Eumans President Marco Cappato: "Euthanasia and abortion are included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The EU must get moving."

In March, Brussels hosted the third congress of Eumans, Marco Cappato's pan-European movement focused on participatory democracy. Among the initiatives launched by the Association's treasurer, Luca Coscioni, and Eumans president, a special focus was placed on civic assemblies, which 100 randomly selected citizens will be able to participate in. Decriminalizing cannabis, euthanasia and abortion in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, and Ukraine's immediate accession to the EU are some of the key topics addressed. We spoke directly with the founder.

Can you briefly explain the initiative you promoted in Brussels?

From March 6 to 8, the pan-European movement EUMANS is holding a Congress in Brussels to strengthen European democracy through direct citizen participation, even outside of elections. Specifically, we discussed how to strengthen European Citizens' Initiatives (ECIs), which allow citizens to propose legislative action when they collect one million signatures from at least seven countries. We want to relaunch randomly selected Citizens' Assemblies, in which randomly selected citizens discuss and make proposals on issues that electoral parties are unable to address.

One of the central issues is euthanasia. What is your goal?

Our goal is to create a Europe of civil rights, in particular by including euthanasia and abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and by ensuring that the value of Advance Care Directives (living wills) is recognized throughout Europe.

There's also been talk of decriminalizing cannabis. Why is the EU still stuck?

Worse than stagnant: European states are being pushed toward criminalizing cannabis through judicial and police cooperation mechanisms. Our proposal is to change the European approach: we call for cannabis to be excluded from the EU's common criminal law framework. This would allow member states to decide freely and without constraints on the legal regulation of cannabis. Furthermore, we advocate for promoting access to medical cannabis based on scientific evidence and patient experiences. In addition to guaranteeing the right of access to cannabis-based medicines, it is essential that the EU allow the cross-border transportation of these medicines between member states, so that patients can benefit from them wherever they are.

You will also relaunch the campaign for Ukraine's EU membership. What is your assessment of von der Leyen's defense plan?

Following Putin's Russia's aggression against Ukraine, it is essential that Europe stand by the attacked country, not only with military support but also with political and economic integration. The defense plan presented by Ursula von der Leyen is a positive first step in that it aims to respond to the emergency by strengthening Ukraine's defense and Europe's collective defense following Trump's withdrawal, but we believe it is not enough. The solution to the conflict cannot be thought of as relying solely on increased military capabilities. We must work in parallel to build a sustainable peace, also based on the promotion of democracy and international law, upholding the work of the International Criminal Court.

Regarding end-of-life issues in Italy, the center-right party led by Brothers of Italy has opened the door to a national law with a first draft presented yesterday to the Senate. What do you think? Is it a step forward?

It is important to begin discussions on national legislation on end-of-life care, but the current proposals are unfortunately restrictive given the current situation, given that assisted dying has already been legalized, in some circumstances, by the Constitutional Court. The proposal chosen as the basic text is restrictive, introducing a criterion of suffering that must be both physical and psychological, contrary to the Court's provisions, and making palliative care a mandatory medical treatment for receiving assisted dying. For us at the Luca Coscioni Association, a law would be needed to guarantee legal euthanasia against clandestine euthanasia. The right to be assisted in dying, including through the active intervention of a doctor at the patient's request, should be guaranteed to all people who are lucid, have an irreversible illness, and suffer unbearably.