BETA


2016/2146(INI) Annual report of the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead PETI CSÁKY Pál (icon: PPE PPE), GERINGER DE OEDENBERG Lidia Joanna (icon: S&D S&D), MARIAS Notis (icon: ECR ECR), WIKSTRÖM Cecilia (icon: ALDE ALDE), TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), EVI Eleonora (icon: EFDD EFDD)
Committee Opinion EMPL
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2017/07/04
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2016/12/15
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2016/12/15
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2016/12/15
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 441 votes to 97 with 8 abstentions a resolution on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015.

It began by recalling that the purpose of the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2015 and of relations with other institutions.

In terms of statistics, Parliament noted that 1 431 petitions were received in 2015, 47% down on the figure for 2014; 943 petitions were considered admissible, of which 424 were quickly examined and concluded after duly informing petitioners on their respective issues of concern. 519 petitions remain open for discussion in the Committee on Petitions. 483 petitions (around 34%) were declared inadmissible, with Members noting that there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by this high number. The number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens and residents are unfortunately 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 Member States to matters which affect and concern them, and come within the Union’s field of activity.

With regard to main areas of policy , the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental protection, breaches of consumer rights, the application of justice (in particular, custody rights regarding minors), fundamental rights, free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment and animal welfare. Parliament noted the following:

Mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments: Members drew attention to Parliament’s resolution of 8 October 2015 on this issue in Spain, in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation and combating banking abuses. Members called on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts, and to share best practice in order to improve protection of citizens in financial difficulties. Persons with disabilities : in January 2015 two Members were appointed as representative members of the Committee on Petitions in the structures of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) and they took part in the analysis of the preliminary report of the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva in August 2015. Parliament stressed that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UNCRPD into the petition treatment process.

Environmental protection : Parliament considered that in its role as guardian of the treaties, particularly when it comes to environmental matters, the Commission should go beyond a mere formal examination of procedural compliance and focus more on the actual content of the core issue. Members urged the Commission to adopt an approach that allows it to make use of its powers and prerogatives on an ex-ante basis, with respect to preventing irreversible damage to ecologically sensitive areas.

Work of the Committee on Petitions : Parliament stated that confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of austerity measures, the inability to resolve the financial crisis in a way that guarantees all citizens a free and dignified life, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe. The Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of strengthening constructive dialogue with EU citizens and residents on European issues.

Members believed that petitions could help to better assess the impact that EU legislation has on people’s daily lives by acting as a bridge between citizens and the institutions . Since the committee aims to engage in a trustworthy and fruitful dialogue with citizens, it should help to promote participatory democracy and provide an adequate response to petitions, in terms of both the timing and the quality of the answer. Members stressed that petitions are also important for the legislative process, as they detect existing loopholes and deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation. They applauded the intention to establish an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every Parliament committee.

Work of the Commission : Parliament welcomed the fact that the Commission is committed to the petition process and that it responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament. It recalled, however, that on many occasions the Commission does not provide any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context. Members regretted the occasions when the Commission focuses essentially on procedural aspects and does not enter into the substance of the issue.

They added that, where required, the Commission should provide Parliament with a synthesis of the individual cases related to EU Pilot procedures, and reiterated that Committee on Petitions must be informed by the Commission of developments in infringement proceedings directly linked to petitions.

Cooperation with national parliaments: Parliament considered it essential to improve cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments. It repeated its call for a structured dialogue to be launched with Member States in the form of regular meetings with the relevant national parliament committees.

Charter of Fundamental Rights : Members deplored the strict and restrictive way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law. They recalled that, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for and are often unmet, and urged a broader interpretation of the scope of application of the Charter, and for the pertinence of this article to be ultimately reassessed in future revisions of the Charter and the treaties.

Lastly, the resolution noted that the web portal of the Committee on Petitions, which began to operate in late 2014, is up and running, but not yet finalised.

Documents
2016/12/15
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2016/12/02
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Petitions adopted the own-initiative report by Ángela VALLINA (GUE/NGL, ES) on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015.

It began by recalling that the purpose of the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2015 and of relations with other institutions.

In terms of statistics , the report noted that 1 431 petitions were received in 2015, 47% down on the figure for 2014; 943 petitions were considered admissible, of which 424 were quickly examined and concluded after duly informing petitioners on their respective issues of concern. 519 petitions remain open for discussion in the Committee on Petitions. 483 petitions (around 34%) were declared inadmissible, with Members noting that there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by this high number.

With regard to main areas of policy , the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental protection, breaches of consumer rights, the application of justice (in particular, custody rights regarding minors), fundamental rights, free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment and animal welfare. The committee noted the following:

Mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments : Members drew attention to Parliament’s resolution of 8 October 2015 on this issue in Spain, in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation and combating banking abuses. Members called on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts, and to share best practice in order to improve protection of citizens in financial difficulties. Persons with disabilities : in January 2015 two Members were appointed as representative members of the Committee on Petitions in the structures of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) and they took part in the analysis of the preliminary report of the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva in August 2015. The report stressed that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UNCRPD into the petition treatment process.

Work of the Committee on Petitions : the report stated that confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of austerity measures, the inability to resolve the financial crisis in a way that guarantees all citizens a free and dignified life, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe. The Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of strengthening constructive dialogue with EU citizens and residents on European issues.

Members believed that petitions could help to better assess the impact that EU legislation has on people’s daily lives by acting as a bridge between citizens and the institutions . Since the committee aims to engage in a trustworthy and fruitful dialogue with citizens, it should help to promote participatory democracy and provide an adequate response to petitions, in terms of both the timing and the quality of the answer. Members stressed that petitions are also important for the legislative process, as they detect existing loopholes and deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation. They applauded the intention to establish an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every Parliament committee.

Cooperation with national parliaments : the report considered it essential to improve cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments. Members repeated their call for a structured dialogue to be launched with Member States in the form of regular meetings with the relevant national parliament committees.

Charter of Fundamental Rights : Members deplored the strict and restrictive way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law. They recalled that, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for and are often unmet, and the Commission was asked to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations.

Documents
2016/11/29
   EP - Vote in committee
2016/11/11
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2016/10/24
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2016/10/04
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2016/09/15
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

A8-0366/2016 - Ángela Vallina - Am 15 #

2016/12/15 Outcome: +: 297, -: 218, 0: 58
IT GB SE DE PT AT PL ES DK FI BE RO SK MT EL CZ NL CY FR IE LU HR LV BG SI EE LT HU
Total
57
47
16
74
15
18
40
37
12
10
19
25
11
5
10
18
24
2
56
9
4
10
6
15
7
5
8
12
icon: S&D S&D
155

Finland S&D

1
3

Malta S&D

3

Netherlands S&D

3

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Croatia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1
3

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

1

Hungary S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
39

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

France Verts/ALE

4

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Hungary Verts/ALE

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
37

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

3

Cyprus GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

3
icon: ECR ECR
52

Italy ECR

1

Finland ECR

1

Romania ECR

For (1)

1

Greece ECR

For (1)

1

Czechia ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

2

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
32

Sweden EFDD

2

Poland EFDD

1

France EFDD

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1
icon: ENF ENF
32

United Kingdom ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Poland ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
13

Italy NI

For (1)

1

United Kingdom NI

Abstain (2)

2

Germany NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Poland NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

Abstain (1)

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
57

Sweden ALDE

Against (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

Against (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

3

Romania ALDE

3

Czechia ALDE

3

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

2

Slovenia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

3
icon: PPE PPE
155

Sweden PPE

Against (1)

3

Portugal PPE

3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Malta PPE

2

Greece PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2
5

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania PPE

2

A8-0366/2016 - Ángela Vallina - Résolution #

2016/12/15 Outcome: +: 441, -: 97, 0: 8
DE IT ES RO FR SE PT CZ NL HU BG FI BE IE HR AT DK SK LT SI LU EE MT LV CY GB PL EL
Total
71
49
32
24
56
17
16
19
24
13
14
11
19
9
11
17
12
11
8
6
5
5
5
5
1
45
33
7
icon: PPE PPE
150

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

2

Cyprus PPE

1

Greece PPE

1
icon: S&D S&D
138

Netherlands S&D

3

Hungary S&D

For (1)

1
3

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Croatia S&D

2
3

Lithuania S&D

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Latvia S&D

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
58

Romania ALDE

3

Sweden ALDE

2

Portugal ALDE

1

Bulgaria ALDE

3

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Croatia ALDE

2

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
40

France Verts/ALE

4

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
35

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

3

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
31

France EFDD

1

Sweden EFDD

2

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1
icon: NI NI
13

Germany NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

France NI

2

Hungary NI

2

United Kingdom NI

Against (2)

2

Poland NI

Against (1)

1
icon: ENF ENF
32

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

4

Belgium ENF

Against (1)

1

United Kingdom ENF

Against (1)

1

Poland ENF

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
48
3

Italy ECR

Against (1)

1

Romania ECR

For (1)

1

Czechia ECR

2

Netherlands ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

2

Finland ECR

1

Croatia ECR

Against (1)

1

Denmark ECR

3

Slovakia ECR

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

3

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Greece ECR

Against (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
211 2016/2146(INI)
2016/10/24 PETI 206 amendments...
source: 592.203
2016/11/11 PETI 5 amendments...
source: 594.018

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

committees/0/rapporteur
  • name: VALLINA Ángela date: 2016-06-02T00:00:00 group: European United Left - Nordic Green Left abbr: GUE/NGL
docs/0/docs/0/url
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  • date: 2016-11-29T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs committee: EMPL body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: CSÁKY Pál group: S&D name: GERINGER DE OEDENBERG Lidia Joanna group: ECR name: MARIAS Notis group: ALDE name: WIKSTRÖM Cecilia group: Verts/ALE name: TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria group: EFD name: EVI Eleonora responsible: True committee: PETI date: 2016-06-02T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: VALLINA Ángela
  • date: 2016-12-02T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2016-0366&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A8-0366/2016 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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commission
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  • date: 2016-10-04T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE585.817 title: PE585.817 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2016-10-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE592.203 title: PE592.203 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2016-11-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE594.018 title: PE594.018 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2017-07-04T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=27961&j=0&l=en title: SP(2017)243 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2016-09-15T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2016-11-29T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2016-12-02T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2016-0366&language=EN title: A8-0366/2016 summary: The Committee on Petitions adopted the own-initiative report by Ángela VALLINA (GUE/NGL, ES) on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015. It began by recalling that the purpose of the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2015 and of relations with other institutions. In terms of statistics , the report noted that 1 431 petitions were received in 2015, 47% down on the figure for 2014; 943 petitions were considered admissible, of which 424 were quickly examined and concluded after duly informing petitioners on their respective issues of concern. 519 petitions remain open for discussion in the Committee on Petitions. 483 petitions (around 34%) were declared inadmissible, with Members noting that there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by this high number. With regard to main areas of policy , the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental protection, breaches of consumer rights, the application of justice (in particular, custody rights regarding minors), fundamental rights, free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment and animal welfare. The committee noted the following: Mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments : Members drew attention to Parliament’s resolution of 8 October 2015 on this issue in Spain, in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation and combating banking abuses. Members called on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts, and to share best practice in order to improve protection of citizens in financial difficulties. Persons with disabilities : in January 2015 two Members were appointed as representative members of the Committee on Petitions in the structures of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) and they took part in the analysis of the preliminary report of the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva in August 2015. The report stressed that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UNCRPD into the petition treatment process. Work of the Committee on Petitions : the report stated that confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of austerity measures, the inability to resolve the financial crisis in a way that guarantees all citizens a free and dignified life, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe. The Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of strengthening constructive dialogue with EU citizens and residents on European issues. Members believed that petitions could help to better assess the impact that EU legislation has on people’s daily lives by acting as a bridge between citizens and the institutions . Since the committee aims to engage in a trustworthy and fruitful dialogue with citizens, it should help to promote participatory democracy and provide an adequate response to petitions, in terms of both the timing and the quality of the answer. Members stressed that petitions are also important for the legislative process, as they detect existing loopholes and deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation. They applauded the intention to establish an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every Parliament committee. Cooperation with national parliaments : the report considered it essential to improve cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments. Members repeated their call for a structured dialogue to be launched with Member States in the form of regular meetings with the relevant national parliament committees. Charter of Fundamental Rights : Members deplored the strict and restrictive way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law. They recalled that, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for and are often unmet, and the Commission was asked to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations.
  • date: 2016-12-15T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=27961&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2016-12-15T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20161215&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2016-12-15T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2016-0512 title: T8-0512/2016 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 441 votes to 97 with 8 abstentions a resolution on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015. It began by recalling that the purpose of the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2015 and of relations with other institutions. In terms of statistics, Parliament noted that 1 431 petitions were received in 2015, 47% down on the figure for 2014; 943 petitions were considered admissible, of which 424 were quickly examined and concluded after duly informing petitioners on their respective issues of concern. 519 petitions remain open for discussion in the Committee on Petitions. 483 petitions (around 34%) were declared inadmissible, with Members noting that there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by this high number. The number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens and residents are unfortunately 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 Member States to matters which affect and concern them, and come within the Union’s field of activity. With regard to main areas of policy , the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental protection, breaches of consumer rights, the application of justice (in particular, custody rights regarding minors), fundamental rights, free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment and animal welfare. Parliament noted the following: Mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments: Members drew attention to Parliament’s resolution of 8 October 2015 on this issue in Spain, in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation and combating banking abuses. Members called on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts, and to share best practice in order to improve protection of citizens in financial difficulties. Persons with disabilities : in January 2015 two Members were appointed as representative members of the Committee on Petitions in the structures of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) and they took part in the analysis of the preliminary report of the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva in August 2015. Parliament stressed that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UNCRPD into the petition treatment process. Environmental protection : Parliament considered that in its role as guardian of the treaties, particularly when it comes to environmental matters, the Commission should go beyond a mere formal examination of procedural compliance and focus more on the actual content of the core issue. Members urged the Commission to adopt an approach that allows it to make use of its powers and prerogatives on an ex-ante basis, with respect to preventing irreversible damage to ecologically sensitive areas. Work of the Committee on Petitions : Parliament stated that confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of austerity measures, the inability to resolve the financial crisis in a way that guarantees all citizens a free and dignified life, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe. The Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of strengthening constructive dialogue with EU citizens and residents on European issues. Members believed that petitions could help to better assess the impact that EU legislation has on people’s daily lives by acting as a bridge between citizens and the institutions . Since the committee aims to engage in a trustworthy and fruitful dialogue with citizens, it should help to promote participatory democracy and provide an adequate response to petitions, in terms of both the timing and the quality of the answer. Members stressed that petitions are also important for the legislative process, as they detect existing loopholes and deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation. They applauded the intention to establish an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every Parliament committee. Work of the Commission : Parliament welcomed the fact that the Commission is committed to the petition process and that it responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament. It recalled, however, that on many occasions the Commission does not provide any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context. Members regretted the occasions when the Commission focuses essentially on procedural aspects and does not enter into the substance of the issue. They added that, where required, the Commission should provide Parliament with a synthesis of the individual cases related to EU Pilot procedures, and reiterated that Committee on Petitions must be informed by the Commission of developments in infringement proceedings directly linked to petitions. Cooperation with national parliaments: Parliament considered it essential to improve cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments. It repeated its call for a structured dialogue to be launched with Member States in the form of regular meetings with the relevant national parliament committees. Charter of Fundamental Rights : Members deplored the strict and restrictive way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law. They recalled that, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for and are often unmet, and urged a broader interpretation of the scope of application of the Charter, and for the pertinence of this article to be ultimately reassessed in future revisions of the Charter and the treaties. Lastly, the resolution noted that the web portal of the Committee on Petitions, which began to operate in late 2014, is up and running, but not yet finalised.
  • date: 2016-12-15T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
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  • The Committee on Petitions adopted the own-initiative report by Ángela VALLINA (GUE/NGL, ES) on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015.

    It began by recalling that the purpose of the annual report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2015 and of relations with other institutions.

    In terms of statistics, the report noted that 1 431 petitions were received in 2015, 47% down on the figure for 2014; 943 petitions were considered admissible, of which 424 were quickly examined and concluded after duly informing petitioners on their respective issues of concern. 519 petitions remain open for discussion in the Committee on Petitions. 483 petitions (around 34%) were declared inadmissible, with Members noting that there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by this high number.

    With regard to main areas of policy, the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental protection, breaches of consumer rights, the application of justice (in particular, custody rights regarding minors), fundamental rights, free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment and animal welfare. The committee noted the following:

    • Mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments: Members drew attention to Parliament’s resolution of 8 October 2015 on this issue in Spain, in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation and combating banking abuses. Members called on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts, and to share best practice in order to improve protection of citizens in financial difficulties.
    • Persons with disabilities: in January 2015 two Members were appointed as representative members of the Committee on Petitions in the structures of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) and they took part in the analysis of the preliminary report of the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva in August 2015. The report stressed that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UNCRPD into the petition treatment process.

    Work of the Committee on Petitions: the report stated that confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of austerity measures, the inability to resolve the financial crisis in a way that guarantees all citizens a free and dignified life, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe. The Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of strengthening constructive dialogue with EU citizens and residents on European issues.

    Members believed that petitions could help to better assess the impact that EU legislation has on people’s daily lives by acting as a bridge between citizens and the institutions. Since the committee aims to engage in a trustworthy and fruitful dialogue with citizens, it should help to promote participatory democracy and provide an adequate response to petitions, in terms of both the timing and the quality of the answer. Members stressed that petitions are also important for the legislative process, as they detect existing loopholes and deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation. They applauded the intention to establish an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every Parliament committee.

    Cooperation with national parliaments: the report considered it essential to improve cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments. Members repeated their call for a structured dialogue to be launched with Member States in the form of regular meetings with the relevant national parliament committees.

    Charter of Fundamental Rights: Members deplored the strict and restrictive way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law. They recalled that, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for and are often unmet, and the Commission was asked to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations.

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Annual report of the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2015
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