8 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2018/2111(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates the outcomes of the public hearing held by the Committee on Petitions in June 2017 on ‘Restoring Citizens’ Trust and Confidence in the European Project’, which underlined, inter alia, the need to render the EU electoral process more open and transparent for all Union citizens as a way of strengthening EU public discour; believes that citizens' direct participation and full transparency at all stages of the EU decision-making processes and countering perceptions of are essential to enhance citizens' democratic rights and counter the democratic deficit at EU level;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers the exercise, pursuant to Article 22(1) TFEU, by Union citizens of electoral rights at municipal level to be a crucial corollary to the right to free movement and Union citizenship, and; holds that participatory democracy at EU level would be rendered more effective were citizens first convinced of the effectiveness ofby adopting a truly democratic governance able to guarantee full transparency, effective protection of fundamental rights, direct involvement of citizens' in the EU decision-making processes and the inclusion of EU citizens’ priorities on the EU political agenda; believes that participatory and direct democracy tools must be strengthened in order to increase also the political involvement of citizens in local communities; urges the Commission, in that regard, to further best practices inwith a view to also promoting higher voter turnout in municipal and local elections across the Union;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that not all the provisions concerning EU citizenship have been implemented to reach their full potential, even though this would enable the consolidation of a European identity; highlights that the creation of Union citizenship has proven that a citizenship which is not determined by nationality can exist and that it forms the foundation of apolitical area from which rights and duties emerge, which are determined by the law of the European Union and not the State; calls on the Union institutions to take the necessary measures to improve the implementation, scope and effectiveness of the Treaty provisions concerning citizenship;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses that the body of rights and obligations arising from Union citizenship cannot be limited in an unjustified manner, therefore the conditions for the acquisition and loss of nationality must be compatible with European Union law and its values;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the right to petition, pursuant to Article 227 TFEU, represents a formal channel for citizens to communicate directly with the EU institutions, to highlight the shortcomings and inconsistencies of EU law in respect of the goal of ensuring that economic, social and cultural rights are fully protected and to signal the incorrect application or transposition of Union law by national authorities; notes that while citizens across the Union are aware of the right to petition, there is a persisting lack of clarity as to the proper delineation of competences between the Union and the Member States; calls on the Commission to increase communication efforts to clarify Union competenceffectiveness by the EU institutions in addressing and solving the problems brought to their attention by citizens through petitions; calls on the EU institutions to adopt an effective strategy aimed at ensuring the full protection of citizens' fundamental rights and to improve cooperation efforts with national, regional and local authorities, especially in the policy areas which garner the highest number of petitions, namely: the environment, fundamental rights (notably voting rights and rights of the child), the free movement of persons, social affairs and employment, discrimination and immigration;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the need to abandon austerity measures and to adopt effective and consistent policies at EU level in order to guarantee full employment and adequate social protection, the highest levels of education and training and the highest protection of human health and of the environment;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the revision of the legal framework governing the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) presents an opportunity to enhance citizen participation in EU policy making by rendering the instrument less bureaucratic and more accessible; calls on the Commission to develop more robust practices as regards the political and legal follow-up given to ECIs.; underlines that in order to increase the European Citizens’ Initiative’s effectiveness as a tool for democratic participation, all necessary measures must be adopted to ensure that legislative proposals are submitted for successful European Citizens’ Initiatives;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Underlines the concerns raised during the Workshop on ‘Political and electoral rights ofnon-citizen residents in Latvia-Estonia’ of 24 April 2018 which was held in response to petition 0747/2016 signed by over 20 thousand signatures; notes that non-citizen residents of these countries are not permitted to vote in European Parliament elections while they are taken into account for the allocation of seats;