Campaigns

In September 2019, Social Platform joined forces with WeMove.eu, the European Anti-Poverty Network and its Greek member organisation to launch a petition calling for a change to the job title of newly appointed Vice-President of the European Commission, Magaritis Schinas – ‘Vice-President for Protecting our European Way of Life’.

Our petition was a success: in November 2019 it was announced that Vice-President Schinas’s portfolio would now be named ‘Promoting the European Way of Life’.

The full text of the petition read as follows:

“We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home – whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere. We are proud to live in a Europe that is a stunning mosaic of cultures, languages, customs and beliefs.

“Our way of life does not need protecting from migrants– it needs equality and respect for human dignity and human rights. No human being is illegal. Migration is not a crime nor a security threat. What does need protecting however, is our planet. What is criminal is the rate at which we continue to deplete the resources of our planet, forcing people around the globe to flee their homes.

“We call on you to reject the title of ‘Vice-President for Protecting our European Way of Life’, remove migration from this portfolio and ensure that human dignity, equality and human rights are upheld in the new European Commission and specifically in the portfolio in charge of Migration Policy in Europe.”

Read the original petition here.