18 Amendments of Alex AGIUS SALIBA related to 2021/2019(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas, however, the overall number of petitions remains modest in relation to the total population of the EU, revealing that efforts still need to be stepped up even more to increase citizens’ awareness about their right to petition and encourage them to exercise it; whereas, in exercising the right to petition, citizens expect that the EU institutions will provide added value in finding a solution to their problems;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the right to petition offers Parliament the opportunity to enhance its responsiveness to complaints and concerns relating to the respect for EU fundamental rights and compliance with EU legislation in the Member States; whereas petitions are therefore a useful source of information on instances of misapplication or breaches of EU law and, thus, enable Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law and its possible impact on the rights of EU citizens and residents;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas the partisan use of the Committee on Petitions can lead to its inappropriate use and, therefore, to the deterioration of citizens' trust in this body and in the rest of the European institutions; whereas the discussions of the Committee on Petitions are sometimes used to address national or regional issues outside the scope of competence attributed by the Treaties and that the study of petitions is exclusively conditioned by criteria of majorities, ignoring the minorities and thus preventing serious debates or complaints;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas petitions are frequently substantiated without gathering the necessary information for a correct and detailed analysis and often, they are subject to debate in the Committee on Petitions without the required reply from the European Commission and that this hinders the work of the members of the Petitions Committee;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions submitted in 2020 relate to fundamental rights (in particular the impact of COVID-19 emergency measures on the rule of law and democracy, as well on the freedom of movement, the right to work, the right to information and the right to education, as well as a large number of petitions related to LGBTQ+ rights in the Union), health (notably questions on the public health crisis resulting from the pandemic, ranging from the protection of citizens’ health, including treatments and protective equipment, to the management of the health crisis in the Member States and the acquisition and distribution of vaccines), the environment (mostly mining activities and their impact on the environment, nuclear safety, air pollution and the deterioration of natural ecosystems), justice (notably issues related to access to justice or alleged procedural irregularities or concerns over the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in the Member States, along with cross-border cases of child abduction and custody rights), education (in particular questions related to discriminatory access to education or contested national reform of the law on education), and the internal market (in particular questions relating to national travel restrictions in the context of the pandemic and their impact on the freedom of movement of persons within and outside the EU), in addition to many other areas of activity;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Q. whereas in 2020, the Committee on Petitions held just one fact-finding visit; whereas no other fact-finding visit could take place as a result ofdue to the situation caused by the pandemic and the decision taken by Parliament’s President to cancel parliamentary events, including delegations, as one of the necessary and precautionary measures adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and minimise health risks for Parliament’s Members and staff;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)
Recital R a (new)
Ra. whereas the European Commission has an essential role in the Committee on Petitions as guardian of the Treaties and the information provided by the petitioners is useful to discover possible breaches or misapplications of the European law;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates the importance of a continuous public debate on the Union’s fields of activity in order to ensure that citizens are correctly informed about the scope of the Union’s competences and the different levels of decision-making; calls, in this regard, for broader awareness raising campaigns, through the active involvement of the press and communications services, to help increase citizens’ knowledge about their right to petition, as well as the scope and limits of the Union’s responsibilities and the competences of the Committee on Petitions, with a view to reducing the number of inadmissible petitions;
Amendment 32 #
2a. Draws attention to the importance of involving journalists and media to avoid disinformation linked to the Petitions Committee and to bring European citizens the opportunity to receive neutral and truthful information about the work of the Committee on Petitions in line with the fight against disinformation promoted by the European Commission;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that petitions constitute the door to the European institutions for citizens and a unique opportunity for Parliament and the other EU institutions to directly connect with EU citizens, know their problems and maintain a regular dialogue with them, particularly in cases where they are affected by the misapplication or breach of EU law; stresses the need for enhanced cooperation between the EU institutions and national, regional and local authorities on inquiries regarding the implementation of and compliance with EU law; believes that such cooperation is crucial to address and resolve citizens’ concerns over the application of EU law and contributes to strengthening the democratic legitimacy and accountability of the Union; calls, therefore, for the more active participation of Member States’ representatives in committee meetings and for swifter responses to the requests for clarification or information sent by the Committee on Petitions to the national authorities;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the European Commission to play a more active role in the Committee on Petitions to ensure a detailed and understandable response to the citizens of the Union;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Underlines the need to respect the approach and point of view expressed by the European Commission in its replies to the Committee on Petitions and to respect its role as guardian of the Treaties;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Highlights the Committee on Petitions must respect the admissibility criteria established in Articles 226 and 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament in order to avoid a partisan use of the Committee on Petitions and prevent an inappropriate response to the concerns and problems expressed by the petitioners;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls the agreements between the political groups represented in the Committee on Petitions are essential to provide a balanced and understandable response to the petitioners; regrets the lack of agreement experienced in the last year; expresses concern about the problems caused by partisan use of the Committee on Petitions;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that cooperation with other committees in Parliament is essential for the accurate and comprehensive treatment of petitions; notes that in 2020, 56 petitions were sent to other committees for opinion and 385 for information; welcomes the fact that 40 opinions and 60 acknowledgements of taking petitions into consideration in their work were received from other committees; recalls that petitioners are informed of the decisions to request opinions from other committees for the treatment of their petitions; calls on parliamentary committees to step up their efforts to actively contribute to the examination of petitions – by proving their expertise – and thus enable Parliament to respond more swiftly and comprehensively to citizens’ concerns; regrets that the PETI Network could not meet in 2020 due to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Highlights the decision taken during the first months of the pandemic to prioritize petitions related to COVID-19 in the Committee on Petitions in order to address properly the urgent demands expressed by European citizens during the first months of 2020;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines that the Petitions Web Portal is an essential tool for ensuring a smooth, efficient and transparent petitions process; welcomes, in this regard, the improvements on data protection and on the security features which have made the portal more user-friendly and secure for citizens; stresses that efforts must be continued to make thegrant a portal morefully accessible to persons with disabilities, including by enabling the tabling of petitions in national sign languages;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Stresses the participation of citizens in the decision-making process of the Union is essential to achieve a more democratic, open and transparent Union; underlines the Committee on Petitions plays a fundamental role in involving European citizens in the activities of the Union and represents a discussion forum in which citizens can make their voice heard in the European institutions; calls on the European institutions to take into account the opinions and complaints expressed by the petitions in the policy making in order to give a better response to the problems of citizens from the European institutions;