationality (whatever the country you live in is: Address, ID, etc…).
• In the “nationality” box, put your nationality again
• In most cases, you will have to fill in your address. There you choose the EU country you live in

If this does not work, the only solution is:

• Print the signature form of the country you are a national from: Here you can find the signature forms to print.
• Fill in your personal data
• Sent it back to the address written on the signature form

Depending on the data required by these member states, you may have the possibility to choose between signing for your nationality or your living country, bearing in mind that you can sign up only once for the #StopSettlements initiative. The data which you provide in your signature will determine in which member state your signature will be counted. Example: An Austrian living in Estonia can either:

• Fill in the form for Estonia, providing his/her full first names, family names, address, date and place of birth and nationality – in this case, his/her signature will be verified and therefore counted in Estonia.
• Fill in the form for Austria, providing in addition to the above data a personal identification document number from the list accepted by Austria – in this case, his/her signature will be verified and therefore counted in Austria.

This depends on the member state of which you are national. Depending on the requirements asked by the member states, you may or may not be able to sign up online. This is due to the fact that some member states require an EU address. For those who will have the possibility to sign up, your vote will be counted in your member state of nationality. For those who cannot sign online, then you can print the paper form, fill it in with your nationality and address and send it back to us.

Settlements that are created and expanded by an occupying force in occupied territories violate the highest norms of international law. When occupied territory is annexed de jure or de facto, for example by means of settlements, this is against international law, and such an annexation and settlements have no legal validity. As a result, trade with such settlements is illegal.

No, it is not a sanction, and the Commission has now formally acknowledged this. A sanction targets a specific State with the aim of changing its behavior. The goal of this ECI is that the EU enacts a general rule that clarifies it will never trade with any illegal settlements. That includes stopping trade with illegal settlements in present occupations such as in Palestine and the Golan Heights, but also in future conflicts where illegal settlements are installed on occupied territory.

Yes, it is. Illegal settlements break the highest norms of international law. These include the prohibition to acquire territory by the use of force, the prohibition on colonialism and apartheid, the right to self-determination, and the fundamental norms of international humanitarian law. All States and international organizations, including the EU and its Member States, have obligations to not recognize and not assist breaches of these norms. Trade, however, both recognizes illegal settlements and assists them and their expansion.

No. This ECI calls for an end to all trade that benefits the occupant’s illegal settlements. It does not call for a trade prohibition with occupied territories since this would disallow fair trade with the peoples whose territories are being annexed or occupied.

Most certainly so, but hopefully that will change. The Commission has confirmed that the measure envisaged by the ECI would require enacting import and export prohibitions or restrictions vis-à-vis territories that are occupied under international law, and that it has the competence to enact such measures. If the Commission confirms this competence, then why has it continued to trade with illegal settlements all these years? This has been and continues to be in direct violation of its obligations under international law.

They certainly are. The international legal obligations of non-recognition and non-assistance also apply to all EU member states. They are also explicitly permitted under EU law, namely under the Common Rules for Imports, to enact trade restrictions for reasons of public morality and public policy. They do not need approval from the Commission for this, nor do they need to wait for the Commission to act, because every day they allow settlement trade in their territory is another day they themselves are violating obligations under international law.

Members of European Parliament play a critical role as they provide democratic oversight over the EU’s external economic relations. The Parliament’s Committee on International Trade and individual MEPs can immediately request the Commission to implement a general rule that will stop trade with illegal settlements.

National MPs can and should stop trade with settlements on their own, for example by invoking the right to do so under the Common Rules on Imports. A general framework of a law that can do this is already available to them and can be found here [insert link].

Member state governments should support national legislation to stop trade with illegal settlements. They can and should also discuss the stopping of trade with settlements in the European Council. The Council can request the Commission to work out a proposal by simple majority (i.e. 14 member states in favor), and vote over it by qualified majority (i.e. 15 member states representing 65% of the European population in favor). Unanimity, as is required with foreign policy actions, including sanctions, is not needed because stopping trade with settlements is not a sanction.