2020/2275(INI) Engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative
Next event: Debate in plenary scheduled 2022/03/07
Lead committee dossier:
Next event: Debate in plenary scheduled 2022/03/07
Progress: Awaiting Parliament's vote
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | PETI |
VEDRENNE Marie-Pierre ( Renew)
|
EVREN Agnès ( EPP),
MAESTRE MARTÍN DE ALMAGRO Cristina ( S&D),
EVI Eleonora ( Verts/ALE),
GANCIA Gianna ( ID),
TERHEŞ Cristian ( ECR),
PELLETIER Anne-Sophie ( GUE/NGL)
|
| Committee Opinion | AFCO |
SCHOLZ Helmut ( GUE/NGL)
|
François ALFONSI ( Verts/ALE),
Pascal DURAND ( RE),
Seán KELLY ( PPE),
Domènec RUIZ DEVESA ( S&D)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54, RoP 57
Legal Basis:
RoP 54, RoP 57Subjects
Events
2022/03/07
Debate in plenary scheduled
2022/02/03
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details
The Committee on Petitions adopted an own-initiative report by Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE (Renew Europe, FR) on engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative.
The right to petition
The report pointed out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to contact the EU institutions. It recalled that the number of received petitions vis-à-vis the EU population remains modest and that significant differences exist between Member States, regions and languages when it comes to exercising the right to petition.
Regretting that the Commission refusing to take action on issues raised in individual petitions constitutes a breach of the current EU Treaties’ provisions, Members called on the Commission to revise its current strategic approach in handling petitions in a timely manner, as it results in leaving untreated, inter alia, issues concerning serious violations of EU law detrimental to the protection of citizens’ rights.
They urged Parliament and the Commission to adopt a binding interinstitutional agreement on the handling of petitions in order to ensure a clear, predictable and transparent legal framework aimed at consistently implementing the right to petition established in the EU Treaties and effectively protecting citizens’ fundamental rights.
More information should be provided to citizens on the right to petition and EU institutions should provide clear information regarding the right to petition and to systematically encourage recourse to this instrument.
The report suggested that the position of the Committee on Petitions should be strengthened within Parliament and in its interinstitutional relations, as it is the only committee that communicates directly with citizens. Members called for more staff and resources to be allocated to the Committee on Petitions, given the extent of its work.
Members also called for the Petitions Web Portal to be improved to make it more visible to the public, more user-friendly, easier and more intuitive to navigate and accessible to all citizens, especially to persons with disabilities.
The function of the European Ombudsman
The report stressed that citizens’ complaints to the Ombudsman represent an essential element of participatory democracy and of the legitimacy of the Union’s decision-making process. Members specifically called on the Ombudsman to look more closely at the manner in which EU funds and the EU budget are spent. They also strongly believe that the Ombudsman should be allocated an increased budget, providing her with the necessary resources to effectively handle the increased workload and to continue to work competently at the service of European citizens.
The report congratulated the Ombudsman on the remarkable work she has done on the accessibility of EU documents and called on her to continue her efforts in this direction because timely access to documents in the EU’s 24 official languages is essential to ensure the proper engagement of citizens and civil society in the decision-making process.
The European Citizens’ Initiative
The report emphasised that the initiative represents an exceptional opportunity for the citizens of the Union to identify and to put the issues or matters that they are concerned by onto the European political agenda, to articulate their aspirations and to call for the EU to act and legislate, and that its use must be encouraged and supported by all available means.
Members called on the Commission to:
- show genuine consideration and commitment to meeting citizens’ expectations in relation to valid ECIs;
- carry out a thorough assessment of the proposals of each valid ECI, and to comply fully with its legal obligation to set out its reasons for taking or not taking action, which it should do in a clear, comprehensible and detailed manner.
The report recalled Parliament’s obligation to assess each valid ECI and called for its role to be further enhanced and for its links with civil society organisations to be enhanced with regard to specific valid ECIs and their implementation by the Commission.
Members believe that in the specific cases in which the Commission fails to publish its intentions within the given deadline or set outs in a communication that it intends not to take action on an ECI which has met the procedural requirements, Parliament could decide to follow up on the ECI with a legislative own-initiative report (INL). The Commission should commit to submitting a legislative proposal following Parliament’s adoption of any such INL.
Conclusions
The report made the following conclusions regarding the three participatory instruments:
- the establishment and promotion of a large-scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional EU citizens’ website (and application, which should be easy to use) to provide information on all the rights and democratic instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level is called for;
- public awareness of the instruments should be raised, particularly among young people , to ensure that they become effective and useful tools for democratic participation;
- all the European institutions should maximise their communication efforts at local, regional and national level to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about and are encouraged to participate and be engaged in the three instruments.
Documents
2022/01/27
EP - Vote in committee
2021/11/11
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2021/09/27
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/07/16
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/02/22
EP - VEDRENNE Marie-Pierre (Renew) appointed as rapporteur in PETI
2021/01/27
EP - SCHOLZ Helmut (GUE/NGL) appointed as rapporteur in AFCO
2021/01/21
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/01/21
EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
Documents
Activities
- Dita CHARANZOVÁ
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Rainer WIELAND
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE
Plenary Speeches (0)
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 211 |
2020/2275(INI)
2021/09/16
PETI
44 amendments...
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 28. Considers it essential for European democracy that citizens
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 a (new) 28 a. Regrets that the lack of a legislative follow-up by the Commission on the largest part of successful ECIs undermined the goal of enhancing the democratic legitimacy of the Union through enhanced participation of citizens in its democratic and political life;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that the recent ECIs
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that recent ECIs have called, inter alia, for the EU to take more action, more quickly, in the fight against climate change and in protecting indigenous national minorities and language communities;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 a (new) 29 a. Applauds the Commission on having held information seminars and having established a European Citizens' Initiative Week in 2020, which brought together representatives of institutions, members of civil society and organisers of past and current initiatives, with the aim of reflecting on how to improve this instrument; considers, however, that the European Citizens' Initiative remains little known; calls on the Commission, therefore, to increase the media visibility of this participatory tool, in accordance with Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls on the Commission to improve the ECI tool to make citizens’ participation more accessible
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30.
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls on the Commission to improve the ECI tool to make citizens’ participation more accessible, given the low number of ECIs that have ultimately been successful; regrets that so far the majority of successful ECIs did not end with a legislative proposal by the Commission; therefore calls on the Commission to initiate a legislative proposal on the basis of any successful ECI that was supported by the European Parliament;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls on the Commission to study the necessary mechanisms to improve the ECI tool and implement them to make citizens’ participation more accessible, given the low number of ECIs that have ultimately been successful;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 a (new) 30a. Is of the opinion that the way in which official replies by the Commission to successful citizens' initiatives are formulated may significantly influence how the instrument is evaluated by citizens and that greater effort and more prudent examination is required in the case of each successful initiative to ensure the Commission gives adequate thought to citizens' propositions;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, a
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period for the organisation of hearings by the relevant committees;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 a (new) 32 a. Underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period for the organisation of hearings;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU achieving a concrete direct impact on the EU political agenda and on the EU decision- making processes; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional website to provide information on all the democratic instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 a (new) 35 a. Stresses that regular information gathering on topics of interest to citizens and recurring issues which are raised in petitions, the European Ombudsman's enquiries and ECIs, would help to find solutions more quickly, while ensuring the coherence of the EU's policies for its citizens;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level; takes the view that such a one-stop platform would not only provide citizens with greater visibility of their rights, but also promote complementarity between these different instruments;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 a (new) 35 a. Considers essential to analyse the communication problems between European institutions and citizens that cause citizen participation mechanisms to be underused by Europeans; calls for the necessary resources be put in place to disseminate information about the existence and functioning of this tools among the general public;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their efforts at communication
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Calls for public awareness, particularly among young people, of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their communication efforts to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective and useful tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their communication efforts to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36 a. Believes that the EU institutions should develop an awareness-raising strategy to promote EU instruments as ECI, Complaints to European Ombudsman and right to petition at a local, regional and national level, in order to improve citizens’ knowledge, participation and engagement;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36 a. Stresses the importance of providing citizens with assistance, both at European and local level, through the Europe Direct information centres and Houses of Europe, in submitting petitions and ECIs and complaints to the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 37.
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 37.
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 37. Calls on the Member States to make it
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 a (new) 37 a. Underlines the importance of giving full access to persons with disabilities to all the different instruments that the EU provides to citizens, particularly through systematic interpretation and translation into Sign language and Easy-to-Read language;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 b (new) 37 b. Calls on the EU institutions to address the challenges faced by the vulnerable groups of people who are underrepresented and unable to have their issues addressed and to involve them in decision-making;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 38 a (new) 38 a. Recalls the need to systematically hold consultations with NGOs and civil society organisations to open up the lines of communication between the institutions and the citizens, in order to improve citizens’ knowledge of EU instruments and participative democracy;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy and the publication of information and documents in all the official languages of the EU is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, with particular regard to the special needs of persons with disabilities (sign language, Braille); highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, which needs to be strengthened; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 a (new) 39 a. Insists on the need to discuss the role and the dimension of the Committee on Petitions by the Parliament; points out that more consideration to citizen’s demands can be given only if a competent body makes the follow-up; highlights that currently the Committee on Petitions does not have the proper dimension and powers in order to satisfy citizen’s demand;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Stresses the need to address the shortcomings of the EU petition system, taking into consideration the special needs of persons with disabilities, in order to ensure its full democratic potential and agenda-setting role; calls on the EU institutions to use their resources to increase the attractiveness of this tool and promote citizens’ participation in EU law- making; in this regard, stresses the need for more EU funding to be allocated to the promotion of the participatory mechanisms;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. With a view to improving public participation, emphasises the need for citizens to have clear guidance to help them choose the most appropriate participatory tool; takes the view that there is a need to understand and overcome the obstacles
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. With a view to improving public participation, emphasises the need for citizens to have clear guidance to help them choose the most appropriate participatory tool to respond to their concerns; takes the view that there is a need to understand and overcome the obstacles people encounter when they are drawing up petitions to Parliament, complaints to the Ombudsman and initiatives for the Commission;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 42 42. Emphasises, furthermore, that where ECIs and petitions have an impact – especially involving mass media coverage or consideration by the Commission or Parliament – they should be examined to pinpoint successful strategies and best practices that could be used as learning in the future;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 43. Emphasises how important transparency is in the process of dealing with citizens’ initiatives and complaints; calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to guarantee full transparency; expresses its support for the European Ombudsman’s efforts to make all the EU institutions and bodies much more transparent and accountable to EU citizens;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 a (new) 43 a. Strongly believes that citizens' access to all documents of the European institutions is the basis of a participatory democracy; stresses in this regard the need for transparency and accountability of the institutions to citizens;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 a (new) source: 697.540
2021/09/27
PETI
149 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 3 a (new) — having regard to the Council measure setting up the Revised EU-level Framework required by Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 a (new) 25a. Recalls that one of the ways to improve the perception of the EU by citizens is making it more understandable and transparent to them; considers the Council should continue working to improve its transparency and invites it to implement some of the recommendations issued repeatedly by the European Parliament and by the Ombudsman;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 26 26. Calls on the Ombudsman to further strengthen the European Network of Ombudsmen in order to promote the right to refer matters to an Ombudsman at both
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 26 a (new) 26a. Urges the European institutions, bodies and agencies to follow the Ombudsman recommendations regarding transparency, accountability, access to documents, "revolving doors", lobbying transparency and other ethical issues;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 a (new) 27a. Recalls that only a few successful European initiative have received adequate follow-up by the Commission;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 27 b (new) 27b. Emphasises that ECI is a fundamental tool that allows citizens to put on the European political agenda those issues or matters that concern them or in which they consider that the Union, within its field of competence, should legislate;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 28. Considers it essential that citizens be able to contribute to the exercise of the legislative prerogatives of the Union and be directly involved in the initiation of legislative proposals; calls for the further development of public consultation as an instrument enabling the public to make known its concerns at an early stage;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 28. Considers it essential for European democracy that citizens be able to contribute to the exercise of the legislative prerogatives of the Union and be directly involved in the initiation of legislative proposals;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 28 a (new) 28a. Regrets that the lack of a legislative follow-up by the Commission on the largest part of successful ECIs undermined the goal of enhancing the democratic legitimacy of the Union through enhanced participation of citizens in its democratic and political life;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that the recent ECIs
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions examines and processes each petition and is the only committee that maintains a daily dialogue with citizens;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that recent ECIs have called, inter alia, for the EU to take more action, more quickly, in the fight against climate change and in protecting indigenous national minorities and language communities;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 29 a (new) 29a. Applauds the Commission on having held information seminars and having established a European Citizens' Initiative Week in 2020, which brought together representatives of institutions, members of civil society and organisers of past and current initiatives, with the aim of reflecting on how to improve this instrument; considers, however, that the European Citizens' Initiative remains little known; calls on the Commission, therefore, to increase the media visibility of this participatory tool, in accordance with Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls on the Commission to improve the ECI tool to make citizens’ participation more accessible
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30.
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls on the Commission to improve the ECI tool to make citizens’ participation more accessible, given the low number of ECIs that have ultimately been successful; regrets that so far the majority of successful ECIs did not end with a legislative proposal by the Commission; therefore calls on the Commission to initiate a legislative proposal on the basis of any successful ECI that was supported by the European Parliament;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 30. Calls on the Commission to study the necessary mechanisms to improve the ECI tool and implement them to make citizens’ participation more accessible, given the low number of ECIs that have ultimately been successful;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 30 a (new) 30a. Is of the opinion that the way in which official replies by the Commission to successful citizens' initiatives are formulated may significantly influence how the instrument is evaluated by citizens and that greater effort and more prudent examination is required in the case of each successful initiative to ensure the Commission gives adequate thought to citizens' propositions;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Highlights the need to establish a
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period for the organisation of hearings by the relevant committees;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas the enhancement of the right to petition can only be achieved by improving the capacity of the EU institutions and Member States to arrive at timely and effective solutions to issues raised by petitioners, ensuring full protection of citizens' fundamental rights;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 32 a (new) 32a. Underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period for the organisation of hearings;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU achieving a concrete direct impact on the EU political agenda and on the EU decision- making processes; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional website to provide information on all the democratic instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level; takes the view that such a one-stop platform would not only provide citizens with greater visibility of their rights, but also promote complementarity between these different instruments;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 a (new) 35a. Stresses that regular information gathering on topics of interest to citizens and recurring issues which are raised in petitions, the European Ombudsman's enquiries and ECIs, would help to find solutions more quickly, while ensuring the coherence of the EU's policies for its citizens;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 35 a (new) 35a. Considers essential to analyse the communication problems between European institutions and citizens that cause citizen participation mechanisms to be underused by Europeans; calls for the necessary resources be put in place to disseminate information about the existence and functioning of this tools among the general public;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their efforts at communication
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Calls for public awareness, particularly among young people, of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their communication efforts to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas some petitions are declared inadmissible due to the lack of information or confusion from the citizens about the competences of the European Union;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective and useful tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their communication efforts to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36a. Believes that the EU institutions should develop an awareness-raising strategy to promote EU instruments as ECI, Complaints to European Ombudsman and right to petition at a local, regional and national level, in order to improve citizens’ knowledge, participation and engagement;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 36 a (new) 36a. Stresses the importance of providing citizens with assistance, both at European and local level, through the Europe Direct information centres and Houses of Europe, in submitting petitions and ECIs and complaints to the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 37.
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 37.
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 37. Calls on the Member States to make it
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 a (new) 37a. Underlines the importance of giving full access to persons with disabilities to all the different instruments that the EU provides to citizens, particularly through systematic interpretation and translation into Sign language and Easy-to-Read language;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 37 b (new) 37b. Calls on the EU institutions to address the challenges faced by the vulnerable groups of people who are underrepresented and unable to have their issues addressed and to involve them in decision-making;
Amendment 138 #
38a. Recalls the need to systematically hold consultations with NGOs and civil society organisations to open up the lines of communication between the institutions and the citizens, in order to improve citizens’ knowledge of EU instruments and participative democracy;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy and the publication of information and documents in all the official languages of the EU is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E b (new) Eb. whereas the Commission is still failing to provide comprehensive information on the number of petitions that led to the initiation of an infringement procedure or to any other legislative or non-legislative action as well as on developments in infringement procedures directly linked to petitions;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, with particular regard to the special needs of persons with disabilities (sign language, Braille); highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, which needs to be strengthened; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 39 a (new) 39a. Insists on the need to discuss the role and the dimension of the Committee on Petitions by the Parliament; points out that more consideration to citizen’s demands can be given only if a competent body makes the follow-up; highlights that currently the Committee on Petitions does not have the proper dimension and powers in order to satisfy citizen’s demand;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 40 40. Stresses the need to address the shortcomings of the EU petition system, taking into consideration the special needs of persons with disabilities, in order to ensure its full democratic potential and agenda-setting role; calls on the EU institutions to use their resources to increase the attractiveness of this tool and promote citizens’ participation in EU law- making; in this regard, stresses the need for more EU funding to be allocated to the promotion of the participatory mechanisms;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. With a view to improving public participation, emphasises the need for citizens to have clear guidance to help them choose the most appropriate participatory tool; takes the view that there is a need to understand and overcome the obstacles
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 41 41. With a view to improving public participation, emphasises the need for citizens to have clear guidance to help them choose the most appropriate participatory tool to respond to their concerns; takes the view that there is a need to understand and overcome the obstacles people encounter when they are drawing up petitions to Parliament, complaints to the Ombudsman and initiatives for the Commission;
Amendment 146 #
42. Emphasises, furthermore, that where ECIs and petitions have an impact – especially involving mass media coverage or consideration by the Commission or Parliament – they should be examined to pinpoint successful strategies and best practices that could be used as learning in the future;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 43. Emphasises how important transparency is in the process of dealing with citizens’ initiatives and complaints; calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to guarantee full transparency; expresses its support for the European Ombudsman’s efforts to make all the EU institutions and bodies much more transparent and accountable to EU citizens;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 a (new) Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 43 a (new) 43a. Stresses that the debate on the future of the EU should result in improvement of the instruments for citizen participation that will make it possible to achieve a Union which is more democratic, transparent and open to its citizens;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E c (new) Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E d (new) Ed. whereas the Commission based its strategy to deal with petitions on its 2016 Communication titled “EU law: Better results through better application", which has no provisions establishing administrative procedure or practice concerning petitions; whereas the Commission's approach resulted in systematically refusing to take action on individual petition issues and on petitions concerning areas where the EU has the competence to support, coordinate or supplement Member States’ action;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E e (new) Ee. whereas the Commission refused to deal with individual petitions, which denounced further EU law violations directly related to the same issues of ongoing infringement cases; whereas the Commission refrained from taking any action on individual petition issues even in presence of EU law violations which severely undermined fundamental rights for a relevant number of citizens and residents in the EU;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E f (new) Ef. whereas the Commission's strategy in dealing with petitions based on its 2016 Communication entitled “EU law: Better results through better application" lacks of clear, predictable and transparent criteria on the Commission's way to consider a petition's case which falls within issues of wider principles or is related to a systematic failure to enforce EU law, including those cases where there is already in place an infringement case on the same issue;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas the EU must guarantee the citizens the right to participate actively in the democratic activities of the European Union in their mother tongue to avoid any kind of discrimination;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 8 a (new) — having regard to Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union concerning the right to petition the European Parliament, to apply to the European Ombudsman, and to address the institutions and advisory bodies of the Union in any of the languages of the Treaties and to obtain a reply in the same language,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the ECI thereby helps strengthen the democratic functioning of the Union through the participation of citizens in its democratic and political life; whereas the ECI should be regarded as one of the ways in which citizens can bring certain issues to the attention of the EU institutions and approach them to legislate on the issues that are within the EU competences and concern the citizens, alongside dialogue with representative associations and civil society, stakeholder consultations, the right to petition and the right to submit complaints to the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I a (new) Ia. whereas Regulation (EU) 2019/788 on the European Citizens' Initiative, which entered into force on 1 January 2020, has made the ECI more accessible and easier to implement for organisers, in particular by means of the translation of initiatives into all official EU languages;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas the Commission has listed a number of problems relating to the implementation of the former regulation, Regulation (EU) 2
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas, in order to achieve those objectives, the procedures and conditions required for the ECI should ensure that initiatives on valid subjects are considered and responded to appropriately by the Commission; whereas at least one million signatures from at least a quarter of the Member States are required for an ECI to be submitted to the Commission; whereas the Commission has made the deadline for submitting signatures more flexible in response to the
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas, in order to achieve those objectives, the procedures and conditions required for the ECI should ensure that initiatives on valid subjects are considered and responded to appropriately by the Commission; whereas at least one million signatures from at least a quarter of the Member States are required for an ECI to be submitted to the Commission; whereas the Commission has made the deadline for submitting signatures more flexible in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; whereas the ECI must not be politically weaponised;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L a (new) La. whereas the Committee received 107 requests to launch a European Citizens' Initiative, of which 83 were deemed eligible and qualified for registration, and of which 6 were successful;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas one of the EU’s priority objectives must be to strengthen
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M M. whereas one of the EU’s priority objectives must be to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of its institutions through instruments of citizen participation which are more effective and transparent;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas Articles 20, 24 and 228 TFEU
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q Q. whereas the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman, and the ECI are participatory tools that foster the transparency; the participatory democracy and active European citizenship;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 11 a (new) — having regard to Regulation (EU) 2020/1042 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2020 laying down temporary measures concerning the time limits for the collection, the verification and the examination stages provided for in Regulation (EU) 2019/788 on the European citizens’ initiative in view of the COVID-19 outbreak,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q a (new) Qa. whereas these participatory mechanisms need to be strengthened in order to enable citizens to have an effective influence on the European Union's decision-making process;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Points out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Points out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to contact the EU institutions and express their views on the legislation adopted
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Points out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to contact the EU institutions and express their views on the legislation adopted and the policy choices made at EU level; recalls that the number of received petitions vis-à-vis the EU population remains modest and that significant differences exist between Member States, regions and languages when it comes to exercising the right to petition; believes that targeted information campaigns and civic education about EU citizenship rights can reach a wider population and bring tangible results in awareness raising about citizens’ rights at EU level;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Points out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to contact the EU institutions and express their views on the legislation adopted and the policy choices made at EU level; notes that, in this context, the Committee on Petitions has a wide range of instruments at its disposal with which to respond to citizens' concerns and to induce the European Parliament, the other European institutions and national authorities to take action, such as the drafting of reports and resolutions, public hearings, thematic workshops and fact- finding missions;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Reminds that the way issues raised in petitions are treated has a decisive impact on citizens as regards the effective respect of the right to petition enshrined in the EU Treaties as well as on citizens' judgement of the institutions of the Union;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Criticises the Commission's strategic decision to refrain from taking any action on individual petition issues as it is at odds with its duty to oversee the correct application of EU law throughout the Union as enshrined in the EU Treaties; regrets that the Commission's current approach on individual petition issues is resulting in no other option for petitioners than pursuing lengthy and expensive judicial procedures to address EU law violations, also in Member States affected by severe shortcomings concerning the independence, quality and efficiency of the judiciary;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Regrets that the Commission's refusal to take action on individual petitions issues and on petitions falling within areas where the Union has competence to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the Member States constitutes a breach of the current EU Treaties' provisions related to the right to petition as this latter is not limited to issues of strategic importance or reflecting structural problems;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Calls on the Commission to timely revise its current strategic approach in handling petitions as it results in leaving untreated, inter alia, issues concerning serious violations of EU law detrimental to the protection of citizens' rights;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Urges the Parliament and the Commission to adopt a binding inter- institutional agreement on the handling of petitions in order to ensure a clear, predictable and transparent legal framework aimed at consistently implementing the right to petition established in the EU Treaties and effectively protecting citizens' fundamental rights;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the Committee on Petitions plays a ‘protection role’ to ensure EU compliance with the CRPD within the policymaking and legislative actions at EU level; whereas the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee has been identified to form the EU Framework together with the European Ombudsman, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the European Disability Forum, as adopted by the Council at its 3513th meeting held on 16 January 2017;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2.
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Recalls that many European citizens are deprived of their right to petition, as their platforms do not comply with accessibility standards and the requirements set out in Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Notes that there is a mismatch between citizens’ expectations as to the EU institutions’ powers to solve individual problems and the limitations the Treaties impose on the EU institutions; so as to prevent situations in which the public have unrealistic expectations and then feel disappointed in the EU institutions, calls for more information to be provided to citizens on the Union’s competences and the limits of the right to petition; calls on the European institutions to provide clear information regarding the right to petition and systematically encourage recourse to this instrument;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Notes that
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Notes that there is a mismatch between citizens’ expectations as to the EU institutions’ powers to solve individual problems and the limitations the Treaties impose on the EU institutions, which is enhanced by the narrow approach of the European Commission on its own competences; so as to prevent situations in which the public have unrealistic expectations and then legitimately feel disappointed in the EU institutions, calls for more information to be provided to citizens on the Union’s competences and the limits of the right to petition;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Takes the view that it is important to diversify the means of communication and to raise citizens' awareness, in close cooperation with national and local associations, by means of information campaigns and an ongoing public debate on the Union's policy areas; believes that interactive online forums should be developed where citizens can obtain information, exchange views and express themselves freely, particularly with a view to targeting young people;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Points out that the petitioners' frustration at the lack of real solutions to their problems can result in detachment from the EU institutions, as well as a feeling of Euroscepticism due to the lack of answers;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Calls for common criteria when dealing with the different petitions to guarantee a standardized and coherent treatment of the petitions and avoid the arbitrary or partisan use of the citizens’ requests; stresses that the lack of homogeneity in the treatment of petitions can cause confusion among petitioners and result in limited will to exercise the right to petition by citizens;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Points out, with that in mind, that an overly narrow or inconsistent interpretation of Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
Amendment 49 #
5. Draws attention to the potential that the right to petition has when it comes to warning the EU institutions about possible loopholes in Union law, or breaches or poor implementation thereof, both systemically and as regards specific and individual cases; calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to pay closer attention to the issues raised in petitions and to ensure th
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas improving citizens’ participation and transparency at EU level is the key to close the perceived gap between the European Union and the citizens and representative organisations, in order to overcome the low citizens’ trust and confidence in EU institutions and achieve a real multilevel democracy;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Draws attention to the potential that the right to petition has when it comes to warning the EU institutions about possible loopholes in Union law, or breaches or poor implementation thereof, both systemically and as regards specific cases; regrets the lack of attention to individual petitions by the Commission, despite of their potential as a tool for control and improvement of EU law; calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to pay closer attention to the issues raised in petitions and to ensure that they give rise to proper inquiries so that genuine improvements can be made; emphasises that, in cases where the Commission does not have legislative powers, the Commission still has and
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Draws attention to the potential that the right to petition has when it comes to warning the EU institutions about possible loopholes in Union law, or breaches or poor implementation thereof, both systemically and as regards specific cases; calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to pay
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Draws attention to the potential that the right to petition has when it comes to warning the EU institutions about possible loopholes in Union law, or breaches or poor implementation thereof, both systemically and as regards specific cases; calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to pay closer attention to the issues raised in petitions and to ensure that they give rise to proper inquiries so that genuine improvements can be made, taking their observations into account in the legislative process; emphasises that, in cases where the Commission does not have legislative or powers or the power to impose sanctions, the Commission still has and should use the possibility to act by providing coordination or support;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Observes that many petitions on COVID-19 have been dealt with by the Committee on Petitions, chiefly under the urgent procedure; congratulates the Committee on Petitions on its rapid and effective handling of petitions in times of major crisis, which is a prerequisite for citizens’ trust in the EU institutions;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls for the implementation of a detailed analysis that allows to know the reasons why the number of registered petitions in recent years has decreased; calls on the European Commission to coordinate with the Committee of Petitions to carry out a study to detect the main obstacles encountered when exercising the right to petition, as well as any communication problems that may exist; calls for the implementation of the necessary mechanisms in order to sort out the potential shortcomings and problems found in the study;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Criticises the Commission for its lack of a proper system to collect information on petitions and how they link with infringement procedures or EU acts, also confirmed by the shortcomings in the Commission’s annual reports on monitoring the application of EU law, which refer to petitions in a very general way;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Calls on the Commission to reduce the deadlines to respond to the EP requests, to assess and report annually on the petitions dealt with and to ensure that this assessment feeds into political decision-making at the level of the Commission;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Calls on the Commission to monitor, assess, and report annually on the petitions dealt with and to ensure that this assessment feeds into political decision- making at the level of the Commission;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Calls on the Council and the Member States to
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Calls on the Council and the Member States to show
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the right to petition the European Parliament is one of the fundamental rights of EU citizens enshrined in Article 44 of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Points out the need to ensure an adequate follow-up of petitions in parliamentary and legislative works; recalls that petitions could be considered as a strategic tool to foster the right of legislative initiative of the European Parliament enshrined in Article 225 TFEU, thus addressing the loopholes and inconsistencies of EU law highlighted through petitions in order to ensure that citizens’ rights are fully protected;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Calls for the EU institutions and Parliament’s committees, as well as the Member States, to better cooperate with the Committee on Petitions in order to answer petitioners efficiently and satisfy their requests; considers it essential to ensure the presence and involvement of Member State representatives during discussions of petitions in committee; in this context, urges the Commission to avoid general answers and to provide targeted and tailored responses to the petitioners;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Calls for the EU institutions and Parliament’s committees, as well as the Member States, to better cooperate with the Committee on Petitions in order to answer petitioners efficiently and satisfy their requests; in this context, urges the Commission to avoid general answers and to provide targeted and tailored responses to the petitioners and their demands;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on civil society as a whole to tap the full potential of the right to petition when it comes to effecting policy and legislative changes at EU level; calls on civil society organisations to make
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on civil society as a whole to tap the full potential of the right to petition when it comes to effecting policy and legislative changes at EU level; calls on civil society organisations to make
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Conference on the Future of Europe to reflect on and debate the right to petition, and, along with members of the public, to look at ways to improve its knowledge
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Conference on the Future of Europe to reflect on and debate
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls for the position of the Committee on Petitions to be strengthened within the European Parliament and in its inter-institutional relations, as it is the only committee that communicates directly with citizens; emphasises that more staff and resources need to be allocated to the Committee on Petitions, given the extent of its work;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the other committees to contribute in a timely manner to Parliament’s efforts to respond more rapidly and effectively to citizens’ concerns and to take into account, in ongoing legislative work, the issues raised by petitioners; calls on the other committees to
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas the lack of transparency prevents public debate on any piece of legislation;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Takes the view that the petitions network is a necessary tool in facilitating the follow-up of petitions as part of parliamentary and legislative business, as well as in promoting the exchange of information and best practices among its members, at both technical and political level; believes that this network should enhance dialogue and cooperation with the Commission and other EU institutions;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Calls for the PETI committee to boost the collaboration with national parliaments and to create a partnership allowing exchange of experience and best practices concerning the most efficient referral of petitions to the competent body;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 b (new) 13b. Considering that, according to the Guidelines 1a when asked for its opinion, a committee will weigh the importance of the right to petition and its legislative workload before deciding whether or not to give an opinion, and that this rule pre- dates the Lisbon Treaty and reflects an old perception of the importance of petitions in parliamentary work, calls for an update of the Guidelines to provide the PETI Committee and other committees with the necessary authority to carry out their work effectively; _________________ 1a Conference of Committee Chairs of the European Parliament, Guidelines on the treatment of petitions by the standing committees, 14 July 1998, PE225.233
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Calls for a Eurobarometer survey to be carried out to gauge how much EU citizens know about the right to petition the European Parliament, with the aim of collecting data to use as a basis for a strong awareness-raising campaign;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Calls for a Eurobarometer survey to be carried out to gauge how much EU citizens know about the right to petition the European Parliament, with the aim of collecting data to use as a basis for a strong and accessible awareness-raising campaign;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Calls for a common database to be set up between the Parliament and the Commission in order to share in a transparent and cooperative way information on all Commission's follow- up actions taken on petitions, including EU Pilots and infringement procedures, legislative proposals and any other EU act;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Calls on the Conference on the Future of Europe to promote the right to petition as a useful tool at the service of citizens enabling them to be in direct contact with the European institutions and to transmit them their problems and needs;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Calls for the Petitions Web Portal to be improved to make it more user- friendly, easier to navigate and accessible to all citizens, especially to persons with disabilities;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Calls for the Petitions Web Portal to be improved to make it more visible for the public, user-
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Calls for the Petitions Web Portal to be improved to make it more user- friendly, easier and intuitive to navigate and accessible to all citizens, especially to persons with disabilities; calls for the possibility of co-
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the number of petitions remained modest in relation to the total population of the EU confirming the need for major efforts and tailored measures to increase public awareness and achieve significative improvements concerning the exercise of the right to petition; whereas on average around 1 200 petitions are submitted to the European Parliament each year;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Calls for an improved data analysis function in the ePetition database in order to improve the quality of data on petitions sent to other committees by automatizing this process and to facilitate the retrieval from ePetition of previous petitions on the same subject;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18.
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for more information to be made public and available on the Petitions Web Portal, including, for example, the progress of the petition and inquiries launched with other institutions; in this regard, calls for more synergy between the portal and Parliament’s internal database to promote greater transparency in the treatment of petitions;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Points out the importance of the right of any EU citizen and any natural or legal person residing in the EU to complain to the European Ombudsman about instances of maladministration within the EU institutions; takes the view that citizens’ complaints to the Ombudsman represent an essential element of participatory democracy and of the legitimacy of the Union’s decision-making process; points out that the right to refer a matter to the Ombudsman increases citizens’ engagement with and trust in the EU institutions as it promotes transparency and good administration of the EU institutions and bodies;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21.
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Emphasises the development of the role of the Ombudsman, who can use own- initiative powers to help to tackle systemic problems in EU administration and make efforts to promote good administration, i.e. ensuring the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union meet the very highest standards; with that in mind, considers the role of the Ombudsman to be more important than ever in view of the fact that the administration of the EU, via its agencies, is taking on an increasingly important role in citizens’ lives when it comes to issues such as environment, migration and health;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Recalls that the European Ombudsman is empowered to make recommendations, proposals for solutions and suggestions for improvement with a view to solving a problem relating to various cases of maladministration; observes that where a complaint falls outside the Ombudsman's mandate, the Ombudsman may advise the complainant to refer it to another authority or to the Committee on Petitions; notes that in 2020 the Ombudsman received more than 1 400 complaints which did not fall within her mandate, mainly because they did not concern activities related to administration at EU level;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Calls on the Ombudsman to look more closely at the manner in which EU funds and the EU budget are spent, and to check that the Union’s interests are not undermined by breaches of the rule of law or any sort of infringement of the EU principles and values, corruption or conflicts of interest,
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Recalls that relations with the European Ombudsman are one of the responsibilities conferred by the European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on the Committee on Petitions;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the number of petitions submitted to the European Parliament peaked in 2013 and is now
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Welcomes the recent changes made to the Statute of the European Ombudsman, which bring the exercise of the Ombudsman's functions into line with the Lisbon Treaty and will further enhance the right of EU citizens and residents to complain about maladministration, in particular in the areas of whistle-blower protection, harassment and conflicts of interest at the EU's institutions, bodies or agencies; recalls that the Ombudsman's new Statute also clarifies the conditions under which the Ombudsman may conduct own-initiative enquiries, reiterating that the Ombudsman may cooperate with the authorities of the Member States and with EU institutions, bodies and agencies;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Welcomes the recent changes made to the Statute of the European Ombudsman, which will further enhance the right of EU citizens and residents to complain about maladministration, in particular in the areas of whistle-blower protection, harassment and conflicts of interest
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Welcomes the recent changes made to the Statute of the European Ombudsman, which will further enhance the right of EU citizens and residents to complain about maladministration, in particular in the areas of whistle-blower protection, harassment and conflicts of interest; strongly believes that the Ombudsman must be awarded an increased budget providing her with the necessary resources to effectively handle the overall workload;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 24. Congratulates the Ombudsman on the remarkable work she has done on the accessibility of EU documents, in particular the application of the fast-track procedure to deal with such requests; notes with concern that the current legislation on public access to EU documents is severely obsolete; considers a priority the revision of Regulation (EC) n. 1049/2001 to guarantee full transparency and full public access to the documents held by the EU Institutions; calls on the Ombudsman to continue her efforts in this direction, because full and timely access to documents, including when the legislative process is ongoing, is essential to ensure proper engagement of citizens and civil society in the decision-
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 24. Recalls that EU citizens have the right to access the EU institutions' documents; Congratulates the Ombudsman on the work she has done on the accessibility of documents held by EU institutions, in particular the application of the fast-track procedure to deal with such requests; calls on the Ombudsman to continue her efforts in this direction, because timely access to documents in the EU's 24 official languages is essential to ensure proper engagement of citizens and civil society in the decision-
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Invites the co-legislators to follow the recommendations of the Ombudsman in relation with Regulation 1049/2001 on public access to documents and foster their revision; recalls that this regulation is currently obsolete due to technological advances and access to documentation in recent decades; calls on the institutions to promote the revision of this Regulation in order to place the Union at the forefront of public access to documents and democratic transparency for citizens;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Congratulates the Ombudsman for the work done in promoting multilingualism for citizens and for publishing a set of recommendations to the EU administration on the use of official EU languages when communicating with the public, recommendations that give guidance on how and when to communicate in which languages in order to safeguard the EU linguistic diversity;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Stresses the importance of the Ombudsman's transparency-related tasks for European democracy, in particular those concerning the accessibility of documents for European citizens, in order to enable them to fully exercise their right to information and to increase citizens' confidence in the European project;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 b (new) 24b. Congratulates the Ombudsman for monitoring how the EU’s frontline institutions are carrying out their work during the pandemic and for underlining their obligation for transparency; welcomes the question addressed by the Ombudsman to the Commission about the transparency of the scientific advice it receives, its meetings with representatives of interest groups, and its decisions related to emergency public procurement;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 25 source: 697.540
2021/10/21
AFCO
18 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point 1 1. ‘whereas democratic elections to the European Parliament constitute the main bottom-up instrument for citizens in the Union; whereas the ECI contributes to the democratic functioning of the Union; whereas the citizens of the Union have the right enshrined in Article 11(4) TEU to apply to the Commission directly to ask it to submit a proposal, within the framework of its powers, for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties; whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed in its case law that the notion of a ‘legal act for the purpose of implementing the Treaties’ should not be interpreted restrictively and that by virtue of Article 288 TFEU such an act can mean both legislative and non- legislative measures
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 – point 7 7. ‘Calls on the Commission to clearly inform the public about the division of competences between the Union and the Member States to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the remit of EU competences to propose
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 – point 7 7. ‘Calls on the Commission to clearly inform the public about the division of competences between the Union and the Member States to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the remit of EU competences to propose legal acts, and to provide practical and timely advice to the organisers on the drafting of ECIs and make adequate use of the possibility to partially register an ECI; emphasises that recently registered and ongoing ECIs have called for the EU to take more action, particularly in the fields of environmental protection, h
Amendment 12 #
7 a. 'Regrets the Commission's reluctance to deal with successful ECIs; believes that the Commission should instead show genuine consideration and commitment to meeting citizens' expectations whenever an ECI is successful';
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 – point 8 8. ‘Asks the Commission to fully assess experiences with the introduction of the temporary measures in Regulation (EU) 2020/1042, with particular regard to the extension of the collection periods and its impact on organisers’ ability to mobilise support for their ECIs, in order to inform inter alia the review process of Regulation (EU) 2019/788’; considers that if this assessment results in positive evidences, an extension of these temporary measures could be envisaged for a longer term';
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 – point 8 8. ‘Asks the Commission to
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 – point 9 9. ‘
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 10 – point 10 10. ‘Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 – point 11 a (new) 11 a. Calls for a greater role of the European Parliament and a strengthening of its link with civil society organizations to channel their demands and help them to reinforce their involvement to strengthen the European Citizens' Initiative and its implementation by the Commission in the cases in which these initiatives are validated;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 – point 11 b (new) 11 b. Calls on the Conference on the Future of Europe, giving voice directly to the citizens to discuss the effectiveness of the implementation of the European Citizen's Initiative and its current legal framework and to promote the European Citizen's Initiative as a useful tool to enable them to participate in the implementation of the Union public policies.
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 – point 1 1. ‘whereas the citizens of the Union have the right enshrined in Article 11(4) TEU to apply to the Commission directly to ask it to submit a proposal, within the framework of its powers, for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties; whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed in its case law that the notion of a ‘legal act for
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 – point 2 2. ‘whereas the Commission has listed a number of problems relating to the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2011/211 and whereas the new Regulation (EU) 2019/788 aims to address those issues in detail with regard to the effectiveness of the ECI as an instrument, and to bring improvements to the way it operates; whereas its implementation needs to be assessed effectively and in a timely manner, i.e. no later than 1January 2024, and every four years thereafter’;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 – point 3 3. ‘whereas, in order to achieve those objectives and achieve the full potential of the ECI, the procedures and conditions required for the ECI should ensure that valid initiatives are considered and
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 – point 4 4. ‘whereas organising and supporting an ECI is a political right for the citizens of the Union and a unique instrument for setting the priorities for participatory democracy in the EU, allowing the public to play an active role in the projects and processes that concern them; whereas there have been six successful European Citizens' Initiatives to date, most recently the "Minority Safepack" initiative and the "End the Cage Age" initiative; whereas the "Minority Safepack" initiative was the first ECI to have been debated in the European Parliament based on the new Regulation(EU) 2019/788, and was overwhelmingly supported by Parliament in December 2020 with 76% of the votes cast’;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) Paragraph 22 of the draft report of the Committee on Petitions touching upon the exclusive competences of AFCO should be changed as follows: 'Calls on the Ombudsman to check that the Union’s interests are not undermined by maladministration, cases of corruption or conflicts of interest, including in the context of Next Generation EU, the European recovery plan; emphasises that respect for the rule of law is an essential condition for access to EU funds; takes the view that this conditionality concerning respect for the rule of law and the fact that the European Union does not compromise on its values are factors that can strengthen citizens’ trust in the Union';
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 – point 6 6. ‘Considers it essential that citizens be able to contribute to the exercise of the Union’s competences; c
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 – point 6 6. ‘Considers it essential that citizens be able to contribute to the exercise of the Union’s competences; considers it key, therefore, that valid ECIs should lead to the initiation of concrete proposals for both legislative and non-legislative acts referred to in Article 288 TFEU; recalls Parliament’s obligation to assess the proposals included in the ECI and the measures taken by the Commission in line with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 and Rule 222(9) of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, particularly when the Commission fails to put forward any such proposals or fails to implement them’;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 – point 6 a (new) 6 a. 'Believes that, in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 on the ECI, in case the Commission, within the given deadlines, has failed to publish its intentions, or has set out in a communication that it intends not to take action on an ECI which has met the procedural requirements and is in line with the Treaties, in particular the core values of the Union, enshrined in Article 2 of the TEU, Parliament could, in line with Rule 222 of its Rules of Procedures, decide to follow up on the ECI with a legislative own-initiative report (INL); urges the Commission to commit itself to submitting a legislative proposal following Parliament’s adoption of such an INL; proposes in that regard to modify the current framework agreement between Parliament and the Commission; asks that the ECI regulation be amended to incentivise the Commission to table a legislative proposal where the ECI submitted meets the relevant requirements';
source: 699.084
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History
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