36 Amendments of Lothar BISKY related to 2011/0436(APP)
Amendment 96 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) In line with Articles 10 and 11 of the Treaty on European Union, every citizen has the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union and the Union's institutions should give citizens and representative associations the opportunity to make known and publicly exchange their views in all areas of Union action, as well as maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society.
Amendment 99 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 a (new)
Recital 2 a (new)
(2a) Facilitating the participation of citizens in the democratic life of the European Union requires a series of joint actions by the Union to promote fundamental freedoms, human rights and democracy, cultural diversity, tolerance and solidarity, in accordance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR).
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) While there is objectively a clear added value of being an Union citizen with established rights, the Union does constitutes a key value of the European Union, the European institutions do not always highlight the link between the solutioncauses of a broad range of economic and social problems and the Union's policies in an effective way. Hence, there impressive achievements in terms of peace and stability in Europe, long-term sustainable growth, stable prices, an efficient protection of consumers and the environment and the promotion of fundamental rights, have not always led to a strong feeling of belonging of citizens to the Unions a need to analyse and reassess these policies taking account both of the achievements in terms of peace and stability in Europe and of the failures to respond effectively to the economic, and particularly the social, crisis which several EU Member States are experiencing.
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) In order to bring Europe closer to its citizens and to enable them to participate fully in the construction of an ever closer Union, a variety of actions and coordinated efforts through transnational and Union level activities are required Union that is more in tune with their expectations and their concerns, a variety of actions targeting all persons resident on the territory of the Union are required and steps should be taken to involve people in transnational exchanges and cooperation activities. The European Citizens' Initiative provides a uniquen opportunity to enable citizens to participate directly in shaping the development of EU legislation.
Amendment 111 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) Decision No 1904/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 establishing for the period 2007 to 2013 the programme "Europe for Citizens" to promote active European citizenship set out an action programme which has confirmed the need to promote sustained dialogue with civil society organisations and municipalitiepublic authorities at all territorial levels and to support the active involvement of citizens.
Amendment 113 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The interim evaluation report, a public online consultation and two consecutive stakeholder consultation meetings confirmed that a new Programme is considered relevant both by civil society organisations and by participating individuals and it should be established in order to have an impact at an organisational level in terms of capacity building and on a personal level in terms of increaseincreasing citizens' awareness of and interest in Union matters.
Amendment 124 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The new programme should cover a wide spectrum of different actions and include, among others, citizens' meetings, contacts and debates on citizenship issues, Union level events, initiatives to reflect on defining moments in European history, initiatives to raise awareness about the Union institutions and their functioning, and debates on European policy issues or on matters of transnational interest to a number of European citizens, with a view to invigorateing all aspects of public life.
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) The successive enlargements of the European Union and old and new migratory flows, combined with increased mobility and more numerous contacts between individuals, have resulted in the EU exhibiting a great diversity of cultures and languages. The exercise of citizenship is based on mutual comprehension, which constitutes a key element both for strengthening democracy and social cohesion and for combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance. It is therefore essential to promote any activity aimed at facilitating and enhancing intercultural dialogue and respect for cultural and linguistic diversity in accordance with the UNESCO Convention of 2005 on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 b (new)
Recital 8 b (new)
(8b) Education, including non-formal and informal education, plays a vitally important role in both the teaching and the exercise of citizenship, as it promotes individual empowerment, solidarity and mutual understanding and strengthens social cohesion. It is therefore essential to raise awareness of the European institutions even amongst the very young and to promote recognition of volunteering, to acknowledge the abilities and aptitudes acquired through voluntary work and to remove the obstacles hindering cross-border cooperation. Likewise, recognition of the status of European association should facilitate development of cross-border projects.
Amendment 130 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) A horizontal dimension of the Programme should ensure the valorisation and transferability of results for enhanced impact and long-term sustainability. For this purpose, activities launched should have a clear link to the European political agenda, and be communicated appropriately and in all Union languages.
Amendment 132 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Special attention should be paid to the balanced integration of citizens and civil society organisations from all Member States into transnational projects and activities, taking into accountrespecting the multilingual character of the EU.
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) The acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates benefiting from a pre-accession strategy on one side, and, the EFTA countries party to the EEA Agreement onand the other sidecountries involved in the European Neighbourhood Policy are recognised as potential participants in EU programmes, in accordance with the agreements concluded with them.
Amendment 138 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The programme should be monitored regularly and evaluated independently in cooperation with the Commission and the Member States, and with the involvement of the representatives of all stakeholders, in order to allow for the readjustments which are necessary if the measures are to be properly implemented.
Amendment 140 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) Preference will be given to grants for projects with a high impact, in particular those which are directly linked to EU policies with a view to participate in the shaping of the EU political agendaSpecial attention must be paid to medium- and small-scale projects, even though they are not broad in scope, in particular those in Member States where there is a low level of activity by civil society or of civic and political participation. The main selection criteria for the programme must be based on the transnational dimension and citizen participation. Moreover, following the principle of sound financial management, the implementation of the programme should be further simplified by recourse to lump-sums, flat- rate financing and the application of unit- cost rates.
Amendment 147 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – indent 1
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – indent 1
– Strengthen remembrance and enhance capacity for civic participation atthe participation of citizens in the democratic life of the Union level.;
Amendment 149 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – indent 1 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – indent 1 a (new)
– Promote contacts, intercultural dialogue and mutual comprehension between citizens;
Amendment 150 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – indent 1 b (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – indent 1 b (new)
– Raise awareness of the history of the European Union and its institutions;
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. enhance tolerance and mutual comprehension, particularly through respect for cultural and linguistic diversity and promotion of intercultural dialogue between all persons resident on the territory of the Union.
Amendment 162 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
2. encourage democratic and civic participation of citizens at Union leveldirectly or through civil society organisations representing them, by developing citizens' understanding of and participation in the Union policy making-process and promoting opportunities for societal engagethe development andof volunteering at Union levelnd recognition of the activities of civil society organisations.
Amendment 166 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) Remembrance and European citizenshipEuropean history and intercultural dialogue
Amendment 169 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) DEuropean citizenship, democratic engagement and civic participation
Amendment 174 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 1 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 1 a (new)
– Grassroots projects for cooperation on citizenship issues;
Amendment 179 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 3
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 3
– Support for organisations of a general European inter, including structural support, for organisations engaged in cross-border activitiest;
Amendment 188 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 6
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 6
– Debates/studies and interventions on defining moment and studies ion European history, in particular to keep the memory alive of the crimes committed under Nazism and Stalinism and European integration;
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 6 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 6 a (new)
– Commemorations, debates and use of key sites and archives to raise awareness of Europe’s colonial history and religious wars, the clashes between European nations and the impact of Nazism – whose determination to wipe out entire races or groups sets it apart and must under no circumstances be trivialised –, Stalinism and totalitarian regimes, in particular fascist and military regimes;
Amendment 209 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 11
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – indent 11
– Support ofor programme information/advice structures in the Member States, the results achieved by which must be carefully assessed prior to any renewal or extension
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – point c a (new)
Article 5 – point c a (new)
(ca) the European Neighbourhood Policy countries.
Amendment 215 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
The programme shall be open to all stakeholders promoting European integration, in particular local authorities and organisations, European public policy research organisations (think-tanks), citizens' groups and other civil society organisations (such as survivors'citizenship and integration, intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding among citizens, in particular local and regional authorities and civil society organisations, with particular reference to cultural institutions, youth associations), and, educational and research institutions and citizens’ groups.
Amendment 220 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Commission shall ensure that the membership of the committee includes a broad range of representatives from civil society, in particular from youth associations and community education groups, as well as representatives from local authorities.
Amendment 230 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 1 – section 1 – title
Annex – part 1 – section 1 – title
STRAND 1: Remembrance and European citizenshipEuropean history and intercultural dialogue
Amendment 236 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 1 – section 1 – paragraph 2
Annex – part 1 – section 1 – paragraph 2
Amendment 245 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – title
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – title
STRAND 2: Democratic engagement and, civic participation and European citizenship
Amendment 247 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – paragraph 1
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – paragraph 1
The strand is defined by the possible projects and initiatives that can be launched under its heading, not by the type of civic organisations or actors that can apply. The strand will accommodate activities that cover civic participation in the broadest sense, with particular focus on structuring methods for long-term sustainability. It will give preference to initiatives and projects with a clear link to the European political agenda.
Amendment 249 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – paragraph 2
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – paragraph 2
Amendment 252 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – paragraph 3
Annex – part 1 – section 2 – paragraph 3
Much remains to be done to attract more women inyoung people, women, cultural minorities and groups suffering from discrimination into political and economic decision- making. Women'sTheir voices should be better heard and acted upon by those responsible for taking the policy decisions that impact on people's lidaily lives. The story of their struggles should be given the attention it deserves.
Amendment 258 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex – part 2 – paragraph 2
Annex – part 2 – paragraph 2