31 Amendments of Loránt VINCZE related to 2020/2275(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
— having regard to the Council measure setting up the Revised EU-level Framework required by Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 1
Paragraph 1 – point 1
1. ‘whereas democratic elections to the European Parliament constitute the main bottom-up instrument for citizens in the Union; whereas the ECI contributes to the democratic functioning of the Union; whereas the citizens of the Union have the right enshrined in Article 11(4) TEU to apply to the Commission directly to ask it to submit a proposal, within the framework of its powers, for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties; whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed in its case law that the notion of a ‘legal act for the purpose of implementing the Treaties’ should not be interpreted restrictively and that by virtue of Article 288 TFEU such an act can mean both legislative and non- legislative measures’';
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Committee on Petitions plays a ‘protection role’ to ensure EU compliance with the CRPD within the policymaking and legislative actions at EU level; whereas the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee has been identified to form the EU Framework together with the European Ombudsman, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the European Disability Forum, as adopted by the Council at its 3513th meeting held on 16 January 2017;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 3
Paragraph 3 – point 3
3. ‘whereas, in order to achieve those objectives and achieve the full potential of the ECI, the procedures and conditions required for the ECI should ensure that valid initiatives are considered and responded to appropriately by the Commission; whereas the Commission is legally obliged to state the action it intends to take on a valid ECI, if any, and to state, in a detailed manner, the reasons for taking or not taking action; whereas at least one million signatures from at least a quarter of the Member States are required for an ECI to be valid and to be submitted to the Commission; whereas Regulation (EU) 2020/1042 has made the time limits for the collection, verification and examination stages more flexible in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the introduction of temporary measures; whereas the application of those measures has been extended through Commission implementing acts; whereas this regulation is only temporary in nature and applicable only until the end of 2022, which is also the date by which the individual online collection systems provided for by Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 will be phased out’;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point 4
Paragraph 4 – point 4
4. ‘whereas organising and supporting an ECI is a political right for the citizens of the Union and a unique instrument for setting the priorities for participatory democracy in the EU, allowing the public to play an active role in the projects and processes that concern them; whereas there have been six successful European Citizens' Initiatives to date, most recently the "Minority Safepack" initiative and the "End the Cage Age" initiative; whereas the "Minority Safepack" initiative was the first ECI to have been debated in the European Parliament based on the new Regulation(EU) 2019/788, and was overwhelmingly supported by Parliament in December 2020 with 76% of the votes cast’;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – point 6
Paragraph 6 – point 6
6. ‘Considers it essential that citizens be able to contribute to the exercise of the Union’s competences; considers it key, therefore, that valid ECIs should lead to the initiation of concrete proposals for both legislative and non-legislative acts referred to in Article 288 TFEUalls, therefore, on the Commission to carry out a thorough assessment of the proposals of each valid ECI, and to comply fully with its legal obligation to set out, in a detailed manner, its reasons for taking or not taking action; recalls Parliament’s obligation to assess the measures taken by the Commission in line with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 and Rule 222(9) of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, particularly when the Commission fails to put forward any such proposals or fails to implement them’;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 9
Paragraph 9 – point 9
9. ‘Calls on the Commission to outline the legislative and non-legislative measures which could be introducedHighlights the measures outlined in Regulation (EU) 2019/788 to improve how the citizens of the Union can exercise their right to support an ECI, given the low number of valid ECIs that have ultimately been successful in providing for the initiation of legal acts; calls for an assessment of the implementation of these measures; calls for a thorough assessment of the exercise of this right in the next EU citizenship report’;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to contact the EU institutions and express their views on the legislation adopted and the policy choices made at EU level; recalls that the number of received petitions vis-à-vis the EU population remains modest and that significant differences exist between Member States, regions and languages when it comes to exercising the right to petition; believes that targeted information campaigns and civic education about EU citizenship rights can reach a wider population and bring tangible results in awareness raising about citizens’ rights at EU level;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls that many European citizens are deprived of their right to petition, as their platforms do not comply with accessibility standards and the requirements set out in Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for a Eurobarometer survey to be carried out to gauge how much EU citizens know about the right to petition the European Parliament, with the aim of collecting data to use as a basis for a strong and accessible awareness-raising campaign;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the Petitions Web Portal to be improved to make it more visible for the public, user- friendly, easier to navigate and accessible to all citizens, especially to persons with disabilities; calls for the possibility of co- signing the petitions submitted via the Petitions Web Portal to be streamlined and accelerated;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that recent ECIs have called, inter alia, for the EU to take more action, more quickly, in the fight against climate change and in protecting indigenous national minorities and language communities;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Is of the opinion that the way in which official replies by the Commission to successful citizens' initiatives are formulated may significantly influence how the instrument is evaluated by citizens and that greater effort and more prudent examination is required in the case of each successful initiative to ensure the Commission gives adequate thought to citizens' propositions;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period for the organisation of hearings, and to organise the public hearing and prepare the plenary debate as part of its ECI assessment;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional websiteEU citizens’ website (and application, which is easily accessible for everyone, also taking as example the so-called Citizens’ App of the Parliament) to provide information on all the rights and instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their efforts at communication efforts, which should be accessible and available in as many languages as possible, to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Calls on the Member States to make it mandatoryavailable and highly recommended for pupils in schools to be taught about the EU’s three participatory instruments; points out that civic engagement among young people is vital for the future of all democracies;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, with particular regard to the special needs of persons with disabilities (sign language, Braille); highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, which needs to be strengthened; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Stresses the need to address the shortcomings of the EU petition system, taking into consideration the special needs of persons with disabilities, in order to ensure its full democratic potential and agenda-setting role; calls on the EU institutions to use their resources to increase the attractiveness of this tool and promote citizens’ participation in EU law- making; in this regard, stresses the need for more EU funding to be allocated to the promotion of the participatory mechanisms;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that recent ECIs have called, inter alia, for the EU to take more action, more quickly, in the fight against climate change and in protecting indigenous national minorities and language communities;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Is of the opinion that the way in which official replies by the Commission to successful citizens' initiatives are formulated may significantly influence how the instrument is evaluated by citizens and that greater effort and more prudent examination is required in the case of each successful initiative to ensure the Commission gives adequate thought to citizens' propositions;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period for the organisation of hearings, and to organise the public hearing and prepare the plenary debate as part of its ECI assessment;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional websiteEUcitizens’ website (and application, which is easily accessible for everyone, also taking as example the so-called Citizens’App of the Parliament) to provide information on all the rights and instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their efforts at communication efforts, which should be accessible and available in as many languages as possible, to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Calls on the Member States to make it mandatoryavailable and highly recommended for pupils in schools to be taught about the EU’s three participatory instruments; points out that civic engagement among young people is vital for the future of all democracies;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, with particular regard to the special needs of persons with disabilities (sign language, Braille); highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, which needs to be strengthened; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Stresses the need to address the shortcomings of the EU petition system, taking into consideration the special needs of persons with disabilities, in order to ensure its full democratic potential and agenda-setting role; calls on the EU institutions to use their resources to increase the attractiveness of this tool and promote citizens’ participation in EU law- making; in this regard, stresses the need for more EU funding to be allocated to the promotion of the participatory mechanisms;