18 Amendments of Vladimír BILČÍK related to 2020/2201(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas according to several Eurobarometer surveys, a large proportion of EU citizens are not satisfied with the way democracy works in the EU and tend to distrust the EU institutionsthe results of the 2019 European elections sent a positive signal that European citizens are taking an increasing interest in developments at EU level and that they believe that EU legislation has an impact on their daily lives; whereas in Civic Engagement Eurobarometer 20201a, voting in European elections was regarded by 55% of respondents as the most effective way of ensuring voices are heard by decision- makers at EU level; whereas, not only is this perception presenevertheless, according to several Eurobarometer surveys, a proportion of EU citizens are not sat EU level, but also at national level;isfied with the way democracy works in the EU; _________________ 1aFlash Eurobarometer (FL4023) en- report.pdf (europa.eu)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas overall turnout at the recent European Parliament elections was 50.6%, the highest turnout since the 1994 elections and a notable increase from 2014 where the turnout was 42.6%; whereas, although the turnout in 2019 was higher among all groups of the population, the increase was led by the younger generation, with large increases among people aged under 25 and aged 25–39; whereas despite the overall increase in turnout large differences remain between individual Member States;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the European Union is founded on the idea of representative democracy; whereas in a representative democracy accountability through elections is the key source of legitimacy; whereas such accountability does not exist for other means of citizen's participation;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the legal and political impact ofdemocratic elections to the European Parliament constitute the onlymain bottom-up instruments for citizens in the EU, whilst other means, namely the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), complaints to the European Ombudsman and petitions to Parliament, is rather minimal are important supplements for vibrant Parliamentarism;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas citizens of the EU and any natural or legal person residing in or with a registered office in a Member State have the right to submit petitions to the European Parliament under Article 24 TFEU and Article 227 TFEU whenever the matter affects them directly and falls within the EU fields of activity;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas most forms of participation are generally ubiased bytowards organised interest groups and notrarely used by individual citizens; whereas individual citizens are largely unaware of the existing participatory instruments;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the need to reflect on how the Union can become more democratic and effective; believes that a profound reform of the Union and possible changes to the Treaties, which would make the Union more effective, united, democratic, solidary, sovereign and resilifocused, capable, and accountable, are necessitated, whereas this includes improving the democratic responsiveness of EU institutions towards Parliament, are strengthened by directly engaging with citizensnd of Parliament itself towards the European electorate;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the existing participatory instruments should be improved to make citizens’ participation more accessible; opines that, to facilitate public participation in wider political discourse and equip the public with the opportunity to influence political outcomes, with synergies in existing mechanisms, it is imperative that citizen engagement is structured in a way that creates realistic expectations and provides a benefit to strategic agenda of the Union by further legitimising policy; believes that this bottom-up participatory agenda should be capable of complementing, not substituting, representative democracy in the EU;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged the use of digital media and online conference systems, therefore sees further opportunities that digitalisation offers for civic engagement in times of crisis; points out that this has helped citizens to participate more quickly, widely and inclusively in decision-making; believes that the EU should promote new and innovative ways of citizen engagement, enabling the use of digital technology tools that facilitate multilingual dialogue with citizens;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Points out the New European Bauhaus initiative as a recent innovation to encourage and facilitate citizens’ participation; highlights that the initiative brings citizens, experts, businesses, and institutions together and facilitates conversations about making tomorrow’s living spaces more affordable and accessible;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights that civil society organisations, shouldtakeholders and other lobby groups already play a major role in participatory instruments; underlines the fact that, in order for such instruments to be successful, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) must be involved;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that the outcome of the participatory process must be clearly defined, so that it can be subject to a legally binding follow-up; proposes that participants should be provided with written feedback at the end of such exercises, since they ensure the accountability of the institutions and the credibility of such processes;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses the need to permanently includeconsult citizens in the structural reforms of the EU by reforming the Convention method as provided for in Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union; proposes that this be discussed in the Conference on the Future of Europe;