Activities of Nathalie GRIESBECK related to 2011/0217(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
European Year of Citizens (2013) (debate)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1a) The Treaty of Maastricht (1992) introduced the concept of ‘citizenship of the Union’, conferring on every citizen of the Union the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Union, the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at municipal elections and in elections to the European Parliament in the Member State in which he or she resides, protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any Member State, the right to petition the European Parliament and to apply to the European Ombudsman, as well as a series of rights in various fields such as the free movement of goods and services, consumer protection and public health, equal opportunities and equal treatment, access to employment and to social protection. The Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) further strengthened the rights associated with Union citizenship.
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The rights inherent to citizenship of the Union are incorporated in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. According to the Charter's Preamble, the Union ‘is founded on the indivisible and universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity (...) contributes to the preservation and to the development of these common values’ and 'places the individual at the heart of its activities, by establishing athe citizenship of the Union and by creating an area of freedom, security and justice'. Chapter V of the Charter sets down "Citizens' rights", including, in its Article 45, the right of every citizen of the Union to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.
Amendment 66 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Citizenship of the Union is not limited to exercising the right to free movement and residence in another Member State. The Union confers a broad range of rights which all citizens should be able to know and exercise freely. Citizens should be given information on all means of redress should their rights not be respected.
Amendment 72 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) The right to free movement and residence should be upheld in each Member State, without any discrimination of any kind, as laid down by Article 21 in conjunction with Article 45 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) In particular, free movement and workers' mobility help addressing the consequences of demographic change on the labour market, while also increasing the employability of people and improving the competitiveness of European industries. At the same time, free movement either enables, as an essential condition, or stimulates the exercise by citizens of a broad range of rights available to them under Union law, such as their rights as consumers to access goods and services or their rights as passengers and tourists or their rights as a person subject to the law. Facilitating free movement has therefore the potential to enhance citizens' possibilities to fully benefit from the single market, whilst being a key driver for growth.
Amendment 77 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) Despite the fact that the right to free movement and residence is firmly anchored in primary Union law and substantially developed in secondary law, a gap still remains between the applicable legal rules and the reality confronting citizens when they seek to exercise this right in practice. Aside from an uncertainty over the advantages of being mobile, Union citizens perceive too many practical obstacles with regard to living and working elsewhere in the Unionoften encounter difficulties linked to their nationality, social or marital status or citizenship – in spite of the provisions of EU law – suffer discrimination outlawed under Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and perceive too many practical obstacles with regard to living and working elsewhere in the Union. The Member States must eradicate all discrimination and remove all remaining legal and administrative obstacles to the full and unimpeded exercise of EU citizenship.
Amendment 91 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 12a (new)
Recital 12a (new)
(12a.) To facilitate the free exercise of these rights, information centres, with transparent and easily accessible websites, should be set up, particularly in cross- border regions. The European public, particularly citizens in cross-border regions, should also be made aware of the job prospects and work mobility opportunities offered by the European Job Mobility Portal and the EURES network.
Amendment 92 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 12b (new)
Recital 12b (new)
(12b.) All the existing websites set up by the Commission to inform citizens must be simplified to make them more accessible and to facilitate mobility for citizens. The Commission should take steps to ensure that all of these information sources are multilingual in nature.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 14 a (new)
Recital 14 a (new)
(14a.) In this context, efforts should also be made to better inform the public, as citizens subject to trial, of their rights, in connection with the Stockholm programme and the establishment of a European area of justice. They should thereby gain a better understanding of the legal system and how to use it, the right to information in legal proceedings and the right to a legal defence, so as to ensure that they may exercise their rights throughout the Union. They should also be made aware of their rights in the event of cross-border legal disputes, particularly binational divorce.
Amendment 99 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 14 b (new)
Recital 14 b (new)
(14b.) EU citizens should thus be made aware of the European E-justice Portal, which provides information of legal systems and how to use them in all Member States, in the 22 official languages.
Amendment 101 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) AwarenessKnowledge of the electoral rights guaranteed to Union citizens is of primary importance in this respect. Union citizens should be fully aware of their right to vote and stand as candidates in the municipal and European Parliament elections in their Member State of residence. At the same time, political participation can contribute to the integration of Union citizens into the society of their chosen Member States of residence.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 16a (new)
Recital 16a (new)
(16a.) With a view to fostering a sense of belonging to the Union amongst its citizens, and to making them more mobile, it is essential to strengthen initiatives designed to facilitate meetings and exchanges between them and to promote dialogue and mutual understanding, particularly mobility programmes such as the European Lifelong Learning programme, the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme and the ‘Youth on the Move’ initiative, and to raise public awareness of them.
Amendment 108 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) A European Year of Citizens in 2013 will provide a very timely opportunity to raise the awareness of the general public about the rights attached to Union citizenship and thus to contribute to the objective of facilitating the exercise of the right to free movement, facilitating the exercise of the right to free movement, strengthening European cohesion and reinforcing the sense of belonging to the Union.
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 19a (new)
Recital 19a (new)
(19a.) As part of the European Year of Citizens, the Commission and the Member States undertake to improve the quality of information on the Union, particularly that provided via the media, and promote media programmes concerning the Union and EU citizenship and the attendant rights.
Amendment 113 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) The primary responsibility for raising citizens' awareness of their rights as Union citizens rests with Member States, at national, regional and local level; action at Union level complements and supplements national actions in this respect, as highlighted in the political declaration ‘Communicating Europe in Partnership’ signed on 22 October 2008 by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.
Amendment 115 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) Union funding for other activities than those funded under the budget of the European Year may be given through existing Union programmes or the Structural Funds, in particular the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme and the ‘Fundamental Rights and Citizenship’ programme, the ‘Lifelong Learning’ programme, the ‘Youth on the Move’ initiative and the ‘MEDIA’ programme,
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – indent 3
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – indent 3
– to stimulate a debate about the significance, impact and potential benefit of Union citizenship, as well as the impact and potential of the right to free movement, as an inalienable aspect of Union citizenship, in particular in terms of strengthening societal cohesion and mutual understanding between Union citizens and the bond between citizens and the Union.
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 1
– information, education and awareness raising campaigns targeted at the general public and more specific audiences, in collaboration with local, regional and national authorities, non-governmental associations and bodies and civil society organisations;
Amendment 140 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 3
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 3
– conferences, campaigns and events to promote debate and raise awareness of the importance and benefits of the right to free movement and residence and more generally citizens' rights as Union citizens, particularly among young people, by means of youth mobility information campaigns at schools and universities and on the internet;
Amendment 147 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 4 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 4 a (new)
– development and improvement of objective information for the general public, to be circulated widely in the Member States, concerning the Union, the Union institutions and their activities and Union citizenship, for example by a significant increase in contacts with the media at national, local and regional level, in order to establish more direct links between the citizens and institutions of the Union;
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 5
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 5
– significant strengthening of the role and visibility of the multilingualCommission, European Parliament, Europe Direct and Your Europe multilingual web portal as key elements of a 'one-stop-shop' information system on Union citizens' rights, while respecting the principle of multilingualism;
Amendment 150 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 6 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 6 a (new)
– significant consolidation of the role of the EURES network for the free movement of workers in the European Economic Area and updating of its website with a view to simplifying and increasing the utilisation thereof and heightening its visibility;
Amendment 151 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 6 b (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 6 b (new)
– the introduction of a European Day of Citizens to strengthen European cohesion and awareness of belonging to the Union.
Amendment 153 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
The Commission shall cooperate closely with Member States, the national parliaments, the local and regional authorities and bodies and associations which represent local and regional interests, in particular the Committee of Regions.
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 4 a (new)
Article 4 a (new)
Article 4a Budget The financial envelope for the activities to take place during the 2013 European Year of Citizens shall be EUR 5 million.