Activities of Ángela VALLINA related to 2018/2104(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions 2017 (debate) ES
Shadow reports (1)
PDF (385 KB) DOC (326 KB)
Amendments (20)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas 15 540 users of Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal supported one or more petitions in 2017, as compared to 902 users in 2015 and 6 132 users in 2016; whereas the total number of clicks in support of petitions was 21 955, as compared to 18 810 in 2016 and 1 329 in 2015; whereas this new form of public participation in petitions submitted is increasingly common and should be taken into account;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the number of petitions received was modest in relation to the total population of the EU; whereas this might indicates that a large proportion of EU citizens do not make use of the right to petition for lack of knowledge;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the right to submit a petition to Parliament offers EU citizens and residents the means to address their directly elected representatives in a formal way; whereas the right to petition ishould constitute an important element of active participation of EU citizens and residents in the EU’s fields of activity and should therefore be promoted in the best way possible;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas Parliament has long been at the forefront of the development of the petitions process internationally and haswithout a doubt one of the most open and transparent petitions processes in Europe and the world, allowing petitioners to participate fully in its activities;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas each petition ishould be carefully assessed and dealt with; whereas the petitioner has the right to receive information on the decision on admissibility taken by the Committee within a reasonable period of time;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas a considerable number of petitions are discussed publicly in meetings of the Committee on Petitions; whereas petitioners have the right to present their petitions, and frequentoccasionally take full part in the discussion, thereby contributing actively to the work of the committee; whereas in 2017, 248 petitions were discussed in committee meetings with 208 petitioners present, while 59 petitioners participated actively by taking the floor;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions in 2017 pertained to environmental matters (notably issues concerning water and waste management, and preservation), fundamental rights (notably voting rights and rights of the child), free movement of persons, social affairs (working conditions), various forms of discrimination and immigration, in addition to many other areas of activity;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T
Recital T
T. whereas the Committee on Petitions considers that the European Citizens’ Initiative ought to be an important instrument of direct and participatory democracy, enabling citizens to become actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Draws attention to the fundamental role ofthat the Committee on Petitions ought to play as a bridge between EU citizens and the European institutions, through which EU citizens and residents can formally bring their concerns and ideas to the attention of their elected representatives, thereby allowing for the timely examination and resolution of citizen requests wherever possible;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that petitions constitute both an opportunity and a challenge for Parliament and other EU institutions to reconnect with EU citizens and to maintain dialogue with them, since they allow a direct dialogue to be established with EU citizens, particularly if they are affected by the application of EU law;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importance of a continuous public debate about the competences of the EU, its limits and its future in order to ensure that citizens are well informed about the levels at which decisions are taken; considers that a broader public debate about the EU and everydayrigorous media reporting would reduce the number of inadmissible petitions, as citizens would be better aware of the competences of the EU; emphasises that the subject matter of an inadmissible petition can play an important role for policymaking even though it falls outside the scope of the Committee;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the need for enhanced cooperation between the Commission and other EU institutions with Member States’ national, regional and local authorities on inquiries regarding the implementation of and compliance with EU law; underlines the need for more active cooperation with Member States’ representatives at committee meetings and for swifter follow- up on requests sent from the Committee; notes once again that numerous petitions have been the subject of superficial replies from the Commission;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates that cooperation with other parliamentary committees is essential for a comprehensive treatment of petitions; notes that in 2017, 18 petitions were sent to other parliamentary committees for opinion and 357 for information; welcomes the fact that 21 opinions on petitions were received from parliamentary committees; encourages the dialogue between the various parliamentary committees to be promoted in order to give appropriate attention to the problems raised by citizens of the Union;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points to the successful launch of the petitions network on 21 March 2017, attended by members from all parliamentary committees, at which the network’s guidelines were presented and its purpose and the role of its members outlined; points out that a second meeting of the petitions network took place on 10 October 2017; is convinced that the petitions network iscan be a useful tool for a better follow-up of petitions in parliamentary and legislative work; underlines the fact that enhanced cooperation with parliamentary committees on issues raised by petitioners should enables Parliament to respond much more swiftly and efficiently to citizens’ concerns, delivering added value to the lives of EU citizens, and to the activities of Parliament and Europe as a whole;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the fact that the petitions that the Committee on Pefforts of the Committee on Petitions' Secretariat to handle the petitions receives are handledd more swiftly and with greater care by its Secretariat; underlines the fact that the Committee’s guidelines, adopted in January 2016, make the treatment of petitions and the decision- making process transparent and clear;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Points to its resolution on obstacles to EU citizens’ freedom to move and work in the internal market, adopted on 15 March 2017; reiterates its call on the Commission to clarify, update and expand its guidance for better transposition and application of Directive 2004/38/EC in order to incorporate, in particular, the recent rulings from the CJEU (Cases C- 456-12 and 457-12); recommends the use of the Transposition Implementation Plans (TIPS) for the purposes of ensuring complete and proper application; urges Member States to respect Directive 2004/38/EC as well as existing case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the free movement of persons as a failure to comply is a direct violation of a fundamental right of citizens of the Union;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recognises the work done by the Working Group on Child Welfare Issues, and takes note of its final report adopted on 3 May 2017; calls on the EU institutions and the Member States to comply with European legislation and to effectively promote cross- border cooperation on family matters, by providing training for judges and professionals, information on legal aid and bilingual lawyers;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Emphasises that the European Citizens’ Initiative should be both transparent and effective in order to serve as an important instrument for active citizenship and public participation; welcomestakes note of the Commission’s proposal for the revision of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 on the European citizens’ initiative15, published on 13 September 2017; highlights the most recent citizens’ initiative to be submitted, entitled ‘Ban glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides’; points to the public hearing on this initiative in Parliament on 20 November 2017; _________________ 15 OJ L 65, 11.3.2011, p. 1. OJ L 65, 11.3.2011, p. 1.
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes the particular attention paid to certain petitions on animal welfare; draws attention to the study ‘Animal Welfare in the European Union’ and its presentation at the committee meeting on 23 March 2017, followed by a discussion of a number of petitions on the matter; calls for harmonisation of animal welfare legislationlegislation on the welfare of animals, including during their transport;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines the importance of further developing the Petitions Portal and the need to make it an easily accessible two-way communication gateway for petitioners and to further minimise the administrative burden in how petitions are processed; reiterates that an enhanced technical capacity of the Portal is essential for a smooth petition process; stresses the need to improve communication with petitioners by sending them notifications on the progress of their petition in their own language; reiterates the importance of stepping up efforts to ensure that petitioners are present when their petitions are debated in committee;