Supranational identity: why a symbolic Passport change could mitigate global coordination failures

TL;DR:

I am an EA and Giving What We Can member presenting STAR-PASS, an official European Citizens’ Initiative (publication reference: ECI(2025)000004) to add EU symbols to EU passports. I argue this is a neglected, high-leverage “identity nudge” that can strengthen supranational coordination, reduce the risk of Great Power Conflict, and act as a stepping stone for Moral Circle Expansion, all at a marginal cost.

Summary:

I have followed the Effective Altruism movement for seven years and am a member of Giving What We Can. While much of my altruistic focus is on high-impact giving, I believe we often neglect the symbolic infrastructure required for global coordination. I am currently part of a team leading an official European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) called STAR-PASS (publication reference: ECI(2025)000004). Our goal is to integrate the European Union stars onto national passport covers, as an optional choice for EU citizens.

While this may seem purely aesthetic, I argue from a longtermist perspective that this is a low-cost, high-leverage “nudge” toward institutional stability and the mitigation of Great Power Conflict.

The case for STAR-PASS through an EA lens

1. Mitigating GCP—Great Power Conflict

By reinforcing a shared supranational identity, we strengthen the “normative glue” that prevents regional fragmentation. In a longtermist framework, maintaining a stable, integrated Europe acts as a civilizational anchor.

2. Solving global coordination failures

To address existential risks (e.g. AI safety, biosecurity, climate change) humanity should move beyond the “Nation-State” as the terminal unit of political identity. The EU is a mature laboratory for supranational governance. However, institutional coordination is difficult if citizens do not see themselves as part of the entity. STAR-PASS is a bottom-up attempt to make European citizenship a visible, lived reality for 450 million people (ref. Article 20 TFEU).

3. Moral circle expansion

A core pillar of EA is the expansion of our moral concern. National passports are physical artifacts of “tribal” boundaries. Adding the EU stars to the cover provides a frequent, physical reminder of a broader identity. This is a stepping stone toward a more cosmopolitan or global identity, which is essential for impartial altruism.

Tractability and scale

The European Citizens’ Initiative is a neglected tool. It is a legal mechanism that drives the European Commission to consider a legislative proposal if we reach 1 million signatures.

Scale: there are approximately 300 million EU passports in circulation.
Saturation: EU member states issue ~30 million passports annually. If this change is implemented, we can expect a saturation rate of 60%-85% within 10 years, as older passports expire and are replaced.
Cost-effectiveness: the marginal cost of adding EU stars to a cover that is already being printed is near zero. The impact-to-cost ratio for symbolic identity-building is potentially massive.

Addressing potential backfire effects

A common EA critique is whether an intervention could cause a negative counter-reaction.

Nationalist backlash: critics might fear this “erases” national identity. However, STAR-PASS is designed as an additional right: citizens could choose to add a European symbol to their passport. It would be voluntary, so national emblems would still remain available. It is a choice that grants more visibility to an existing status without taking anything away from the Nation-State.
Symbolic vs. substantive: one might argue we should focus on “hard” policy. My rebuttal is that identity is a precursor to policy. Substantive coordination on X-risks is politically impossible if the voting public remains purely nationalistic.

How the EA community can help

I am seeking visibility, feedback, and support to move this from a project to a movement.

Constructive critique: what do you think about symbolic identity in relation to better institutional stability?
Signatures and awareness: if you are an EU citizen, your signature on the official portal provides direct support to this initiative.
Connections: we are looking for introductions to European think tanks or researchers focused on identity and institutional resilience.

If you believe that the path to a brighter future for mankind requires more structured and mature supranational cooperation, I invite you to join us.

https://star-pass.eu/

https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2025/000004_en