2020/2088(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

- having regard to the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union, in particular articles 39 and 52(1) thereof,

Amendment 10 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)

- having regard to Petition 0563/2019 by R.S. (German) on the denial of the right to be included in the electoral roll,

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas the intensified political exchanges in Parliament have also highlighted the shortcomings of several standing procedures such as the hearings of Commissioners-designate, with particular regard to the conditprocess of examination of the declarations of interests and the hearings of the designated European Commissioners by the European Parliament was an important step in increasing the Commission’s ~~for the legal assess~~accountability to the European Parliament ofand the~~ir applications (e.g. declarations of financial interests)~~ public in general; whereas this process can and should be further improved in the future;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas democratic processes at both Member State and EU levels have been targeted by foreign powers in order to influence the outcome of elections and weaken the Union; whereas the mechanisms put in place by the European institutions, such as the Code of Practice against Disinformation and the Rapid Alert System for elections contributed to the mitigation of foreign interference during the election campaign, but whereas, in the light of rapid developments in technologies and disinformation methods, constant vigilance and coordination among the Member States are essential;

Amendment 102 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas democratic processes at both Member State and EU levels have been targeted by foreign powers in order to influence the outcome of elections and weaken the Union; whereas the mechanisms put in place by the European institutions, such as the Code of Practice against Disinformation and the Rapid Alert System for elections ~~contributed to the~~put the right to freedom of expression at risk, without any proof that they helped to mitigat~~ion of~~e foreign interference during the election campaign;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas democratic processes at both Member State and EU levels have been targeted by foreign powers sometimes in connection with internal actors in order to influence the outcome of elections and weaken the Union; whereas the mechanisms put in place by the European institutions, such as the Code of Practice against Disinformation and the Rapid Alert System for elections contributed to the mitigation of foreign interference during the election campaign;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the Commission’s requests to social media platforms ahead of the elections created confusion and had unintended consequences such as the ban on Europe-wide political advertisements, which is the only way for European political parties to advertise during European election campaigns; whereas especially on that matter, the institutions should develop an interinstitutional approach in order to have a positive impact on the security and stability of the electoral process; whereas the Code of Practice is purely voluntary and focuses on transparency rather than on actual limits like targeted political advertisement;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the Commission’s requests to social media platforms ahead of the elections created confusion and had unintended consequences such as the ban on Europe-wide political advertisements, which is the only way for European political parties to ~~advertise~~be identified and recognised by voters during European election campaigns; whereas especially on that matter, the institutions should develop an interinstitutional approach in order to have a positive impact on the security and stability of the electoral process;

Amendment 106 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the Commission’s requests to social media platforms ahead of the elections created confusion and had unintended consequences such as the ban on Europe-wide political advertisements, which is ~~the only~~one of the ways for European political parties to advertise during European election campaigns; whereas especially on that matter, the institutions should develop an interinstitutional approach in order to have a positive impact on the security and stability of the electoral process;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the Commission’s requests to social media platforms ahead of the elections ~~created confusion and~~ had unintended consequences such as the ban on Europe-wide political advertisements, which is ~~the only way for~~an important instrument that European political parties use to advertise during European election campaigns; whereas especially on that matter, the institutions should develop an interinstitutional approach in order to have a positive impact on the security and stability of the electoral process;

Amendment 108 #

Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Sabrina PIGNEDOLI

Q. whereas European political parties and foundations are the primary facilitators of a successful European political debate, both during and beyond European elections; whereas, by virtue of this important role, the European political parties and political foundations should ensure maximum financial transparency on the funds they manage, particularly on funds from the EU budget;

Amendment 109 #

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Danuta Maria HÜBNER

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas European political parties and foundations are the primary facilitators of a successful European political debate, both during and beyond European elections and should be rendered more visible;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)

- having regard to the European Economic and Social Committee's March 2019 information report on the reality of the right to vote in European elections for persons with disabilities1 a, _________________ 1a https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our- work/opinions-information- reports/information-reports/the-real- rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-to-vote- in-EP-elections-information-report

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas ~~European~~national political parties and foundations are the primary facilitators of ~~a successful European political debate, both during and beyond European elections~~political debate;

Amendment 111 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Gunnar BECK, Gerolf ANNEMANS, Laura HUHTASAARI, Antonio Maria RINALDI

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas European political parties and foundations are ~~the primary~~ facilitators of a successful European political debate, both during and beyond European elections;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas European political parties and foundations are ~~the primary~~ facilitators of a successful European political debate, both during and beyond European elections;

Amendment 113 #

R. whereas European political parties face various restrictions to campaigning during European elections, including the limited possibility to finance campaigns and shared activities with their national member parties and are prohibited from campaigning in national referendums on European matters;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)

R a. whereas the European Parliament is composed of representatives of the Union's citizens; whereas the lack of a genuine European electoral law leads to differing electoral procedures and practices in different Member States, infringing on the principle of equal suffrage;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R b (new)

R b. whereas the emergence of new political parties and movements ahead of the European elections has shown citizens´ interest in political innovation;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R c (new)

R c. whereas diverging national rules for establishing parties and accessing the European elections remain a significant obstacle for political innovation and for creating a true pan-European political debate;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R d (new)

R d. whereas conditioning the accession to the status of Member of the European Parliament to certain national procedures, such us swearing an oath on a national constitution, produces an unjustified distortion of the system of guarantees established by EU law;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R e (new)

R e. whereas it has been reported that due to the organization of the registration of voters in the United Kingdom, around a million European citizens were deprived of the possibility to exercise their right to vote in the European elections;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes note of the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections; considers that this shows that an increasing proportion of citizens consider the EU to be the appropriate level at which to address the challenges of our time such as climate change and environmental concerns, social and gender inequalities, sustainable growth, and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; regrets both the lack of decisiveness by the Council and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;

Amendment 12 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 c (new)

- having regard to the work of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) on gender equality, in particular its Plan of Action for Gender-sensitive Parliaments1 a, _________________ 1a https://www.ipu.org/en/resources/publicat ions/reference/2016-07/plan-ofaction-for- gendersensitive-parliaments

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Takes note of~~Welcomes the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections, which demonstrates that the trend of decreasing voter turnout in Europe can be reversed; recognizes the important role of campaigns led by the EU institutions and civil society organisations to increase the turnout, such as the ‘This Time I’m Voting’ campaign; considers that this higher turnout shows that an increasing proportion of citizens consider the EU to be the appropriate level at which to address the challenges of our time such as climate change and environmental concerns, social and gender inequalities, sustainable growth, and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy; underlines that the state of the economy and the environment were the two main priorities for voters clearly indicating that citizens who take part in European elections wish to have more action at the European level in these two policy fields of shared competence between the EU and the national level; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; regrets both the lack of decisiveness by the Council and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;

Amendment 121 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Gunnar BECK, Gerolf ANNEMANS, Antonio Maria RINALDI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes note of the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections; notes that there are significant disparities between Member States; considers that this shows that an increasing proportion of citizens consider th~~e EU to be the appropriate level at which to address~~at the EU must address the challenges of our time and amend its Treaties in order to tackle those challenges ~~of our time~~, such as climate change and environmental concerns, social and gender inequalities, sustainable growth, and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; regrets both the lack of decisiveness and transparency by the Council and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes note of the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections, but expresses disappointment at the continuing high abstention rate; considers that thise higher turnout shows that an increasing proportion of citizens ~~consider the EU to be the appropriate level at which to~~are taking an interest in the EU and the role it can play in addressing the challenges of our time, such as unemployment and the cost of living, improving the quality and resilience of health systems, climate change and environmental concerns, the digital transition, social and gender inequalities, the economy and sustainable growth, ~~and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy~~migration and demographics, security and the EU's role in the world; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; ~~regrets both the lack of decisiveness by the Council and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;~~

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes note of the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections; considers that this shows that an increasing proportion of citizens consider the EU to be the appropriate level at which to address the challenges of our time such as climate change and environmental concerns, social and gender inequalities, sustainable growth, and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; regrets both the lack of decisiveness by the Council on rules governing the European elections and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;

Amendment 125 #

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Sven SIMON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, László TRÓCSÁNYI, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes note of the higher turnout in the 2019 European elections; considers that this shows that an increasing proportion of citizens consider the EU to be the appropriate level at which to address the challenges of our time ~~such as climate change and environmental concerns, social and gender inequalities, sustainable growth, and geopolitical concerns such as migration and foreign policy~~as economy and sustainable growth, public health, climate change and environmental protection, digital revolution, the promotion of freedom, human rights and democracy, social and gender inequalities, migration and demography, security and the role of the EU in the world; urges all the European institutions, therefore, to take responsibility and to act upon the mandate they have been given, directly or indirectly, by the citizens; ~~regrets both the lack of decisiveness by the Council and the lack of clear intent to achieve solutions based on a common approach;~~

Amendment 126 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Is confident that the trend of growing voter turnout can be repeated, if the connection and the accountability between voters and candidates are strengthened and EU-wide challenges and political programmes are debated across Member States;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the substantial increase of youth participation in the elections; ~~reiterates its call on the Council and the Commission to take into account their concerns, which are critical for the lives of the next generations;~~ however, expresses concern that only 42% of people aged 16/18 to 24 cast a ballot in the2019 European elections;1a recommends that Member States should consider ways to harmonise the minimum age of voters at 16, in order to further enhance the participation of young voters; reiterates its call on the Council and the Commission to take into account their concerns, which are critical for the lives of the next generations; expresses concern, however, that across the EU almost half of all eligible voters did not cast a vote; stresses that more actions need to be undertaken at a local, regional, national, and European level to incentivise voters to participate in European elections; _________________ 1a Eurobarometer 91.5, September 2019

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the substantial increase of youth participation in the elections; reiterates its call on the Council and the Commission to take into account their concerns, which are critical for the lives of the next generations, by means of public consultation procedures and the Conference on the Future of Europe; calls for lots to be drawn in the Young Persons' Agora to be held as part of the Conference and for proper account to be taken of the results;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the substantial increase of youth participation in the elections~~; reiterates its~~, but expresses disappointment at the continuing high abstention rate; calls on the Council and ~~the~~ Commission to take ~~into account their concerns, which are critical for the lives~~account of young people's concerns and the impact of EU rules on future generations, while taking heed of the ~~next generations~~message sent by those citizens who do not vote;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 17

— having regard to ~~Rule 54 of~~ its Rules of Procedure, and in particular Rule 54 thereof,

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the Commission to study electoral procedures, in particular the choice of national or territorial lists depending on the population of the Member States, and their impact on the representativeness of the MEPs elected;

Amendment 131 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the outcome of the elections did not lead to genuine gender balance in Parliament; recognizes that there are substantial differences between Member States, with some electing more than 50% of women and others which did not elect a single female Member of the European Parliament; calls on Member States and the institutions of the Union to take all necessary measures to promote the principle of equality between men and women throughout the whole electoral process; emphasises in this connection the importance of gender-balanced electoral lists; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Parliament and other bodies such as the Venice Commission, to formulate recommendations to Member States with a view to increasing the representation of women in the European Parliament by, for example, encouraging national parties to present list of candidates with an equal number of male and female candidates;

Amendment 133 #

Leila CHAIBI, Helmut SCHOLZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the outcome of the elections did not lead to genuine gender balance in Parliament; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Parliament and other bodies such as the Venice Commission, to formulate recommendations to Member States with a view to increasing the representation of women in the European Parliament; calls on the Member States to consider incorporating into their national electoral law a general requirement for political parties to have fully gender-balanced lists of candidates in which men and women alternate; calls, further, on those Member States which have a preferential vote system to propose a preferential vote for an even number of candidates in order to guarantee parity;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 135 #

Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS, Paulo RANGEL, Vladimír BILČÍK, Roberta METSOLA, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, József SZÁJER, Andrius KUBILIUS, Karlo RESSLER, Brice HORTEFEUX, Mairead McGUINNESS, Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Luděk NIEDERMAYER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Deplor~~Welcomes the fact that the ~~outcome of the elections did not lead to~~gender balance in Parliament has improved over the last elections; Stresses however that there is still room for further improvements in order to achieve a genuine gender -balance ind Parliament; calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Parliament and other bodies such as the Venice Commission, to formulate recommendations to Member States with a view to increasing the representation of women in the European Parliament;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls for greater efforts to achieve parity in the European Parliament; considers that a few specific changes to its Rules of Procedure could do much to bring about greater parity, starting with the introduction of a parity rule in governing bodies; proposes, further, that the rule of the oldest be replaced by the rule of the youngest, so that in the event of a tie the youngest candidates are proclaimed elected, and not the oldest, as currently specified in the following rules: Rule 16 - Election of the President, Rule 17 - Election of the Vice-Presidents, Rule 29(2) - Conference of Committee Chairs, Rule 30(2) - Conference of Delegation Chairs, Rule 213 - Committee bureaux, Rule 231 - Election of the Ombudsman;

Amendment 137 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Considers that a 96% white Parliament cannot ensure a satisfactory representation of the plural and diverse European society; Deplores the fact that, while some groups experience structural racism on an everyday basis, no measure is being taken to improve the representation of racialized persons in the European Parliament; Believes that the elimination of exclusions and of intersectional discrimination is a duty that derives from EU values and from the Charter of fundamental rights; Calls on Member States and on political parties participating in European elections to adopt proactive policies to ensure equal opportunity and increase the representation of racialized persons and of all underrepresented and marginalized groups;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Notes that, despite representing approximately 10% of the EU’s population, only 5% of Members of the European Parliament belong to ethnic minorities;1a stresses that more needs to be done at a national and European level in order to further increase the inclusion in electoral lists and election of ethnic minorities; _________________ 1a Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee of 19 June 2020 'Report on the 2019 elections to the European Parliament', COM(2020)252 final

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Deplores that Oriol Junqueras was not able to take his rightful seat, thus leaving the European Parliament incomplete; reminds that the European Parliament is the only competent body to waive the immunity of its Members and that while doing so, it shall act in accordance with the Charter; therefore calls upon the European Parliament President in particular, to apply the Court of Justice of the European Union judgement (C-502/19), by asserting the immunity of Oriol Junqueras and therefore protecting the independence of the European Parliament;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the 2019 European elections registered the highest turnout of the any elections to the European Parliament in the last 20 years, with 50.2 %, ( an increase of eight percentage points compared to 2014), sending a positive signal that European citizens believe that many of their concerns can be addressed at EU level; whereas an election in which half the citizens voted is not satisfactory; whereas, moreover, that figure masks wide disparities between the Member States; whereas only 18% of those surveyed thought their vote could 'change things'1 a; whereas, therefore, a higher turnout should not be the only criterion taken into account; whereas the election also reflects the disillusionment of part of the population with the European integration process and current EU policies; _________________ 1ahttps://www.europarl.europa.eu/at- your-service/files/be- heard/eurobarometer/2019/post-election- survey-2019-complete-results/report/en- post-election-survey-2019-report.pdf

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Proposes, in accordance with the Interparliamentary Union's (IPU) Plan of Action for Gender-sensitive Parliaments, that senior posts in parliamentary institutions, and in particular the post of President of the European Parliament, should be held jointly by a woman and a man;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Proposes that a requirement to designate joint male and female chairs should be incorporated into Rule 33(5) of the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure as a condition for the establishment of a political group; emphasises that this change would simply entail the inclusion in the declaration of the establishment of the group of the names of the two co-chairs, in addition to the name of the group and the political declaration setting out the aims of the group, the names of its members and the names of the members of its bureau;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Calls on the Conference of Presidents, under the procedure set out in Rule 209(2) of the Rules of Procedure, to take the gender-parity criterion into account if the political groups fail to reach agreement on their proportional representation in one or more parliamentary committees;

Amendment 143 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3e. Suggests, as a transitional step towards a better gender balance, that consideration be given to introducing a quota in each European Parliament committee with a view to achieving a satisfactory gender mix;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that similar recommendations could be made concerning the exercise of passive and active voting rights of citizens with disabilities; recalls with great concern that in several Member States an estimated 800 000 citizens with disabilities were not able to vote in 2019 because of unsuitable electoral material or infrastructure at polling stations; calls on Member States to guarantee that all those who have the right to vote, including EU citizens living outside their country of origin and prisoners who are granted such a right in accordance with national laws, are able to exercise this right;

Amendment 145 #

Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes that diverging electoral cultures have resulted in a range of different electoral systems; recommends that clear regulations, recommendations and guidelines ensure an approximation of a unified electoral law and equality of the vote for European citizens, notably when it comes to the right register a party and to stand for elections, access to ballots, fielding candidates, accessibility, proxy or remote voting, and days of election;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Acknowledges the good organization of the electoral process in the 2019 European elections despite of the uncertainty resulting from the departure of the UK from the EU; Highlights, in this context, the smooth recomposition of the European Parliament after Brexit due to the safeguard clause foreseen in its resolution of 7 February 2018 on the Composition of the European Parliament;

Amendment 147 #

Leila CHAIBI, Helmut SCHOLZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes the European Economic and Social Committee's March 2019 information report on the reality of the right to vote in European elections for persons with disabilities;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Notes that under Art. 223(1) TFEU, it is the Parliament’s prerogative to propose a change to the electoral law; notes that under Art. 223 (1) subparagrah 1 it is the Council’s prerogative to alter the proposed text; takes note of the Council Legal Service interpretation of Art. 223 (TFEU) from 2016; recommends that both institutions work together in an organized and collaborative spirit from the beginning to come forward with the best solutions for the European elections and to implement the result in Member States ahead of the 2024 elections;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Points out that for voters with disabilities the practical voting arrangements are just as important as access to information or to the polling station; emphasises that for people who are blind, visually impaired or have problems using a pen with precision, the practice of asking voters to draw a circle, for example around a candidate's list number, or writing on the ballot paper a candidate's number or name or the name of a party, constitutes a significant obstacle;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Calls on the Member States to step up exchanges of best practice in order to improve access to polling stations for persons with disabilities; urges the Member States to rent specially adapted private premises when suitable public facilities are not available;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4d. Urges the Member States, ahead of the 2024 elections, to make more resources available in consulates so that checks can be stepped up and members of the public made aware that multiple voting is illegal;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4e. Calls on the Member States to improve their laws in order to make it easier for homeless people to vote; emphasises that insisting that people provide proof of address in order to vote, as laid down in Directive 93/109/EC, can serve to exclude homeless people in those countries where they cannot obtain an administrative address; urges that the requirement to provide proof of address be done away with, in order to make it easier for homeless people, who are full EU citizens, to vote;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4f. Takes the view that the best way to ensure that all citizens can take part in elections is to guarantee inclusion and thus to put an end to homelessness; calls on the Commission to adopt as a matter of urgency an EU action plan to put an end to homelessness by 2030, to be implemented at national level by the Member States as part of their efforts to combat homelessness; notes, further, that the Commission's guidelines on combating the phenomenon of homelessness1 a date from 2013 and have still not been translated into the 23 Union languages; _________________ 1ahttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52010DC0 245

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 g (new)

4g. Urges the Union and the Member States to step up awareness-raising campaigns for homeless people on the issue of voting with a view to giving them the means to take part in elections and discussing the importance of voting; urges that increased support be provided, in the form of dedicated funds, for training for the staff of centres for the homeless and local government officials;

Amendment 155 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Gunnar BECK, Gerolf ANNEMANS, Laura HUHTASAARI, Antonio Maria RINALDI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is of the opinion that the reason why the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections is because no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosdemocratic process is completely secure ing the ~~Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;~~Member States.

Amendment 156 #

Pedro SILVA PEREIRA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Is of the opinion that the reason why the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of~~Notes that the Spitzenkandidaten process is an important tool to organize the Eeuropean Commission after the 2019 elections is because no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024political debate during the electoral campaign; Believes that further improvements and clarifications are needed to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024; Notes, however, that the election of the Commission President always depends on securing the support of the majority of Members of the European Parliament so that the electoral results are fully taken into account, as foreseen in the Lisbon Treaty;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is of the opinion that the reason why the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections is because ~~no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014; intend~~the Member States tdo ~~strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024~~not want it; calls for it to be abandoned once and for all;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Is of the opinion that the reason why~~Acknowledges that the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections ~~is because no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014~~; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;

Amendment 159 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is of the opinion that the reason why the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections is because no ~~improvements were made to it following the expe~~formally binding framework for the application of the Spitzenkandidat prienc~~e of~~iple has been adopted since 2014; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;

Amendment 16 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

Amendment 160 #

Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Sabrina PIGNEDOLI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is of the opinion that the reason why the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections is because no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014 stemming from the rejection by the European Council; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is of the opinion that the reason why the Spitzenkandidaten process failed to produce a President of the European Commission after the 2019 elections is because no improvements were made to it following the experience of 2014; intends to ~~strengthen~~reform the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Considers that an electoral threshold in the European elections is not required and that its introduction would decrease the representation of political forces that play a constructive and innovative role in European decision- making process;

Amendment 163 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Gunnar BECK, Gerolf ANNEMANS, Laura HUHTASAARI, Antonio Maria RINALDI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Welcom~~Deplores the up-coming joint declaration of the three European institutions on the Conference on the Future of Europe, recalls the commitment by the Commission President to address the issue of transnational lists and the Spitzenkandidaten process as the priority institutional issues during the Conferencefact that the idea of establishing transnational lists, rejected by the European Parliament in 2018, is being revived; calls for it to be abandoned once and for all;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Welcomes the up-coming~~Calls for the swift adoption of the joint declaration of the three European institutions on the Conference on the Future of Europe~~, recalls the commitment by the Commission President to address the issue of transnational lists and the Spitzenkandidaten process as the priority institutional issues during the Conference~~;

Amendment 166 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the up-coming joint declaration of the three European institutions on the Conference on the Future of Europe, recalls the commitment by the Commission President to address the issue of transnational lists and the Spitzenkandidaten process ~~as the priority institutional issues during the Conference~~during the Conference, in accordance with the decisions taken by the Conference itself on the list of priorities to be addressed, and in order to be applicable at the next European election in 2024;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Deplores that based on a lack of strong European election campaigns and debate, the European Parliament was not able to build a constructive majority behind a leading candidate of a European political party for President of the Commission;

Amendment 168 #

Vladimír BILČÍK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Underlines the important role of the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe in the debate related to institutional matters, in light of the outcome of the 2019 European elections;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Deplores that EU citizens cannot directly become members of European political parties and the limited resources for campaigning by European political parties that would be able to make leading candidates known in all Member States to strengthen the lead candidate principle and the European quality of debate and elections;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the 2019 European elections registered the highest turnout of the any elections to the European Parliament in the last 20 years, with 50.26 %, ( an increase of eight percentage points compared to 2014), sending a positive signal, given that it shows that European citizens ~~believe that many of their concerns can be addressed at EU level~~are taking an increasing interest in developments at EU level and the impact that EU rules have on their daily lives;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6 c. Deplores the limited campaign time horizon that candidates have to engage with the general public before the elections;

Amendment 171 #

Gilles LEBRETON, Gunnar BECK, Gerolf ANNEMANS, Laura HUHTASAARI, Antonio Maria RINALDI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that the election of the Commission President depends on a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a coalition; recommends that the election procedure be reversed so that Parliament proposes and elects the President of the Commission, after obtaining the consent of the European CouncilRecalls the commitment by the Commission President to address the issue of the Spitzenkandidaten process and transnational lists in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe; Stresses that the election of the Commission President depends on a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a coalition, as shown in the election of July 2019 of the von der Leyen Commission;

Amendment 174 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that the election of the Commission President depends on a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a coalition; recommends that Article 17(1) of the Treaty on European Union be modified to reverse the election procedure ~~be reversed~~ so that Parliament proposes and elects the President of the Commission, after obtaining the consent of the European Council;

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that the ~~election of the Commission President depends on a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a coalition; recommends that the election procedure be rever~~process of selection and election of the President of the European Commission should be consolidated, in line with the Lisbon Treaty’s provisions and based son thate Parliament ~~proposes and elects the~~’s requests to appoint as President of the Commission, a~~fter obtaining the consent of the European Council~~ candidate that can be backed by a majority of Parliament’s members, which de facto requires the formation of a programmatic agreement;

Amendment 176 #

Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Sabrina PIGNEDOLI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Points out that Article 17(7) of the Treaty on European Union confers the power to elect the President of the Commission on the European Council; stresses that the latter body is required only to take account of the elections to the European Parliament and that there was therefore no hope, either in 2014 or 2019, of the informal Spitzenkandidaten process being upheld; calls, therefore, for the EU Treaties to be amended so that proper account is taken of the European elections when the Commission President is chosen;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Takes the view that the democratic process of appointing a Spitzenkandidat could be facilitated by allowing European parties and movements to form coalitions ahead of the European elections, and so to put forward a joint programme and a single coalition Spitzenkandidat;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Proposes, with a view to increasing the influence exercised by EU citizens, that the Spitzenkandidaten process not be reserved for European political parties; calls for the Treaties and the electoral Act to be revised to enable a grouping of parties or movements representing at least one-quarter of the Member States to propose a candidate for the post of Commission President;

Amendment 179 #

Giuliano PISAPIA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Pedro SILVA PEREIRA, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Suggests that a rule be introduced stipulating that the candidates proposed by each European political party or each coalition of national parties or movements for the post of Commission President should be a male-female duo;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas results of the Eurobarometer survey commissioned by the European Parliament after the European elections shows that the state of the economy and the environment were the two main priorities for voters which clearly indicates that citizens who take part in European elections wish to have more action at the European level in these two policy fields of shared competence between the EU and the national level;

Amendment 180 #