Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
2014/2218(INI) Annual report of the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2014
Lead committee dossier: PETI/8/02170
Legal Basis RoP 216-p8
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | PETI | GERINGER DE OEDENBERG Lidia Joanna (S&D) | BECKER Heinz K. (EPP), MARIAS Notis (ECR), ALBIOL GUZMÁN Marina (GUE/NGL), REDA Julia (Verts/ALE), EVI Eleonora (EFD) |
Legal Basis RoP 216-p8
Activites
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2016/01/21
Debate in plenary scheduled
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2015/12/10
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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A8-0361/2015
summary
The Committee on Petitions adopted the own-initiative report by Lidia Joanna GERINGER de OEDENBERG (S&D, PL) on the activities of the Committee on Petitions during 2014. The purpose of the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions aims to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2014 as well as to discuss possible improvements in procedures and in relations with other institutions; In terms of statistics, the report noted that 2 714 petitions were received in 2014, which is almost 6 % down on the figure for 2013 when 2 885 petitions were lodged with Parliament: 790 petitions were considered admissible and followed up; 1070 petitions were considered inadmissible; whereas 817 petitions were admissible and have been closed; 37 petitions had their recommendation challenged. These figures amount to nearly twice as many petitions as were received in 2009. However, the number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens are not yet aware of the right to petition, or of its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters which affect them and about which they are concerned. Furthermore, even though some EU citizens are aware of the petition process, there is still widespread confusion about the EU's field of activity, as is shown by the high number of inadmissible petitions received (39.4 %). Improve institutional coordination: the report stated that better institutional coordination with institutions at EU, national and regional level, and with other bodies, is essential if the issues raised by petitions are to be addressed in a prompt manner. It underlined the growing importance of the Committee on Petitions as a scrutiny committee that should be a point of reference for the transposition and implementation of the European legislation at the administrative level in Member States. Members considered it essential that cooperation with the national parliaments, and their relevant committees, and with the governments of the Member States be strengthened, and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law. They urged the creation well-functioning petition committees in national parliaments, which would increase the effectiveness of the cooperation between the Committee on Petitions and the national parliaments. They called for the EU institutions to take greater account of the work carried out by the European Ombudsman and for additional mechanisms to ensure the direct involvement of citizens in the decision-making processes of the European institutions. The report warned about the persisting backlog in the treatment of petitions, and called for an increase in the human resources available within the Committee's Secretariat. It considered as well that Parliament has a particular obligation to ensure that inadmissible or unfounded petitions are not declared inadmissible, or are not closed, for an unjustifiably long period of time, and emphasised, in this context, the inadmissibility or closure of a petition must be justified vis-à-vis the petitioner. Role of the Commission: stressing the Commission’s significant role in assisting with cases raised by petitioners, the report called on the Commission to: monitor, in a proactive and timely fashion, certain projects reported by petitioners in which EU law has been, or will in the future be, breached through the implementation of official planning; remedy such instances of incorrect transposition of EU law, or of failure to transpose EU law, as have been reported in a large number of petitions and be less hesitant in making use of the initiation of infringement proceedings in this regard; engage fully in the process of petitions, in particular by conducting thorough inquiries of the admissible cases submitted to it, and, ultimately, to provide accurate and updated answers to the petitioners in writing; facilitate access to documents with all relevant information related to EU Pilot procedures, particularly with regard to petitions received; ensure proactive monitoring, and timely preventive action, by the Commission where there is well-founded evidence that certain planned and published projects may breach EU legislation. Wide range of issues: the report stressed the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as: (i) fundamental rights, (ii) human rights, (iii) the rights of persons with disabilities, (iv) the internal market, (v) environmental law, (vi) labour relations, (vii) migration policies, (viii) trade agreements, (ix) public health issues, (x) separation or divorce of parents which raise child welfare issues, (xi) transport, (xii) animal rights and (xiii) discrimination. The Committee on Petitions must specialise its work further by nominating internal rapporteurs on the major policies to which petitioners refer. Members also stressed citizens' concern regarding, and rejection of, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the opaque negotiations in which the Commission is participating, as highlighted in numerous petitions received in 2014. They pointed to the importance of the Commission urgently implementing the recommendations made by the European Ombudsman in this regard. The committee underlined the high number of petitions received that reject the use of hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of gas and oil from the subsoil, and that highlight the harmful environmental, economic and social consequences linked to the use of this technique. Lastly, it felt that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners, and stressed the importance of ensuring that the Committee on Petitions has a fully operational internet portal through which petitioners may effectively register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions and receive information about, as well as automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of, their petitions.
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A8-0361/2015
summary
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2015/12/03
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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2014/12/17
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A8-0361/2015
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 174 |
2014/2218(INI)
2015/11/09
PETI
174 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 6 a (new) – having regard to Rule 215 of its Rules of Procedure,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 c (new) 4c. Call for a timely feedback from the Commission in the shortest possible time frame, ideally within a period no longer than three months since the request is duly received; expects furthermore to receive a proper reply, following an in- depth inquiry; regrets that the answer of the Commission is often excessively bureaucratic and superficial, and disagrees in this sense with an approach exclusively based on formal or procedural grounds; considers that as guardian of the treaties the Commission should also enter into the substance and the ultimate spirit of the relevant EU legislation involved; feels entitled to refer further aspects back to the Commission in regard of certain petitions in case it fails to meet these minimum standards in its response, taking also into account possible further feedback and evidences of inaccuracy provided by the concerned petitioners in this regard;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 d (new) 4d. Stresses the importance of proactive monitoring and timely preventive action by the Commission where there is well- founded evidence that certain planned and published projects may breach EU legislation; is worried by the current trend within the Commission to inhibit inquiries into the substance of many petitions, using exclusively on procedural grounds; disagrees with the recurrent suggestions to close many files relating to petitions without a proper outcome from the examinations, and believes that this is not in line with the spirit of the Commission's ultimate role as guardian of the Treaties; calls for even more scrupulous attention and consequent action, in particular in those cases presented by petitioners which involve possible breaches of EU legislation by the Commission itself, for instance in the field of public access to documents, as guaranteed by the Aarhus Convention;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) (a) Points out the importance of the European Commission responding to all petitions in a detailed and proactive manner and as promptly as possible; calls on the European Commission to ensure that representatives participating in meetings of the Committee on Petitions be of the highest political rank possible;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) (b) Requests that, due to the special nature of this Committee and the significant workload relating to contact with the thousands of citizens and residents who file petitions every year, the human resources available to the Secretariat be increased;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) (a) considers it essential that high-ranking officials of the Commission or the responsible commissioner personally participates in the discussions of the Committee on Petitions in important cases.
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses the need to improve correspondence with citizens in the aim of processing their demands.
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and welcomes the presence of representatives of some Member States at meetings; highlights the need for Council and Commission representatives to be present at Committee meetings and hearings where the content of the issues discussed require the implication of the aforementioned institutions.
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments, their relevant committees, and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and welcomes the presence of representatives of some Member States at meetings;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas although this figure is modest
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the EU Member States to legally standardise the obligation to create petition committees in national parliaments, which would increase the effectiveness of the cooperation between the Committee on Petitions and the national parliaments.
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Considers it essential that cooperation with the other committees be strengthened by asking their opinion on petitions, inviting their members to attend debates in their areas of responsibility, participating more in their work as committee for the opinion on certain reports and for reports on the proper transposition and implementation of EU law in the Member
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Underlines the growing importance of the Committee on Petitions in the European Parliament as a scrutiny committee, which should be a point of reference for the transposition and implementation of the European legislation on the administrative level in the Member states; reiterates the call of the report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2013 (2014/2008 (INI)) for more political debates during the plenary sessions and a more vivid communication on the petitions of European citizens;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. In the future, greater attention will be paid to avoiding the impression that petitions that appear to be important in the context of an election campaign in a Member State are treated with preference, whether that be with regard to the speed of processing or with regard to the opportunities in terms of presentation and awareness afforded by the processing; reminds all the stakeholders within Parliament of their particular responsibility to avoid the impression of this particular type of partiality.
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Regrets that more petitioners cannot directly present their cases to the Committee on Petitions, partly due to a lack of meeting time and human resources in the Secretariat; calls for an improvement in the time periods within which petitioners are informed of the handling of their petitions and their passage before the committee; supports increased use of videoconferencing or any means enabling petitioners to become actively involved in the work of the Committee on Petitions, even if they cannot be physically present;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls for the prompt establishment an informal Petitions Network within the Parliament, with the participation of members representing every committee of the Parliament, in order to ensure a smooth and effective coordination on the work related to petitions, which will improve the exercise of the right to petitions;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) (a) Points out the importance of the other committees of the European Parliament including in their meetings the handling of relevant matters set forth in the petitions relating to their areas of responsibility, and using the relevant petitions received as a source of information for legislative processes;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. deplores the fact that the Charter of Fundamental Rights has not been adopted in all the EU Member States and that many people have found its implementation to be unclear and, to some extent, disappointing; deplores also that the European Convention on Human Rights has not yet been adopted by the EU as such within the meaning of Article 6(2) TEU and that European citizens do not have access to sufficient information concerning the procedures in place in this regard. deplores the strict way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with its stipulation that the provisions of the Charter are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas a proper treatment of petitions throughout the whole process is crucial in order to ensure a perception that the petition right is respected; whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in the improvement and the future wellbeing of our societies and who in principle have faith in the EU as a useful political project to provide answer to their concerns; whereas the experience of these citizens when it comes to this treatment might determine their future opinion on the European project;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Deplores the fact that the Charter of Fundamental Rights has not been adopted in all the EU Member States and that many people have found its implementation to be unclear and, to some extent, disappointing; deplores the strict way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with its stipulation that the provisions of the Charter are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law; recalls that the Commission has often said it is unable to act in the area of
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Points to the
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Points to the work by the Committee on Petitions in connection with petitions on issues relating to disability and notes the Committee’s willingness to continue to support this work in association with the parliamentary committees with responsibility in this field; welcomes the inclusion of the Committee on Petitions in the Framework of bodies established by the EU to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty obligations; calls on the Commission to link the analysis of petitions dealing with disability rights issues to the progress of the CRPD implementation in the EU;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Points to the work by the Committee on Petitions in connection with petitions on issues relating to disability and notes the
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) (a) Stresses citizens' concern regarding and rejection of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the opaque negotiations in which the European Commission is participating, as highlighted in numerous petitions received during 2014; points to the importance of the European Commission urgently implementing the recommendations made by the European Ombudsman in this regard; regrets that the European Commission has ignored the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA, which has received over three million signatures;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 b (new) (b) Points to the opinion issued by this Committee regarding the Recommendations of the European Commission on the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), in which, as highlighted in numerous petitions received, it rejects the arbitration instrument known as ISDS and regrets that the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP was rejected;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Regrets that some Member States have not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and calls on them to sign and ratify it as soon as possible;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 b (new) 8b. Calls for the EU and the Member States to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 c (new) 8c. Calls on the Member States to sign and ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities without further delay;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) (a) Stresses the high number of petitions received which reject the use of hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of gas and oil from the subsoil and highlight the harmful environmental, economic and social consequences linked to use of this technique;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas 1 887 petitions of which 1 070 petitions were inadmissible were closed in 2014, this is almost a 10% rise on the figure for 2013 where 1 723 petitions were closed;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Denounces in particular the practice of 'slicing up' files, which is encountered repeatedly with regards to major infrastructure or drilling projects which form the basis of numerous petitions on environmental issues;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in some Member States and in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non-
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children and forced adoptions within some Member States; notes in this context that in the case of bi- national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non-
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ; stresses that it has been notified of other cases involving other countries: Germany (notably in cases concerning the work of the Child and Youth Welfare Office), France
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) (a) Points out the large number of petitions received which fiercely criticise and warn of the consequences of the EU's migration, trade and external policies with regard to complying with the human rights of migrants; points out the obligation of all EU agencies, bodies and institutions, including FRONTEX, to ensure, at all times, compliance with human rights and with the Charter of Fundamental Rights in their field of activity;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Welcomes the social dialogue ‘European Forum on the Rights of the Child’ annually organised at the Commission’s initiative since 2007, the aim of which consists in supporting children’s rights as part of internal and external EU measures. The participants of this dialogue are: Representatives of the EU Member States, children’s rights representatives, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, Europarat, UNICEF, NGOs.
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B b (new) Bb. whereas 817 petitions were declared admissible and could be closed in 2014, which is almost 7 % raise on the figure for 2013 where 677 were declared admissible and could be closed;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport, the disabled and animal rights; calls for further specialising the work of the Committee on Petitions by nominating internal rapporteurs on the major policies to which petitioners refer;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport, persons with
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, human rights, the internal market, environmental law, labour relations, migration policies, trade agreements, public health issues, child welfare, transport, the disabled
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport, the disabled
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the disabled, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; believes that the ECI is the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; believes that the ECI is the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process; welcomes the accessibility features for disabled persons during the hearings such as the text to speech screen;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; proposes that this initiative be publicised more widely among citizens; believes that the ECI is the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B c (new) Bc. whereas these figures indicate that the revised administrative procedure by the Secretary-General of the European Parliament from 2014, have increased the efficiency of the work of the Committee of Petitions;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Deplores the Commission's reply to the few successful ECIs and regrets there was little follow-up to the only instrument of transnational participatory democracy in the EU;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) (a) Stresses the approval of the Resolution on mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments in Spain (based on petitions received), although regrets that all the issues expressed in the numerous petitions received have not been recognised,
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Welcomes the Commission’s decision to continue in 2014 activities under the banner of the ‘European Year of Citizens’ by focusing more on the European elections (held between 22 and 25 May 2014); welcomes the Commission’s readiness to inform citizens about the tools placed at their disposal so that they could better participate in the EU’s democratic process, as well as its readiness at that point in time to provide EU citizens with information and advice on their rights and the democratic instruments available to defend them; stresses that further efforts should be made in order to raise awareness, given that in many Member States turnout to the European Parliament's elections in 2014 fell short of 50%;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Welcomes the Commission’s decision to continue in 2014 activities under the banner of the ‘European Year of Citizens’ by focusing more on the European elections (held between 22 and 25 May 2014); welcomes the Commission’s readiness to inform citizens about the tools placed at their disposal so that they could
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions of having
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions having launched its Internet portal through which petitioners may register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of their petition; regrets the delays which have meant that it is not currently fully operational, and asks that outstanding work be accelerated;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions having launched its Internet portal through which petitioners may register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions having launched its Internet portal through which petitioners may register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of their petition; highlights that further steps should be taken to enhance the transparency of the petition process;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Calls for a common approach by the European Parliament, the national parliaments and the lower levels of the Member States, with appropriate appeal bodies, in order to make it transparently clear to citizens which level and which instance can by addressed by their petitions, and shall make every effort with his own policies to explain this matter, in the most comprehensive way possible, to citizens who have selected the objectively incorrect level with a petition to the European Parliament, and to provide those citizens with advice regarding where the petition can be effectively filed.
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Calls for an effective assessment of the Petitions Secretariat staff focused on achieving both a qualitative and quantitative adequacy in accordance with the large accumulation of petitions and the ongoing delays in their processing; believes that adequate treatment and consideration of approved petitions, together with the delivery of fair feedback to petitioners, is key in the strengthening of the bonds between European civil society and European institutions.
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas EU citizens are
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Stresses the need to ensure more constructive information for citizens via the Committee on Petitions website by organising training seminars in the Member States.
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Acknowledges the important role of the SOLVIT network, which regularly uncovers and resolves problems linked to the implementation of internal market legislation; urges the Commission to upgrade this tool, allow members of the Committee on Petitions access to all information and keep them informed in cases relating to filed petitions;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16.
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Highlights the need for the Committee on Petitions to step up its collaboration with other EU institutions and bodies, and with the national authorities in the Member States; considers enhanced dialogue and systematic cooperation with Member States, especially with national parliaments’ petitions committees, to be essential; recommends the forming of petitions committees to all parliaments of Member States where these have not yet been formed; considers the visit on 2 December 2014 by the petitions committee of the Scottish Parliament to be an example of said collaboration and that a partnership of this kind will make it possible to share best practices, pool experience gained and bring to fruition an efficacious and systematic procedure for forwarding petitions to the bodies responsible;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has, even though there were none during 2014; c
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has, as foreseen in the rules, even though there were exceptionally none during 2014; calls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in the report on the fact-finding visit on waste collection and the siting of landfills in Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014; calls on the Commission to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste; expects the regular activity of the Petitions committee in terms of fact- finding visits to be resumed as of 2016;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has,
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Calls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in the report on the fact-finding visit on waste collection and the siting of landfills in Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014; calls on the Commission to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on the Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas citizens and the culture of service towards them should always be put at the centre of the work of the Parliament, and much particularly at the committee on Petitions, before any other consideration or efficiency criteria; whereas the current level of human resources available within the petitions unit puts at risk the accomplishment of these fundamental principles;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation,
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example and set an example via the presence of government representatives, where appropriate;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes and encourages the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy, France and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Looks forward to enhance the cooperation with petitions committee in national and regional parliaments of the different Members States where these exist; commits to provide guidance in setting up such committees in the remaining Member States willing to do so;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the right to petition strengthens Parliament’s responsiveness to EU citizens and residents, providing them with an open, democratic and transparent mechanism
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the right to petition may strengthen
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas if fully respected in its essence the right to petition strengthens Parliament’s responsiveness to EU citizens and residents, providing them with an open, democratic and transparent mechanism;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the right of petition is a crucial element of participatory democracy;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D b (new) Db. whereas the right to petition aims, along with the European Ombudsman, at dealing with maladministration on the part of EU institutions or national institutions when implementing EU law;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas petitions provide valuable feedback to legislators and executive bodies both at EU and national level;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas petitions provide valuable feedback to legislators and executive bodies both at EU and national level, particularly on possible loopholes in the implementation of EU legislation;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas, if taken duly into account, petitions may provide valuable feedback to legislators and executive bodies both at EU and national level;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas petitions which have been addressed to the Committee on Petitions have often provided other European Parliament committees with useful input for their legislative work in their field
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas petitions which have been addressed to the Committee on Petitions have often provided other European Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their field;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas ensuring the fundamental right to petition is duly respected is not a single responsibility of the Committee on Petitions but should rather be a shared endeavour of all the committees of the Parliament, as well as the other EU institutions; whereas no petition should be closed while awaiting feedback from other parliamentary committees;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F b (new) Fb. whereas the Committee on Petitions should endeavour to make a greater use of its prerogatives and general or specific committee tools, such as oral questions or short resolutions, so as to give visibility to different issues of concern of European citizens or residents, on the basis of the petitions received, bringing them forward to the plenary of this Parliament;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) – having regard to Rule 217 of its Rules of Procedure,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with and each petitioner has the right to receive a reply within a reasonable period of time; whereas better institutional coordination with institutions at EU, national and regional level is essential to promptly address issues raised by petitions;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition is carefully
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with and each petitioner
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with and each petitioner has the right to receive a reply within a
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas an additional criterion for the admissibility of petitions is whether the petitioner with the petition is directly affected; whereas, for this reason, Members of the European Parliament should refrain from submitting petitions for citizens and should instead make use of other parliamentary means.
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas an efficient and prompt processing of petitions must be guaranteed, including during the transition between legislative terms and the subsequent changes in personnel;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G b (new) Gb. whereas it is primarily in the interest of admissible and well-founded petitions for the work of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament not to be burdened with dealing with inadmissible or unfounded petitions for an unduly long period of time.
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 b (new) – having regard to Rule 218 of its Rules of Procedure.
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G c (new) Gc. whereas there is currently a grey area between the admissibility of a petition and the question of whether it is well-founded, on the one hand, and between keeping a petition open and closing it, on the other hand, not only for the petitioners, but also with regard to what is to be addressed by the European institutions.
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas a petitioner must be duly informed about the grounds for declaring a petition inadmissible;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas petitions are discussed in meetings of the Committee on Petitions and whereas petitioners may take part fully in the discussion and have the right to present their petition along with more detailed information and thus actively contribute to the work of the Committee, providing its members, the Commission and any representatives of the Member States who may be present with additional information; whereas in 2014, 127 petitioners attended and were actively involved in the Committee’s deliberations; whereas this ratio of direct involvement remains relatively low and should be increased, including through the use of remote communication means and through scheduling to enable petitioners to better organise their coming before the committee;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas petitions are discussed in meetings of the Committee on Petitions and whereas petitioners may take part
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas in many occasions following the public debate in the committee meetings the petitions are left open and further follow-up is foreseen and feedback expected, namely additional inquiries by the Commission or parliamentary committees or concrete exchange with the concerned national or regional authorities;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H b (new) Hb. whereas in order to allow a broad range of topics to be discussed and to ensure the quality of each debate more meeting time is needed; whereas political groups coordinators' meetings are crucial in order to ensure a smooth planning and running of the committee, and therefore enough time should be devoted to allow for its democratic decision-making;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the Committee on Petitions bases its activities on written information provided by petitioners and their oral and audiovisual input during meetings, supplemented by expertise from the Commission, the Member States, the Ombudsman or other bodies;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the Committee on Petitions
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I a (new) Ia. whereas petitioners' concerns should be duly addressed in a thorough manner along the petition process; whereas this process may require different stages, including several rounds of feedback by the petitioner and the concerned European institutions and national authorities;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas the criteria established for the admissibility of petitions, pursuant to the Treaty and Parliament’s own Rules of Procedure, state that petitions shall satisfy the formal conditions governing admissibility (Rule 215 of the Rules of Procedure), namely that a petition must concern a matter which comes within the European Union’s fields of activity and directly affect the petitioner, who must be a
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas 2 714 petitions were received in 2014, which is almost 6 % down on the figure for 2013 when 2 885 petitions were lodged with Parliament; whereas 790 petitions were considered admissible and followed up; whereas 1070 petitions were considered inadmissible; whereas 817 petitions were admissible and have been closed; whereas 37 petitions had their Recommendation challenged;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas the criteria established for the admissibility of petitions, pursuant to the Treaty and Parliament’s own Rules of Procedure, state that petitions shall satisfy the formal conditions governing admissibility (Rule 215 of the Rules of Procedure), namely that a petition must concern a matter which comes within the European Union’s fields of activity and directly affect the petitioner, who must be a citizen of the European Union or have a residence there; whereas as a result of this a proportion of petitions received are declared inadmissible because they do not comply with these official criteria (list 3); whereas the members of the Committee introduced a new procedure in December 2014 to meet these formal requirements;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas now a specific way of handling petitions relating to children has been adopted, insofar as any delay in these cases constitutes a particularly serious injury for those involved;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas it is worrying that attempts are occasionally made, through the filing of petitions, to use the work of the Committee on Petitions as an extension of national election campaigns;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas through petitions the EU’s citizens may monitor the drawing up and application of EU law, it being possible for the former
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas a petition is often filed at the same time as a complaint to the Commission which may lead to infringement proceedings being initiated or to an action for failure to act; whereas statistics show (see 23rd Report by the Commission on the application of EU law) that one quarter, even one third of petitions, are linked to infringement procedures or give rise to such procedures; whereas the involvement of the Parliament in these petition procedure grants an extra scrutiny towards the investigative work of the competent EU institutions; whereas no petitions should be closed while being under the investigation of the Commission;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas a petition is often filed at the same time as a complaint to the Commission which may lead to infringement proceedings being initiated or to an action for failure to act; whereas statistics show (see 23rd Report by the Commission on the application of EU law) that one quarter, even one third of petitions and complaints processed in 2014, are linked to infringement procedures or give rise to such procedures;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas the key issues of concern dealt with in petitions relate to environmental legislation (in particular issues concerning water and waste management, and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction), fundamental rights
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas the key issues of concern dealt with in petitions relate to environmental legislation (in particular issues concerning water and waste management, and hydrocarbon prospection), fundamental rights (in particular the rights of the child and of the disabled, especially since up to one quarter of the European electorate declare some degree of impairment or disability), free movement of persons, various forms of discrimination (on ethnic, cultural or language-based grounds in particular), visas, immigration, employment, the application of justice, and many other areas of activity;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas the key issues of concern dealt with in petitions relate to environmental legislation (in particular issues concerning water and waste management, and hydrocarbon prospection), fundamental rights (in particular the rights of the child and of persons with
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas the key issues of concern dealt with in petitions relate to environmental legislation (in particular issues concerning water and waste management,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas 2 714 petitions were received
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions was launched with a year of delay on 19 November 2014 to replace the Europarl site’s previous electronic platform for filing petitions, and was conceived in order to promote the right to petition and enhance citizens' active participation in the life of the EU; whereas this portal
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions was launched on 19 November 2014 to replace the Europarl site’s previous electronic platform for filing petitions; whereas this portal has been designed as an integrated solution covering the specific needs of the petition process and which gives EU citizens wishing to file a petition an Internet tool better suited to their needs; whereas the portal will help improve the service and its visibility for citizens and committee
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas,, although the web portal of the Committee on Petitions was launched on 19 November 2014 to replace the Europarl site’s previous electronic platform for filing petitions, said web portal is not yet fully operational; whereas this portal has been designed
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions was launched on 19 November 2014 to replace the Europarl site’s previous electronic platform for filing petitions; whereas this portal has been designed as an integrated solution covering the specific needs of the petition process and which gives EU citizens wishing to file a petition an Internet tool better suited to their needs; whereas the portal will help improve the service and its visibility for citizens and committee members, and will act as an electronic register (planned in Rule 216(4) of the Rules of Procedure) through which citizens may
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions was launched on 19 November 2014 to replace the Europarl site’s previous electronic platform for filing petitions; whereas this portal has been designed as an integrated solution covering the specific needs of the petition process and which gives EU citizens wishing to file a petition an Internet tool better suited to their needs; whereas the portal will help improve the service and its visibility for citizens and committee members, and will act as an electronic register (planned in Rule 216(4) of the Rules of Procedure) through which citizens may lend or withdraw their support for existing petitions and affix their electronic signature to their own petitions; whereas the new portal has been designed to make the petition procedure more transparent and interactive, and administrative aspects more efficient, in the interest of petitioners, Members and the general public; whereas the web portal should be the tool through which full transparency of the petition process can be achieved; whereas there can be no question but that its launch in November 2014 has helped to promote EU citizenship;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI)
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is an extraordinary and innovative tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, which must be fully respected by European institutions (particularly by the Commission) and whose potential must be exploited fully and further enhanced in order to achieve the best results;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is an extraordinary and innovative tool for participatory democracy in the European Union,
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is an extraordinary and innovative tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, whose potential must be exploited fully and further enhanced in order to achieve the best results
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is an extraordinary and innovative tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, whose potential must be exploited fully and
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas 2 714 petitions were received in 2014, which is almost 6 % down on the figure for 2013 when 2 885 petitions were lodged with Parliament, of which petitions only 29.1 % were admissible and followed up, while 39.4 % were declared inadmissible and 30.1 % were admissible and closed;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the Committee on Petitions continues to maintain an active interest in the implementation of the Regulation on the European Citizens’ Initiative, and is mindful of the many weaknesses and rather cumbersome nature of the existing legal framework; among these weaknesses, the Committee on Petitions regrets that the European Citizens’ Initiative does not allow a statutory text to be abrogated.
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the Committee on Petitions continues to maintain an active interest in the implementation of the Regulation on the European Citizens’ Initiative, and is mindful of the many weaknesses and rather cumbersome nature of the existing legal framework and required mechanisms to launch and follow-up on an ECI, particularly in terms of the actual collection of signatures;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas the Committee on Petitions continues to maintain an active interest in the implementation of the Regulation on the European Citizens’ Initiative, and is mindful of the
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Recital R R. whereas the public hearings organised for successful initiatives have been a success, and the involvement and participation of the Committee on Petitions as the committee associated in ECI hearings has been greatly appreciated by the members and by civil society; whereas the Committee on Petitions supports this process and places its long experience of working with citizens at the service of this objective; whereas a concrete follow-up, with concrete proposals, would be expected from the Commission for any successful ECIs;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Recital R R. whereas the public hearings organised for
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S S. whereas it should be noted that owing to the workload of the Committee on Petition, no fact-finding visits took place for petitions for which an inquiry was ongoing during 2014,
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S S. whereas it should be noted that owing to the workload of the Committee on Petition and the need to increase human resources at the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions, no fact-finding visits took place for petitions for which an inquiry was ongoing during 2014
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S S. whereas it should be noted that owing to the workload of the Committee on Petition, no fact-finding visits took place for petitions for which an inquiry was ongoing during 2014,
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S a (new) Sa. whereas the normal amount of fact- finding visits should be resumed in 2016, since they are specific prerogative of the committee and a fundamental part of its work, when it comes to interacting with citizens and also authorities in the concerned Member States; whereas members of these delegations take part in all its related activities, including reporting, on an equal footing;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Recital T T. whereas the Committee on Petitions has responsibilities in relation to the Office of the European Ombudsman, which is responsible for investigating complaints from EU citizens about possible maladministration within the EU institutions and bodies, and about which the Committee also produces an Annual Report based upon the European Ombudsman’s own Annual Report; whereas in 2014, the Committee played an active and direct role in the organisation of the election of the European Ombudsman under Rule 204 of the Rules of Procedure; whereas the re-election of Ms Emily O’Reilly in December 2014 for a five-year term of office passed off in an efficient and transparent manner; whereas the levels of transparency concerning the disclosure of the signatures of members supporting the nomination of candidates should be brought back to the higher standards of the past;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions aims at analysing petitions received in 2014 as well as discussing possible improvements of procedure and relations with other institutions;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Recital U U. whereas the Committee on Petitions is a member of the European Network of Ombudsmen, to which, where they exist, petitions committees from the national parliaments also belong, and whereas
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Stresses the fundamental role played by the Committee on Petitions in defending and promoting the rights of EU citizens and residents, ensuring that the concerns of petitioners are better recognised and their legitimate grievances are resolved wherever possible
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Stresses the
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Stresses the fundamental role played by the Committee on Petitions in defending and promoting the rights of EU citizens and residents, ensuring that the concerns of petitioners are better recognised and their legitimate grievances are resolved wherever possible and within a reasonable timeframe; reiterates that better institutional coordination with institutions at EU, national and regional level as well as other bodies is essential to promptly address issues raised by petitions;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Stresses the fundamental role played by the Committee on Petitions in defending and promoting the rights of EU citizens and residents, ensuring that the concerns of petitioners are better recognised and their legitimate grievances, infringements of human rights, the free movement of persons and environmental law are resolved wherever possible and within a reasonable timeframe
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Stresses the fundamental role to be played by the Committee on Petitions in defending and promoting the rights of EU citizens and residents, ensuring that the concerns of petitioners are better recognised and their legitimate grievances are resolved wherever possible and within a reasonable timeframe;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Stresses that the Committee on Petitions, as the contact point for citizens, the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative together may constitute a set of basic tools for
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Stresses that the Committee on Petitions, as the contact point for citizens, the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative together constitute a set of basic tools for democracy in the European Union and that appropriate access to and service for them has to be ensured along with their smooth running; underlines the responsibility that these have in promoting European citizenship and strengthening the visibility and credibility of the EU institutions;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. stresses that the Committee on Petitions, as the contact point for citizens, the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative together constitute a set of basic tools for democracy in the European Union and that appropriate access to them has to be ensured along with their smooth running; calls for the EU institutions to take greater account of the work carried out by the European Ombudsman.
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Stresses that the Committee on Petitions, as the contact point for citizens, the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative together constitute a set of basic tools for participatory democracy in the European Union and that transparent and appropriate access to them has to be ensured along with their smooth running;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Α a (new) Αa. whereas the number of petitions has increased due to the serious economic and social crisis in Europe;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Stresses that cooperation with national, regional and local authorities on matters linked to the application of EU law plays a vital role in reconnecting with EU citizens and reinforcing the democratic legitimacy and accountability of the European Union’s decision-making process; notes that cooperation is enhanced by proactive exchange of information, at all institutional levels and that this is key to address issues raised by petitioners; regrets that in certain cases national, regional and local authorities do not react at the Committee on Petitions' requests;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Stresses that increased cooperation with national, regional and local authorities on matters linked to the application of EU law
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Warns about the persisting backlog in the treatment of petitions, due to the constraint in the human resources available within the committee's secretariat, which has a clear impact on the time span in the treatment of petitions, particularly in what regards the determination of their admissibility; consider that such delays are not acceptable if aiming to a service excellence, and that they not only undermine the effective right to petition, but also harms the credibility of the European institutions at the eyes of the concerned citizens; exhorts the responsible political and administrative instances of the Parliament, in cooperation with the committee on Budget, to find an appropriate solution to ensure that the work of the committee on Petitions can live up to the spirit of the treaties;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Also considers it a particular obligation to ensure that inadmissible or unfounded petitions are not declared inadmissible or are not closed for an unjustifiably long period of time; emphasises in this context the requirement that the inadmissibility or closure of petitions on account of being unfounded must be carefully justified vis-à-vis the petitioners.
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Calls on the Committee on Petitions and, if necessary, the Parliament committees responsible for amending the Rules of Procedure to more clearly structure the distinction between admissibility and whether a petition is well-founded and between keeping a petition open or closing it, and also to make this structure apparent to potential petitioners.
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Stresses the Commission’s significant role in assisting with cases raised by petitioners, and calls on it to monitor proactively certain projects reported by petitioners in which there is well-founded evidence that EU law may be breached; calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to remedy those cases of incorrect transposition of EU law or of failure to transpose EU law reported in a large number of petitions filed with Parliament; also calls on the Commission to be less hesitant to make use of the initiation of infringement proceedings in this regard; emphasises that the impression that greater account is taken of larger Member States when infringement proceedings are initiated must be counteracted; calls on the Commission to keep the Committee on Petitions informed of developments in infringement proceedings directly linked to any one
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Stresses the Commission’s significant role in assisting with cases raised by petitioners, and calls on it to monitor proactively and timely certain projects reported by petitioners in which there is well-founded evidence that EU law
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Stresses the Commission’s significant role in assisting with cases raised by petitioners, and calls on it to monitor proactively certain projects reported by petitioners in which
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the Commission to fully engage in the process of petitions, namely conducting thorough inquiries on the admissible cases derived to its instances, and ultimately to provide accurate and updated answers to the petitioners in written; expect these replies to be further developed in the oral debates on these issues in the public Petitions committee meetings; considers that for the purpose of institutional credibility the Commission ought to be represented in such debates by an official with appropriate rank;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Requests that, for the sake of transparency and in the spirit of faithful cooperation between the different EU institutions, the European Commission facilitates access to documents with all the relevant information related to EU Pilot procedures, particularly in cases relating to existing petitions, including the exchanges of questions and answers between the Commission and the concerned Member State, at least when the procedure is concluded;
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