Activities of Heinz K. BECKER related to 2011/2182(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU citizenship report 2010 (debate)
Amendments (12)
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas the greatest obstacles to exercising active Union citizenship are a lack of awareness on the part of individuals of their rights as Union citizens and a lack of clearly structured, widely known information services; whereas consequently, in the context of Union citizenship, nothing can have higher priority than informing citizens about their rights on a broad, solid and efficient basis, thereby permanently closing the gap between citizens and institutions; whereas, consequently, any Commission action to strengthen Union citizenship must start by first tackling this problem and must be given adequate budget funding;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas the governments of the Member States must be held to account to an even greater extent, in many respects, for the removal of all remaining legal and administrative obstacles preventing European citizens from exercising their rights as Union citizens, but in particular for advising them of their rights;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, although the right to petition the European Parliament is expressly provided for in the Treaties, it is not sufficiently well known or used, and therefore calls for citizens to be improvided with improved informationdistribution of information for citizens about their right to petition, in particular through European Parliament offices in the Member States; further calls on the Commission to do more to advertise the right of petition through its offices in the Member States, its decentralised information networks (e.g. Europe Direct) and all organisations working with the Commission and the European Parliament (e.g. social partners and other interest groups) in order to reach as many citizens as possible;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Considers that the right of EU citizens living in a Member State other their Member State of origin to vote in elections and stand for election, in both European Parliament and local authority elections, is the most tangible political Union citizen’s right for cross-border workers and travellers and that the exercise of that right must be free of all discriminatory and obstructive formalities; calls on the Commission and Member States to make citizens more aware of this right by means of targeted information campaigns prior to the relevant election;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to ensure that the right of access to documents provided for in Regulation 1049/20011, an important right enjoyed by EU citizens, is guaranteed by improving transparency and making access to documents and information easy and, user- friendly and comprehensible, so as to enable citizens to participate more closely in the decision- making process; points in this context to the central importance of the work of the European Ombudsman in upholding the right of access to Union institutions’ documents;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Recalls that the almost 80 million people with disabilities in the European Union still face obstacles, insurmountable in many instances, when, in various ways, they exercise their right of free movement as citizens of the Union; calls accordingly on the European institutions and the Member States to make it easier for people with disabilities to have access to all means of transport and associated infrastructure facilities as soon as possible in accordance with the ‘European Disability Strategy 2010-2020’ (COM(2010) 636) and the Parliament own-initiative report based on it (2010/2272); also points in this context to the disproportionately high number of older people with restricted mobility;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Notes that the greatest obstacles preventing citizens from benefiting from the larger product range and competitive prices available in the single market are a lack of knowledge of consumer rights in other European countries, on the one hand, and a lack of confidence in these rights on the other; supports the Commission therefore in its efforts with a view to easier access, including online access, to alternative dispute resolution procedures for cross-border purchases within the Union, which are a lower-cost and faster alternative to court proceedings;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that the establishment of the one-stop shopa single information portal for citizens, ‘Your Europe’, is of great importance for citizenindividuals seeking advice or redress; acknowledges that the same time that the information and problem-solving networks set up by the Commission (Europe Direct, ‘Solvit’, European Consumer Centres, etc.) are important partners in the settlement of complaints regarding malfunctions in the internal market; calls on the Commission to promote these online and accessible services more actively not only by involving the existing EU level assistance and problem solving services, but also, in particular, by taking a more comprehensive and more active approach in making these known to citizens;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Encourages the Commission to cooperate with the Committee on Petitions in drafting a new citizenship report in 2013; makes it clear in this context that the Committee on Petitions, in particular on the basis of the petitions it receives, will critically examine the results achieved (before the next report is published) in terms of strengthening Union citizenship and will call for further action by the Commission as necessary;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal to declare 2013 as the ‘European Year of Citizens’, which would mark 20 years since the introduction of the ‘EU citizenship’ concept and would enhance awareness of the rights attaching to Union citizenship and of the information and problem-solving services which are crucial for providing information about those rights and for enforcing them in practice; calls on the Commission and the Member States to use this opportunity to strengthen its efforts to protect and promote citizens’ rights; and regards the involvement of civil society (NGOs, NPOs, etc.) and the provision of sufficient budgetary resources for Europe-wide campaigns as key factors for adding value to that year;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Points out that, although the notion of Union citizenship is closely bound up with the right of free movement, all citizens who do not leave their Member State of origin also benefit from their rights as Union citizens; cites, by way of cases in point, on-line purchasing from other EU countries, passenger rights in connection with domestic flights, cross- border successions, and political rights such as the right to petition the European Parliament or to participate in the new European Citizens' Initiative; calls in this context on the Commission to make that fact fully known in connection with the European Year of the Citizen, as well as with other information campaigns relating to Union citizenship, and thus to ensure that all EU citizens, without exception, feel that such information addresses them directly;