25 Amendments of Eleonora EVI related to 2017/2222(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest compared to the EU’s total population; whereas the number nevertheless indicates that EU citizens are aware, and make use, ofoverall number indicates that greater efforts are needed to increase the awareness of EU citizens on the right to petition; whereas in exercising theat right to petition, andcitizens expect to, by drawing the attention of the EU institutions, to matters which they are concerned about, through the petition procedurehat the issues which concern them will be treated appropriately;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the right to address a petition to the European Parliament offers EU citizens and residents the means to submit an official request directly to their representatives, and that right should therefore be suitably protected and promoted; whereas this right is essential for ensuring the active participation of EU citizens and residents in the European Union’s fields of activity;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas active citizen participation is only possible on the basis of a fully democratic and transparent process allowing Parliament and the Committee of Petitions to render its work citizen-friendly and comprehensible;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas an increase in citizens' direct participation and improvement of the quality of decision-making at EU level are possible only if they are underpinned by a democratic governance that is able to guarantee full transparency, an effective protection of fundamental rights and the inclusion of EU citizens’ requests on the EU political agenda;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas petitions are a useful source of information with regard to detecting breaches of EU law; and the shortcomings and inconsistencies of EU law in respect of the goal of ensuring that the fundamental rights of all citizens are fully protected;
Amendment 20 #
H. whereas petitions provide a vast range of important information in various areas of use to other parliamentary committees;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas each petition ishould be carefully assessed and dealt with, and whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a reply from the Committee of Petitions within a reasonable period of timein full accordance with the right to good administration enshrined in Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the European Citizen’s Initiative is potentially an important tool for strengthening citizens’ participation in the EU political decision-making process and should be exploited fullyused to the best advantage;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
R. whereas Emily O’Reilly, the European Ombudsman, presented her Annual Report for 2015 to the Committee on Petitions at its meeting on 20 June 2016, andin which it emerged that the greatest number of complaints received by the Ombudsman concerned the lack of transparency and, in particular, the refusal of EU institutions to allow access to documents or information; whereas the European Ombudsman also encountered problems in relation to which she planned to take action, particularly with regard to the effective protection of fundamental rights, transparency in the EU decision-making process, transparency in lobbying, and ethical issues concerning posts held by former EU Commissioners and cases of ‘revolving doors’; whereas the annual report of the Committee of Petitions, in turn, is partly based on the Ombudsman’s annual report;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital V
Recital V
V. whereas the overhaul of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure (adopted in Plenary in December 2016) also entailsshould include changes to, and the clarification of, the petition procedure so that the right of petition can be used to the best advantage, to the benefit of the substantive protection of EU citizens’ rights;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital V a (new)
Recital V a (new)
Va. whereas a purely formalistic approach to the treatment of petitions in relation to environmental assessments jeopardises the proper implementation of EU environmental law in the Member States and the credibility of the Commission, which should supervise effectively to ensure that the fundamental rights of citizens are fully protected;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the vital role that the Committee on Petitions has to play as a contact point where EU citizens and residents can submit their grievances, and where the requests of citizens are examined and resolved wherever possible and within a reasonable timeframecomplaints concerning infringements and shortcomings in the application of EU law in the Member States, and any gaps and inconsistencies in EU legislation; stresses the need to guarantee in full that the issues raised will be treated promptly, exhaustively, impartially and fairly by the institutions;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that petitions allow Parliament and other EU institutions to reconnect with EU citizens who are affected by the application of EU law at different administrative levels; considers that the ability to ensure full transparency, direct citizen involvement, full protection of fundamental rights, a clear improvement in the response from the EU institutions in terms of addressing and resolving the problems brought to their attention by citizens, in addition to enhanced cooperation of EU institutions and other EU bodies with national, regional and local authorities on matters linked to the application of EU law to b, are a vital means of strengthening the democratic legitimacy and accountability of the Union’s decision-making process;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reminds the Commission that requests for assistance from the Committee on Petitions should be followed up properly, and reiterates its call on the Commission to improve the quality of its replies, in substance as well as depth, to ensure that the concerns of European citizens are addressed properly, pointing out that the manner in which the problems highlighted in petitions are addressed has a vital impact on citizens, on the effective respect of their right to petition enshrined in EU law, and on their opinions of the EU institutions; insists that the Commission identifies the means for enhancing cooperation with Member States’ authorities when it comes to responding to inquiries regarding the implementation of, and compliance with, EU law;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Asks the Commission to inform the Committee on Petitions regularly on developments with regard to ongoing infringement proceedings, and to guarantee its full and timely access to relevant Commission documents on infringements, and to EU pilot procedures pertaining to petitions in this regard;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Deplores the fact that the Charter of Fundamental Rights only applies in Member States when implementing EU law; reiterates the fact that many citizens have found its implementation to be unclear and unsatisfactory; regrets that the Court of Justice of the EU has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in a cautious way, yet allowing for the scope of application of the Charter to be expanded to include national provisions that implement EU law, as well as those that ensure effective application of EU provisions; stresses that a too narrow or incoherent interpretation of Article 51 alienates citizens from the EU; urges the Commission to take measures to ensure that the interpretation of the scope of Article 51 is as coherent and wide as possible; welcomes the introduction by the Fundamental Rights Agency of an interactive tool providing easy access to information on which authority to address in each of Member State with inquiries regarding fundamental rights;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points to the important ongoing work carried out by the Committee on Petitions in connection with petitions pertaining to issues on disabilities, and underlines the willingness of the committee to continue its support tofor efforts to strengtheensure that EU legislation and the implementation measures adopted in the Member States comply fully and consistently with the UN Convention on the rRights of pPersons with dDisabilities;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Draws attention to two annual reports, the Annual Report on all the committee’s activities in 20152 and the Annual Report on the European Ombudsman’s work in 20153, and to several opinions by the committee, such as on cross-border recognition of adoptions4, on EU options for improving access to medicines, on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with special regard to the concluding observations of the UN CRPD Committee5, on monitoring the application of Union Law: 2014 Annual Report6 and on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union in 20157; _________________ 2 Opinion adopted on 30 November 2016. 3 Opinion adopted on 11 November 2016. 4 Opinion adopted on 21 April 2016. 5 Opinion adopted on 27 April 2016. 6 Opinion adopted on 22 April 2016 7 Opinion adopted on 12 October 2016.
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Points to the committee’s support of the European Citizens’ Initiative; notes the Commission’s proposal for a revision of the regulation with a view to maintaining its relevance as a tool for democratic participationand takes the view that in order to increase the European Citizens’ Initiative’s relevance as a tool for democratic participation, all necessary measures should be adopted to ensure that legislative proposals are submitted for successful European Citizens’ Initiatives; invites the Commission to consider Parliament’s substantive input, and in particular the opinionat of the Committee on Petitions on, in order to achieve the full and effective involvement of EU citizens in the EU decision-making process through the European Citizens’ initiative; Or. it OJ L 123, 12.05.16, p. 1
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Emphasises Parliament’s strong collaboration with the European Ombudsman, as well as its involvement in the European Network of Ombudsmen; underlines the excellent relations within the institutional framework between the Ombudsman and the Committee on Petitions; appreciates in particular the Ombudsman’s regular contributions to the work of the committee throughout the year; underlines the Ombudsman’s crucial role in helping to improve decision-making processes and administration at EU level, which should, as soon as possible, be made fully transparent, impartial and fit for protecting citizens’ rights effectively and efficiently; welcomes the initiatives taken by the European Ombudsman to better benefit from the network’s potential and to strengthen its visibility;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that comprehensive analyses are conducted on the compliance with EU law of environmental assessments carried out by Member States, with regard to permission granted for infrastructure projects in relation to which citizens, through their petitions, have highlighted serious risks to human health and the environment;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Regrets that the Commission did not exercise its powers of control in a resolute manner to prevent the placing on the single market of pollutant, diesel- powered cars that contribute significantly to the release of NO2 into the atmosphere over the limit values and that do not comply with EU rules on the type- approval and emissions of passenger and light commercial vehicles; points out that this aspect forms an integral part of the concerns of citizens who have exercised their right to petition to call for effective protection of human health, the environment and consumer rights;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Stresses that full transparency and full public access to the documents of the EU institutions should be the rule in order to ensure the highest levels of protection of the democratic rights of citizens; takes the view that a proposal to amend Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 should be promptly put forward in this regard;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Draws attention to numerous petitions on the practices of child welfare authorities and the protection of children’s rights, particularly with cross-border implications; acknowledges the work done by the committee’s working group on child welfare; draws attention to the short motion for resolution on ‘Protecting the best interest of the child (across borders) in Europe’ adopted in March 2016; welcomes thetakes note of the proposal to recast of the Brussels IIa Regulation on jurisdiction, the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, and on international child abduction, and notes that a large number of issues raised in petitions, such as those relating to the procedures and practices specifically followed by the relevant authorities in the Member States in child-related decisions having cross- border implications, and the efficacy of return proceedings following international parental child abduction, need to be improvedverified thoroughly with a view to resolving the existing difficulties;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Highlights the consistently high number of petitions concerning animal welfare and reiterates its regret over the delay which has built up in the implementation of the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015; considers it vital to launch a new strategy at EU level 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;