16 Amendments of Martin EHRENHAUSER related to 2010/0074(COD)
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) It is necessary to establish the minimum number of Member States from which citizens must come. In order toThis threshold should ensure that a citizens' initiative is representative of a Union interest, this number shouldbut the requirements should not be too arduous. It should therefore be set at one thirdsixth of Member States.
Amendment 82 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) In order to ensure coherence and transparency in relation to proposed citizens' initiatives and to avoid a situation in which signatures are collected for a proposal which does not fall within the scope of this Regulation, it should be mandatory to register such initiatives on a website made available by the Commission prior to collecting the necessary statements of support from citizens; p. Proposals that are abusive or devoid of seriousness should not be registered and the Commission should reject the registration of proposals which would be manifestly against the values of the Union. The Commission should deal with registration in accordance with the general principles of good administration. not citizens' initiatives within the meaning of this Regulation should not be registered. Registration is an administrative procedure aimed at selecting those initiatives that fall within the scope of this Regulation; registration should be based only on legal grounds and it should not, on any account, be possible to refuse registration on grounds of political expediency. The Commission should deal with registration in accordance with a clear list of admissibility criteria adopted by the Commission. In the event of registration’s being rejected, any citizen should be able to ascertain swiftly and simply by means of an appropriate Internet site what initiative has been refused and on what grounds. In such a case the organisers of the initiative should be informed of all possible judicial and extrajudicial remedies available to them.
Amendment 97 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) The Commission should examine a citizens' initiative and set out its conclusions and the actions it envisages to take in response to it, within a period of four monthslegal and political conclusions separately within three months; it should also set out all the actions it envisages to take in response to it. In order to demonstrate that a citizens' initiative supported by at least one million Union citizens and its possible follow-up is carefully examined, the Commission should explain in a clear, comprehensible and detailed manner the reasons for its intended action, and should likewise give reasons if it does not envisage taking any action. After registration has successfully been sought and one million signatures have been collected, the Commission and the European Parliament should invariably be required to face up to the demands of the citizens in the form of a right for the initiators to receive a public hearing.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – point 1
Article 2 – point 1
1. "Citizens’ initiative" means an initiative, submitted to the Commission in accordance with the present Regulation, inviting the Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties, which has received the support of at least one million eligible signatories coming from at least one thirdsixth of all Member States;
Amendment 116 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Organisers shall form a citizens' committee of at least five persons who are residents of at least five Member States. The organisers shall designate one representative and one substitute, who shall perform a liaison function between the citizens' committee and the institutions of the European Union throughout the procedure and who shall be mandated to speak and act on behalf of the citizens' committee.
Amendment 125 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 a (new)
Article 3 a (new)
Article 3a Requirement applicable to the Commission The Commission shall draw up a clear list of admissibility criteria, indicating the rules relating to the collection of signatures (on paper and on line) and all the formal criteria for completing the form for a statement of support. The list of eligibility criteria should also make it clear to European citizens on what subjects no citizens’ initiatives may be launched and on what specific grounds an application may be rejected.
Amendment 126 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
1. Prior to initiating the collection of statements of support from signatories for a proposed citizens' initiative, the organisers shall be required to register it with the Commission, providing the information set out in Annex II, in particular on the subject-matter and objectives as well as on the sources of funding and support for the proposed citizens' initiativeof the proposed citizens' initiative. The organisers shall provide on their website, for the register defined in the second subparagraph, regularly updated information on the sources of support and funding for the initiative. This information must also include details of donations exceeding € 1 000. The information concerning support and funding shall be checked by an independent auditor. The costs incurred shall be reimbursed to the initiators pursuant to Article 10(2a).
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
This information shall be provided in one of thor more official languages of the Union, in an online register made available for that purpose by the Commission (hereafter "the register"). Information in an official language other the language(s) in which it was originally provided may be provided subsequently for entry in the register. The translation of the initiative into other official languages of the Union shall be the responsibility of the Commission.
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The Commission shall refuse to register a proposed initiative if the conditions laid down in paragraph 3 are not met. The Commission shall take any measures it considers necessary to assure organisers that its decision on the registration fully respects the letter and the spirit of the Treaties, without prejudice to its subsequent decision on the substance of the matter. Should the Commission refuse to register an initiative, it shall inform the organisers of the reasons for this refusal and ensure that EU citizens have quick and easy access (Internet) to a statement of those reasons and to details of all the legal and non-legal forms of redress available to them.
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1
1. The signatories of a citizens' initiative shall come from at least one thirdsixth of Member States.
Amendment 163 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2
2. In one thirdsixth of Member States, signatories shall comprise at least the minimum number of citizens set out in Annex I.
Amendment 172 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1
Article 10 – paragraph 1
After having obtained the certificates provided for in Article 9(2), and provided that all relevant procedures and conditions set out in this Regulation have been complied with, the organisers may submit the citizens’ initiative to the Commission, accompanied by information regarding any support and funding received for the initiative. The amount of support and funding received from natural persons needed to trigger the requirement to provide information shall be determined by the Commission by means of delegated acts, pursuant to Article 16, and in accordance with the conditions laid down in Articles 17 and 18. The Commission shall be required to provide an adequate explanation for any decision to set different thresholds for different citizens' initiatives.
Amendment 175 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 2 a (new)
The costs incurred by the organiser in complying with the admissibility criteria, including testing by independent auditors, and legal costs incurred in successfully challenging a decision to reject a citizens' initiative shall be reimbursed up to a maximum of EUR 50 000.
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 183 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – point b
b. examine the citizens' initiative and, within 43 months, set out publicly in a communication its final legal and practical conclusions on the initiative, the action it intends to take, if any, and its reasons for doing soor its decision not to take any action, and its reasons for doing so, so that citizens can quickly and easily obtain the relevant information.
Amendment 200 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I
Annex I
Minimum number of signatories per Member State Austria 14257470 Belgium 16509630 Bulgaria 13506840 Cyprus 4500702 Czech republic 16500 9450 Denmark 9754860 Estonia 4501170 Finland 9754770 France 55500 Germany 72000 Greece 16509990 Hungary 1659000 Ireland 9003870 Italy 54750 Latvia 6751980 Lithuania 9002970 Luxembourg 451000 Malta 451000 The Netherlands 195040 Poland 38254290 Portugal 16509540 Romania 24719350 Slovakia 49750 Slovenia 601800 Spain 40500 Sweden 15008280 United Kingdom 54750