My Last Right petition launched at the European Parliament, calling for living wills to be recognised across the EU

Brussels, 5 November 2026. The World Federation of Right to Die Societies (WFRtDS) and Eumans launched the My Last Right petition at the European Parliament yesterday. It asks the EU to recognise self-determination at the end of life, and to make sure living wills are recognised in all EU countries.

The roundtable, “My Last Right: End of Life Decisions in Europe”, was organised by Alessandro Zan MEP, Vice-Chair of the LIBE Committee. He told the meeting that end-of-life choice “must be recognised and protected throughout Europe”.

End-of-life rights in Europe remain a patchwork of national laws. A study presented at the meeting, found that 20 of the 27 Member States already have some form of living-will legislation. But a person’s wishes may not be respected when they cross a border.

Marco Cappato, Co-President of Eumans, said the petition does not seek a single EU law on the end of life. It proposes “mutual recognition amongst those countries that recognise this right”.

Peter Warren, Executive Director of WFRtDS, said: “A living will is a simple, but powerful idea. You write down what medical treatment you want, and importantly what you don’t in the event that you are unable to express those wishes directly. People need the chance to do that, and they need to know their wishes will be respected wherever they are in Europe.”

Speakers brought experience from across Europe:

• Hungary: Peter Karsai, brother of Dániel Karsai and co-founder of the Dániel Karsai Foundation, spoke with Evelyn Frank, the Foundation’s President. Dániel Karsai’s case against Hungary’s ban on assisted dying went to the European Court of Human Rights.
• Ireland: Janie Lazar, spokesperson for End-of-Life Ireland, said 76 per cent of Irish people support assisted dying legislation.
• Belgium: Jacqueline Herremans, President of ADMD Belgium, noted that Belgium and the Netherlands passed their euthanasia laws in 2002, almost 25 years ago.
• France: Keith Lund, board member of Le Choix – Citoyens pour une mort choisie, reported on France’s assisted dying legislation, which had its final parliamentary vote on 15 July.

The petition is open for support at lastright.eu.

About

The World Federation of Right to Die Societies was founded in 1980. It is a global federation of more than 60 member societies in over 30 countries, registered as a Fundación in Spain and based in Barcelona.

My Last Right is a joint campaign of WFRtDS and Eumans. Find out more at lastright.eu.

Press contacts

Name	Role	Email
Peter Warren	Executive Director, World Federation of Right to Die Societies	[email protected]
Janie Lazar	Spokesperson, End-of-Life Ireland	[email protected]
Peter Karsai	Co-Founder, Dániel Karsai Foundation (Hungary)	[email protected]
Evelyn Frank	President, Dániel Karsai Foundation (Hungary)	[email protected]
Jacqueline Herremans	President, ADMD Belgium	[email protected]
Alice Spaccini	Campaigner and Civil Rights Coordinator, Eumans	[email protected]
Keith Lund	Spokesperson, Le Choix (France)	[email protected]