Brussels, 22/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - A new European Citizens' Initiative set up in March 2013 wants all European passport-holders to be guaranteed a fixed income for their lifetime. The campaign launched by ordinary people in 15 member states hopes to get a million signatures by 14 January 2014.
Above all, the idea is to launch a wide public debate about a universal benefit and the questions raised by this in terms of how we relate to work, money, time and citizenship, explained one of the initiators, Stanislas Jourdan, in a press release. This universal benefit would be unconditional, changes to it would be made democratically and it would be on top of any other income to simplify the current benefit systems, make savings in national budgets and fight poverty and inequality, state the scheme's initiators. (JK/transl.fl)