22 Amendments of Mairead McGUINNESS related to 2008/2301(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas several of the recommendations adopted in the 2007 Annual Report have yet to be implemented by Parliament's authorities, such as, for instance, closer cooperation with SOLVIT in the field of petitions and complaints regarding the internal market, and the establishment of a common EU portal for European citizens,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. recognising the constructive contribution made to the petitions process by the services of the Commission, which regularly provide, at the request of the responsible committee, preliminary assessments of many petitions received, and noting that in 2008 this has also involved an increased workload for the officials concerned, notably in the Commission's DG Environment and DG Internal Market,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. having regard to the recommendations made by the Committee on Petitions following a visit to Fos-sur-Mer, to urge the French authorities not to proceed with the construction of an incinerator plant, but to support an alternative methanisation plant, given the existing high levels of atmospheric pollution and the obligation to ensure the highest levels of health and safety of the local populationCyprus and Romania,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S
Recital S
S. recognising the positive and constructive cooperation with the European Ombudsman in 2008, the support provided by the Committee on Petitions for his recommendations contained in two Special Reports and the importance of his responsibilities in investigating allegations made by EU citizens of maladministration within EU institutions and bodies, and welcoming the pragmatic but necessaryhis Annual Report for 2007 and his Special Reports on complaints 1487/2005/ and 3453/2005/ with regard to the use of languages by the Council and the Commission's application of the infringement procedure respectively and welcoming the modifications to his statute approved by Parliament,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T
Recital T
T. whereas in 2008 the Committee on Petitions received 1 884 petitions, an increase of approximately 20% on the number received in 2007, and whereas the resources of the Committee secretariat actually decreased during that periodXX were declared admissible, XX were declared admissible and closed in the light of previously taken decisions, and XX were declared inadmissible, whereas the number of petitions that do not meet the conditions of Rule 191(1) of the Rules of Procedure has significantly risen since the beginning of 2007,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the involvement of petitioners at each meeting of the Committee on Petitions and continues to encourage individual EU citizens and community associations to come forward with issuepetition the Parliament with complaints which concern the area of activity of the European Union and which affect them directly, believing that this process enables the European Parliament as an institution to play a significant role in monitoring the application of Community law by the Member States and to better defend and promote the fundamental rights of all EU citizens as defined in the EU Treaty;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, Parliament cannot regard as admissible petitions which seek to appeal against decisions of competent authorities or judicial bodies of Member States; emphasises, moreover, that complaints need to meet the conditions of Rule 191(1) of Parliament's Rules of Procedure before they can be registered as petitions;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on all Member States and their national, regional and local institutions to fully cooperate with the responsible committee of the European Parliament and with the Commission when investigating allegations or proposals contained in petitions, on a loyal and constructive basis, with a view to finding solutions to issues raised through the petitions process;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Parliament and the Commission to promote to Member States the importance of forward thinking - especially in the area of planning approval - in helping to prevent potential breaches of provisions of Community law that have been adopted but are not as yet in force;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recognises that well-meaning petitioners are not always right and that solutions may solutions for petitioners sometimes cannot be found for their complaints due to weaknesses in the applicable Community legislation itself;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Therefore, calls on responsible legislative committees to bear in mind proposals or suggestions which may from time to time be made by the Committee on Petitioncontinue their efforts regarding the application by Member States of specific EU legislation, with a view to possible revision or further investigation;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recalls Parliament's request to the Commission to step up its monitoring of the implementation of Directive 2006/114/EC on misleading and comparative advertising with regard to misleading business-directory companies and to report to Parliament on the feasibility and possible consequences of extending the scope of Directive 2005/29/EC;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Endorses the Ombudsman's call to the Council to expand the language options of the websites of its Presidencies to the most widely spoken languages of the European Union with the aim of ensuring that citizens have direct access to the activities of the Council's Presidencies; refers in this respect to the French Council Presidency, which published its official website in compliance with the Ombudsman's recommendations;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Endorses the Ombudsman's call to the Commission, with reference to the implementation of the Working Time Directive, to handle complaints by citizens in conformity with principles of good administration in the field of the Commission's discretionary powers regarding the opening of infringement procedures;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Welcomes the constructive cooperation between the Ombudsman and the EU within the appropriate institutional framework ; endorses the Ombudsman's repeated calls for the need of a Code of Good Administrative Behaviour, common to all EU institutions and bodies, as approved by Parliament on 6 September 2001; is of the view that the Ombudsman, the Commission and the Parliament should develop a common EU portal for the treatment of complaints addressed to the EU institutions;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Urges the implementation by all parties of UN Security Council Resolution 550 ( 1984 ) on the Cyprus issue, which would lead to the full restoration of property to its legitimate owners in Varosha; in case there are no visible results by the end of 2008, the committee responsible might consider bringing the issue of the Famagusta petitioners to plenary;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Romanian authorities to adopt measures to conserve and safeguard Romania's cultural and architectural heritage, pursuant to Article 151 of the EC Treaty, referring to Parliament's Written Declaration P6_TA(2007)0435 on St Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral; with reference to the problems on restitution of property confiscated under the Communist regime, points out that, under Article 295 of the EC Treaty, property ownership is a matter of national competence;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Requests the French authorities to prepare an epidemiological assessment to determine the impact on the area close to Fos-Berre, in the immediate vicinity of the incinerator plant under construction at Fos-sur-Mer; recognises that Directive 1999/30/EC does not prohibit the construction of an incinerator in an area already affected by atmospheric pollution, but, under Directives 1999/30/EC and 96/62/EEC, measures are to be taken to ensure compliance with European standards on atmospheric pollution;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recalls the recommendations in the Committee's Annual Report of 2007 with a view to reconsidering the administrative proceedings on the treatment of petitions, such as, for instance, the transfer of the registration of petitions to the Petitions Committee secretariat, close cooperation with SOLVIT, further enhancement of the Petitions Database, the development of an EU portal for European citizens etc; welcomes the drafting by Members of a Code of Good Practice for the treatment of petitions, which would come into force at the beginning of the next parliamentary term;