Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1870 of 17 July 2026 on the request for registration, pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of the European citizens’ initiative entitled All On Board – For your right to citizenship without borders (notified under document C(2026) 4639)

Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2026/1870 27.7.2026 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION(EU) 2026/1870 of 17 July 2026 on the request for registration, pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of the European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘All On Board – For your right to citizenship without borders’ (notified under document C(2026) 4639) (Only the English text is authentic) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/788 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the European citizens’ initiative(1), and in particular Article 6(3) thereof, Whereas: (1) A request for registration of a European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘All On Board – For your right to citizenship without borders’ was submitted to the Commission on 26 May 2026. (2) The aim of the initiative as expressed by the organisers is to call on the Union to ‘close the gap between its aim that ‘the Union shall observe the principle of the equality of its citizens, who shall receive equal attention…’ (Article 9 TEU) and the reality that it addresses only a privileged minority of European citizens, fuelling anti-EU extremism’. The organisers state that their initiative ‘demands an all-of-society approach for a democratic Europe, resting on education and universal suffrage’. They consider that ‘[e]very EU citizen and legal resident has the right to’: ‘Learn about European rights, values and participation in the EU, in addition to their national civic education’; ‘Experience participation in a European exchange program through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’; ‘Have their results recognised and validated back home and across the EU through academic, technical, vocational and transversal qualifications treated equally’. An annex to the initiative provides further details on its background, its subject matter and its objectives. The organisers also submitted a draft regulation ‘creating the right to learn about, experience and enjoy the benefits of citizenship of the Union’, based on Article 25 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), as part of their registration request. (3) The Commission considers that it could propose the creation of the right of Union citizens to learn about, experience and enjoy the benefits of citizenship of the Union on the basis of Article 25 TFEU. However, the relevant provisions cannot define the precise content of teaching or affect the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity, as established in Article 165(1) TFEU. In addition, said rights cannot be conferred upon legal residents who are not citizens of the Union, since the legal basis in Article 25 TFEU can only be used to add rights to the ones listed in Article 20(2) TFEU, which can only be conferred upon citizens of the Union. (4) For that reason, the Commission considers that none of the parts of the initiative manifestly falls outside the framework of the Commission’s powers to submit a proposal for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties. (5) That conclusion does not affect the assessment of whether the concrete substantive conditions required for the Commission to act, including compliance with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity and compatibility with fundamental rights, would be met in this case. (6) The group of organisers has provided appropriate evidence that it fulfils the requirements laid down in Article 5(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 and has designated the contact persons in accordance with Article 5(3), first subparagraph, of that Regulation. (1) OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, p. 55, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/788/oj. ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1870/oj 1/2EN OJ L, 27.7.2026 (7) The initiative is not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious, nor is it manifestly contrary to the values of the Union as set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union or to the rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. (8) The initiative entitled ‘All On Board – For your right to citizenship without borders’ should therefore be registered. (9) The conclusion that the conditions for registration under Article 6(3) of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 are fulfilled does not imply that the Commission in any way confirms the factual correctness of the content of the initiative, which is the sole responsibility of the group of organisers of the initiative. The content of the initiative only expresses the views of the group of organisers, and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Commission, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 The European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘All On Board – For your right to citizenship without borders’ shall be registered. Article 2 This Decision is addressed to the group of organisers of the citizens’ initiative entitled ‘All On Board – For your right to citizenship without borders’, represented by Suzana CARP and Jana SPROUL acting as contact persons. Done at Brussels, 17 July 2026. For the Commission Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ Member of the Commission 2/2 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1870/oj