Awaiting committee decision
2017/2024(INL) Revision of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 on the citizens’ initiative
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading 2017/11/13
Lead committee dossier: AFCO/8/09289
Legal Basis RoP 046
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading 2017/11/13
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
---|---|---|---|
Lead | AFCO | SCHÖPFLIN György (EPP) | KAUFMANN Sylvia-Yvonne (S&D), UJAZDOWSKI Kazimierz Michał (ECR), GOERENS Charles (ALDE), TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria (Verts/ALE), CASTALDO Fabio Massimo (EFD) |
Opinion | CULT | DZHAMBAZKI Angel (ECR) | |
Opinion | PETI | WAŁĘSA Jarosław (EPP) |
Legal Basis RoP 046
Subjects
Activites
-
2017/11/13
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
-
2017/03/16
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
Amendments | Dossier |
120 |
2017/2024(INL)
2017/07/18
CULT
43 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Believes that public awareness of the European Citizen Initiative (ECI) should be enhanced, and that it should be promoted, and widely used, as a tool of direct participatory democracy;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Takes the view that a simpler registration procedure may help to boost citizens’ involvement in the European project;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Recommends, as envisaged in the study ‘Towards a revision of the ECI’, the creation of a support office for citizens’ initiatives in order to reduce the various obstacles faced by citizens’ committees when registering applications, with particular regard to the actual dissemination of ECIs and legal, technical and political support;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Takes the view that, as a democratic tool, ECIs represent a public good that should benefit from a support structure providing legal advice and translation and guidance services; takes the view that members of citizens’ committees should have a legal status that protects them from personal liability and allows more efficient and transparent financial management;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 f (new) 1f. Suggests reconfiguring the online signature collection system with the participation of stakeholders and ICT specialists, making it more accessible, practical and unified so that the process can be speeded up and the loss of signatures avoided; recommends that this reconfiguration should make it possible for Union citizens to sign an ECI in any Member State;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 g (new) 1g. Suggests that authorisation to collect email addresses should figure on the ECI support form so that organisers are able to contact signatories and mobilise them for the debate;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2.
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Suggests that Regulation (EU) 211/2011 might create a conflict of interest, because the Commission is acting both as an expert and as an advisory body, whilst at the same time assessing the registration criteria and the follow-up procedures; calls therefore for
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Suggests that Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 might possibly create a conflict of interest, because the Commission is acting both as an expert and as an advisory body, whilst at the same time assessing the registration criteria and the follow-up procedures; calls therefore for efforts to resolve such conflict of interests, as it might jeopardise the democratic nature of the ECI, and for consideration to thus be given to a different division of powers that is more efficient and designed to ensure that the goal in question is pursued more effectively and that democratic principles are complied with;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Recommends that a provision be added to Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 to the effect that an ECI can call on the Commission to submit proposals for revising the Treaties, so as to strengthen ECIs’ impact on democracy in the Union without going beyond the framework of the Commission’s powers;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Recommends that successful ECIs should lead to practical political action, including legislative proposals, in line with citizens’ aspirations to play an active part in the European political agenda;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Believes that public awareness of the European Citizen Initiative (ECI) should be enhanced, and that it should be promoted as a tool of direct participatory democracy, so that EU citizens can be fully aware and become active participants in the European Union;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 c (new) 2c. Takes the view that the Commission should inform citizens’ committees whose applications have not been accepted of the possibility of presenting their initiative to the Committee on Petitions, as a way of continuing the work carried out;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recommends decreasing the minimum number of Member States that citizens must come from, in order to ease access to the ECI, especially
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Recommends decreasing the minimum number of Member States that citizens must come from, in order to ease access to the ECI, especially following the withdrawal of the UK from the Union; feels the need, moreover, to review the method for calculating the number of nationals who are required to sign per Member State, given that the current method makes access to the ECI even more difficult and establishes a situation of de-facto inequality among the Member States;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Urges the Commission to ensure that the requirements for submitting applications are uniform in all the Member States;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Recommends evaluating the possibility of lowering the minimum age for eligibility to support a citizen’s initiative proposal to 16 years, in order to encourage youth participation, while taking account of the fact that such a decision should be accompanied in the Member States by sufficiently advanced civic instruction courses, in order to ensure that young people’s participation is backed up by adequate knowledge of their social and political environment;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Recommends lowering the
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Considers, moreover, that in order to turn the ECI into a genuine tool of participatory democracy, this initiative should also be applicable not only to ordinary legislative acts, but also to the conclusion or modification of treaties, in particular when the European Union concludes international free trade treaties on behalf of the Member States that will have a direct impact on the citizens of all Member States;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Believes that public awareness of the European Citizen Initiative (ECI)
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that organisers of citizen’s committees are often not completely ready when registering an ECI;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Recognises that organisers of citizen’s committees are often not completely ready when registering an ECI; stresses that there should be a
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Reco
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Recommends that the Commission be obliged to present, in response to every successful citizens’ initiative, a formal communication that contains an analysis of the subject matter and proposals for action and measures, including possible legislative proposals;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Recommend using ICT tools and other E-democracy applications, including mobile ones, to ease the use of ECI, thus favouring citizens’ participation and involvement in European issues;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that it is important that the period for the collection of statements in support be increased to at least 18 months and the citizens’ committee be allowed to decide on the start of the collection time, within a specified margin of a few months; expresses the view that this will make the support gathering process easier, by ensuring that gathering support starts when the committee is fully prepared;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Takes the view that, given the complexity of the software made available by the Commission for the collection of signatures, it would be advisable to establish and offer a more accessible and simplified IT platform which can be used also by citizens who are less experienced in the new computer technologies;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls for
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls for the requirement
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Believes that public awareness of the European Citizen Initiative (ECI) should be enhanced, and that it should be promoted as a tool of direct participatory democracy, as it has proven its potential for involving citizens in the setting of the Union agenda;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls for the requirement for personal data to be simplified in order to facilitate support for an ECI,
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Calls for the provision of high- standards concerning the collection, treatment and storage of personal data; is of the opinion, in this respect, that monitoring mechanisms are fundamental and therefore should be introduced and properly implemented;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Urges the Commission to allow experts in the field covered by the initiative to attend the public hearing in the European Parliament, as well as members of the citizens’ committee;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Points out that since the launch of the first ECI in 2012, no initiative has resulted in a legislative proposal being presented by the Commission, and until now only three citizens’ initiatives out of the 51 submitted since 2012 have managed to comply with all the conditions set by the Commission; feels that this low success rate is due to the complexity of the procedures relating to the ECI and that it is damaging to the legitimacy not only of the tool, but also of the Union;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Believes that it is crucial to adequately educate and train citizens to make use of direct democracy tools, such ECI; calls, to this end, for the introduction of specific legislative provisions and the provision of the corresponding budgetary resources;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Calls for communication strategies to be put in place by both the Commission and the national, regional and local authorities to promote ECIs among Union citizens;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Points out that the ECI cannot have greater legitimacy while the functioning of the Union and certain legislative procedures also continue to suffer from a democratic deficit; stresses, in this context, that the revision of the ECI must be accompanied by a paradigm shift on the part of the Commission, particularly as regards national referendums, but also as regards freedom of expression or the signing of free trade agreements, which continue to be adopted in spite of the public’s overwhelming opposition;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Recommends greater investment in raising awareness of ECIs among the public and the media with a view to promoting them as an official EU instrument, encouraging participation as an act of citizenship and overcoming citizens’ distrust with regard to sharing the necessary personal data;
source: 609.297
2017/07/27
PETI
77 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Recalls that the Treaty on the European Union provides the right of citizens to be involved in the democratic life of the Union and that the objective of the ECI is to allow citizens to exercise this right; notes the overly restrictive and burdensome form of the current ECI Regulation, making it very difficult to use;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 d (new) -1d. Underlines that the ECI complements the citizens' right to submit petitions to the European Parliament and their right of appeal to the European Ombudsman; Calls on the Commission to take into account the recommendations of the European Ombudsman and the Committee of Petitions in improving the functioning of the ECI;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 e (new) -1e. Believes that the Commission’s approach on the assessment of the proposed European citizens’ initiatives seriously undermined the principle of democracy and the attainment of the objective of the European citizens’ initiative, which is that of improving the democratic functioning of the EU by granting every citizen a general right to participate in democratic life;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 e (new) -1e. Reiterates that every citizen has the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union by way of the European citizens' initiative and calls for additional measures to ensure that specific groups of people such as European citizens living abroad, disabled or older people are not denied their right to participate and sign an ECI;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 f (new) -1f. Is aware of the rigid application of the ECI eligibility criteria and the potential conflict of interest within the Commission, which makes an assessment on the admissibility of the initiative, while also being the recipient of that same initiative; Invites the Commission to revise the procedure for the application of the legal admissibility criteria by following a more transparent and consistent approach on the nature and scope of the ECI;
Amendment 14 #
1. Invites the Commission to
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Invites the Commission to increase the transparency of its decision-making process and to formally clarify ECI admissibility criteria by exhaustively substantiating the reasons for ECI approval/rejection in all Commission Decisions published in the ECI register; calls upon the Commission to codify the rulings of the Court of Justice in the cases relating to the “Minority Safepack”
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Invites the Commission to increase the transparency of its decision-making process and to formally clarify ECI admissibility criteria by exhaustively substantiating the reasons for ECI approval/rejection in all Commission Decisions published in the ECI register; calls
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Invites the Commission to increase the transparency of its decision-making process and to formally clarify ECI admissibility criteria by
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Invites the Commission to increase the transparency of its decision-making process and to formally clarify ECI admissibility criteria by exhaustively substantiating the reasons for ECI approval/rejection in all Commission Decisions published in the ECI register; calls upon the Commission to codify the rulings of the Court of Justice in the cases Anagnostakis/Commission,Costantini e.a/Commission and Izsák and Dabis v Commission, as well as relating to the “Minority Safepack” and “Stop TTIP” initiatives; welcomes the Commission’s change in practice to allow for partial ECI registration;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Considers it necessary to revise Regulation (EU) n. 211/2011 on the European citizens’ initiative, (ECI) in timely fashion, with the view to resolving all of its deficiencies by proposing effective solutions to ensure that the procedures and conditions required for the ECI are genuinely clear, simple, easily applicable and proportionate;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Encourages the Commission to take a more flexible approach on the registration process and welcomes its new practice to allow for partial ECI registration; Calls on the Commission to ensure that the registration process is transparent, clear and straightforward and to provide detailed answers and possible solutions when initiatives are declared inadmissible, enabling citizens to amend and resubmit them;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Considers the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to be an important direct democratic instrument enabling citizens to become actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation. Considers that ECI should be made both transparent and effective;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Points out the restrictiveness of the existing legal framework, the problems regarding requirements that are very hard to meet and the excessive bureaucratic burdens in the practical running of the ECI; highlights that the low percentage of successful initiatives is the result of this disproportionate requirements;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Reaffirms the importance of active citizenship and participation as indicators of good health of democracy and of political debate within the Union. Emphasizes that these aspects should always be encouraged and favoured.
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Encourages the Commission to ensure that the proposed citizens’ initiatives are not contrary to the values of the Union laid down in Article 2 TEU, as well as to the principles enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; invites the Commission to conduct a check on the values of the proposed citizens’ initiatives prior to the collection of statements of support from signatories;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Stresses the importance of European citizens participating in EU policy making in the economic crisis era;
Amendment 26 #
1b. Calls on the Commission, the European Institution and the Member States to promote the ECI throughout information campaign, programs and projects aimed at strengthening citizens’ participation and the awareness of their Rights and instruments to participate;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Stresses the role of the European Parliament in promoting the participation of citizens of the European Union. It underlines the need to strengthen the European Parliament's action on ECIs and their openness;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Welcomes the proposals to hold a debate within the European parliament on all successfully citizens’ initiatives that meet the criteria listed in the Regulation, as well as the proposal to conclude these debates with the adoption of a motion for resolution;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a progressive approach to countering the technological barriers to OCS; invites the Commission to address data requirement divergences in national systems, especially regarding nationality and place of residence; welcomes
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 a (new) -1a. Regrets that despite the official request of the Parliament in its resolution of 28 October 2015 on the European Citizens Initiative, the Commission in its work programmes for 2016 and 2017 did not include any reference to the review of the ECI Regulation;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a progressive approach to countering the technological barriers to OCS; invites the Commission to address data requirement divergences in national systems, especially regarding nationality and place of residence; welcomes the AFCO proposal that the Commission run a free, centralised OCS system; suggests that this system make use of existing, proven online platform technologies and enable synergies with social media tools to galvanize more widespread signature collection; suggests the Commission to simplify the forms for the paper based signature collection in order to make it more comprehensible and user friendly; requests the Commission to clarify whether all EU language versions of statement of support forms can be used in all EU Member States; welcomes the Commission’s public survey on creating a “Collaborative ECI Platform”; invites the Commission to
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a progressive approach to countering the technological barriers to OCS
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a progressive approach to countering the technological barriers to OCS; invites the Commission to address data requirement divergences in national systems, especially regarding nationality and place of residence; and invites the Commission to explore the inclusion of a European citizen’s ID number (to be used on a secure website in the Member States) and qualified electronic signatures (QES); welcomes the AFCO proposal that the Commission run a free, centralised OCS system; suggests that this system make use of existing, proven online platform technologies and enable synergies with social media tools to galvanize more widespread signature collection; welcomes the Commission’s public survey on creating a “Collaborative ECI Platform”; invites the Commission to prolong the collection period such that the clock for collection starts running from the date of ECI registration; calls for greater transparency measures for ascertaining ECI financing;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the enormous simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a progressive approach to countering the technological barriers to OCS and ensure accessibility for citizens with disabilities; invites the Commission to address
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Calls for the simplification of online signature collection (“OCS”) and verification and for a progressive approach to countering the technological barriers to OCS; invites the Commission to address data requirement divergences in national systems, especially regarding nationality and place of residence; welcomes the AFCO proposal that the Commission run a free, centralised OCS system; suggests that this system make use of existing, proven online platform technologies and enable synergies with social media tools to galvanize more widespread signature
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Invites the European Commission and Member States to implement simpler and uniform online and offline signature collection rules in compliance with EU data protection laws and standards; Calls on the Commission to further explore the possibility of creating a simplified voluntary online EU register where citizens can sign an ECI initiative;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Considers that most European citizens are still largely unaware of the ECI tool and calls on the Commission and Member States to adopt targeted measures aimed at ensuring widespread information about citizens’ right to launch and sign an ECI;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 a (new) -1a. Recalls that of the 66 submitted European Citizens’ initiative (ECI), only 47 were registered by the Commission, of which only 3 collected the required 1 million signatures and none led to a new legislative proposal;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Stresses that all European citizens should be given the opportunity of collecting signatures for an ECI, independently of their Member State of residence;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Regrets the fact that, because initiatives have had no legislative impact and because a number of successful ones have been rejected by the Commission, use of the instrument is being discouraged; stresses that the European institutions and the Member States must take all necessary steps – including the review of the requirements for an initiative to be deemed successful – to promote the ECI and to foster citizens’ confidence in this tool;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Recalls the position of the Petitions’ Committee to encourage the civic participation of the younger generation in EU affairs by uniformly lowering the age limit for supporting and taking part in an ECI to 16 years old;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Is convinced that an online Collaborative ECI Platform must be swiftly created and managed with the direct and concrete involvement of civil society stakeholders with the view to provide a free, single centralised system for the online signature collection (“OCS”) and facilitate large-scale outreach to European citizens by implementing truly participatory methods and the most modern available platform technology for efficient online campaigning;
Amendment 44 #
2c. Considers that an independent ECI helpdesk providing technical know- how on the organisation and run of cross- border ECI campaigns and facilitating translation services into the official languages of the EU is needed; Is of the opinion that Europe Direct Contact Centre, the Commission representations and the European Parliament information offices in the Member States could provide resources for this purpose;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 c (new) 2c. Believes that a uniform procedure must be introduced for making statements of support in order to simplify and standardise the nature of the data collected in all Member States;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 d (new) 2d. Stresses that the revision of the ECI Regulation must include the option to ask for the willingness of a signatory to be placed on a contact list, thus allowing for a compilation of contact information in order to provide updated information about the further development of an ECI;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls upon the Commission to create a one-stop shop for ECI information dissemination and citizen advisory services, in particular the provision of support in defining a compliant legal basis for an initiative;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls upon the Commission to create a
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls upon the Commission to create a one-stop shop for ECI information dissemination and citizen advisory services, in particular the provision of support in defining a compliant legal basis for an initiative;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 b (new) -1b. Highlights that the General Court in its judgement in case T-646/13 of 3 February 2017 annulled the Commission decision to refuse the registration of the proposed European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘Minority SafePack’ on the ground that the reasoning given by the Commission for refusing registration was manifestly inadequate preventing, inter alia, citizens from contesting the merits of the Commission’s assessment;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls upon the Commission to create a one-stop shop for ECI information dissemination and citizen advisory services, in particular the provision of support in defining a compliant legal basis for an initiative; welcomes the AFCO proposal for a provision in the new Regulation on ECI communication activities at EU level; recalls the importance to involve local and regional authorities for communication strategies around the ECI; asks for a specific campaign reminding the existence and the differences with the petitions submitted to the European Parliament; urges the Commission to link such efforts to the principles set out in the EU eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls upon the Commission to create a one-stop shop for ECI information dissemination and citizen advisory services, in particular the provision of support in defining a compliant legal basis for an initiative;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Calls upon the Commission to create a one-stop shop for ECI information dissemination and citizen advisory services, in particular the provision of support in defining a compliant legal basis for an initiative;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Reiterates the lack of knowledge and awareness of the ECI among European citizens; Encourages the Commission and Member States to use every available communication channel, especially all relevant European Institutions' social and digital media platforms to conduct an ongoing awareness raising campaign to proactively promote the ECI, and furthermore provide information about on-going ECI initiatives
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses the need for EU services to provide legal advice regarding ECIs;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Supports the request of ECI campaigners of a full legal and practical assistance and guidance provided by Europe Direct and the Commission ECI services;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. S
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Supports
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Supports the AFCO proposal to ensure the follow-up of successful ECIs
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 b (new) -1b. Believes that the difficulties encountered by the organisers of European Citizens’ initiatives and the limited legislative impact of successful initiatives have undermined the credibility of the ECI leading to a decline in registered initiatives;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Supports the AFCO proposal to ensure the follow-up of successful ECIs, in terms of concrete legislative proposals and a higher level of involvement from the Commission, while using the whole potential of the European Parliament as a co-legislator; calls for maintaining the current system of designating lead committees thematically according to competence, with PETI as associated committee; recalls the importance of public hearings in ensuring that an inclusive approach is taken to increasing attendance by various stakeholders;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Supports the
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Supports the AFCO proposal to ensure the follow-up of successful ECIs, in terms of concrete legislative proposals from the Commission, while using the whole potential of the European Parliament as a co-legislator; calls for maintaining the current system of designating lead committees thematically according to competence, with PETI as the first associated committee; recalls the importance of public hearings in ensuring that an inclusive approach is taken to increasing attendance by various stakeholders;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Supports the AFCO proposal to ensure the follow-up of successful ECIs, in
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Is of the opinion that the European Commission should always initiate a debate on the initiatives that have gathered 1 million signatures, followed by a vote in the Council and the European Parliament; asks the Commission to also develop appropriate forms of response to those ECIs which do not meet all the formal criteria or do not reach the full 1 million signatures, but receive significant citizens’ support and supports public hearings in the Committee of Petitions for those initiatives;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls the Commission to modify the current regulation in order to ensure that successful ECI are followed up by a concrete legislative initiative within a twelve-month period;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Invites the Commission to
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Underlines the need for all parties involved, in the case of a successful citizens' initiative, to ensure speeding up procedures and appropriate timing;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Proposes that the commitment of EU funds to the financing of ECIs be limited to successful ECIs i.e. those having succeeded in collecting one million signatures; suggests that such financing proceed on a reimbursement basis of costs already incurred by ECI organisers/citizens' committees and previously recorded in the ECI Register; calls for such conditionality to apply both to existing budget lines dedicated to ECI funding, such as under the Europe for Citizens Programme, or any other future ECI funding programme, whether originating in the Commission or in the European Parliament;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 c (new) -1c. Underlines that the General Court in its judgment in case T-754/14 of 10 May 2017 annulled the Commission decision refusing the registration of the proposed ECI ‘Stop TTIP’ noting in particular that the ECI ‘STOP TTIP’ proposal did not constitute an inadmissible interference in the legislative procedure but rather the legitimate initiation of a democratic debate in a timely manner;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Asks the Commission to provide regular legislative improvements to the ECI, including by using the mandatory regular review on its implementation;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Invites the Commission to consider the possibility of registering only part of an initiative in the event that the entire ECI does not fall within the Commission’s powers; invites the Commission to give the organisers, at the time of registration, an indication as to which part they could register, recognising that dialogue and engagement with ECI organisers is essential throughout the process, and to inform Parliament of its decision concerning the registration of the ECI;
Amendment 72 #
5b. Urges the Commission to further build on the European Citizens’ Initiative Day, organised every year to assess the state of implementation and the effectiveness of the ECI, by setting up an inter-institutional debate platform on the improvement of the ECI with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Calls for extending the ECI "lifecycle” by increasing the period for the collection of statements of support to 18 months provided that the minimum of 75% of the required 1 million signatures is reached within the period of 12 months;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Invites the Commission to address the real need to solve the economic burdens for the organisation of ECIs in order to guarantee equal opportunities among citizens; and invites the Commission to reduce costs, red tape and to provide financial support where appropriate;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 c (new) 5c. Underlines the need for joint action of the Commission and Members States and in particular regional and local authorities, to make citizens, with young people as one of its primary targets, aware of their right to propose and support an ECI; considers that ad hoc campaigns, grass-root initiatives and information campaigns at national and regional level play a decisive role in disseminating information and explaining how citizens can influence and change EU policies through an ECI mechanism;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 c (new) Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 c (new) 5c. Notes the important role of the European Ombudsman in investigating the handling of ECI requests by the Commission, and especially cases of refusal to register an ECI;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 c (new) -1c. Considers that the European Citizens Initiative still has a lot of untapped potential that could improve the functioning of the EU on behalf of its citizens; calls for a comprehensive revision and simplification of the ECI aimed at overcoming the existing barriers and bureaucratic hurdles, making it more user-friendly and accessible to citizens;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph -1 d (new) -1d. Stresses that in its judgment in case T-754/14 of 10 May 2017 the General Court underlined that the principle of democracy and the objective behind the European citizens’ initiatives require an interpretation of the concept of legal act which covers legal acts, such as a decision to open negotiations with a view to concluding an international agreement, which manifestly seek to modify the legal order of the EU, like the TTIP and the CETA;
source: 608.052
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History
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