Activities of Josep-Maria TERRICABRAS related to 2014/2257(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European Citizens' Initiative (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Citizens’ Initiative PDF (170 KB) DOC (118 KB)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the European Citizens’ Initiative
Amendments (27)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers the European Citizens’' Initiative (ECI) to be the first direct democratic instrument to enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation; and to connect them directly with EU institutions to discuss key issues at European level; Underlines that the ECI complements citizens' right to submit petitions to the European Parliament and their right of appeal to the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the Citizens' Initiative is an exceptional opportunity for citizens to identify and articulate their aspirations and to ask for EU action, and that it must be encouraged, improved and supported; further stresseconsiders that the use of one's mother tongue is a civic right, and that all activities connected with an ECI may therefore be undertaken in one's mother tongueregional and minority languages, as defined by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, is a civic right; further stresses that the possibility to use one's mother tongue encourages citizen participation; calls for the inclusion of the use of regional and minority languages in all the activities linked to an ECI;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Further stresses that youth civic engagement is fundamental for the future of all democracies and proposes to lower the minimum age threshold for being entitled to support an ECI to 16 years;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Points out the importance of public awareness of the ECI in order to be an effective tool of democratic participation; regrets the low knowledge of this tool among European citizens; invites the Commission to run a media campaign to address this situation;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses its concern about the low percentage of successful initiatives and the dramatic decrease in the number of new initiatives; stresses that the European institutions and the Member States must take all necessary steps to promote the ECI and to foster citizens’ confidence in this tool; believes that the instrument still has the potential to engage the public and to promote dialogue among citizens and between citizens and EU institutions; proposes to increase the time span for collection of signatures to 18 months; welcomes the fact that some ECIs have managed to have an impact at local level;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to provide as much guidance as possible – especially of a legal nature – to organisers of ECIs via the Europe Direct Contact Centre, so that they are aware of the possibilities open to them and will not fail by proposing an ECI that is outside the Commission's powersdoes not comply with the legal admissibility criteria, or else to assign the task of giving advice to another independent company or body so as to avoid a possible conflict of interest within the Commission itself; notes, however, that under the Treaty of Lisbon the issues raised by ECIs may not correspond entirely to the Commission's jurisdiction; takes the view, furthermore, that the Commission should consider setting up a dedicated ECI office in each Member State;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Considers that the use of regional and minority languages, as defined by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, is a civic right; further stresses that the possibility to use one's mother tongue encourages citizen participation; calls for the inclusion of the use of regional and minority languages in all the activities linked to an ECI;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets the lack of clear information on the ECI instrument at the early stages, which led to a general misconception about its nature and generated some frustration when the first ECIs were rejected by the Commission; recalls that the instrument should be simple, clear and user-friendly; expresses its concerns with the potential conflict of interests within the fact that the Commission itself has the exclusive responsibility to carry out the initial legal check and asks for this situation to be addressed properly in the future;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Expresses its concerns with the potential conflict of interests within the fact that the Commission itself has the exclusive responsibility to carry out the initial legal check and asks for this situation to be addressed properly in the future;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Regrets the reluctance of the Commission to declare admissible proposed citizens' initiatives where citizens manifest their opposition to the negotiation of an international agreement that will be the basis for a later legal act; encourages the Commission to assess whether less restrictive judgements on the legal admissibility of an ECI might be possible;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Calls on the Commission to allow ECIs that require treaty amendments according to Article 48 TFEU and to explicitly include this possibility in its proposal to revise Regulation 211/2011;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for enhanced inter-institutional cooperation when dealing with ECIs in providing information and support to ECI organisers; calls for the future establishment of a physical and online ‘one-stop shop’ providing information, legal advice, translation services and funding, which could use the resources of the point of contact based in the Europe Direct Contact Centre and the Commission’s representations and Parliament’s information offices in the Member States; considers that such a set- up would bring the ECI project closer to citizens; requests the Commission to adopt the necessary regulatory provisions in order to provide citizens' committees with a European legal entity;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to improve the user-friendly character of its software for the online collection of signatures, to make it accessible to people with disabilities and to offer its servers for the storage of online signatures for free on a permanent basis;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to ensure transparency in the decision-making process and clarify the procedure for legal admissibility; invites the Commission to respregrets the reluctance to declare admissible proposed citizens' initiatives where citizens manifest their oppositiond to successful ECIs with more concrete actionsthe negotiation of international agreements that will become directly or indirectly the basis for a later legal act;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points out the importance of technology as a tool to encourage citizens' participation; stresses that the collection of email addresses would permit ECI organisers to keep signatories informed of the progress of the ECI they sign; calls on the Commission, therefore, to modify the online collection system to allow the collection of email addresses and share this information with the organizers if citizens give their consent;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Deems it too complicated for organisers to provide different personal data in support of ECIs in the 28 Member States, as laid down in Regulation 211/2011 on the basis of the various national provisions, and; invites the Commission, therefore, to encourage Member States to reduce data requirements and to remove identification number requirements except for Member States that absolutely need them to verify signatures; further suggests that consideration be given to establishing an EU digital citizenship; calls on the Commission, therefore, to explore this issue in its digital agenda;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Urges the Commission to respond to each successful ECI with a legislative proposal within 12 months after the submission of the ECI; in case the Commission fails to provide a legislative proposal within this period, the competent committee of the European Parliament will initiate a legislative-initiative report for which the selected rapporteur shall consult the ECI organisers in another hearing; calls on the European Parliament to modify its rules of procedure accordingly;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to improve the online collection system (OCS) software and make it accessible to persons with disabilities, allow for electronic signatures and for the collection of e-mail addresses, and include the most up-to-date online campaigning features, following the example of other successful online campaigning platforms; calls on the Commission to provide the citizens' committees of admissible ECI's access to a permanent free server allowing for the storage the online signatures in compliance with EU data protection standards; encourages the Commission to support the creation of a public ECI application for mobile devices;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges the delicate problem of organisers' personal liability with regard to data protection when collecting signatories' personal data, and proposes that the range of data required be reduced, or liability extended to volunteer campaigners, and that the wording of Article 13 of Regulation 211/2011, on liability, be changed to make it clear that personal liability is not unlimited; proposes, to this end, that inspiration be drawn from Article 3 of Directive 2008/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on the protection of the environment through criminal law, with a view to establishing that organisers are responsible for acts which are ‘unlawful and committed intentionally or with at least serious negligence' and the creation of a European legal status for the citizens' committee;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. IConsiders that the requirement to provide with the ID number to support a Citizens' Initiative should be eliminated as it generates differences in treatment of citizens depending on the Member State; invites the Commission to examine proposals relating to the creation of a European identity card, which should also meet the requirements of the regulation on the citizens’ initiative for gathering signatures;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Point 10
Point 10
10. Calls on the Commission to come forward with proposals concerning the establishment of a complete electoral list of its citizens; proposes to lower the minimum age threshold for being entitled to support an ECI to 16 years;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Point 10 a (new)
Point 10 a (new)
10a. Considers it crucial for a proper use of this participative democracy tool by citizens and in order to prevent its possible abuse by other sort of private interests, to increase the transparency and the quality of checks on the funding and sponsorship of ECIs;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Point 12
Point 12
12. Recalls that hearings concerning successful ECIStresses the importance in terms of participative democracy of having properly organised hearings in the European Parliament concerning successful ECIs; recalls that the hearings are currently organised by the competent committee, according to the subject of the ECI, with the Committee on Petitions associated; proposes that the Committee on Petitions should take over the role of organising hearings, as a neutral forum with the greatest experience in dealing with citizens., in order to ensure consistency and a fair and equal treatment across hearings of different ECIs;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to revise the wording of Article 10(c) of Regulation 211/2011 to allow proper follow-up to a successful ECI, including a parliamentary debate in plenary followed by a vote; urges the Commission to start preparing a legal act on successful ECIs within 12 months onf the ECI; urges the Commission to start preparing a legal act on successful ECIs within 12 mir submission; in case the Commission fails to provide a legislative proposal within this period, the competent committee of the European Parliament will initiate a legislative-initiative report for which the selected rapporteur shall consult the ECI organisers in another hearing; calls on ths of their acceptancee European Parliament to modify its rules of procedure accordingly;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers it crucial for a proper use of this participative democracy tool by citizens and in order to prevent its possible abuse by other sort of private interests, to increase the transparency and the quality of checks on the funding and sponsorship of ECIs;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the Commission's report of 1 April 2015 on the ECI and calls on it to ensure that, in its revision of this instrument, all the appropriate legal measures are implemented in order to provide a proper follow up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully;