17 Amendments of Agnès EVREN related to 2021/2019(INI)
Amendment 8 #
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 to increase citizens’ awareness about their right to petition and about this tool; 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 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the Committee on Petitions carefully examines and deals with each petition submitted to Parliament; whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a reply informing him or her about the decision on admissibility and follow-up actions taken by the committee within a reasonable period of time, in his or her own language or in the language used in the petition; whereas any petitioner may request that their petition be reopened on the basis of any relevant developments;
Amendment 20 #
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), 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), employment (in particular job market accessibility and precarious employment), 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), and the implementation of the agreement on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, in addition to many other areas of activity;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas, in 2020, many petitions concerning COVID-19 were placed on the agenda by means of the urgency procedure;
Amendment 30 #
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, at both European and national level, to help increase citizens’ knowledge about their right to petition, as well as the scope and limits of the Union’s responsibilities, with a view to reducing the number of inadmissible petitions;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that petitions constitute a unique opportunity for Parliament and the other EU institutions to directly connect with EU citizens and maintain a regular dialogue with them, particularly in cases where they are affected by the misincorrect application or breach of EU law; stresses the need for enhanced cooperation between the EUnion institutions, bodies and agencies 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 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to assess whetherencourage national authorities areto takinge the necessary measures, where they have not already done so, to respond to citizens’ concerns as expressed in their petitions where cases of systemic failure in compliance with EU law occur;
Amendment 56 #
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; notes that the public hearings organised jointly with other parliamentary committees facilitate a thorough examination of petitions; 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;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that the petitions network is a useful tool for facilitating the follow- up of petitions in parliamentary and legislative work; that this network should enhance dialogue and cooperation with the Commission and other EU institutions; trusts that regular meetings of the petitions network are crucial in order to strengthen cooperation between parliamentary committees through the exchange of information and sharing of best practices among the network’s members;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Points out that in its recommendations for the negotiations on a new deal with the United Kingdom, the members of the Committee on Petitions stressed that any EU citizen residing in the United Kingdom had the right to petition the European Parliament pursuant to Article 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to participate in a European Citizens’ Initiative, and to apply to the European Ombudsman after the expected end of the transition period (31 December 2020), and called on the European Ombudsman to keep up her efforts, initiated during negotiations on the withdrawal agreement, to ensure the transparency of negotiations under the future EU-UK partnership;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Draws attention to the large number of petitions on COVID-19 that the Committee on Petitions examined and replied to in 2020, mostly by using its urgency procedure; stresses that most of these petitions called for the protection of citizens’ health against the spread of the virus, including questions on treatments, protective equipment and on the acquisition and distribution of vaccines, as well as for the assessment of the management of the health crisis in the Member States; recalls, also, that many petitioners raised concerns over the impact of national emergency measures, including lockdowns, on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, calling into question travel and work restrictions, obstacles to the freedom of movement within the Schengen area, as well as the management of cancelled flights and trips during the pandemicand the initial lack of coordination among Member States on internal border controls which pose obstacles to the freedom of movement within the Schengen area and a particular problem for many cross-border workers, students and binational couples, as well as the management of cancelled flights and trips during the pandemic; takes the view that, particularly in times of a major crisis, the rapid and effective handling of petitions is a prerequisite for citizens’ trust in the EU institutions;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is seriously concerned about the public health and socio-economic damages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; welcomes the excellent work done by the Committee on Petitions which, by voicing citizens’ concerns over the public health and socio-economic crises related to the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to ensuring Parliament’s responsiveness to citizens’the needs and expectations of citizens, especially those particularly affected by the health crisis, as regards the Union’s capacity to address such a global challenge; draws attention, in this regard, to the important follow-up actions taken by the Committee on Petitions to respond to the issues raised in COVID-19- related petitions, which lead to the adoption in plenary of the resolutions on the Schengen system and measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis9 , on the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families in the COVID-19 crisis10 and on tackling homelessness rates in the EU11; _________________ 10 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0183. 11 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0314. 9 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0315.
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Draws attention to the hearing of 29 October 2020 on ‘Union citizenship: Empowerment, Inclusion, Participation’, which the Committee on Petitions held jointly with the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs; considers that this event represented a significant contribution by Parliament to the Commission’s 2020 EU Citizenship report and to the Committee on Petitions’ ongoing work on citizen involvement;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes note that, along with fundamental rights, health was the main area of concern for petitioners in 2020, while recognising that health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic were at the centre of the Committee on Petitions’ work; draws attention to the resolution on additional funding for biomedical research on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, the motion for which was adopted by the committee on 30 April 2020, adopted in plenary on 18 June 202013; recalls that Parliament’s resolution has been highly welcomed by the scientific and patients’ communities as it calls for awareness of this type of disease to be raised among Member States through the organisation of training courses tailored to public authorities, healthcare providers and public officials generally; reiterates, in this regard, its call for coordinated and enhanced research efforts and for additional funding, including under the Horizon Europe programme, to support progress in research in order to address the human and socio-economic consequences of the growing number of individuals living and working with long-term disabling and chronic conditions; _________________ 13 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0140.
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls that in 2020, the Committee on Petitions paid specific attention to the discussion of petitions on the difficulties faced by people with intellectual disabilities and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially regarding access to health services, personal assistance and contact with families and carers; draws attention in this regard to the resolution tabled by the Committee on Petitions on the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families in the COVID-19 crisis, adopted in plenary on 8 July 2020; welcomes the outcome of the Committee on Petitions’ annual workshop on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities – ‘The new Disability Strategy’ – which took place at the committee meeting of 28 October 2020;
Amendment 88 #
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 the portal more accessible to persons with disabilities, including by enabling the tabling of petitions in national sign languages; supports the creation of a single digital portal where citizens could access and find out about all the petitions procedures available through the European Ombudsman and the European Parliament;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Notes that although the number of people supporting one or more petitions is very much on the rise, many petitioners are still saying that the steps to follow to show support for a petition on Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal are complicated; takes the view that simplifying the process would allow citizens to better exercise their right to petition;