Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE

Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 g (new)

— having regard to the Commission communication of 19 November 2020 entitled ‘An EU Strategy to harness the potential of off shore renewable energy for a climate neutral future’ (COM(2020)0741),

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Defends the importance of effectively compensating the ORs’ fisher~~men~~s for their efforts to meet the Commission’s goal of protecting 30 % of the EU’s marine areas; considers that the marine protected areas should be a tool for reconciling the protection of habitats and ecosystems with the socio-economic viability of the fisheries' sector;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

19 a. Points out that defining protected marine areas has allowed local fishers to increase their income, leading to an increase in local employment in the fisheries’ sector and to an increase recreational activities, boosting opportunities for growth in sectors such as sustainable tourism; underlines that, if properly created, with due public consultation with local authorities and stakeholders, in particular fishers, the definition of these protected areas is fundamental for the protection and the recovery of species, as well as for the coastal sectors that depend on them1a; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank /en/document/IPOL_STU(2022)733087

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Stresses the role that the ORs could play in combating illegal fishing and ocean pollution; urges the Commission and the Member States, due to the impact of serious loss of marine biodiversity in the ORs, to take all necessary measures to address the causes of over-exploitation, pollution and climate change in the ORs, and to reform their sectoral policies accordingly;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Considers that due to their geographic position, the ORs have the ability to lead the blue economy in areas such as offshore renewable energy technologies, development of nature- based activities, like sustainable tourism, but also to help fisheries and aquaculture sectors become fully part of sustainable, resilient and safe food system;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20 b. Highlights the importance of collaborative, inclusive and cross-sectoral maritime spatial planning in the ORs that takes socioeconomic, environmental and biodiversity concerns into account;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Supports the creation of a ~~POSEI~~specific financial operational programme for the ORs transport, s~~che~~imilar to the POSEI programme, in order to tackle the rising costs resulting from ~~insularity and remoteness~~remoteness and/or insularity; highlights that a derogation for the ORs regarding integrating maritime transport of goods and persons in the ETS system is fundamental; considers of an utmost importance the development of a EU strategy regarding mobility and transport in the ORs, taking into account the specificities of each OR;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Stresses the crucial role of sustainable tourism for the development of the ORs, which are highly exposed to ~~externalit~~climate change effects, natural disasters and health emergencies; urges the Commission to develop a truly European sustainable tourism policy and to launch further measures to promote the recovery of the sector;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Calls on the Commission to set up a European Tourism Agency with antennas in each of the ORs’ geographical areas, thus drawing on the experience and dynamism of the sector in these regions for the benefit of the entire EU, in keeping with the Final Declaration of the 26th Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Regrets the fact that the specificities of the ORs have not been systematically taken into account in the ‘Fit for 55’ package; stresses that the EU's environmental objectives and targets need always to take into account the remoteness, isolation and/or insularity of the ORs, particularly with regard to the objectives on transport to and from each OR;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Underlines the ORs’ vulnerability to climate change effects, in particular to extreme weather events; defends the position, therefore, that the EU Solidarity Fund should be revised to enable it to respond to smaller-scale disasters and to include the costs associated with prevention, evacuation and the disruption of local economies in ~~the event of~~disasters such as extended seismic activity, fires or floods;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Sara CERDAS, Rovana PLUMB, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls on the Commission to support regional and local authorities in designing and funding plans to attract and retain health professionals;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)

43 a. Regrets that the already small number of programmes, public policies and funds specific to the outermost regions have been disappearing in favour of their integration in horizontal European programmes, thus diluting the tailor-made approach needed for ORs;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)

43b. Suggests that the resources of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund be mobilised to provide adequate support to Member States’ efforts in the area of migration, in particular to those Member States which are faced with specific and disproportionate pressures on their asylum and reception systems;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2147(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 c (new)

43c. Insists on the need for the EU to allocate specific funds to enable regions under greater migratory pressure, mainly those at the EU’s external borders, such as the outermost regions, to be able to cope with the reception and assistance of unaccompanied minors arriving on their territories, facilitating the relocation of these minors as soon as possible to the Member States and the rest of the EU if they have relatives elsewhere;

2022/12/13
Committee: REGI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes the original idea behind~~Expresses its satisfaction that the Conference on the Future of Europe was ~~regards~~a very successful participatory exercise and therefore, it further enlarged the citizens’ information and participation in democracy at Union level, aiming at making the Union more understandable and accessible; Considers that the Conference has led to innovative and successful participation by European citizens and has provided an additional opportunity for the European institutions, leading to a comprehensive dialogue between citizens, national parliaments, regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society organisations on the future of the Union;

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. NWelcomes the conclusions of the Conference and notes that many of the proposals endorsed by the Conference on the Future of Europe ~~do not~~ require ~~Treaty change but instead c~~amendments to the Treaties and that, especially forllowing the most re~~ngthening of existing policies and instruments; takes the view t~~cent crises, the Treaties need to be amended urgently to make sure the Union hats the ~~division of competences provided for in the Treaties, and in particular Articles 4 and 5 TEU, should remain unchanged~~competence to take more effective action during future crises;

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Considers that the right to petition is a ~~citizen’s~~ right which plays a fundamental role as a direct participatory democracy tool; recalls that petitions can be used as means of creating opportunities for public debate and of initiating policy and legislative changes; calls on the Member States and the Commission to do their utmost to ensure that petitions are adequately followed up;

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that the right to petition remains underused at Union level when compared with the situation at national level; recalls, also, that about a quarter of the petitions submitted to the European Parliament are declared inadmissible, mainly because the matter falls outside the Union’s fields of activity, which points out the ~~lack of underst~~need to work on enhandcing~~, among Union citizens,~~ the citizens’ awareness of the Union’s remit of competence;

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses, therefore, the need to increase citizens’ knowledge of their right to petition as well as their understanding of the scope of the Union’s responsibilities; calls on the Commission and the Member States to adopt measures to make public information and awareness more efficient at Union and national levels in order to improve access to the right to petition and with the aim to reduce the number of inadmissible petitions.

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Supports summarizing elements of citizens’ participation in a Union Charter for the involvement of citizens in EU- affairs;

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2051(INL)

Marc ANGEL, Gabriele BISCHOFF, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Invites the Union institutions to work on establishing a user-friendly digital platform where citizens can share ideas, put forward questions to the representatives of the Union institutions and express their views on important EU matters and legislative proposals, in particular youth;

2022/10/26
Committee: PETI

2022/2046(INI)

Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern as regards the significant delay in the implementation of cohesion policy for the 2021-2027 period, as well as its call for the Commission and the Member States to speed up the adoption of the partnership agreements and programmes, without undermining their quality and while respecting the EU’s political priorities and the applicable principles; reiterates the need for special consideration to be given to less-developed and transition regions and islands in this context, as well as to urban areas with high levels of inequalities;

2022/07/27
Committee: REGI

2022/2046(INI)

Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many negative social consequences throughout Europe, such as the digital and gender gaps, that have been broadened; Underlines the need for specific assistance to address these consequences;

2022/07/27
Committee: REGI

2022/2046(INI)

Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Underlines the necessity of providing the regions with appropriate financial means in order to deal with the waves of migration caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, a~~nd its~~s well as the waves of migration caused by other crises and their multifaceted consequences; emphasises the need to address the grave difficulties that the current rise in energy costs is causing for the regions, and to identify suitable financial instruments to deal with them at a regional level through a bottom-up approach involving local and regional authorities;

2022/07/27
Committee: REGI

2022/2046(INI)

Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls for a significant increase in the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) budget, which would help regions to anticipate and mitigate the effects of climate change, which causes large population displacements, and for the scope of the EUSF to be broadened, so that it can also support more climate-resilient restoration or construction of public and private infrastructure;

2022/07/27
Committee: REGI

2022/2046(INI)

Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that the existing possibility of transfers from the cohesion policy funds to other EU instruments of up to 5 % of the initial allocation provides for sufficient flexibility; strongly opposes the proposal of additional transfers from the cohesion policy funds put forward under the RePowerEU initiative. and instead calls on additional financial resources to be made available to reach these objectives;

2022/07/27
Committee: REGI

2022/2046(INI)

Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Nora MEBAREK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Underlines that promoting gender equality, paying special attention to women with disabilities, is crucial for reducing regional economic and social disparities and ensuring the long-term development of regions; deplores that EU's budget cycle to date has not adequately taken gender equality into account; Highlights the Commission's commitment to gender mainstreaming in the EU budget; calls on the Commission ro strengthen the institutional framework for supporting gender budgeting, to carry out gender analyses of the needs and impacts, to systematically collect, analyse and report on existing sex-disaggregated data for EU funding programmes, to make use of gender-related objectives and indicators to monitor progress and to develop a system for tracking the funds allocated and used to support gender equality;

2022/07/27
Committee: REGI

2022/2032(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. considering that cohesion policy is the main instrument to reduce the differences between the different territories of the EU; considering that one of the main axes of the New European Bauhaus is inclusiveness and reaching those who need it the most through the transformation of the built environment;

2022/05/17
Committee: REGI

2022/2032(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is convinced that the role of small cities, towns and villages should be bolstered in order to support local economies and address demographic challenges; backs, therefore, the reinforcement of the second pillar of the common agricultural policy, the EAFRD and that in this respect the contributions of the New European Bauhaus should also be taken into account;

2022/05/17
Committee: REGI

2022/2032(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Notes the increasing emergence of less developed, disadvantaged and impoverished areas that are embedded in developed areas; it therefore calls on the European Commission to enhance micro- cohesion in these less developed areas through specific funds for this new type of vulnerable areas;

2022/05/17
Committee: REGI

2022/2032(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Supports the increase in the budget allocated for the period 2021-2027 for the new cohesion policy which, in line with the strong focus on smart, green and social actions, will provide sufficient confidence for new innovative projects; calls for strong coordination between these funds and NEB programs and actions;

2022/05/17
Committee: REGI

2022/2032(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Asks the Commission to present as soon as possible a proposal for the NEB to become an EU program for the next MFF, with a specific and stable budget based on new resources, through which to measure the evolution of our territories and cities, providing solutions for the development of sustainable and innovative urban areas, such as: sustainable mobility solutions, inclusive public spaces and nature-based solutions;

2022/05/17
Committee: REGI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 1 (new)

(1) Calls on the Member States to carry out national disability awareness- raising campaigns promoting the CRPD and the European Disability Strategy 2021-2030 that area accessible for all and involve PwD and the family members and organisations that represent them; calls on the Member States to adopt ambitious timelines for the implementation of the strategy; calls on the Commission to develop a set of detailed indicators in the forthcoming delegated act on the revised social score board to measure the progress toward the goals and objectives of the strategy and to ensure compliance by all those involved with the commitments outlined in these documents;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 2 (new)

(2) Takes note of the progress made by the Member States in effectively implementing and monitoring the CRPD and in adapting accessibility measures to comply with the standards of the CRPD; calls on the Member States to designate, without further delay, responsible authorities to serve as focal points, and to establish coordinating mechanisms at all administrative levels, in accordance with Article 33 of the CRPD, for its implementation and monitoring; stresses that the Member States should ensure that a significant number of persons with disabilities are involved in the work of these authorities;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – point 1 (new)

(1) Considers the Optional Protocol to be an indivisible part of the CRPD; points to the fact that the Optional Protocol provides citizens with a forum to communicate alleged violations of the provisions of the convention by a State Party, and allows the CRPD Committee to initiate confidential inquiries when they receive information indicating that a State Party has committed a grave or systematic violation;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – point 2 (new)

(2) Stresses that the Optional Protocol to the CRPD has not been ratified by the EU and five Member States; calls on all Member States that have not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to the CRPD to do so without further delay, and for the EU to fully ratify it; calls on the Council to take the necessary steps to ensure the accession of the EU to the Optional Protocol;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – point 3 (new)

(3) Notes that there is no mutual recognition of disability status between Member States; calls on the Member States to work together in a spirit of mutual trust to recognise the status assigned in another Member State; emphasises the Commission’s goal of working with Member States to expand the scope of the mutual recognition of disability status in areas such as labour mobility and the benefits related to the conditions of service provision; highlights the need to extend the benefits of the EU disability card so that mutually recognised health access benefits are also included; underlines, in this context, the importance of swift action in terms of implementation of the European Disability Card; reiterates the need for mutual understanding of deinstitutionalisation, its implementation and independent living in the community, with a view to better aligning the Member States’ strategies and the EU funds with the CRPD;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – point 4 (new)

(4) Welcomes the Commission’s initiative, by the end of 2023, for the creation of an EU disability card to be recognised in all Member States, with a view to scaling up the pilot projects for the EU disability card and the EU parking card for PwD; is of the opinion that the EU disability card, which should be adopted and recognised in all Member States, and cover all areas of life, including transport, will be an important instrument to help PwD to exercise their right to free movement in a barrier-free EU;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – point 5 (new)

(5) Notes the Commission’s proposal for the creation of the ‘AccessibleEU’ resource centre by 2022; calls on the Commission to create an EU agency on accessibility (EU Access Board) that would be in charge of developing technical specifications on accessibility in support of specific EU policies and legislation, carrying out consultations with rights-holders, stakeholders and non- governmental organisations, helping Member States and EU institutions to implement accessibility in a harmonised way for the benefit of the single market, and raising awareness of the importance of accessibility for equal societies;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 1 (new)

(1) Stresses that Article 19 of the CRPD sets out the right to live independently and be included in the community; calls on the Member States to ensure a process that provides for a shift in living arrangements for PwD, from institutional settings to a system enabling social participation and in which services are provided in the community according to individual will and preference; calls on the Member States to include specific targets with clear deadlines in their deinstitutionalisation strategies and to adequately finance the implementation of these strategies;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 2 (new)

(2) Recalls that in order to develop appropriate and effective policies and find solutions tailored to the needs of PwD in all their diversity in the EU, there is a need for comparable and reliable EU data; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to intensify their efforts for a common framework for European statistics on individuals and households to collect reliable data on the participation of PwD, also disaggregated by gender, in the various levels and types of education and labour and in social life;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 3 (new)

(3) Stresses that there is an urgent need to conduct a study and a research to collect data disaggregated by different types of disability and different barriers faced by the different groups of PwD, in particular when trying to access the labour market, which would greatly improve understanding of how unemployment impacts PwD and help the European Commission and Member States in their aim and efforts to improve labour market outcomes for PwD in the EU;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 4 (new)

(4) Stresses that cost of living with a disability is one of the greatest challenges faced by PwD; underlines, in this respect, an urgent need to collect data to further analyse the issue of living costs for PwD; stresses that this data will help to understand why it is that PwD are so disproportionately affected by poverty, and why the issue of losing one’s disability allowance when a person starts earning a wage can be so problematic and dangerous; underlines that the loss of disability allowance following the take-up of paid work is one of the principle reasons that PwD cannot easily transfer to the labour market, and that puts them at the greatest risk of in-work poverty;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 5 (new)

(5) Stresses that the Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities clearly calls for every effort to be made to allow PwD to find employment in the open labour market; underlines the key importance to monitor the developments in the EU Member States on fulfilling their obligations under the UNCRPD, or in employing people in sheltered forms of work that lead to in-work poverty; underlines, in this regards, an urgent need to conduct a research on sheltered workshops and insight into how many PwD, including women with disabilities, are in employment in the open labour market; stresses that the Eurostat figures show what percentage of PwD are employed in each Member State, but the quality of employment that each person finds themselves in remains unknown;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 6 (new)

(6) Recalls the high number of EU citizens deprived of their right to participate in elections, including European Parliament elections, because of their disabilities or mental health problems; calls on the Commission and Member States to guarantee the political rights of PwD by ensuring voting and eligibility rights to all PwD and right to stand for election, without exemptions, and by implementing ad hoc measures aiming at making the next European elections more accessible to PwD and respectful of the right to vote autonomously and in secrecy, or otherwise with the choice of one’s assistant;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point 1 (new)

(1) Regrets the fact that the European Accessibility Act fails to address accessibility of the built environment and of the physical world in general; calls on the Commission to use the European Accessibility Act as a basis for adopting a robust EU framework for an accessible and inclusive environment with fully accessible public spaces, services, including public transport, communication, administrative and financial services, and the built environment; welcomes the Commission’s ‘Access City Award’ initiative;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point 2 (new)

(2) Outlines that petitioners’ most common concerns regarding the equality of PwD centre around accessibility and social protection, along with employment rights and the right to live independently in the community; calls, therefore, on the Member States to fully implement and continuously monitor all accessibility- related legislation, including Directive (EU) 2019/882 (the European Accessibility Act) in order to effectively and definitively remove and prevent barriers for workers with disabilities, and to improve and ensure the availability of accessible services and the suitability of the conditions under which these services are provided; calls, in this context, on the Member States to consider, when transposing the European Accessibility Act into national legislation, the interconnectivity between the accessibility of services and the accessibility of the built environment;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point 3 (new)

(3) Calls on the Member States to ensure the swift and efficient implementation at all levels of Directive2016/2102 on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites and mobile applications, in order to guarantee that PwD are able to access all information they require in an accessible format, including national sign languages; welcomes the Commission’s initiative for an action plan on web accessibility for all EU institutions, bodies and agencies with a view to ensuring the compliance of EU websites, and the documents published on these websites and online platforms, with European accessibility standards, which need to be broadened; urges all EU institutions, bodies and agencies to comply with the European accessibility standards in 2022 at the latest; calls the Commission to pay particular attention, as a matter of priority, to the accessibility of its public consultations, especially where they target PWD and their organisations;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point 4 (new)

(4) Urges the EU institutions to improve the level and quality of accessibility in all of their buildings and remove the existing barriers to their websites, debates and documentation, i.e.to make the information produced accessible by, for example, providing translation into the sign languages of the different Member States and producing documents in Braille and in easy-to-read language;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point 1 (new)

(1) Calls on the EU institutions and the Member States to reaffirm their commitment to realising equality and inclusion for PwD and to fully implement the CRPD, including its Article 27on work and employment;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point 2 (new)

(2) Highlights that sheltered workshops should aim to ensure inclusion, rehabilitation and transition to the open labour market, but are often segregated environments in which workers with disabilities do not have employee status or enjoy labour rights, which clearly constitutes a violation of the CRPD; stresses that inclusive models of supported employment can, if they are rights-based and recognised as employment, respect the rights of PwD and serve inclusion in and transition to the open labour market;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – point 1 (new)

(1) Welcomes the fact that Member States are willing to implement inclusive educational policies; calls on the Member States to further increase their education systems’ capacity to provide high-quality accessible education for all learners by promoting specific measures and personalised support, such as accessible and tailored curricula and learning materials, accessible ICTs and appropriate digital education calls on the Commission to strengthen the role of the Child Guarantee, giving consideration to an accessible school award scheme, in ensuring the equal treatment of children with disabilities;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – point 2 (new)

(2) Calls on the Commission and the Member States to invest in training professionals regarding the needs of PwD; reiterates that the implementation and allocation of the relevant EU funding programmes should contribute to the transition towards inclusive education; stresses that PwD should be guaranteed access to education, including during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and others, and that Member States should tackle all forms of discrimination and exclusion in this area;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates that PwD, including those with ~~ment~~intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, should have the right to the highest attainable state of health and access to healthcare, free from discrimination, of the same scope and quality as other EU citizens13 ; _________________ 13 Petitions Nos 0687/2020 and 0470/2020.

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights that PwD are exposed to discrimination most frequently, in particular those with intellectual, and psychosocial ~~and mental~~ disabilities, and women and girls, migrants and racialised people, including Roma, and members of the LGBTIQ+ community with disabilities; ~~call~~stresses, in this respect, ~~for a~~that the proposed Anti- dDiscrimination ~~legislation to protect the rights of PwD and for the horizontal Anti- Discrimination Directive to be unblocked in the Council14 ; _________________ 14 Petitions Nos 0164/2020 and 0226/2021.~~directive, which would provide greater protection against discrimination of all kinds through a horizontal approach, still remains blocked in the Council for over a decade;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 – point a (new)

(a) Stresses the urgent need for EU legislation aimed at protecting citizens against all forms of discrimination in the EU and considers this to be primordial for the correct implementation of CRPD policies; urges the Member States to adopt the EU horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive tabled by the Commission in 2008; calls on the Commission to present an alternative solution in order to move forward in tackling discrimination across the EU, in all areas of life, as soon as possible;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 1 (new)

(1) Acknowledges the Commission’s call for all EU institutions, bodies, agencies and delegations to designate ‘disability coordinators’; reiterates its call for focal points to be established in all EU institutions and agencies, including Parliament and the Council, with the central focal point within the Commission’s General Secretariat and supported by an appropriate interinstitutional mechanism; calls on the EU institutions to prioritise the appointment of PwD to the role of disability coordinators;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 2 (new)

(2) Stresses that the right to petition and the petition process should be more visible and accessible to all individuals and organisations in the EU, including PwD; recalls the Committee on Petitions should ensure better visibility and sufficient information in this respect through targeted information and awareness-raising campaigns, with a special focus on vulnerable groups, including PwD; stresses that the Parliament has not yet developed an index of effectiveness for its petition system nor has it collected statistical data on the processing of petitions;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 3 (new)

(3) Encourages the relevant Parliament services to continue their efforts and finalise the project on the inter-service working group on sign language in the shortest possible time frame in order to meet the requests of petition1056/2016 to allow for the tabling of petitions in international and national sign languages used in the EU and thereby make the fundamental right to petition more accessible for sign language users;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 4 (new)

(4) Highlights the importance of swiftly addressing accessibility concerns in all relevant policies and instruments, including concerns about public procurement rules and the accessibility of petitions to Parliament;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2026(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Marc ANGEL, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 5 (new)

(5) Highlights the need to provide sign language interpretation services and easy- to-read language translations for committee meetings, plenary meetings and all other Parliament meetings, in order to make them accessible for PwD;

2022/06/02
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)

-A. whereas the purpose of the annual report on the outcome of the Committee on Petitions' deliberation is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2021 and of relations with other institutions, and to present an accurate picture of the objectives achieved in 2021;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
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, or of its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters that affect and concern them directly; whereas, in exercising the right to petition, citizens expect that the EU institutions will provide added value in finding a solution to their problems;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas, of the 1 392 petitions submitted in 2021, 368 were declared inadmissible and 17 were withdrawn; whereas the relatively high percentage (26.5 %) of inadmissible petitions in 2021 demonstrates that there is still a widespread lack of clarity about the scope of the Union’s areas of responsibility; whereas to remedy this situation, communication with citizens needs to be encouraged and improved;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas each petition is considered and examined carefully, efficiently and transparently;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

G b. whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in safeguarding fundamental rights and in the improvement and future wellbeing of our societies; whereas the experience of those citizens in regard to the processing of their petitions is very influential in determine their perception of the EU institutions and respect for the right to petition contained in EU law;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the right to petition the European Parliament is one of the fundamental rights of EU citizens; whereas the right to petition provides EU citizens and residents with an open, democratic and transparent mechanism to address their elected representatives directly and is therefore essential to enable citizens to participate actively and effectively in the life of the Union; whereas, through petitions, EU citizens can complain about failures to implement EU law and help detect breaches of EU law;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the European Parliament is the only EU institution directly elected by EU citizens; 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 impact on the rights of EU citizens and residents;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

J a. whereas the Committee on Petitions is best able to show citizens what the European Union does for them and what solutions it can provide at European, national or local level;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)

J b. 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;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the activities of the L. 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 the Committee on Petitions to other committees for an opinion or for information; whereas, therefore, petitions are very important for the legislative process as they provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions submitted in 2021 related 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 and the right to work, 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 persistence of the pandemic, ranging from the protection of citizens’ health, including vaccination policy, to the use, implementation and application of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in the Member States and the alleged discrimination between vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons), the environment (mostly concerning mining activities and their impact on the environment, nuclear safety, air pollution and the deterioration of natural ecosystems), minority rights and discrimination (including the rights of national or linguistic minorities), education (in particular questions related to discriminatory access to ~~education or contested national reforms of the law on~~ education), the situation of EU students in the UK after the UK’s withdrawal from Erasmus+, and employment (in particular questions relating to national treatment of work contracts), in addition to many other areas of activity;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)

R a. 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;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a (new)

(a) Recalls that, in 2021, there were considerable differences in number of petitions submitted to the Committee on Petitions from the 27 EU Member States, with most of the petitions concerning Spain (17%),followed by Germany (9,7%), Italy (9,2%), Greece (5,9%), Romania (4,1%), Poland(4,0%) and France (2,6%); the number of petitions concerning the remaining Member States was less than 2% per Member State;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Is of the opinion that the Committee on Petitions is equally available to citizens and residents in all 27 Member States and that the treatment of petitions should be geographically balanced and proportionate to the size of each Member State; believes in this respect that the European Parliament should increase the efforts to promote the role and work of its Committee on Petitions and raise all EU citizens’ awareness of the possibility to address a petition to the European Parliament;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Warns of the risk of potential reputational damage to the Committee on Petitions and the European Parliament as a whole if the treatment of petitions were politicised or used for domestic party- political objectives; recalls in this context the very European dimension of the Committee on Petitions whose role it is, in accordance with Article 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to treat petitions on matters which come within the European Union's fields of activity;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. 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;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates the importance of a continuous public debate on the Union’s field 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 communications services, to help increase citizens’ knowledge about their right to petition, as well as the scope of the Union’s responsibilities and the competences of the Committee on Petitions, with a view to reducing the number of inadmissible petitions and better responding to citizens’ concerns;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
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 through timely and detailed answers from the Commission, which are based on thorough examination of the issues raised in petitions, are essential to ensure the successful treatment of petitions: ~~reiterates its c~~Calls on the Commission ~~for~~to regularly update the Committee on Petitions on developments in infringement proceedings and ~~for~~to ensure that the Committee on Petitions gets access to relevant Commission documents on infringements and EU Pilot procedures which have been closed;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Reminds that the e-Peti database is an important internal tool that allows the Members of the Committee on Petitions to access all necessary information in order to follow up on the state of play of each individual petition and to being able to make informed decisions when it comes to the petitions’ ongoing treatment or possible closure; to this end, thee-Peti database should be regularly updated and, if possible, linked to the European Commissions’ list of infringements;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Finds it worrying that the European Commission does not provide updated information on petitions under infringement procedures and on their state of play; deplores in this regard the lack of systematic follow-up in the communication with the Committee on Petitions; therefore, calls on the Commission to provide the Committee on Petitions with regular and updated information on infringement procedures which were launched based on the petitions received;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Encourages the European Parliament and the European Commission to develop a joint one-stop- shop IT tool which would include all the available information on the Commission’s follow-up actions taken on petitions, including the infringement procedures and other legislative or non- legislative actions;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2024(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Andris AMERIKS, Alfred SANT, Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Considers that a binding inter- institutional agreement between the European Parliament and the European Commission on treatment of petitions would be the best way forward in order to ensure a transparent and efficient process and thus to strengthen the citizens’ rights to address a petition to the European Parliament on a matter which comes within the Union's fields of activity, as enshrined in the Article 227 of the EU Treaty;

2022/09/30
Committee: PETI

2022/2023(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Cristina MAESTRE, Hannes HEIDE, Rovana PLUMB, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. In order to avoid possible limitations in the practical implementation of EU financial instruments for urban mobility funding, which have a direct impact on the equitable development of EU territories, calls on the Commission to increase the amount earmarked for directly funded programmes and instruments in the next MFF.

2022/11/09
Committee: REGI

2022/2023(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Cristina MAESTRE, Hannes HEIDE, Rovana PLUMB, Josianne CUTAJAR, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Welcomes the trend of replacing fossil fuel vehicles with electric or alternative energy vehicles. However, the associated cost of acquiring or converting to such vehicles is not affordable for all social groups and would not reduce the volume of the EU's vehicle fleet, and could generate or further increase the associated spatial and territorial development differences.

2022/11/09
Committee: REGI

2022/2023(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Cristina MAESTRE, Hannes HEIDE, Rovana PLUMB, Josianne CUTAJAR, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Taken into account the creation of marginalised, mobility-poor areas with less direct access to cities caused by the transfer of public space to the construction of infrastructure dedicated to private mobility, which further increase the gap between urban and non-urban regions, but also to cohesion at European level; stresses the need to reorganise the public space of our cities, allocating more funds and infrastructure to active mobility and micro-mobility styles, accessible to all levels of society, ensuring adequate inter- and intra-territorial connectivity and access, so as to avoid territorial divisions and thus social divisions, while ensuring that social cohesion remains intact.

2022/11/09
Committee: REGI

2022/2023(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Cristina MAESTRE, Hannes HEIDE, Rovana PLUMB, Josianne CUTAJAR, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Stresses that the EU now has pioneering technology to support interconnectivity between urban-non- urban areas, between suburban areas within a city and their interconnection with peri-urban, rural and peripheral areas.

2022/11/09
Committee: REGI

2022/2023(INI)

Marcos ROS SEMPERE, Cristina MAESTRE, Hannes HEIDE, Rovana PLUMB, Josianne CUTAJAR, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Calls on the Commission, within the framework of Horizon Europe, to prioritise projects aimed at improving urban mobility and the interconnection of cities and their peripheries, in addition to the cohesion funds earmarked for this purpose

2022/11/09
Committee: REGI

2022/2008(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Reminds the Commission and the Member States that Cohesion Policy is already playing a crucial role in redirecting our societies towards sustainable development; points out in this connection that each region has its own particular characteristics and needs that must be addressed in order to outline a New Industrial Strategy that is geographically tailored to each location; recommends that other public policies and financial instruments be mobilised at the European level;

2022/04/29
Committee: REGI

2022/2008(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Stresses that the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis and the Russian invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine provide an opportunity for Europe to develop sustainable and autonomous communities and industries, taking full advantage of digitalisation and innovation processes; insists that, despite the crisis, the industrial transformation towards climate neutrality and sustainability must continue; calls on Member States in this regard not to seize on the current crisis a pretext for delaying EU initiatives and ambitions;

2022/04/29
Committee: REGI

2022/2008(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Recalls that the Multiannual Financial Framework and Next Generation EU instrument constitute the largest financial stimulus package in the EU to date, seeking to create a greener, more digital and resilient Union in the post-COVID-19 era; similarly, considers that the new Cohesion Policy also presents an unprecedented opportunity for Member States to push through industrial transformation, for example by requiring Member States to earmark minimum amounts for the digital transition and ensure compliance with certain funding criteria detailed in the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy investment framework;

2022/04/29
Committee: REGI

2022/2008(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Stresses that the objectives in providing companies with Structural and Investment Fund support should be, on the one hand, an innovative, digital, knowledge-based transformation and, on the other, a fair transition towards a green, resource-efficient, diversified and climate-neutral EU; considers that these objectives should result in a more connected and cohesive Union seeking the creation of lasting, sustainable and quality employment and the diversification, growth and competitiveness of existing industries, while mitigating the adverse effects of industrial relocation;

2022/04/29
Committee: REGI

2022/2008(INI)

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Paolo DE CASTRO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE, Camilla LAURETI, Marc TARABELLA, Pina PICIERNO

Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)

Ae. whereas transport infrastructures and connections were identified by citizens as the key needs in rural areas 2a; _________________ 2a Flash Eurobarometer 491 - A long term Vision for EU Rural Areas, April 2021

2022/06/01
Committee: AGRI

Tonino PICULA, Nora MEBAREK, Andrea COZZOLINO, Cristina MAESTRE, Camilla LAURETI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure, asa matter of urgency, proper implementation and enforcement of relevant EU legislation as regards the rights of cross-border and frontier workers, improve their employment, working and health and safety conditions, address the need to revise the existing legislative frame work including Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems in order to strengthen the portability of right and ensure adequate social security coordination, review the role of temporary work agencies, recruiting agencies, other intermediaries and subcontractors with a view to identifying protection gaps in the light of the principle of equal treatment; urges Members States, in the context of the increased teleworking, to guarantee that those teleworking from their country of residence, have access to social security rights, labour rights and tax regimes, and certainty as regards the competent authority for their coverage; Underlines the need for strengthened cooperation between the Member States regarding the exchange of information on workers’ applicable legislation and collection of data on cross-border workers in order to bridge gaps in national practices, gain better access to available information, and create a predictable and accessible internal labour market;

2022/05/05
Committee: REGI

2021/2202(INI)

Tonino PICULA, Nora MEBAREK, Andrea COZZOLINO, Cristina MAESTRE, Camilla LAURETI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

16 b. Believes that digitalisation provides an unprecedented opportunity to facilitate labour mobility while making compliance with applicable EU provisions faster and easier to control; calls on the Commission, in close cooperation with the European Labour Authority, to put forward a legislative proposal for a European social security pass for all mobile workers and non-EU nationals who are covered by EU rules on intra-EU mobility without further delay, which would provide the relevant national authorities and social partners with an instrument ensuring effective identification, traceability, aggregation and portability of social security rights and improving the enforcement of EU rules on labour mobility and social security coordination in the labour market in a fair and effective way in order to ensure a level playing field in the EU;

2022/05/05
Committee: REGI

Access to public services, entrepreneurship and digitalisation

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls for the development of sustainable transport in island countries and regions to be fostered, and for support for the modernisation and greening of port infrastructure while ensuring a socially just transition;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Stresses the need to ensure the territorial continuity of all islands through maritime and air transport and to ensure the safety and suitability of land bridges and road links; calls on the Commission to ensure that the 2021-2023 work programme of the Connecting Europe Facility contributes to the territorial accessibility of islands and the development of sustainable transport;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Stresses, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 ~~crisis~~pandemic, the importance of improving the public health infrastructure on European islands and the access to medicines;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Considers digitalisation a crucial instrument to contribute to overcoming the geographical disadvantage of insularity; welcomes the Commission initiatives on the Digital Decade;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Calls for priority to be afforded to equipping islands with digital technologies,~~Underlines that digital connectivity for islands is an utmost priority in particular ~~so as~~ to enhance the provision of education and training services as well as e-health and other essential government services for citizens and businesses;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Is of the opinion that the uptake of ICT in European islands can also be beneficial to the digitalisation of small and medium enterprises, with positive effects on their business strategy as well as on their operations;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Believes that, especially in small islands, it is difficult for SMEs to easily access all the information referring to the promotion of entrepreneurship, to skills development and EU-funded opportunities; calls for stronger financial support in this regard as well as the provision of enhanced information sessions, advisory services and tailor- made training;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Stresses that the lack of statistical data on islands, including gender- disaggregated data, is hindering the development of targeted policies; calls on the Commission to set up a European Institute for Disadvantaged Territories to collect data at all administrative levels;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Calls on the Commission to take note of the studies already produced by island regions concerning the additional costs associated with insularity, and to establish interdisciplinary analyses covering the demographic, geographical and economic characteristics of island territories so as to ensure that these regions will not suffer from any competitive disadvantage linked to their geographical condition;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Stresses that the Commission should do more to take into account the realities of disadvantaged regions, including islands, also through the introduction of territorial proofing in impact assessments of its proposals, with the aim of assessing how proposed legislation would affect citizens and businesses based in the different regions;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27 b. Supports the partnerships among European islands as an effective way to share best practices, cope with common challenges and implement solutions that are beneficial for citizens and businesses; calls on the European Commission to further facilitate these partnerships;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8

Re-assessment of State aid schemes and measures to reduce the development deficit

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Calls on the Commission to produce an analysis of the volume of state aid granted to undertakings based in island regions; considers it imperative, despite the efforts made by the EU and the Member States, to determine whether and to what extent undertakings located in island territories have benefited from such measures and to re-assess state rules accordingly;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Calls for any future revision of the legislative framework on state aid to be subject to impact assessments based on specific indicators to assess the lagging competitiveness of island region economies, also vis-à-vis the consequences of the Fit for 55 Package on these territories, and to design a specific degressive scheme for island territories when the extraordinary measures provided for under the State Aid Temporary Framework end after 31 December 2021;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2079(INI)

Josianne CUTAJAR, Tonino PICULA, Corina CREȚU, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Calls on the Commission to undertake a dynamic assessment of Article 174 TFEU and to build on that article to create a European strategy for islands, based on this report, that takes into account the specific features of each of the EU’s sea basins; calls on the Commission to carry out a study on the diverse situations of island territories and to consider a strategy for islands with tangible proposals;

2022/01/03
Committee: REGI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 1 (new)

(1) Underlines that problems concerning the German family law system, including the controversial role of the Jugendamt, denounced through petitions by non-German parents, still remain unsolved;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls that the authorities of the Member States must ensure that a child is given the genuine and effective opportunity to express their own views freely during proceedings ~~and~~, that due weight is given to the child’s views in accordance with their age and maturity, and for their views to be taken seriously;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 – point 1 (new)

(1) Stresses the obligation, as provided for in the Brussels IIa Regulation, for national authorities to recognise and enforce judgements delivered in another Member State in child-related cases;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 – point 2 (new)

(2) underlines the importance of providing an adequate support for children before, during and after each hearing;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 – point 3 (new)

(3) calls on EU Member States to ensure that all professionals in contact with children are trained to inform children appropriately and explain all elements of proceeding in a child-friendly manner, which will help children to make informed decisions about their involvement in the judicial proceedings;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 – point 1 (new)

(1) underlines that judicial proceedings have a considerable impact on the lives of minors and the absence of a child-friendly response can result in restrictions or violation of their fundamental rights; stresses that when the national judicial systems lack child- friendly procedures and practices, the most vulnerable children, such as children with disabilities face particular barriers in the enjoyment of their rights;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 – point 2 (new)

(2) Calls on EU Member States to ensure that only trained professionals carry out child hearings and that training on child hearings is mandatory and continuous for professionals;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 – point 3 (new)

(3) stresses that professionals hearing children need to be specifically trained in appropriate questioning techniques, in line with existing guidelines on hearing children, and on the relevant legal basis;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 – point 4 (new)

(4) calls on the Commission and EU Member States to provide sufficient allocation of funds in order to meet children’s needs in all types of judicial proceedings and to make support services available;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 – point 5 (new)

(5) stresses the importance of promoting trainings and coordination among professionals and sharing best practices between the Member States;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point 1 (new)

(1) Points to the long standing work of the Committee on Petitions on the treatment of petitions concerning the role of the Jugendamt; underlines that the Committee on Petitions continuously receives petitions concerning alleged discrimination against the non-German parent;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 – point 1 (new)

(1) Insists on the importance of Member States collecting statistical data on the administrative and judicial proceedings concerning child custody and involving foreign parents;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2060(INI)

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Cristina MAESTRE, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 18 – point 1 (new)

(1) Emphasises the importance of a close cooperation and efficient communication between the different national and local authorities;

2021/12/09
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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 of~~due 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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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~~grant a portal ~~more~~fully accessible ~~to persons with disabilities~~, including by enabling the tabling of petitions in national sign languages;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2019(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Domènec RUIZ DEVESA

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/09/10
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Underlines the need to ensure that inclusion ~~and~~, diversity, equal opportunities and access are at the core of the implementation of Erasmus+, one of the EU’s most successful programmes so far; regrets th~~e different~~at only 17% of the overall numbers of learners reached by the Programme in 2014-2020 were learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities1a; highlights the need to further broaden the definitions and ~~categories~~interpretation of learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities~~1 across Member States and the lack~~2a, adding an additional focus on age; stresses the difficulties in accessing to and monitoring of reliable data onregarding the profiles of the beneficiaries; reached by the Programme; therefore, believes that an instrument should be developed to monitor whether and how participants from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups are being reached by the programme; _________________ 1 ~~Term used in Article 23(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 on Erasmus+.~~ a Inclusion measures within Erasmus+ programme 2014-2020, European Implementation Assessment 2a Erasmus+ Inclusion and Diversity Strategy in the field of Youth, European Commission, 2014

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights that Erasmus+ should support stakeholders’ and programme participants’ internationalisation plans that remove physical, psychological, social, socioeconomic, linguistic and other types of barriers to learning mobility and that offer qualitative support, including reinforced mentor~~ing~~ship, for participants from underrepresented groups and/or with specific needs before, during and after a period abroad;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Draws attention to the under- resourcing and understaffing of Erasmus+ national agencies and ~~national authorities and~~ the insufficient efforts to reduce administrative barriers to mobility ~~and ensure that diversity and inclusion are at the core of the programme;~~; underlines that national agencies have a crucial role in ensuring that projects are as inclusive and diverse as possible; therefore, believes that all national agencies should appoint an inclusion and diversity officer to reach out to learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities and increase their levels of information and awareness about the opportunities in place and how access them as well as to provide them with advice regarding possible difficulties they may experience during their Erasmus+ programme, such as delayed reimbursements2 or any obstacles caused by external and contingency factors such as the COVID-19 crisis3 ; stresses that a supportive approach to beneficiaries with special needs and/or fewer opportunities is key to help removing barriers preventing their full participation to the Programme; _________________ 2 As seen from Petition 2466/13. 3 As seen from Petition 0125/21.

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Believes that Erasmus+ should encourage stakeholders to share their expertise at an institutional level, learn from each other, build administrative capacity ~~and~~in view of fostering inclusion and diversity; welcomes, in this sense, specific efforts to support cooperation between different stakeholders and to develop and implement inclusive policies that seek to integrate children and young people from migrant backgrounds into education; considers, however, that these efforts should be expanded in the field of higher education;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Commission to develop an integrated and coherent approach to inclusion within the different EU programmes for youth and education, including European Solidarity Corps and ESF+; welcomes the Commission’s proposal for the 2022 as European Year of Youth and considers this proposal as an opportunity to develop such integrated approach; calls on the Commission to look closely at the possibility of combining the Erasmus+ and Interrail programmes5 , and thus foster more equality and inclusion; _________________ 5 As called for in Petition 0681/2021.

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Calls on the Commission to develop synergies between the Erasmus+ Programme and relevant policies developed on the international macro- level concerning learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities; highlights that possible complementarities can be sought with the Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO’s priorities and policies;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. CStresses that national policy- making regarding learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities should be further stimulated; calls on the Member States to ~~launch and~~ support Erasmus+ projects to attract participants with disabilities and learners from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to their countries;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to properly address the lack of familiarity with the Erasmus+ programme, information barriers, obstacles to the application process, adequate support services abroad and the challenges relating to the portability of grants faced by persons with disabilities and other participants from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including ethnic groups;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Welcomes, in this regard, the ~~Commission’s approach to promoting~~recent adoption by the Commission of the framework to increase diversity and inclusionveness in the current Erasmus+ programme. as well as in the current European Solidarity Corps; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the future implementation of this framework at national level;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2009(INI)

Massimiliano SMERIGLIO, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Andris AMERIKS, Cristina MAESTRE, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)

12. Underlines that, despite the fact that Erasmus+ 2014-2020 has been evaluated as more coherent, effective and more aligned with emerging needs, there is still a strong need to make the Programme more inclusive, able to reach out to more vulnerable and disadvantaged people and to facilitate the participation of smaller- size organizations;

2021/11/18
Committee: PETI

2021/2007(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses the significant role played by geographical indications (GI) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG) in protecting the reputation of the EU food and drink sector in the single market and international markets~~, despite the fact that they only represent 7 % of total EU food and drink sales~~;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses the significant role played by geographical indications (GI) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG) in enhancing consumer trust in keyparts of the food chain, thereby protecting the reputation of the EU food and drink sector in the single market and international markets~~, despite the fact that they only represent 7 % of total EU food and drink sales;~~.

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

– having regard to the 1995 WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement),

2021/06/24
Committee: JURI

2021/2007(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Recalls that the value of all these products~~Draws attention to the weight of all these products in European GDP and recalls that their value has increased to more than EUR 75 billion, of which over one fifth derives from exports outside the EU; stresses, therefore, the need to protect GI and TSG as intellectual property rights, both within the single market and worldwide through bilateral and multilateral agreements with non-EU countries;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses the importance of ensuring adequate protection of geographical indications (GI) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG) in order to preserve and protect jobs that are directly and indirectly linked to the production and distribution of these products in the European agricultural sector;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that promotion campaigns ~~raise consumer awareness about these products~~make it possible to raise awareness and properly inform consumers about the quality and orgin of these products, thereby guaranteeing legal certainty, making it easy to identify their authenticity and, indirectly, to protect them against usurpation and imitations; cCalls on the Commission to strengthen GI and TSG promotional campaigns in the next revision of the corresponding legislation;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Believes that GIs should be better protected against all practices of commercial misconduct in Union law, including when used as ingredients or in services; highlights the importance to ensure that the reputation of the GIs in question is not weakened by a third party.

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. NRecalls the growth in importance of online sales during the COVID crisis, when agro-tourism was halted, preventing visits to many direct sellers, and notes the still greater potential of the online market for GIs and TSGs, but stresses that it can only be achieved if intellectual rights are better protected~~; calls on the Commission to be at the forefront of online protection by including it in bilateral and multilateral trade agreements~~, mostly online; points out that the protection of GIs should apply to all goods that are sold through means of electronic commerce and that procedures should be made available to GIs producers to prevent the registrations in bad faith of domain names that undermine GIs protection;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. stresses on the necessity of guaranteeing a better protection for GIs and TSGs; calls on the Commission to work at international level, and in particular when negotiating bilateral agreements, to protect the system of GIs as a whole;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Invites the Commission to improve and overall strengthen the IP control system and its enforcement for GIs at EU level and to legally define the concepts of "Agro-Food Fraud and Crime" and "imitation" at EU level, in order to avoid that EU quality production continues to be counterfeited, causing huge economic damage to both EU farmers and economic operators; in this respect, invites the Commission to fully assess the potential of IT tools, such as AI and blockchain;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it essential to protect intellectual property rights to promote research and innovation, in particular with the aim of introducing more resilient agricultural varieties to cope with climate change and achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it essential to protect intellectual property rights to, by promote ing innovation, in particular with the aim of introducing more resilient agricultural varieties to cope with climate change and help to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal;

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Giuseppe FERRANDINO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Clara AGUILERA, Pina PICIERNO, Juozas OLEKAS, Cristina MAESTRE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses that varieties obtained through sustainable biotechnologies, should only be protected under the Community Plant Variety Right and not under the patent law, since these varieties cannot be distinguished from other existing ones.

2021/06/25
Committee: AGRI

2021/2007(INI)

Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Supports the Commission in its initiative to establish EU sui generis protection of geographical indications ~~(GIs)~~ for non- agricultural products, in order to align towith the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), which sets out that geographical indications are those which identify a product as originating in the territory of a Member or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin; and the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications, which includes the possibility to protect GIs for both agricultural and non-agricultural products;

2021/06/24
Committee: JURI

2021/2007(INI)

Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO, Cristina MAESTRE, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Takes note that some Member States have already established national ~~sui generis~~ protection systems for GIs for non- agricultural products, creating fragmentation, and that protection at Union level would bring the necessary legal certainty to all players along with guaranteed prevention of intellectual property rights violations concerning manufactured and artisanal products;

2021/06/24
Committee: JURI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Regrets the lack of a comprehensive EU monitoring framework for methane emissions; calls on the Commission, therefore, to improve the measurement, reporting and verification of methane emissions in the agricultural sector, in which further disaggregation of emission factors and their determination on a scientific basis is required for all EU production systems before progress beyond level 2 approaches can be made;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Notes that although agriculture offers the second-highest overall methane-emission reduction potential of any sector, its methane-emission sources are diffuse and therefore potentially difficult to monitor, report and verify;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights that research and investment in mitigation measures and technologies is of paramount importance and can obtain bigger decreases; considers that there is great potential in adapting diet of and developing feed additives for ruminant and bovine species, which could reduce methane emissions without having negative effects on the livestock sector, which is crucial if we are to maintain population levels in rural areas and ensure that those areas offer a vibrant and thriving living environment;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Looks forward to the work of the International Methane Emissions Observatory in the hope that, with a view to achieving a more dynamic system that more accurately assesses the weight of methane emitted by ruminant livestock, which is clearly less than the other gases that cause global warming, it will revise methane's global warming potential (GWP), a measurement system which statically assesses methane emitted over 100 years and whose results overestimate the impact of short-lived gases like methane;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Stresses that, rather than looking at individual links in isolation, the efficiency and emissions reductions of the livestock production value chain must be considered as a whole;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Member States to promote the establishment of community manure and slurry management centres, for both composting and biogas, and to support the transfer of the energy generated to the electricity grid;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/2006(INI)

Clara AGUILERA, Cristina MAESTRE, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Takes the view that technical mitigation measures will complement other significant advances in the livestock sector in rural areas, in keeping with the EU's farm to fork strategy;

2021/06/01
Committee: AGRI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 2

(2) The Union continues to be concerned with the rise in environmental criminal offences and their effects, which undermine the effectiveness of Union environmental legislation. These offences are moreover increasingly extending beyond the borders of the Member States in which the offences are committed. Such offences pose a threat to the environment and therefore call for an appropriate and effective response. A better cross-border cooperation between Member States and competent authorities, such as Europol and Eurojust, should be established in order to fight environmental crime.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4

(4) The effective investigation, prosecution and adjudication of environmental criminal offences should be improved. The list of environmental criminal offences which were set out in Directive 2008/99/EC should be revised and additional categories of offences based on the most serious breaches of Union environmental law should be added. This is for example the case of illegal logging which is an activity of serious concern that leads to environmental damage, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation, desertification and soil erosion leading to natural disasters, such as landslides, which has led to the destruction or damage of several Natura 2000 sites and primary and old-growth forests and can result in the extinction of protected species and specific habitats for different plant and animal species because those engaged in illegal activities tend to disregard laws that protect valuable forest resources. Provisions on sanctions should be strengthened in order to enhance their deterrent effect as well as the enforcement chain in charge of detecting, investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating environmental criminal offences.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 5 a (new)

(5 a) The establishment of sanctions regarding illegal dumping of inert materials and its consequences on soil, ecosystem and environment is essential in the fight against pollution and polluters. These sanctions would be liable under Article 3, paragraph 1, point e(ii) of this Directive.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 11 a (new)

(11 a) The "One Health" approach recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment and is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely interlinked and inter- dependent.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 12 a (new)

(12 a) Forests are an essential ally in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. They function as carbon sinks, and help to reduce the impacts of climate change, for example by cooling down cities, protecting them from heavy flooding, and reducing drought impact. Especially with regards to offences that create a spiral of severe environmental damages falling within the scope of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, presenting irreversible danger to the balance of whole ecosystems, such as illegal logging, committing forest fires and destruction of wildlife habitats or other offences against forests, should be taken into account as possible aggravating circumstances.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 14

(14) Sanctions for the offences should be effective, dissuasive and proportionate. To this end, minimum levels for the maximum term of imprisonment should be set for natural persons. Accessory sanctions are often seen as being more effective than financial sanctions especially for legal persons. Additional sanctions or measures should be therefore available in criminal proceedings and applicable to the same extent in all the Member States. These should include the obligation to reinstate the environment, exclusion from access to public funding, including tender procedures, grants and concessions and withdrawal of permits and authorisations. This is without prejudice to the discretion of judges or courts in criminal proceedings to impose appropriate sanctions in the individual cases.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 24

(24) Environmental criminal offences harm nature and society. By reporting breaches of Union environmental law, ~~people~~individuals, environmental defenders, associations and NGOs perform a service of public interest and play a key role in identifying, exposing and preventing such breaches, and thus safeguarding the welfare of society. Individuals in contact with an organisation in the context of their work-related activities are often the first to know about threats or harm to the public interest and the environment. Persons who report irregularities are known as whistleblowers. Potential whistleblowers are often discouraged from reporting their concerns or suspicions for fear of retaliation. Such persons should benefit from balanced and effective whistleblowers protection set out under Directive (EU) 2019/1937of the European Parliament and of the Council25 . _________________ 25 Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (OJ L 305/17).

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 30

(30) To ensure an effective, integrated and coherent enforcement system that includes administrative, civil and criminal law measures, Member States should organise internal cooperation and communication between all actors along the administrative and criminal enforcement chains and between punitive and remedial sanctioning actors. Following the applicable rules, Member States should also cooperate through EU agencies, in particular Eurojust and Europol, as well as with EU bodies, including the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), in their respective areas of competence. The mandate of EPPO should be extended to also cover serious environmental crimes with a cross-border dimension. In order to do so, EPPO needs adequate resources and funding. In addition, cooperation with third-countries is essential.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 31

(31) To ensure a coherent approach to combating environmental offences, Member States should adopt, publish and periodically review a national strategy on combating environmental crime, establishing objectives, priorities and corresponding measures and resources needed. The collected data from Member States should be made public.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Recital 32

(32) To effectively tackle the criminal offences referred to in this Directive, it is necessary that competent authorities ~~in the~~with the establishment of specialised coordination bodies in every Member States collect accurate, consistent and comparable data on the scale of and trends in environmental offences and the efforts to combat them and their results. These data should be used for preparing statistics to serve the operational and strategic planning of enforcement activities as well as for providing information to citizens. Member States should collect and report to the Commission relevant statistical data on environmental offences. The Commission should develop a series of tools and processes to facilitate reporting by Member States, including standard formats for the different types of reported data to ensure their relevance, objectivity, and allow comparative analysis between Member States. The Commission should regularly assess and publish the results based on the data transmitted by the Member States.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 5 a (new)

(5 a) "polluter pays principle" means that polluters should bear the costs of their pollution or environmental damage, including the cost of measures taken to prevent, control and remedy pollution, as well as the costs the polluters impose on society.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 5 b (new)

(5 b) "One Health Approach" means an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment including ecosystems are closely interlinked and inter-dependent.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point r a (new)

(r a) the significant harm of the environment in case of public or private investments when severely disrespecting the "do no significant harm" principle within the meaning of Article 17 of the Taxonomy Regulation;

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point r b (new)

(r b) the environmental damage to forests, such as committing forests fires intentionally or illegal logging.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 4 – introductory part

4. Member States shall ensure that their national legislation specifies that the following elements shall be taken into account when assessing whether the activity is likely to cause damage to the quality of air, the quality of soil or the quality of water, ecosystems, habitats or to animals or plants for the purposes of the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of offences referred to in paragraph 1, points (a) to (e), (i), (j), (k) and (p):

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 5 – point d a (new)

(d a) the polluter pays principle.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1

Where an offence referred to in Articles 3 and 4 falls within the jurisdiction of more than one Member State, these Member States shall cooperate to determine which Member State shall conduct criminal proceedings. The matter shall, where appropriate and in accordance with Article 12 of Council Framework Decision 2009/948/JHA59 , be referred to Eurojust. , as well as Europol. _________________ 59 Council Framework Decision 2009/948/JHA of 30 November 2009 on prevention and settlement of conflicts of exercise of jurisdiction in criminal proceedings (OJ L 328, 15.12.2009, p. 42).

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Cristina MAESTRE

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1

1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that protection granted under Directive (EU) 2019/1937, is applicable not only to persons reporting criminal offences but also to civil society organisations referred to in Articles 3 and 4 of this Directive.

2022/09/16
Committee: PETI

2021/0422(COD)

Cristina MAESTRE, Andrea COZZOLINO, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11

2. Member States, in coordination with regions and cities, shall ensure that industrial products that are labelled or claimed to be produced with renewable energy and renewable fuels of non- biological origin shall indicate the percentage of renewable energy used or renewable fuels of non-biological origin used in the raw material acquisition and pre-processing, manufacturing and distribution stage, calculated on the basis of the methodologies laid down in Recommendation 2013/179/EU27 or, alternatively, ISO 14067:2018.; _________________ 27 2013/179/EU: Commission Recommendation of 9 April 2013 on the use of common methods to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organisations, OJ L 124, 4.5.2013, p. 1–210

2022/03/23
Committee: REGI

2021/0218(COD)

Cristina MAESTRE, Andrea COZZOLINO, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Marcos ROS SEMPERE

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 12 – point b

Directive (EU) 2018/2001
Article 23 – paragraph 1a

1a. Member States shall carry out an assessment of their potential of energy from renewable sources and of the use of waste heat and cold in the heating and cooling sector including, where appropriate, an analysis of areas suitable for their deployment at low ecological risk and of the potential for small-scale household projects with the participation of local and regional authorities. The assessment shall set out milestones and measures to ian increase of renewables in heating and cooling and, where appropriate, the use of waste heat and cold through district heating and cooling and small-scale household and SMEs with a view of establishing a long- term national strategy to decarbonise heating and cooling. The assessment shall be in accordance with the energy efficiency first principle and part of the integrated national energy and climate plans referred to in Articles 3 and 14 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999, and shall accompany the comprehensive heating and cooling assessment required by Article 14(1) of Directive 2012/27/EU.;

2022/03/23
Committee: REGI

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point c – point vii

Directive 2003/87/EU
Annex I – table – last row – column 1

“Maritime transport Maritime transport activities of ships covered by Regulation (EU) 2015/757 of the European Parliament and of the Council performing voyages with the purpose of transporting passengers or cargo for commercial purposes. This activity shall not include voyages performed by a shipping company performing voyages with total annual emissions lower than 10 000 tonnes per year.

2022/03/02
Committee: ENVI

- having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights,