Activities of Pernando BARRENA ARZA related to 2021/2019(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2020 (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2020
Amendments (10)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the activities of the Committee on Petitions are based on the input provided by petitioners; whereas the information submitted by petitioners in their petitions and at committee meetings, along with the Commission’s assessment and the replies of the Member States and other bodies, are crucial for the work of the committee; whereas admissible petitions also provide valuable contributions to the work of the other parliamentary committees, given that they are forwarded by Committee on Petitions to other committees for an opinion or for information but very often these petitions are not taken into consideration;
Amendment 19 #
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), 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 28 #
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, in order to enhance the visibility and increase the committee's responsiveness, 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, with a view to reducing the number of inadmissible petitions; it is also important to highlight those cases and success cases, in which an issue raised by a petitioner was solved with the support of the committee on petitions;
Amendment 37 #
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 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, including mandatory answer to the Committee; 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 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that petitions contribute considerably to the Commission’s role as guardian of the Treaties; stresses that reinforced cooperation between the Committee on Petitions and the Commission and timely, precise and clear answers from the Commission are essential to ensure the successful treatment of petitions; reiterates its call on the Commission for regular updates on developments in infringement proceedings and for access to relevant Commission documents on infringements and EU pilot procedures which have been closed;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to actively assess whether national authorities are taking the necessary measures to respond to citizens’ concerns as expressed in their petitions where cases of systemic failure in compliance with EU law occur;
Amendment 55 #
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; regrets, however, that there is no clear information about this feedback and the fact that many petitions are not even considered by the concerned 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;
Amendment 67 #
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’ needs and expectations 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 ; _________________ 9 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0315. 10 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0183. 11 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0314.
Amendment 73 #
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; reiterates, in this regard, its call for coordinated and enhanced research efforts and for additional funding 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 87 #
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; nevertheless, it is urgent to change or update the computerized registration and signature system, so that it is truly agile and allows citizen participation in accordance with their needs and urgencies, in real time.