Activities of Gabriele BISCHOFF related to 2020/2088(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Stocktaking of European elections (continuation of debate)
Amendments (20)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 13 February 2019 on the state of the debate on the future of Europe,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
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 the 2019 turnout still remains low and more needs to be done to increase participation in EU elections;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
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 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the relentless engagement of civil society played a crucial role for a pro-European discourse ahead of the European elections;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas 15 Member States still restrict voting rights for people with disabilities, thus preventing the meaningful participation and representation of these citizens in democratic processes; whereas, due to national rules, an estimated 800 000 EU citizens were not able to exercise their right to vote in the last European elections because of their disabilities or mental health problems;1a _________________ 1aEuropean Economic and Social Committee's information report of 20 March 2019 on 'The real right of persons with disabilities to vote in European Parliament elections'
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the amended Electoral Act, still pending ratification by some Member States, already requires further improvements (i.e. regarding parental leave for MEPs);
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas European citizens who took part in the European elections believing that their vote could make a difference when it comes to the election of the President of the European Commission were disappointed by the dismissal of the Spitzenkandidat principle
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the Spitzenkandidaten system needs to be urgently improved and formalised in the EU’s primary law after an in-depth institutional reflection, by taking into account the proportional nature of the European electoral system, and to be ready to be applied at the next European elections in 2024; whereas this reflection should also include the de facto political role of the Commission and its President and any related changes to the decision- making process of the Union;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
M a. whereas in the absence of a legally binding framework for the application of the Spitzenkandidat principle, other measures have to be taken into consideration in order to allow the Parliament to swiftly convene with newly elected Members after the European elections, while respecting national deadlines for the formal appointment of newly elected Members, in order to be able to position itself jointly in favour of one Spitzenkandidat
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
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 assessaccountability to the European Parliament ofand their applications (e.g. declarations of financial interests) public in general; whereas this process can and should be further improved in the future;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note ofWelcomes 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 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
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 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
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 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
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 expeformally binding framework for the application of the Spitzenkandidat prience ofiple has been adopted since 2014; intends to strengthen the democratic process for choosing the Commission President before the next European elections of 2024;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
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 Conferenceduring 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 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that the outcome of the European elections has reinforced the political dimension of the election of the European Commission, and therefore the need for more accurate and objective scrutiny of the declarations of interests of the Commissioners-designate; calls for the creation of an independent body, endowed with the appropriate means, to have this scrutiny included in its responsibilities;underlines the importance of giving the Committee for Legal Affairs sufficient time for a thorough examination of the Commissioners-designate; highlights that the examination of the Committee for Legal Affairs should not be limited to the declarations made by the Commissioners- designate but expanded to evidence that is available by other means, underlines that the examination of conflict of interests should not be limited to family members so that the same rules should be applied to spouses and to long-term partners of Commissioners-designate
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Insists that all European voters should be allowed to vote for their preferred candidate for the President of the Commission; reiterates, therefore, that the Spitzenkandidaten should be able to stand as official candidates at the next elections in a joint European constituency across all Member States; stresses that, taking into account the proportional electoral system of the EU, the election of the President of the European Commission should depend on his or her ability to be supported by a majority of Members of the European Parliament;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that granting European voters a second vote for transnational lists in a joint European constituency, drawn up by European political parties and movements, would contribute to elevate the European elections above purely national campaigns based on national interests, particularly if such lists were headed by the respective Spitzenkandidaten; calls on the Commission and Council, together with the Parliament and in line with the works of the Conference on the Future of Europe, to analyse the possibility of introducing a pan-European constituency for the elections of the European Parliament; stresses that the transnational lists should, if introduced, include rules that ensure gender equality and geographical balance;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. UrEncourages the Commission and the Council to consider, in accordance with the work of Parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign interference and Disinformation, the urgent creation of a European organisation dedicated to the fight against foreign interference; encourages the Commission and the Council to work much more closely with Parliament on these matterswork much more closely with Parliament on the fight against foreign interference, as the protection of our democratic institutions is a core competence of the European Parliament;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that the outcome of the European elections is a clear signal for an in-depth institutional reflection that will allow citizens, civil society and their representatives to shape the future of the Union; underlines that the outbreak of Covid-19 increased the urgency of an institutional reform process on the European level; calls, therefore, on all institutional partners to assume their responsibility and deliver an ambitious framework for the Conference on the Future of Europe, and to follow up on its conclusions in order to achieve significant and tangible changes in the policies and institutional architecture of the EU; considers that following the Covid-19 crisis the Conference on the Future of Europe will represent an opportunity for a deep reflection on the European recovery, notably on the need to readdress the European socio-economic model towards solidarity and cohesion;