23 Amendments of Ágnes HANKISS related to 2011/2182(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Union citizens – regardless of their disabilities – have, inter alia, the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, the right to vote and to stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament and in municipal elections in their Member State of residence, the right to the provision of consular protection by the diplomatic and consular authorities of another Member State in third countries, and the right to petition the European Parliament, to apply to the European Ombudsman, and to address the EU institutions and advisory bodies in any of the Treaty languages1;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Lisbon Treaty enhanced the concept of EU citizenship and the rights derived therefrom by reinforcing the status and image of the European Union as defender of citizens' rights, by providing legislative means for stimulating active engagement of citizens as well as fostering the new competences of the European Parliament accountable to citizens;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas Parliament adopted a firm position1a in October 2011 regarding the mobility and integration of people with disabilities in which it unequivocally stated that people with disabilities are restricted both in their freedom of movement and the freedom of access to services, products and information. __________________ 1a P7_TA(2011)0453.
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas a large number of petitions revealed problems of fostering common values among others in the field of accessing social security benefits, mainly involving a lack of cooperation on the part of national authorities, incorrect application of the principle of aggregation, failure to provide correct information on the applicable rules or cumbersome administration of cases;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. having regard to the problems linked to the incorrect implementation of Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications (compensatory measures, requests for additional documents, unsubstantiated negative decisions by the host Member State, undue delays in processing applications, systematic imposition of specific language tests), which constitute a significant obstacle to the exercise of citizens' rights across the EU and thereby depriving citizens of benefits of social cohesion;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the EU Citizenship Report 2010, which sets the objective of dismantling the obstacles to EU citizens' rights, and the proposals contained therein; calls on the Commission to ensure that the legislative and non-legislative measures provided for in the report are put forward as soon as possible and approved, so as to ensure that EU citizens' rights become effective and that Member States abolish obstacles toand simultaneously introduce administrative measures facilitating the enjoyment of those rights;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, although the right to petition the European Parliament is expressly provided for in the Treaties, it is not sufficiently well known or used, and therefore calls for citizens to be provided with improved information about the right to petition, in particular through European Parliament offices in the Member States with the aim of sharing best practices;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which will apply from 1 April 2012, constitutes the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy and will give citizens the possibility to become more actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation; calls for the effective implementation of the ECI Regulation, and, in particular, calls on the EU institutions and Member States to take an active role in informing citizens about this new instrument and in ensuring equal and barrier-free access to such instruments;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), which will apply from 1 April 2012, constitutes the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy and will give citizens the possibility to become more actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation; calls for the effective, transparent and accountable implementation of the ECI Regulation, and, in particular, calls on the EU institutions and Member States to take an active role in informing citizens about this new instrument and especially use the "European Year of Citizens" as momentum for awareness-raising;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses that the removal of barriers to the acquisition of citizenship as well as restrictions regarding the loss of citizenship, and a more direct participation of citizens through European political parties and the Citizens' Initiative are decisive steps for achieving 'more' Europe and a more essential democracy;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission, when preparing its annual report on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, to focus not only on the application of the Charter, but also on all EU Treaty articles relating to fundamental rights and on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union; calls on the Commission to include in that report more detailed information on the issues raised with it by citizens, how it dealt with them and what concrete follow- up measures it took to meet the expectations of European citizens for legal certainty;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to ensure that the right of access to documents provided for in Regulation 1049/20011, an important right enjoyed by EU citizens, is guaranteed by improving transparency and making access to documents and information easy and user-friendly, including the provision of barrier-free technologies, so as to enable citizens to participate more closely in the decision- making process;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to ensure that the right of access to documents provided for in Regulation 1049/20017 , an important right enjoyed by EU citizens, is guaranteed by improving transparency and making access to documents and information easy and user-friendly, so asin order to enable citizens to participate more closely in the decision- making process while safeguarding the proper quality and security of decision- making;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. While recognising the right of access to information as one of the cornerstones of democracy, stresses that access to information cannot lead to the violation of other fundamental rights such as the right to security, privacy or data protection; considers that greater access to information on investigations and infringement files could be provided by the Commission without jeopardising the purpose of the investigations and that an overriding public interest might well justify access to these files, particularly in cases where fundamental rights, human health and the protection of the environment against irreversible damage may be at stake; as long as protection of trade secrets and sensitive information related to court cases, competition cases and personnel files are safeguarded; highlights that in time of crisis - when confidence in institutions is jeopardized - access to information is the primary interest of citizens aiming for understanding political and economic deliberations behind decision-making; held by the EU institutions
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to ensure that Member States transpose and implement the FMD correctly, making full use of its power to launch infringement proceedings; calls on Member States to remove existing legal and practical barriers to the free movement of citizens and not to introduce cumbersome, unjustified administrative procedures or to tolerate unacceptable practices restricting the application of that right; calls on the Commission, further, to step up its efforts to raise awareness about citizens’ right to free movement and to assist them in exercising it, in particular when it is denied or limited, or if practices are implemented that result in indirect discrimination;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to pay more attention and respond more precisely to the numerous petitions received on the mutual recognition of civil-status documents – including unhindered access to these documents by people with disabilities – and of their effects1 and therefore highlights the importance of making progress as quickly as possible towards ensuring the mutual recognition of the status of same-sex marriages and same-sex and different-sex recognised partnerships across the EU and overcoming discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or type of relationship (civil partnership or marriage); calls on the Commission, further, to put forward appropriate legislative proposals as a matter of urgency;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Urges that Member States ensure and calls the attention of the Commission to the fact that hearing impaired suspects and defendants, including aggrieved parties in the case of criminal offences, be provided, if they so require, with suitable sign language interpreters in the interest of protecting their rights and preserving their dignity;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Highlights the fact that mass expulsions represent a breach of the FMD, in addition to contravening the basic values and principles underpinning the European Union; recalls that, under the FMD, restrictions on freedom of movement and residence on grounds of public policy or public security can be imposed exclusively on the basis of personal conduct, without any discrimination on grounds such as disabilities or ethnic or national origin, and that lack of economic means cannot be used as the justification for the automatic expulsion of EU citizens (Recital 16, Article 14);
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges Member States to abolish policies that discriminate, either directly or indirectly, against the Roma and other minority groups on the grounds of race and ethnicity, and calls on them to stop all instances of persecution, eviction and expulsion; calls on all Member States and the EU to take joint responsibility for promoting and facilitating the integration of Roma, in keeping with the European Parliament resolution of 9 March 2011 on the EU strategy on Roma inclusion11 and ‘An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020’12 , and to promote and protect their fundamental rights;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Considers that a modernisn updated Qualifications Directive should focus on eliminating obstacles from educational mobility with special attention paid to the youth and simultaneously streamlining the sources of information currently available to professionals and ensure coordination with the ‘Your Europe’ portal ;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recalls the key priority in the Committee on Petitions: to find a solution to the longstanding property concerns in countries such as Spain, Cyprus and Bulgaria; points out that EU citizens, both nationals and non-nationals, have had a number of serious problems with property transactions and bank guarantees and the violation of property rights, which has contributed to a lack of confidence in the cross-border property market and to Europe's economic problems; on the basis of the conclusions reached by a number of property law experts and members of the Committee on Petitions, calls for the EU's consumer-protection and free movement principles to be extended to cover property, and reiterates its call for the right to legitimately acquired property to be fully respected; reiterates the need for addressing other types of property concerns expressed by petitioners, such as historical illegitimate confiscation and restitution of property as an issue to be resolved in several Member States;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that the establishment of tha barrier-free one-stop shop for citizens, ‘Your Europe’, is of great importance for citizens seeking advice or redress; acknowledges that the problem-solving networks set up by the Commission are important partners in the settlement of complaints regarding malfunctions in the internal market; calls on the Commission to promote these online and accessible services more actively by involving the existing EU level assistance and problem solving services;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the Commission's proposal to declare 2013 as the ‘European Year of Citizens’, which would mark 20 years since the introduction of the ‘EU citizenship’ concept and would raise and enhance awareness of the rights attachinged to Union citizenship; calls on the Commission to use this opportunity to strengthen its efforts to protect and promote citizens' rights and thereby reinforce the status and the image of the EU as defender and facilitator of citizens' rights; underlines the importance of tapping the strategic potential of year 2013 for the acceleration of socio-political changes essential for resolving the lack of trust deepened by the economic crises; calls for the insertion of Union citizenship as a priority of the incumbent Presidency of the Council of the European Union;