Questions people actually ask

What is this, in one sentence?

A proposal for citizens to share in the gains of highly automated production, with an illustrative draft EU law creating a common fund that holds company shares and pays equal distributions to adult EU citizens.

Do I get money? How much, and when?

There is no benefit to claim today. Under the draft, every EU citizen aged 18 or older would have an equal right to distributions when declared. The entitlement cannot be sold, pledged or redeemed; payment requires registration with a national vehicle. Amounts depend on the fund's realised income after costs and retention rules and could be zero. The draft's long-term capital objective is an objective, not a guaranteed balance or income. The simulator explores assumptions, including continued new company stakes; it is not a forecast of your payments. Article 10(6) requires annual distribution when the amount per holder reaches ten times the average payment cost, and at least once in every third calendar year with a positive distributable amount. Small unpaid amounts roll forward; a payment every year is not guaranteed.

Is this a tax?

The draft is designed as equity participation: covered companies issue shares to a common Reserve rather than making cash contributions to a public budget. Whether EU law would nevertheless classify it as a fiscal measure is contested. The independent ECI Forum advice identifies that risk, and the objections give the argument and the project's response.

Which companies would be covered?

The Commission would assess whether production depends significantly on automated cognitive systems and is durably decoupled from employment. A rebuttable presumption applies when the draft's thresholds are met: at least EUR 7.5 billion in annual EU turnover or EUR 75 billion in value, activity in at least three Member States, and a value at least eighty times worldwide labour compensation, sustained for two financial years. A company may rebut the presumption. The Commission may also designate a company below those thresholds after investigation. The thresholds are indicators, not proof that a business operates without people.

Will this kill jobs, or drive innovation away?

Those effects need independent assessment. A 3 % share obligation could affect investment, prices and business decisions, even without a cash levy. The draft uses labour compensation in its designation test and includes anti-avoidance rules, so hiring more people is not an automatic exemption. It provides monitoring and review; it cannot promise that there will be no unwanted effects.

Will companies simply leave the EU?

The draft applies to covered activity in the internal market regardless of where a company is established. Moving a headquarters would not by itself remove the obligation. Companies could still change services, investment or market participation. Cross-border enforceability and proportionality are contested questions; the size of the EU market does not settle them.

Who controls the fund? Can politicians raid it?

The Reserve's shares would carry no votes or management rights. Article 12 prohibits diversion to public budgets and gives holders a court remedy. These are legal barriers, not a guarantee that future legislators cannot change the law. The personal entitlement is a right to declared distributions, not an individually redeemable portfolio of company shares.

What if AI stays small and the transformation never comes?

Fewer qualifying companies or lower returns could mean a small fund and little or no income. Article 14 requires the Commission to assess the evidence and, where appropriate, propose amendment or repeal. The draft does not automatically switch itself off, and its administrative and company obligations are not costless even if the gains disappoint.

When does a company have to issue the shares?

The claim arises at effective designation; the company documents it within three months. The warrant crystallises on the first liquidity event, earlier shareholder extraction above 25 % of covered turnover over three consecutive financial years, or the seven-year long-stop from the claim arising. Article 5 sets the precise rules. A private company cannot avoid the backstop simply by staying private. Shares entering the fund do not guarantee immediate cash distributions.

What do I have to do now?

There is nothing to sign yet. You can read the proposal, ask questions, volunteer or discuss becoming an organiser on the take part page. The site has no mailing list and does not collect statements of support. If the initiative is registered and collection opens, the site will link to the Commission's official signing system. One million valid statements and the required national thresholds secure consideration and a response, not automatic adoption of the illustrative law.

Who is behind this, and who pays for it?

David Vanheeswijck initiated the project and pays its hosting and AI review costs. As of 6 September 2026, no constituted organisation or third-party funding is recorded. The about page names the editor and discloses the connection to his book. The review ledger distinguishes model reviews from external feedback; neither is an EU institutional endorsement.