Launch of a European Citizens’ Initiative to grant legal personality to ecosystems

The European Citizens’ Initiative “Rights for Nature”, which aims to call on the EU to recognise specific rights for ecosystems and thereby enable citizens to represent them in court, was officially launched on 13 October 2026.

Backed by a coalition spanning some fifteen Member States, the initiative was submitted on 27 March 2026 and officially registered by the European Commission on 19 May. Its aim is to collect one million signatures across the European Union - the threshold required for the Commission to examine the initiative and provide a response.

To achieve this, the coalition has 12 months - until 12 October 2027 - to collect the required number of signatures in at least seven Member States. Générations Futures, which is coordinating the campaign in France, states that 60,000…