Activities of Vicente Miguel GARCÉS RAMÓN related to 2013/2013(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2012 (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2012 PDF (389 KB) DOC (410 KB)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas in 2012 the Committee on Petitions registered 1 984 petitions, mostly referring to the themes of fundamental rights, the environment, and the internal market; whereas there is a cause-and- effect relationship between the worsening of the economic and social crisis in which the EU is mired and the increasing number of petitions from citizens;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, in the field of fundamental rights, the Committee devoted much attention in 2012 to the rights of persons with disabilities, the rights of children, consumer rights, property rights, the rights of free movement without discrimination on any grounds, protecting freedom of expression and privacy, and the right of access to documents and information as well as the rights to freedom of political association and to join a trade union;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, in relation to the protection of the environment, the threat posed by pollution and environmental malpractice can never be overstated, due to the ensuing risks to biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as public health risks, all of which are long-lasting and often life-threatening; whereas due account should be taken of the aims of combating pollution and climate change; whereas in 2012 the Committee devoted much attention to the implementation of legislation on waste and water, as well as to the assessment of the impact of projects and activities on the environment and on public health, such as shale gas extraction projects;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas we must conserve our natural resources with a view to safeguarding the earth’s future; whereas the principle of precaution must be applied in respect of technological innovations such as GMOs and nanotechnology;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas 2013 has been designated the European Year of Citizens, and it is precisely the citizens and residents of the EU, individually or in association with others, who are best placed to both assess the effectiveness of European legislation as it is applied, and to signal possible loopholes which impair the proper implementation of legislation and the full exercise of rights; whereas due account should be taken of the contents of the ‘European Consumer Agenda to boost confidence and growth’;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas, for that reason, the Committee on Petitions devoted a great amount of time and effort in 2012 to discussing the meaning of citizenship, which is closely associated with the freedom of movement in the EU; whereas petitions give evidence that Union citizens still face widespread and tangible obstacles to exercising their cross-border rights, a situation which has a direct and daily impact on the lives and welfare of thousands of households; whereas the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites still cannot be guaranteed;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the petitions process can, and should, remain complementary to other mechanisms of redress available to citizens, such as lodging complaints with the European Commission or the European Ombudsman; whereas SOLVIT, in particular, is an important tool which may be used by EU citizens in order to find speedy solutions to problems caused by the misapplication of internal market law by public authorities; whereas progress must therefore be made in jointly resolving legal cases brought by consumers and their associations; whereas the single web portal ‘Exercise your rights’ contains important information for citizens who wish to lodge complaints on the rightful application of EU law;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas a new instrument for a participatory democracy, the ‘European Citizens’ Initiative’, entered into force on 1 April 2012 and registered a total of sixteen (16) initiatives during the course of the year; whereas the Committee on Petitions will play a primordial role in the organisation of the public hearings for successful initiatives; whereas due account should be taken of European Citizens’ Initiative (2012) 000003: Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity!;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas it remains evident that there is both a lack of clearly structured and widely publicised information and a lack of awareness amongst EU citizens about their rights; whereas these constitute decisive obstacles to exercising active EU citizenship; whereas citizens are as good as powerless in the face of the opaque and/or speculative practices of the financial system;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas European citizens and residents are legitimately entitled to expect that the issues they raise with the Committee on Petitions may find a solution without undue delay within the legal framework of the European Union, and in particular that the Members of the Committee will defend the petitioner’s natural environment, health, freedom of movement, dignity and fundamental rights and freedoms; whereas several petitions have been submitted by victims of the Franco regime and concerning abducted children in Spain;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note that petitions received in 2012 from European Union citizens and residents focused on alleged breaches of EU law in the fields of fundamental rights, the environment, the internal market and property rights, which are directly affected by the deepening economic and social crisis in some EU countries; considers that petitions give evidence that there are still frequent and widespread instances of incomplete transposition or of misapplication of EU law; takes the view therefore that, ultimately, the European Union’s body of law does not fully deliver the expected results;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that fundamental rights remain a key subject of the petitions submitted, notably raising issues related to the rights of persons with disabilities, children’s rights, property rights, the right of free of movement without discrimination on any grounds, the protection of freedom of expression and privacy, freedom of association, and the right of access to documents and informationincluding the rights to freedom of political association and to join a trade union, and the right of access to documents and information, the right to historical memory and the rights of the families of the victims of Nazism, fascism and Francoism to truth, justice and redress, as well as the right of Spain’s abducted children to know the identity of their biological parents; calls on Member States to respect those rights as set out in the Treaty and calls on the European Commission to take the necessary measures to oblige non-compliant Member States to close the gap between national laws and the fundamental rights of EU citizens; invites, furthermore, the Commission to take the necessary steps to implement the ‘European Consumer Agenda to boost confidence and growth’ immediately and correctly;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Observes that the environment remains another key subject of petitions, giving evidence that public authorities repeatedly fail to ensure the preservation of biodiversity, natural resources and ecosystems, and that the highest standards of public health are guaranteed; points, in particular, to the numerous petitions submitted on waste management, on water, and on the assessment of the impact of projects and activities on the environment and on public health; urges the Commission to strengthen the environmental legislative framework, such as shale gas extraction by means of fracking; urges the Commission to strengthen the legislative framework on the environment and combating climate change and, specifically, its correct implementation; regrets that some Member States, despite their efforts, have not been able to find sustainable solutions for problems related to waste management;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Urges the Commission to take action to ensure that the Member States understand that water is a public good; takes the view that the precautionary principle must be stringently applied in respect of the use of biotechnology and nanotechnology in products that could seriously affect the health of consumers;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Urges the Commission to take action to facilitate consumer access to ICT, ensuring that the requisite security and transparency guarantees are in place, and in particular to make sure that the websites of public sector bodies are accessible;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the importance of the creation of the experience gained by the Spanish Coastal Law Working Group, which could pave the way for other such initiatives, and which has been closely studying related petitions and the modification of the law; reiterates the importance of direct contact with the Spanish national authorities in this respectcases such as this and welcomes further cooperation to find a betterwith a view to finding a balance between property rights, its social function and the protection of the environment;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes the view that better governance and more efficient redress mechanisms are directly linked with transparency and access to information; takes the view that action needs to be taken to empower citizens to deal with the opaque and/or speculative practices of the financial system;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes note, in particular, of the important contribution of the SOLVIT network in uncovering and solving issues related to the implementation of internal market legislation; encourages the enhancement of this EU tool by ensuring that Member States provide adequate staffing to the SOLVIT National Centres; adds that collective action is needed to resolve disputes brought by consumers and their associations;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers the organisation of public hearings a useful way of studying issues raised by petitioners in depth; wishes to bring attention, for instance, to the public hearing held on the exploration and exploitation of unconventional energy sources, which took note of the concerns raised in this respect by EU citizens through their petitions; notes that, as long as EU legislation is fully observed, decisions are ultimately the prerogative of the Member States; adds that, similarly, the public hearing on the impact of GMOs in food on public health remains on hold;