2018/2104(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

— having regard to Rules 52, 215 and 216~~(7)~~ of its Rules of Procedure,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas ~~even though a portion~~only a small number of EU citizens are aware of the ~~petition process, there is still a widespread lack of clarity about the EU’s field of activity, as demonstrated by the large number of inadmissible petitions (39 %)~~right to petition, confirming the need for greater efforts and appropriate measures to increase public awareness and achieve a substantial improvement regarding the exercise of this right;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Emphasises that the European Citizens’ Initiative should be both transparent and effective ~~in order to serve as an important instrument for active citizenship and public participation~~; highlights the need for the revision of the current EU Treaties to make the European Citizens' Initiative an instrument to effectively promote active citizenship and public participation, ensuring a legislative follow- up to successful European citizens' initiatives; welcomes the Commission’s proposal for the revision of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 on the European cCitizens~~’ i~~' Initiative15, published on 13 September 2017; highlights the most recent citizens’ initiative to be submitted, entitled ‘Ban glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides’; points to the public hearing on this initiative in Parliament on 20 November 2017; _________________ 15 OJ L 65, 11.3.2011, p. 1.

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Stresses that, in connection with the public hearing on the European Citizens' Initiative entitled 'Ban Glyphosate and Protect People and the Environment from Toxic Pesticides' and in considering petitions on the same subject, it has emerged that EU authorisation procedures for substances such as glyphosate, genetically modified organisms and pesticides are compromised by lack of independence, insufficient transparency and inaccuracies regarding the compilation and and evaluation of scientific evidence;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Notes the ~~particular attention paid to certain~~large number of petitions on animal welfare; draws attention to the study ‘Animal Welfare in the European Union’ and its presentation at the committee meeting on 23 March 2017, followed by a discussion of a number of petitions on the matter; c~~alls for harmonisation of animal welfare legislation~~onsiders it vital to launch a new EU strategy to bridge all the existing gaps and ensure full and effective protection of animal welfare through a clear and comprehensive legislative framework that fully meets the requirements of Article 13 TFEU;

Amendment 104 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Marlene MIZZI, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Andrea COZZOLINO, Jude KIRTON-DARLING

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Notes the particular attention paid to certain petitions on animal welfare; draws attention to the study ‘Animal Welfare in the European Union’ and its presentation at the committee meeting on 23 March 2017, followed by a discussion of a number of petitions on the matter; calls for harmonisation of ~~animal welfare legislation~~legislation on the welfare of animals, including during their transport;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Stresses the important role of the SOLVIT network, which provides a means for citizens and enterprises to address concerns about possible breaches of EU law by public authorities in other Member States; calls on the Commission, and on the Member States, to promote SOLVIT in order to make it more helpful and visible to citizens; welcomes, in this regard, the Action Plan to reinforce the SOLVIT network published by the Commission in May 2017; calls on the Commission to report back to the European Parliament on the results of the Action plan to reinforce the SOLVIT network published by the Commission in May 2017;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines the importance of further developing the Petitions Portal and the need to make it an easily accessible two-way communication gateway for petitioners and to further minimise the administrative burden in how petitions are processed; reminds that the portal also serves the function of a public register of petitions; reiterates that an enhanced technical capacity of the Portal is essential for a smooth petition process; stresses the need to improve communication with petitioners by sending them notifications on the progress of their petition in their own language; considers that supporters having expressed their endorsement and interest in petitions are entitled to receive the same feedback and information than petitioners, particularly when it comes to debates in the Parliament or replies by the Commission or other authorities;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines the importance of further developing the Petitions Portal and the need to make it a~~n easily accessible two-way communication gateway for petitioners an~~ two-way communication gateway and an easily accessible interactive tool, providing citizens of all EU Member States with access to all basic information regarding petitions and their treatment, opening up channels of communication and creating thematic communities for exchanges of documentation and best practice; stresses the need to further minimise the administrative burden in how petitions are processed; reiterates that an enhanced technical capacity of the Portal is essential for a smooth petition process; stresses the need to improve communication with petitioners by sending them notifications on the progress of their petition in their own language;

Amendment 108 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines the importance of further developing the Petitions Portal and the need to make it an easily accessible two-way communication gateway for petitioners and to further minimise the administrative burden in how petitions are processed; reiterates that an enhanced technical capacity of the Portal is essential for a smooth petition process; stresses the need to improve communication with petitioners by sending them notifications on the progress of their petition in their own language; reiterates the importance of stepping up efforts to ensure that petitioners are present when their petitions are debated in committee;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Calls for a more focused and active press and communication service and a more active social media presence, making the work of the Committee more responsive to public concerns;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas even though a portion of EU citizens and residents are aware of the petition process, there is still a widespread lack of clarity about the EU’s field of activity, as demonstrated by the large number of inadmissible petitions (39 %);

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the right to submit a petition to Parliament offers EU citizens and residents the means to address their directly elected representatives in a formal way; whereas the right to petition is a~~n important~~ crucial element of active participation of EU citizens and residents in the EU’s fields of activity and should therefore be promoted in the best way possible; whereas full exercise of the right to petition is related to the need for the EU institutions and Member States to arrive at prompt and effective solutions to issues raised by petitioners, ensuring full protection of their fundamental rights;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas Parliament has ~~long been at the forefront of the development of the petitions process internationally and has~~without a doubt one of the most open and transparent petitions processes in Europe and the world, allowing petitioners to participate fully in its activities;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas Parliament has long been at the forefront of the development of the petitions process internationally and has the most open and transparent petitions process in Europe, allowing petitioners to participate ~~ful~~actively in its activities;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas more effective active public participation ~~is only possible provided there is a~~can only be achieved under fully democratic EU governance ensuring full transparency, effective protection of fundamental rights, direct public involvement in decision-making processes and due regard for citizens' concerns on the EU political agenda; whereas fully democratic and transparent ~~process that~~governance also enables Parliament and the Committee on Petitions to render its work more citizen-friendly and comprehensible;

Amendment 17 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas active participation is only possible provided there is a democratic and transparent process that enables Parliament and the Committee on Petitions to render its work citizen-friendly and comprehensible; whereas this requires an aim of continuous improvement in the interaction with petitioners, keeping track and taking advantage, among others, of the implementation of new technological developments, as well as with other concerned citizens and residents, such as supporters of petitions through the Petitions web portal;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas petitions are a useful source of information with regard to detecting breaches of EU law ~~and enable~~, as well as shortcomings and inconsistencies of this law, when it comes to ensuring the highest standards of social justice and full protection of the fundamental rights of all citizens; whereas petitions allow Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law and its impact on EU citizens and residents;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas 1 271 petitions were received in 2017 – compared to 1 569 in 2016 – of which 776 petitions (60.2 %) were considered admissible; whereas this represents one year more a significant decrease in the number of petitions received;

Amendment 20 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Marlene MIZZI, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Andrea COZZOLINO, Jude KIRTON-DARLING

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas petitions are a useful source of information with regard to detecting breaches of EU law, as well as its possible loopholes, and enable Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law and ~~its impact on EU citizens and residents~~the actual impact of its improper implementation on EU citizens and residents; whereas they can also provide insight on the absence of regulatory provisions in fields of activity where the EU could legislate;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas petitions are a useful ~~source of information with regard to~~tools for detecting breaches of EU law and enable Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law and its impact on EU citizens and residents;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)

K a. whereas petitions represent an extra guarantee for EU citizens and residents compared to complaints directly to the Commission, as it involves the Parliament into the process and allows to better scrutinise the performance of the inquiry duties by the Commission, as well as provide transparent debates on the matter, with the presence of petitioners, Members of the European Parliament and the Commission, as well as any other concerned authority where appropriate;

Amendment 23 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas petitions often provide useful information in various EU policy areas to other parliamentary committees; whereas in return it is expected that the committees competent on subject matters of a petition will provide their expertise, with the aim of a due treatment of the petition that allows a meaningful response to it from the Parliament itself;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas petitions often provide useful information in various EU policy areas to other parliamentary committees, also in relation to their legislative activities; whereas fulfilling the fundamental right to petition through an adequate treatment of petitions is a responsibility of the Parliament as a whole;

Amendment 25 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas each petition ismust be carefully assessed and dealt with; whereas the petitioner has the right to receive without delay comprehensive information on the decision on admissibility taken by the Committee ~~within a reasonable period of time~~and action taken by it in processing and following up the petition;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas each petition ishould be carefully assessed and dealt with; whereas the petitioner has the right to receive information on the decision on admissibility taken by the Committee that addresses their issue fully within a reasonable period of time;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas a considerable number of petitions are discussed publicly in meetings of the Committee on Petitions; whereas petitioners have the right to present their petitions, and ~~frequent~~occasionally take full part in the discussion, thereby contributing actively to the work of the committee; whereas in 2017, 248 petitions were discussed in committee meetings with 208 petitioners present, while 59 petitioners participated actively by taking the floor;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the information provided by citizens in petitions and during committee meetings – complemented by expertise provided by the Commission, the Member States and other bodies – is pivotal to the work of the committee; whereas in order to avoid any socio- economic discrimination, petitioners whose petition is to be debated in a public committee meeting and who are willing to participate in the discussion, should be entitled to a reimbursement of the related costs, under reasonable limits;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas 15 540 users of Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal supported one or more petitions in 2017, as compared to 902 users in 2015 and 6 132 users in 2016; whereas the total number of clicks in support of petitions was 21 955, as compared to 18 810 in 2016 and 1 329 in 2015; whereas this new form of public participation in petitions submitted is increasingly common and should be taken into account;

Amendment 30 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the information provided by citizens and residents in petitions and during committee meetings – complemented by expertise provided by the Commission, the Member States and other bodies – is pivotal to the work of the committee;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions in 2017 pertained to environmental matters (notably issues concerning water and waste management, and preservation), fundamental rights (notably voting rights and rights of the child), the issue of the stolen babies, free movement of persons, social affairs (working conditions), various forms of discrimination and immigration, in addition to many other areas of activity;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions in 2017 pertained to environmental matters (notably issues concerning water and waste management, and preservation), fundamental rights (notably voting rights and rights of the child), free movement of persons, social affairs (working conditions), various forms of discrimination ~~and immigration~~, in addition to many other areas of activity;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas the revision of Parliament’'s Rules of Procedure ~~also brought clarification for~~should lead to improvement of the petitions procedure and the relevant rules ~~have been implemented by~~should optimise the ability of the cCommittee ~~since they entered into force on 16 January 2017~~on Petitions to to investigate citizens' concerns, thereby ensuring full protection and more effective exercise of the right of petition;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas 69.1 % of the petitions received (878 petitions) in 2017 were submitted via the Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal, as compared to 68 % (1 067 petitions) in 2016; whereas the predominance of this format and its expected increase over time could allow a quicker initial treatment of these petitions, provided they would be handled, from the beginning, by the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital S

S. whereas petition summaries can now be uploaded on the Portal sooner – approximately one week after the Committee on Petitions reaches a decision on admissibility; whereas the automatic uploading of meeting agendas, minutes and Commission communications relating to petitions was introduced at the end of 2017, which has made these documents publicly available and increased the transparency of the work of the Committee on Petitions; whereas all these features strive towards the aim of providing a more interactive experience and real-time communication with the petitioners; whereas the frequently asked questions (FAQs) and privacy statement features were revised to reflect changes in the confidentiality provisions of the Rules of Procedure; whereas there have also been technical improvements, including further improvements to the search function and the introduction of a ‘read first’ page before a petition can be submitted, which contains information and advice for petitioners; whereas a large number of individual support requests have been handled successfully;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital T

T. whereas the Committee on Petitions considers the European Citizens’ Initiative an important instrument of direct and participatory democracy,; whereas, to enabl~~ing~~e citizens to become ~~activ~~genuinely involved in the framing of European policies and legislation through the European Citizens' Initiative, a review of the current EU treaties is necessary to ensure a legislative follow-up to successful European citizens' initiatives;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital T

T. whereas the Committee on Petitions considers the European Citizens’ Initiative an important instrument of direct and participatory democracy, that, if taken seriously, should enabl~~ing~~e citizens to become actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation;

Amendment 38 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Marlene MIZZI, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Andrea COZZOLINO, Jude KIRTON-DARLING

Motion for a resolution
Recital T

T. whereas the Committee on Petitions considers that the European Citizens’ Initiative ought to be an important instrument of direct and participatory democracy, enabling citizens to become actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital T

T. whereas the Committee on Petitions considers the European Citizens’ Initiative an i~~mportant instrument~~nstrument of utmost importance of direct and participatory democracy, enabling citizens to become actively involved in the framing of European policies and legislation;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the number of petitions received was very modest in relation to the total population of the EU; whereas this indicates that aonly a small portion of EU citizens make use of the right to petition, taking into account the many actual and potential concerns or expectations within different fields of activity of the Union and in relation to its total population;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas 2017 saw four fact-finding visits, conducted pursuant to Rule 216a of the Rules of Procedure: one to Sweden on the difficulties encountered by EU citizens in obtaining the identification number required to access most of the services they needed when temporarily moving to Sweden; one to Spain on petitions addressing allegations concerning newborn babies stolen from hospitals during and after Franco’s dictatorship,; one to Taranto (Italy) on the impact of a local steel plant and refinery on the environment and how ithey had been causing air, land and water pollution; and one to Larnaca (Cyprus) on the environmental and health impact of a newly-built industrial port in the city;

Amendment 41 #

Pál CSÁKY, Peter JAHR

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas 2017 saw four fact-finding visits, conducted pursuant to Rule 216a of the Rules of Procedure: one to Sweden on the difficulties encountered by EU citizens in obtaining the identification number required to access most of the services they needed when temporarily moving to Sweden; one to Spain on ~~petitions addressing allegations concerning newborn babies stolen from hospitals~~babies allegedly abducted at birth by hospital personnel during and after Franco’s dictatorship, one to Taranto (Italy) on the impact of a local refinery on the environment and how it had been causing air, land and water pollution; and one to Larnaca (Cyprus) on the environmental and health impact of a newly-built industrial port in the city;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V

V. whereas pursuant to the Rules of Procedure, the Committee on Petitions is responsible for relations with the European Ombudsman, who investigates complaints about maladministration within the institutions and bodies of the European Union; whereas the current European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, presented her Annual Report for 2016 to the Committee on Petitions at its meeting on 30 May 2017, and the annual report of the Committee on Petitions is, in turn, partly based on the Ombudsman’s annual report, or the submission of Special Reports to the Parliament, the latest being on the Transparency of the decision-making of the Council;

Amendment 43 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Marlene MIZZI, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Jude KIRTON-DARLING

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the fundamental role of the Committee on Petitions as a bridge between EU citizens and the European institutions, through which EU citizens and residents can formally bring their concerns and ideas to the attention of their elected representatives, thereby allowing for the timely examination and resolution of citizen requests wherever possible; points out that the manner in which the concerns of petitioners are addressed has a major impact on citizens regarding effective respect for the right to petition as enshrined in EU law and on their opinions of the EU institutions;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the fundamental role of the Committee on Petitions as a bridge between EU citizens and the European institutions, through which EU citizens and residents can formally alert the European Parliament of cases of misapplication of EU law and bring their concerns and ideas to the attention of their elected representatives, thereby allowing for the timely examination and resolution of citizen requests wherever possible; Reminds the Commission that petitions offer a unique means to identify situations in which EU law is not upheld and to investigate such situations by means of the political scrutiny of the European Parliament;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the fundamental role of the Committee on Petitions as a bridge between EU citizens and residents and the European institutions, through which EU citizens and residents can formally bring their concerns and ideas to the attention of their elected representatives, thereby allowing for the timely examination and resolution of ~~citizen~~petitioner requests wherever possible;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the fundamental role ofthat the Committee on Petitions ought to play as a bridge between EU citizens and the European institutions, through which EU citizens and residents can formally bring their concerns and ideas to the attention of their elected representatives, thereby allowing for the timely examination and resolution of citizen requests wherever possible;

Amendment 47 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Marlene MIZZI, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Andrea COZZOLINO, Jude KIRTON-DARLING

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that petitions constitute both an opportunity and a challenge for Parliament and other EU institutions to reconnect with EU citizens and to maintain dialogue with them~~, particularly if they are affected by the application of EU law~~; notes that the EU institutions and Member States must do their utmost within their respective spheres of competence to arrive at prompt and effective solutions to issues raised by petitioners;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 49 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that petitions constitute both an opportunity and a challenge for Parliament and other EU institutions to reconnect with EU citizens and residents, and to maintain dialogue with them, particularly if they are affected by the application of EU law;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the number of petitions received was modest in relation to the total population of the EU; whereas this indicates that a portion of EU citizens make use of the right to petition; whereas however, more needs to be done to promote the right to petition the European Parliament;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that petitions constitute both an opportunity and a challenge for Parliament and other EU institutions ~~to reconnect with EU citizens and to maintain dialogue with them~~, since they allow a direct dialogue to be established with EU citizens, particularly if they are affected by the application of EU law;

Amendment 51 #

Andrea COZZOLINO, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Is concerned with the ongoing trend of decrease in the total number of petitions received yearly and the possible cause being that citizens and residents may not be perceiving a tangible outcome of the treatment of submitted petitions; considers that this would be harmful for the public perception of the Union as such and that the matter needs to be addressed by all the insitutions involved;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Highlights the vital role that the Committee on Petitions plays as a contact point where EU citizens and residents can submit their grievances, and where the requests of citizens are examined and treated within a reasonable timeframe;

Amendment 53 #