The Committee on Petitions adopted the own-initiative report by Nikolaos SALAVRAKOS (EFD, EL) on the EU Citizenship Report 2013. EU citizens: your rights, your future in response to the Commission communication on the same subject.

Firstly, the report recalled that the Lisbon Treaty enhanced the concept of EU citizenship and its derived rights. Given that public confidence in the European Union has fallen and European citizens are living through a difficult period caused by a severe economic and social crisis, Members considered that the 2014 European elections represent an opportunity to strengthen public trust in the political system and strengthen the voice and the role of citizens.

Awareness-raising and education: Members welcomed the Commission’s EU Citizenship Report 2013 announcing twelve new actions in six areas aimed at strengthening EU citizens’ rights. A large majority of the 25 measures announced in the Commission’s EU Citizenship Report 2010 have in the meantime been completed by the Commission and other EU institutions. National, regional and local authorities are urged to promote a better understanding of EU citizenship and to explain its practical benefits for individuals. Member States are also urged to step up their efforts to spread knowledge of the SOLVIT network to citizens and companies.

Member States are encouraged to give more space to political education on EU affairs in their school curricula, to adapt teachers’ training accordingly and, in this respect, to provide the necessary know-how and resources. According to Members, education is essential as a means of enabling individuals to participate fully in democratic, social and cultural life and therefore considers that substantial cuts should not be made in the funds allocated to education.

The importance of the organised civil society is stressed in strengthening an active European citizenship. Members reiterated their call for the establishment of the European Association Statute, as this may facilitate the construction of projects between citizens of different EU Member States within a transnational organisation and highlighted the need to create a structured framework for European civil dialogue which would give practical substance to participatory citizenship.

Proper implementation: the report stressed the vital role played by the Member States in correctly implementing European legislation. However, it stated that progress still remains to be made in this area. A practical toolkit on EU citizens’ rights tailored to local and regional authorities would further improve correct implementation. The report expected that the new petitions web portal, which will be available at the beginning of 2014, will turn the petitioning process into an appealing, transparent and user-friendly instrument, also for people with disabilities.

The Commission is called upon to:

• regularly monitor the way in which the administrative formalities related to entry and residence of EU citizens and their relatives are processed in the Member States;
• play an active role in ensuring that procedures implemented by Member States fully comply with the values and human rights recognised in the EU Treaties;
• closely monitor the situation and take appropriate measures to remove potential obstacles, such as excessive bureaucracy, imposed at the national level in the way of this fundamental freedom.

Member States that disenfranchise their own nationals who choose to live in another Member State for an extended period of time are urged to put an end to this practice and revise their legislation accordingly to provide full citizenship rights during the whole process. They should also take all steps to effectively help and assist citizens who wish to vote or stand as candidates in states other than their own. The need for EU citizens to exercise their right to vote in the national elections of their country of origin from the Member State in which they reside is highlighted.

European political parties and their national affiliates are called upon to organise transparent electoral campaigns ahead of the 2014 European elections and to effectively tackle the problems of falling voter participation rates and the widening gap between citizens and the EU institutions. Members considered the nomination of Europe-wide candidates for the post of Commission President by European political parties as an important step towards building a genuine European public space. They also stressed the importance of informing citizens that they are entitled to vote in municipal and European elections if they live outside their home country.

The EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies are called upon to further improve transparency and make access to documents easy and user-friendly, as this enables citizens to participate more closely in the decision-making process.

The report welcomed the recent adoption of the two main EU programmes to fund activities in the field of EU citizenship from 2014 to 2020: the ‘Rights and Citizenship’ and the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programmes but considered it highly regrettable that the financial envelope for the latter especially, which supports projects on active European citizenship, has been drastically cut by Member States’ governments as compared to the 2007-2013 period.

Lastly, Member States are called upon to:

• better inform EU citizens as to their rights and duties and to facilitate entitlement to these rights being respected equally both in their country of origin and in any other Member State;
• put in place coordination and cooperation measures in order to efficiently tackle the issues of double car registration taxes, tax discrimination and double taxation in a cross-border context and to take better account of the realities of cross-border worker mobility;
• set up as quickly as possible in each Member State a one-stop-shop to coordinate projects with a cross-border impact, for instance those with a social impact such as emergency services, with particular reference to projects that have an environmental impact, such as wind farms, where on occasion no consultation is held with residents on both sides of the border and no impact study is conducted.

The Council adopted the conclusions concerning the 2013 EU Citizenship Report.

The Council noted gaps between the applicable legal rules and the reality confronting citizens in their daily lives, particularly in cross-border situations. Moreover, taking account of the fact that the year 2013 is the European Year of Citizens and that the European elections will be held in 2014, the Council highlighted the importance of raising awareness about their electoral rights in these elections and about the relevance of their participation as voters and as candidates.

Whilst welcoming the EU Citizenship Report 2013, the Council noted with particular interest the proposed measures aiming at:

(1) Removing obstacles for workers, students and trainees in the EU: the Council stressed the need to tackle unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis. It endorsed a comprehensive approach to combat youth unemployment. 

More specifically, the Council:

• stated that it will carefully examine the Commission's forthcoming proposal on a revision of the social security coordination regulation which has the objective of encouraging and facilitating intra-EU mobility;
• shall support the ongoing development by the Commission of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information System (EESSI);
• recalled the establishment of the Alliance for Apprenticeships as well as the invitation to the Commission to finalise the quality framework for traineeships, and to propose the new EURES regulation;
• welcomed measures to improve the coordination of labour mobility in the EU, and to facilitate the exchange of information on job opportunities in the EU, including where applicable on traineeships and apprenticeships. The Council also awaits the Commission's proposal to set quality standards for traineeships.

(2) Removing administrative hurdles: in this area, the Council:  

• welcomed the idea of providing local administrations with tools to fully comprehend and facilitate the free movement rights of EU citizens;
• welcomed the Commission's intention to study measures to remove obstacles in relation to identity and residence documents issued by Member States and strengthen their security;
• insisted on the need to ensure that valid identity cards issued by the Member States to their nationals are recognised throughout the EU;
• reaffirmed the importance of clarity and certainty with a view to identifying and eliminating double taxation.

(3) Eliminating barriers to shopping in the EU: the Council welcomed the adoption of the Directive on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes, the Regulation on online dispute resolution for consumer disputes and the Directive on consumer rights to solve problems faced by consumers when shopping online. It is looking forward to considering the revision of the European Small Claims Procedure.

The Council also highlighted the need to strengthen administrative cooperation measures among market surveillance authorities in order to limit the procedural obstacles remaining in the internal market.

(4) Strengthening procedural rights: the conclusions emphasised the following issues:

• the importance of the presumption of innocence and of the right to legal aid in criminal proceedings, the importance of ensuring these procedural rights to all individuals residing in the EU, regardless of their citizenship status;
• the continuation of the Stockholm Programme and the roadmap aimed at strengthening procedural rights of individuals, when they are suspected or accused in criminal proceedings, taking into account the specific situation of children and other vulnerable groups.

(5) Strengthening and developing the European public space: underlining the importance of the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union as foreseen in Treaties, the Council:

• strongly emphasised the need to raise EU citizens' awareness about their electoral rights under EU law, the impact of EU policies on their daily lives, the role of the European Parliament and hence the importance of their participation in the European elections;
• underlined the importance of safeguarding the right to political participation of the most vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities;
• recalled the importance of better informing voters about the issues at stake in next year's European Parliament elections, to encourage a Europe-wide debate and to bring the EU closer to Union citizens;
• invited the Commission to explore ways within its competences to maintain and further promote the voting rights of EU citizens;

Lastly, the Council called on the Member States to contribute to this joint endeavour and take forward the process of raising awareness of and implementing the rights that come with EU citizenship.