Activities of Loránt VINCZE

15 e. Highlights the continued role the Council of Europe plays in the EU integration process by helping EU candidate countries meet the EU accession criteria on stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;

2023/01/13
Committee: AFCO

2022/2137(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 f (new)

15 f. Points out the importance the Venice Commission in the provision of assistance in the reform of judicial, governance and electoral processes in the candidate and potential candidate countries; stresses that the EU should ensure without fail that accession candidate countries comply with all its recommendations on their path towards membership;

2023/01/13
Committee: AFCO

2022/2137(INI)

Loránt VINCZE, François-Xavier BELLAMY, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, György HÖLVÉNYI, Miriam LEXMANN, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Welcomes the call1a of the CoE Parliamentary Assembly for: a). the organisation of regular meetings between the respective Presidents, Secretaries General, Chairpersons of committees and between the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament; b). the organisation of joint meetings and joint events at the level of committees and/or European Parliament delegations for relations with non-EU member States; c). the mutual invitation of rapporteurs to provide input in each other’s work; d) the strengthening of dialogue and co- ordination with the Assembly in areas which have emerged as prominent challenges for European societies; _________________ 1a the Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 2430 (2022) entitled Beyond the Lisbon Treaty: strengthening the strategic partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Union

2023/01/13
Committee: AFCO

(16a) In accordance with the European Parliament resolution of the 21st of January 2021 on the EU Strategy for Gender Equality (2019/2169(INI)), in its paragraph 32, which “acknowledges that sexual exploitation for surrogacy and reproductive purposes or purposes such as forced marriages, prostitution and pornography is unacceptable and a violation of human dignity and human rights”. In accordance with the European Parliament resolution of the 10th of February 2021 on the implementation of Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims (2020/2029(INI)), in its paragraph 28, that classifies surrogacy as a Traffic in Human Beings. In accordance with the European Parliament resolution of 5th of May 2022 on the impact of the war against Ukraine on women (2022/2633(RSP)), that “underlines the serious impact of surrogacy on women, their rights and their health, the negative consequences for gender equality and the challenges stemming from the cross- border implications of this practice, as has been the case for the women and children affected by the war against Ukraine; asks the EU and its Member States to investigate the dimensions of this industry, the socio-economic context and the situation of pregnant women, as well as the consequences for their physical and mental health and for the well-being of babies; calls for the introduction of binding measures to address surrogacy, protecting women’s and newborns’ rights”.

2023/07/07
Committee: LIBE FEMM

2022/0426(COD)

Loránt VINCZE, François-Xavier BELLAMY, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, György HÖLVÉNYI, Miriam LEXMANN, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. eu-LISA shall continuously carry out improvements necessary for the good functioning of the JITs collaboration platform based on input it receives from the JITs Network Secretariat either directly or through its annual report referred to in Article 9a, point (e).

2022/07/07
Committee: LIBE

(9) In order to facilitate the exercise by Union citizens of their right to vote and to stand as a candidate in their country of residence, such citizens should be entered on the electoral roll in sufficient time in advance of polling day. The formalities applicable to their registration should be as simple as possible. When they register as residents of a Member State of which they are not nationals, non-national Union citizens should be offered the possibility to express their decision to register to vote in the country of residence and should be informed about the possibility to stand as a candidate and submit an application in that regard. If they do not wish to do so at the moment of registration as residents, they should have the right to express their decision later. It should be sufficient for the Union citizens concerned to produce a valid identity card and, in duly justified cases, a formal declaration that includes elements evidencing their entitlement to participate in the elections. Once registered, non- national Union citizens should remain on the electoral roll under the same conditions as Union citizens who are nationals of the Member State concerned, for as long as they satisfy the conditions for exercising the right to vote. Additionally, Union citizens should provide the competent authorities with contact information, enabling those authorities to keep them informed on a regular basis.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 11

(11) In order to ensure equal treatment of non-national Union citizens seeking to exercise the right to stand as candidates for election in their Member State of residence, such citizens should be required to produce the same supporting documents as those required from candidates who are nationals of the Member State concerned. However, in order to establish that such citizens are beneficiaries of the right laid down in Article 20(2)(b) and Article 22(2) TFEU, in duly justified cases, Member States should be able to require the production of a formal declaration that includes elements necessary to evidence their entitlement to stand in the elections in question.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 13

(13) Union citizens who have been deprived of their right to vote and to stand as candidates, on the basis of an individual civil law or criminal law decision taken by the competent authority, should be precluded from exercising that right in the Member State of residence in elections to the European Parliament. When receiving an application for registration as a voter, Member States may require from the citizen concerned a formal declaration confirming that they have not been deprived of their right to vote. When standing as candidates in their country of residence, ~~Union citizens should be~~it should be possible for the country of residence to required tohat Union citizens produce a statement confirming that they have not been deprived of the right to stand in the elections to the European Parliament. Those requirements should apply only when they are also applicable to the nationals of the Member State of residence.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 17

(17) The information exchange between Member States to prevent multiple voting or instances where the same person would stand as a candidate more than once at the same election should not prevent their nationals from voting or standing as candidates in other types of elections. To facilitate communication between national authorities, Member States should be required to designate one contact point for that information exchange. A secure tool was developed ~~in the past~~ by the Commission to be used by the Member States under their responsibility to exchange the necessary data. That secure tool should be incorporated in this Directive, to further support exchanges between Member States’ competent authorities. Member States will act as separate controllers for their processing of personal data in this regard.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 20

(20) The lack of adequate information, in the context of electoral procedures, affects citizens in the exercise of their electoral rights as part of their rights as Union citizens. It also affects the capacity of competent authorities to exercise their rights and to deliver on their obligations. Member States should be required to designate authorities with special responsibilities for providing appropriate information to Union citizens on their rights under Article 20(2), point (b), and Article 22(2) TFEU and the national rules and procedures regarding participation in and the organization of elections to the European Parliament. In turn, designated authorities should be able to cooperate with relevant civil society organisations in disseminating information on electoral procedures. In order to ensure the effectiveness of communications, information should be provided in clear and comprehensible terms.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 20 a (new)

(20 a) In order to increase the electoral participation of non-national Union citizens, Member States should provide appropriate information to Union citizens on the right to vote and on the administrative steps to exercise that right. Such information should be provided when the residence of non-national Union citizens is registered, later on, upon request, and sufficiently in advance of European elections.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 21

(21) In order to improve the accessibility of electoral information, ~~such~~essential information on electoral rights should be made available in a~~t least one other~~ll official languages of the Union than that or those of the host Member State, broadly understood by the largest possible number of Union citizens residing on its territory. Member States may use different official languages of the Union in specific parts of their territory or their regions depending on the language understood by the largest group of Union citizens residing therein. The Commission should complement such measures by providing information to EU citizens about electoral rights and electoral procedures via a dedicated information portal available in all languages of the Union and through outreach communication actions via the SOLVIT service.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 22

(22) Any derogation from the general rules of this Directive has to be warranted, pursuant to Article 22 (2) TFEU , by problems specific to a Member State and has to be in line with the requirements of Article 52 of the Charter, including that any limitations to the exercise of the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at elections to the European Parliament is to be provided for by law and be subject to the principles of proportionality and necessity . In addition, any derogation has to be subject to review as provided by Article 47 of the Charter .deleted

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 23

(23) Such specific problems may arise in a Member State in which the proportion of Union citizens of voting age, who reside in it but are not nationals of it, is very significantly above average. Derogations regarding the right to vote should be warranted where such citizens form more than 20 % of the total electorate on the criterion of period of residence;deleted

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 24

(24) Member States in which the proportion of non-national citizens of the Union of voting age exceeds 20 % of the total number of Union citizens of voting age who reside there should have the possibility to lay down, in compliance with Article 22(2) TFEU , specific provisions concerning the composition of lists of candidates.deleted

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 27

(27) It is necessary that the Commission conduct its own evaluation of the application of this Directive ~~within a reasonable timeframe after at least two~~no later than 18 months after each elections to the European Parliament.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 5

5. Member States shall designate a contact point to receive and transmit the information necessary for the application of paragraph 3. They shall communicate to the Commission the name and contact details of the contact point and any updated information orshould there be changes concerning it. The Commission shall keep a list of contact points and make it available to the Member States.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. When registering non-national EU citizens as residents, Member States shall offer them the possibility to express their option to register to vote in the country of residence and shall inform them about the possibility to stand as a candidate and submit an application in this regard. Should they not wish to do so at the moment of registration as residents, they shall maintain the right to express this option afterwards. When offering information about the possibility of voting or standing as a candidate, Member States of residence shall duly inform non- national Union citizens that they have the right to choose to vote or stand as candidate either in their home country or in their country of residence.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 3 – point a

(a) state in their declaration under paragraph 2 that they have not been deprived of the right to vote in their home Member State, if such requirement also applies to nationals of the Member State of residence;

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 4

4. Union voters who have been entered on the electoral roll shall remain thereon, under the same conditions as voters who are nationals, until they request to be removed or until they are removed because they no longer satisfy the requirements for exercising the right to vote. Where provisions are in place to notify nationals of such a removal from the electoral roll, these provisions shall apply to Union voters ~~in the same way~~as well.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 1

1. The Member State of residence shall inform the persons concerned in good time and in clear and plain language of the decision taken on their application for entry on the electoral roll or of the decision concerning the admissibility of their application to stand as a candidate, including the possibilities available to appeal the decision.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 3

3. In case of errors in the electoral rolls or in the lists of candidates to the European Parliament, the persons concerned shall be entitled to legal remedies on similar terms as the laws of the Member State of residence prescribe for voters and persons entitled to stand as candidates who are its nationals.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 4

4. Member States shall inform clearly and in a timely manner, the persons concerned of the decision referred to in paragraph 1 and of the legal remedies referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1

1. Member States shall provide appropriate information to non-national Union citizens on the right to vote and on the administrative steps to exercise that right. Such information shall be provided when the residence of non-national Union citizens is registered, later on, upon request, and sufficiently in advance of European elections. Member States shall designate a national authority with responsibility for taking the necessary measures to ensure that non-national Union citizens are informed in a timely manner of the conditions and detailed rules for registration as a voter or candidate in elections to the European Parliament. Designated authorities shall be endowed with the capacity to cooperate with relevant civil society organisations in disseminating information on electoral procedures.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – point d

(d) means of obtaining further information relating to the organisation of the election including the list of candidates or special measures for persons with disabilities.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – introductory part

3. The information on conditions and detailed rules for registration as a voter or candidate in elections to the European Parliament and the information referred to in paragraph 2 shall be provided in clear and plain language. in accordance with the quality requirements of Article 9 of Regulation (EU)2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council1a. _________________ 1a Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures and to assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 1).

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1

The information referred to in the first subparagraph shall, in addition to being communicated in one or more of the official languages of the host Member State, also be accompanied by a translation in at least one other official language of the Union that is broadly understood by the largest possible number of Union citizens residing on its territory, in accordance with the quality requirements of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council30 . _________________ 30 Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures and to assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 1).deleted

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 a (new)

The Commission shall complement such measures with information services to EU citizens about electoral rights and electoral procedures via a dedicated information portal available in all languages of the Union and through outreach communication actions via the SOLVIT service.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 1

Member States that provide for the possibilities of advance voting, postal voting, and electronic and internet voting, in elections to the European Parliament shall ensure the availability of those voting methods to Union voters under ~~similar~~the same conditions as th~~e ones~~ose applicable to their own nationals.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 15 – paragraph 1

Member States shall designate an authority with responsibility for collecting and providing relevant statistical data based on common indicators to the public and the Commission, on the participation of Union citizens who are not nationals in elections to the European Parliament.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 16

1. If , in a given Member State, the proportion of Union citizens of voting age who reside in it but are not nationals of it exceeds 20 % of the total number of national and non-national Union citizens residing there who are of voting age, that Member State may, by way of derogation from Articles 3, 9 and 10: (a) restrict the right to vote to Union voters who have resided in that Member State for a minimum period, which may not exceed five years; (b) restrict the right to stand as a candidate to Union citizens entitled to stand as candidates who have resided in that Member State for a minimum period, which may not exceed 10 years. These provisions are without prejudice to appropriate measures which that Member State may take with regard to the composition of lists of candidates and which are intended in particular to encourage the integration of non-national Union citizens . However, Union voters and Union citizens entitled to stand as candidates who, owing to the fact that they have taken up residence outside their home Member State or by reason of the duration of such residence, do not have the right to vote or to stand as candidates in that home State shall not be subject to the conditions as to length of residence set out above. 2. Where the laws of a Member State prescribe that the nationals of another Member State who reside there have the right to vote for the national parliament of that State and, for that purpose, may be entered on the electoral roll of that State under exactly the same conditions as national voters, the first Member State may, by way of derogation from this Directive, refrain from applying Articles 6 to 13 in respect of such nationals. 3. 18 months prior to each election to the European Parliament, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a report in which it shall check whether the grant to the Member States concerned of a derogation pursuant to Article 22 (2) TFEU is still warranted and shall propose that any necessary adjustments be made. Member States which invoke derogations under paragraph 1 shall furnish the Commission with all the necessary background information.Article 16 deleted Derogations

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 1

1. Within six months after each election to the European Parliament Member States shall send information to the Commission on the application of this Directive in their territory. In addition to general observations, the report shall contain statistical data on the participation in elections to the European Parliament of Union voters and Union citizens entitled to stand as candidates and a summary of the measures taken to support it. Member States shall also provide information on the efficiency of exchanges to prevent double voting with other Member States.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0372(CNS)

Proposal for a directive
Article 18 – paragraph 1

Within ~~two years after the 2029~~18 months after each elections to the European Parliament, the Commission shall assess its application and produce an evaluation report on the progress towards achievement of the objectives contained herein. The evaluation shall also include a review on the functioning of Article 13.

2022/09/12
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6

(6) Combining both direct and indirect supervisory competences over obliged entities, and also functioning as a support and cooperation mechanism for FIUs, is the most appropriate means of bringing about supervision and cooperation between FIUs and other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework at Union level. This should be achieved by creating an Authority which should combine independence and a high level of technical expertise and which should be established in line with the Joint Statement and Common Approach of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on decentralised agencies32 . _________________ 32 https://europa.eu/european- union/sites/default/files/docs/body/joint_st atement_and_common_approach_2012_en. pdf.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8

(8) The powers of the Authority should allow it to improve AML/CFT supervision in the Union in various ways. With respect to selected obliged entities, the Authority should ensure group-wide compliance with the requirements laid down in the AML/CFT framework and any other legally binding Union acts that impose AML/CFT-related obligations on financial institutions. Furthermore, the Authority should carry out periodic reviews to ensure that all financial supervisors have adequate resources and powers necessary for the performance of their tasks. It should facilitate the functioning of the AML supervisory colleges and contribute to convergence of supervisory practices and promotion of high supervisory standards. With respect to non-financial supervisors, including self-regulatory bodies where appropriate, the Authority should coordinate peer reviews of supervisory standards and practices and request non- financial supervisors to investigate possible breaches of AML/CFT requirements. In addition, taking account of the input of other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework, such as Europol, the Authority should coordinate the conduct of joint analyses by FIUs and make available to FIUs IT and artificial intelligence services and tools for secure information sharing, including through hosting of FIU.net.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9

(9) With the objective to strengthen AML/CFT rules at Union level and to enhance their clarity while ensuring consistency with international standards and other legislation, it is necessary to establish the coordinating role of the Authority at Union level in relation to all types of obliged entities to assist national supervisors and promote supervisory convergence, in order to increase the efficiency of the implementation of AML/CFT measures, also in the non- financial sector. The authority’s coordinating role is also necessary to ensure cohesion and avoid duplication of tasks with other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework. Consequently, the Authority should be mandated to prepare regulatory technical standards, to adopt guidelines, recommendations and opinions with the aim that where supervision remains at national level, the same supervisory practices and standards apply in principle to all comparable entities. The Authority should be entrusted, due to its highly specialised expertise, with the development of a supervisory methodology, in line with a risk-based approach. Certain aspects of the methodology, which can incorporate harmonised quantitative benchmarks, such as approaches for classifying the inherent risk profile of obliged entities should be detailed in directly applicable binding regulatory measures – regulatory or implementing technical standards. Other aspects, which require wider supervisory discretion, such as approaches to assessing residual risk profile and internal controls in the obliged entities should be covered by non-binding guidelines, recommendations and opinions of the Authority. The harmonised supervisory methodology should take due account of, and where appropriate, leverage the existing supervisory methodologies relating to other aspects of supervision of the financial sector obliged entities, especially where there is interaction between AML/CFT supervision and prudential supervision. Specifically, the supervisory methodology to be developed by the Authority should be complementary to guidelines and other instruments developed by the European Banking Authority detailing approaches of prudential supervisory authorities with respect to factoring ML/TF risks in prudential supervision, in order to ensure effective interaction between prudential and AML/CFT supervision.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 32

(32) In order to analyse suspicious activity affecting multiple jurisdictions, the relevant FIUs that received linked reports should be able to efficiently conduct joint analyses of cases of common interest. To this end, the Authority should be able to propose, coordinate and support with all appropriate means the joint analyses of cross-border suspicious transactions or activities. The joint analyses should be triggered where there is a need to conduct just such joint analyses pursuant to the relevant provisions in Union law. ~~Upon the explicit consent of~~Apart from explicit objection by the FIUs participating in the joint analyses, the staff of the Authority supporting the conduct of joint analyses should be able to receive and process all necessary data and information, including the data and information pertaining to the analysed cases. In order to collect all relevant information in an early stage of the joint analysis and to understand the underlying criminal context, the involvement of Europol in the joint analysis may also be solicited.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 33

(33) In order to improve the effectiveness of the joint analyses, the Authority should be able to ~~initiate reviews of~~develop methods, and procedures ~~and~~for the conduct of ~~the~~ joint analyses, . It shall also review these methods and procedures with the aim of determining the lessons learnt and of improving and promoting these analyses. The feedback on the joint analysis should enable the authority to issue conclusions and recommendations which would ultimately lead to the regular refinement and improvement of the methods and procedures for the conduct of joint analyses.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34

(34) In order to facilitate and improve cooperation between FIUs and the Authority, including for the purposes conducting joint analyses, the FIUs should be able to delegate one staff member per FIU to the Authority ~~on a voluntary basis~~. The national FIU delegates should support the Authority’s staff in carrying out all the tasks relating to FIUs, including the conduct of joint analyses and the preparation of threat assessments and strategic analyses of money laundering and terrorist financing threats, risks and methods. Apart from the joint analyses, the Authority should encourage and facilitate various forms of mutual assistance between FIUs, including training and staff exchanges in order to improve capacity building and enable the exchange of knowledge and good practices amongst FIUs.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34 a (new)

(34a) In order to ensure a close cooperation with Union law enforcement and to avoid duplication of efforts between the Authority and Europol, the working arrangement between both organisations should ensure the possibility for each of them of having a liaison officer stationed at the premises of the other entity.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 36

(36) In order to establish consistent, efficient and effective supervisory and FIU-related practices and ensure common, uniform and coherent application of Union law, the Authority should be able to issue guidelines and recommendations addressed to all or category of obliged entities and all or a category of supervisory authorities and FIUs. The guidelines and recommendations could be issued pursuant to a specific empowerment in the applicable Union acts, or on the own initiative of the Authority, where there is a need to strengthen the AML/CFT framework at Union level. In the development of guidelines and recommendations the Authority could also draw upon expertise of other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 41

(41) The Chair of the Authority should chair the General Board meetings and have a right to vote when decisions are taken by simple majority. The Commission should be a non-voting member on the General Board. Due to the complementary nature of their mandates, a representative of Europol should also be granted the status of non-voting member for the General Board in its FIU composition. To establish good cooperation with other relevant institutions, the General Board should also be able to admit other non-voting observers, such as a representative of the Single Supervisory Mechanism and of each of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA) for the General Board in its Supervisory Composition and ~~Europol,~~ the EPPO and Eurojust for the General Board in its FIU composition, where matters that fall under their respective mandates are discussed or decided upon. To allow a smooth decision making process, decisions of the General Board should be taken by a simple majority, except for decisions concerning draft regulatory and implementing technical standards, guidelines and recommendations which should be taken by a qualified majority of Member State representatives in accordance with voting rules of the TFEU.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 45

(45) The Chair of the Authority should be appointed based on objective criteria by the Council after approval by the European Parliament. He or she should represent the Authority externally and should report on the execution of Authority’s tasks. The Chair of the Authority should be able to delegate his/her tasks relating to representation to the Vice-Chair or to a member of the Executive Board.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 59

(59) The Authority should establish cooperative relations with the relevant Union agencies and bodies, including Europol, Eurojust, the EPPO, and the European Supervisory Authorities, namely the European Banking Authority, the European Securities and Markets Authority and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. To improve cross-sectoral supervision and a better cooperation between prudential and AML/CFT supervisors the Authority should also establish cooperative relations with the authorities competent for prudential supervision of financial sector obliged entities, including the European Central Bank with regard to matters relating to the tasks conferred on it by Council Regulation (EU) No 1024/201343 , as well as with resolution authorities as defined in Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and the Council44 and designated Deposit Guarantee Schemes authorities as defined in Article 2 (1), point 18 of Directive 2014/49/EU of the European Parliament and the Council45 . To this end, the Authority should be able to conclude agreements or memoranda of understanding with such bodies, including with regard to any information exchange which is necessary for the fulfilment of the respective tasks of the Authority and these bodies. The ~~Authority~~parties involved should make ~~its~~their best efforts to share information with sueach ~~bodies on their request~~other, within the limits posed by legal constraints, including data protection legislation. In addition, the Authority should enable effective information exchange between all financial supervisors in the AML/CFT supervisory system and the aforementioned authorities, such cooperation and information exchanges should take place in a structured and efficient way. _________________ 43 Council Regulation (EU) No 1024/2013 of 15 October 2013 conferring specific tasks on the European Central Bank concerning policies relating to the prudential supervision of credit institutions (OJ L 287, 29.10.2013, p. 63). 44 Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 establishing a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms and amending Council Directive 82/891/EEC, and Directives 2001/24/EC, 2002/47/EC, 2004/25/EC, 2005/56/EC, 2007/36/EC, 2011/35/EU, 2012/30/EU and 2013/36/EU, and Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010 and (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 190). 45 Directive 2014/49/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on deposit guarantee schemes (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 149).

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 60

(60) Public-private partnerships (‘PPPs’) have become increasingly important cooperation and information exchange fora between FIUs, various national supervisory and law enforcement authorities and obliged entities in some Member States and at EU and international levels. Where the Authority would act as direct supervisor of selected obliged entities which are part of a PPP in any Member State, it could be beneficial for the Authority to also participate therein, on conditions determined by the relevant national public authority or authorities that set up such PPP, and with their explicit agreement. The Authority should also participate in partnerships established across multiple Member States, such as the Europol Financial Intelligence Public Private Partnership (EFIPPP).

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 61

(61) Considering that cooperation between supervisory, administrative and law enforcement authorities is crucial for successful combatting of money laundering and terrorism financing, and certain Union authorities and bodies have specific tasks or mandates in that area, the Authority should develop its activities in synergy with the EU authorities and bodies involved in the AML/CFT framework and make sure that it is able to cooperate well with such authorities and bodies, in particular OLAF, Europol, Eurojust, and the EPPO. If there is a need to establish specific working arrangements or conclude Memoranda of Understanding between the Authority and these bodies and authorities, the Authority should be able to do so. The ~~arrangement should be of strategic and t~~cooperation with Europol shall be given particular attention given the complementarity of the tasks of the Authority, especially in its FIU coordination and support mechani~~cal nature, should not imply sharing of any confidential or operational information in possession of the Authority~~sm component, with those carried out by Europol. With the exception of Europol, where cooperation should also cover operational aspects, the arrangements should be of strategic and technical nature and should account for tasks already carried out by the other Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies as regards the prevention of and fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. With the exception of Europol, the arrangements should not imply sharing of any confidential or operational information in possession of the Authority.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 62

(62) Since both predicate offenses as well as the crime of money laundering itself often are of global nature, and given that the Union obliged entities also operate with and in third countries, effective cooperation with all the relevant third country authorities in the areas of both supervision and functioning of FIUs are crucial for strengthening the Union AML/CFT framework. Given the Authority’s unique combination of direct and indirect supervision and FIU cooperation-related tasks and powers, it should be able to take an active role in such external cooperation arrangements, without prejudice to the respective competences of the Member States, the Union institutions, offices, Bodies and Agencies. Specifically, the Authority should be empowered to develop contacts and enter into administrative arrangements with authorities in third countries that have regulatory, supervisory and FIU-related competences. The Authority’s role could be particularly beneficial in cases where the interaction of several Union public authorities and FIUs with third country authorities concerns matters within the scope of the Authority’s tasks. In such cases, the Authority should have a ~~lead~~coordinating role in facilitating this interaction. The Authority should also undertake its activities in close consultation with other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies in the field of AML/CFT that already have established third-country cooperation relationships.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph -1 (new)

-1 The objectives listed in points (a), (b), (e) and (f) shall be pursued without prejudice to and in synergy with the complementary objectives of Europol, as defined in its founding Regulation.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Tasks listed at points (a), (b),(e) and (g) shall be pursued in close cooperation with Europol.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point c

(c) develop appropriate methods and procedures for the conduct of such joint analyses of cross-border cases, also using the analytical expertise of other EU bodies such as Europol;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point d

(d) set up, coordinate, organise and facilitate the conduct of joint analyses carried out by FIUs, taking into account analysis already carried out by other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point e

(e) develop and make available to FIUs' and connected third parties' IT and artificial intelligence services and tools for secure information sharing, including by hosting FIU.net;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point h a (new)

(ha) Support and promote the interaction and information dissemination of FIUs with/to law enforcement agencies in general and Europol in particular;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point h b (new)

(hb) Develop, support and promote processes for FIUs to efficiently and pro- actively detect and handle terrorist financing cases, involving also Europol intelligence;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point i

(i) in cooperation with Europol, prepare and coordinate threat assessments, strategic analyses of money laundering and terrorism financing threats, risks and methods identified by FIUs.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 6

6. For the purpose of carrying out the tasks conferred on it by this Regulation, the Authority shall apply or take into consideration all relevant Union law, and where this Union law is composed of Directives, the national legislation transposing those Directives. Where the relevant Union law is composed of Regulations and where currently those Regulations explicitly grant options for Member States, the Authority shall apply also the national legislation exercising those options.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – introductory part

3. With respect to FIUs in the Member States and other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework, the Authority shall have the following powers:

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point b

(b) to collect information and statistics in relation to the tasks and activities of the FIUs and other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework with which the Authority is cooperating;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point c

(c) to obtain ~~and~~, process and match information and data required for the initiation and coordination of joint analyses as specified in Article 33;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point d

(d) to issue guidelines and recommendations. with the input, when relevant, from other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point c

(c) to issue guidelines and recommendations, as provided in Article 43 with the input, when relevant, from other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 3

3. Where the scope and Union-wide relevance of thematic reviews justify coordination at Union level, they shall be carried out jointly by the relevant supervisory authorities and shall be coordinated by the Authority. The General Board in supervisory composition shall draw up a list of joint thematic reviews. The General Board in supervisory composition shall draw up a report relating to the conduct, subject-matter and outcome of each joint thematic review. The Authority shall ~~publish that repor~~share this report with the other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework and publish it on its website.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1

1. The Authority shall establish and keep up to date a central database of information collected pursuant to paragraph 2. The Authority shall analyse the information received, also making use, if relevant, of information from Europol in accordance with Regulation 2016/794 and ensure that ithis analysis is made available to supervisory authorities and other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework on a need-to-know and confidential basis. The Authority may share the results of its analysis on its own initiative with supervisory authorities for the purposes of facilitating their supervisory activities.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 8

8. The Authority shall refer matters for criminal prosecution to the relevant national authorities where, in carrying out its duties under this Regulation, it finds that there are serious indications of the possible existence of facts liable to constitute criminal offences. When two or more Member States are involved in facts liable to constitute criminal offences, the Authority shall consider sharing this information with Europol. In addition, the Authority shall refrain from imposing administrative pecuniary sanctions or periodic penalty payments where a prior acquittal or conviction arising from identical facts, or from facts which are substantially the same, has acquired the force of res judicata as the result of criminal proceedings under national law.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 1

The Court of Justice of the European Union shall have unlimited jurisdiction to review decisions of the Authority imposing an administrative pecuniary sanction or a periodic penalty payment. It may annul, reduce or increase the fine or periodic penalty payment imposed, as well as order compensation.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 1

1. Where, pursuant to Article 25 of [OP please insert the next number to the AMLD, COM(2021)423], a FIU of a Member State identifies a potential need to conduct a joint analysis with one or several FIUs in other Member States, it shall notify the Authority thereof. The Authority may also propose itself the initiation of joint analyses. The Authority shall inform the FIUs in all the relevant Member States and Europol and invite them to take part in the joint analysis within five days of the initial notification. To this end, the Authority shall use secured channels of communication. The FIUs in all the relevant Member States and Europol shall consider taking part in the joint analysis. The Authority shall ensure that the joint analysis is launched within 20 days of the initial notification.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. The Authority shall support and be responsible for the coordination of the conduct of the analyses. The Authority shall also develop methods and procedures for the conduct of joint analyses.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 2

2. Any FIU that declines to participate in the conduct of the joint analysis shall provide the reasons thereof in writing to the Authority, within five days of the receipt of the invitation. TIn case the proposal to initiate a joint analysis originated from an FIU, the Authority shall provide such explanation without delay to the FIU having identified the need for a joint analysis.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. In order to bring together all relevant information in an early stage of the joint analysis, the joint analysis should encompass by default the matching of subject-matter data against Europol databases and vice versa.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 3

3. ~~Upon explicit consent~~Apart from an explicit and duly motivated objection from the side of the FIUs participating in the joint analysis, the staff of the Authority supporting the joint analysis shall be granted access to all the data pertaining to the subject-matter of the joint analysis and shall be able to process those data. The same principle would apply when Europol would also be given access to part or all of the data.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 34 – paragraph 2

2. The FIUs that participated or were otherwise involved in one or more joint analyses as well as Europol may provide their feedback on the conduct of the analysis, including feedback on the operational support provided by the Authority in the process of the joint analysis, as well as feedback on the outcome of the analysis working methods and arrangements in place, the tools available and the coordination between the participating FIUs. The feedback may be labelled as confidential, in which case it will not be shared with other FIUs.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 35 – paragraph 1

1. The FIU of each Member State ~~may~~shall delegate one staff member to the Authority. The national FIU delegate shall have his or her regular place of work at the seat of the Authority.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 37 – paragraph 2

2. The Authority shall ensure uninterrupted functioning of the FIU.net and keep it and up to date. Where necessary to support or strengthen the exchange of information and cooperation between the FIUs and other entities authorized to have access to FIU.net and based on the needs of FIUs, the Authority shall design and implement, or otherwise make available, upgraded or additional functionalities of FIU.net.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 43 – paragraph 2

2. The Authority shall, where appropriate, conduct open public consultations regarding the guidelines and recommendations which it issues and analyse the related potential costs and benefits of issuing such guidelines and recommendations. Those consultations and analyses shall be proportionate in relation to the scope, nature and impact of the guidelines or recommendations. Where the Authority does not conduct open public consultations, the Authority shall provide its reasons. The Authority will also, when relevant, consult other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework to produce such guidelines and recommendations.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 43 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 3

If required by that guideline or recommendation, obliged entities shall report, in a clear and detailed way, whether they comply with that guideline or recommendation and, in case of non- compliance, they should provide reasons thereof.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 44 – paragraph 2

2. The request referred to in paragraph 1 may include a public consultation or a technical analysis and may also involve the consultation of other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 46 – paragraph 3 – point c a (new)

(ca) A representative of Europol without the right to vote.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 46 – paragraph 4

4. The General Board may decide to admit observers. In particular, the General Board in FIU composition shall admit as an observer a representative of OLAF, ~~Europol,~~ Eurojust and the EPPO to meetings when matters fall under their respective mandates. The General Board in supervisory composition shall admit a representative nominated by the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank and a representative of each of the European Supervisory Authorities, where matters within the scope of their respective mandates are discussed. The General Board in both compositions may also decide to invite relevant domestic and international organisations and members of the academia of recognised standing to its meetings on an ad-hoc basis.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 47 – paragraph 1

The General Board, on its own initiative or at the request of the Chair of the Authority, may establish internal committees for specific tasks attributed to it. The General Board may provide for the delegation of certain clearly defined tasks and decisions to internal committees, to the Executive Board or to the Chair. The General Board may revoke such delegation at any time. All decisions of the internal committees shall have to be endorsed by the General Board in order to be valid.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 56 – paragraph 1

1. The Chair of the Authority shall be selected on the basis of merit, skills, knowledge, recognised standing and experience in the area of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, high-level experience in international cooperation and other relevant qualification, following an open selection procedure which shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Commission shall draw up a shortlist of twohree qualified candidates for the position of the Chair of the Authority. The European Parliament shall hear the candidates in front of its responsible Committee(s). The Council, after approval by the European Parliament, shall adopt an implementing decision to appoint the Chair of the Authority.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 56 – paragraph 2

2. If the Chair of the Authority no longer fulfils the conditions required for the performance of his or her duties or has been guilty of serious misconduct, the Council may, following a proposal by the General Board in either composition, and after consultation of the European Parliament, adopt an implementing decision to remove the Chair of the Authority from office. The Council shall act by qualified majority.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 56 – paragraph 3

3. Should the Chair resign or, be ~~unable to attend to his or her duties~~dismissed or leave his/her position for any ~~other~~ reason, the ~~functions of the Chair shall be performed by the Vice- Chair~~position shall immediately be filled in accordance with the procedure set out in paragraph 1.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 57 – paragraph 1

1. The Chair of the Authority shall represent the Authority and shall be responsible for preparing the work of the General Board and the Executive Board, including setting the agenda, convening and chairing all the meetings and tabling items for decision. The Chair of the Authority may delegate his/her tasks relating to representation to the Vice- Chair or to a member of the Executive Board.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 59 – paragraph 1 – introductory part

1. The Executive Director shall be in charge of the day-to-day management of the Authority and shall aim to ensure gender and geographical balance within the Authority. In particular, the Executive Director shall be responsible for:

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 72 – paragraph 2

2. The Authority shall submit on an annual basis to the European Parliament, to the Council, and to the Commission a report on the execution of the tasks conferred on it by this Regulation, including information on the planned evolution of the structure and amount of the supervisory fees referred to in Article 66, the outcome of joint analyses, the issuing and implementation of guidelines and recommendations and the measures on access to documents in application of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. The Chair of the Authority shall present that report in public to the European Parliament.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 77 – paragraph 2

2. When drafting guidelines and recommendations in accordance with Article 43, having a significant impact on the protection of personal data, the Authority shall closely cooperate with the European Data Protection Board established by Regulation (EU) 2016/679, with special attention to avoiding duplication, inconsistencies and legal uncertainty in the sphere of data protection.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 79 – paragraph 1

Where relevant for the fulfilment of the tasks referred to in Sections 3 and 6 of Chapter II, the Authority may participate in existing cooperation arrangements established in one or across several Member States by supervisory authorities ~~or FIUs~~, FIUs or other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework, where such arrangements involve, inter alia, cooperation and information exchange between the aforementioned authorities and selected obliged entities. PIn case of national partnerships, participation of the Authority shall be subject to consent of the relevant national authority that has established such arrangement. The Authority shall also participate at an appropriate level in partnerships established across multiple Member States.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 80 – paragraph 1

1. The Authority ~~may~~shall conclude working arrangements with Union institutions, Union decentralised agencies and other Union bodies, acting in the field of law enforcement and judicial cooperation. Those working arrangements may be of a strategic or technical nature, and shall in particular aim to facilitate cooperation and the exchange of information between the parties thereto. ~~The working arrangements shall neither~~Regarding the Coordination and Support Mechanism for EU FIUs of the Authority, the working arrangements shall ensure the mutual involvement in strategic projects carried out by the FIU coordination and support mechanism and other Union bodies involved in the AML/CFT framework, in particular Europol. With the exception of the working arrangement with Europol, the working arrangements shall not form the basis for allowing the exchange of personal data ~~nor~~. The working arrangements shall not bind the Union or its Member States.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 80 – paragraph 2

2. The Authority shall establish and maintain a close relationship with OLAF, Europol, Eurojust, and the EPPO. To that end, the Authority shall conclude separate working arrangements with OLAF, Europol, Eurojust, and the EPPO setting out the details of their cooperation. TWith the exception of the working arrangement with Europol, which shall cover operational and strategic information, the relationship shall aim in particular to ensure the exchange of strategic information and trends in relation to money laundering and terrorist financing threats facing the Union.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 81 – paragraph 1

1. In order to achieve the objectives set out in this Regulation, and without prejudice to the respective competences of the Member States and the Union institutions, bodies agencies and offices, the Authority may develop contacts and enter into administrative arrangements with AML/CFT authorities in third countries that have regulatory, supervisory and FIU- related competences in the field of anti- money laundering and counter terrorism financing as well as with international organisations and third- country administrations. Those arrangements shall not create legal obligations in respect of the Union and its Member States nor shall they prevent Member States and their competent authorities from concluding bilateral arrangements with those third countries.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 81 – paragraph 3

3. In cases where the interaction of several Union public authorities and FIUs with third country authorities concerns matters falling within the scope of the Authority’s tasks as defined in Article 5, the Authority shall have ~~a lead~~coordinating role in facilitating such interaction where necessary, in close cooperation with other EU institutions, offices, bodies and agencies involved in the AML/CFT framework that have regular interactions with third-country authorities. This role of the Authority shall be without prejudice to the regular interactions by competent authorities with third-country authorities.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 82 – paragraph 5

5. The Executive Board shall adopt practical measures for applying Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and the rules regarding disclosure of information relating to supervisory procedures. The Authority shall include in its annual report foreseen in Article 72 a detailed section on the implementation of the Regulation for the preceding year.

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 88 – paragraph 1 – introductory part

1. By 31 December 20298, and every five years thereafter, the Commission shall assess the Authority’s performance in relation to its objectives, mandate, tasks and location(s), in accordance with the Commission's guidelines. The evaluation shall, in particular, address:

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2021/0240(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 88 – paragraph 1 – point c

(c) the impact of the activities related to support and coordination of FIUs, and in particular the coordination of the joint analyses of cross-border activities and transactions conducted by FIUs and the successful follow up to those joint analyses in preventing and combating ML and TF;

2022/03/16
Committee: AFCO

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

— having regard to the Council measure setting up the Revised EU-level Framework required by Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 1

1. ‘whereas democratic elections to the European Parliament constitute the main bottom-up instrument for citizens in the Union; whereas the ECI contributes to the democratic functioning of the Union; whereas the citizens of the Union have the right enshrined in Article 11(4) TEU to apply to the Commission directly to ask it to submit a proposal, within the framework of its powers, for a legal act of the Union for the purpose of implementing the Treaties; whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed in its case law that the notion of a ‘legal act for the purpose of implementing the Treaties’ should not be interpreted restrictively and that by virtue of Article 288 TFEU such an act can mean both legislative and non- legislative measures’';

2021/10/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the Committee on Petitions plays a ‘protection role’ to ensure EU compliance with the CRPD within the policymaking and legislative actions at EU level; whereas the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee has been identified to form the EU Framework together with the European Ombudsman, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the European Disability Forum, as adopted by the Council at its 3513th meeting held on 16 January 2017;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 3

3. ‘whereas, in order to achieve those objectives and achieve the full potential of the ECI, the procedures and conditions required for the ECI should ensure that valid initiatives are considered and responded to appropriately by the Commission; whereas the Commission is legally obliged to state the action it intends to take on a valid ECI, if any, and to state, in a detailed manner, the reasons for taking or not taking action; whereas at least one million signatures from at least a quarter of the Member States are required for an ECI to be valid and to be submitted to the Commission; whereas Regulation (EU) 2020/1042 has made the time limits for the collection, verification and examination stages more flexible in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the introduction of temporary measures; whereas the application of those measures has been extended through Commission implementing acts; whereas this regulation is only temporary in nature and applicable only until the end of 2022, which is also the date by which the individual online collection systems provided for by Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 will be phased out’;

2021/10/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2275(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point 4

4. ‘whereas organising and supporting an ECI is a political right for the citizens of the Union and a unique instrument for setting the priorities for participatory democracy in the EU, allowing the public to play an active role in the projects and processes that concern them; whereas there have been six successful European Citizens' Initiatives to date, most recently the "Minority Safepack" initiative and the "End the Cage Age" initiative; whereas the "Minority Safepack" initiative was the first ECI to have been debated in the European Parliament based on the new Regulation(EU) 2019/788, and was overwhelmingly supported by Parliament in December 2020 with 76% of the votes cast’;

2021/10/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2275(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – point 6

6. ‘Considers it essential that citizens be able to contribute to the exercise of the Union’s competences; c~~onsiders it key, therefore, that valid ECIs should lead to the initiation of concrete proposals for both legislative and non-legislative acts referred to in Article 288 TFEU~~alls, therefore, on the Commission to carry out a thorough assessment of the proposals of each valid ECI, and to comply fully with its legal obligation to set out, in a detailed manner, its reasons for taking or not taking action; recalls Parliament’s obligation to assess the measures taken by the Commission in line with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 and Rule 222(9) of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, particularly when the Commission fails to put forward any such proposals or fails to implement them’;

2021/10/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2275(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 – point 9

9. ‘~~Calls on the Commission to outline the legislative and non-legislative measures which could be introduced~~Highlights the measures outlined in Regulation (EU) 2019/788 to improve how the citizens of the Union can exercise their right to support an ECI, given the low number of valid ECIs that have ultimately been successful in providing for the initiation of legal acts; calls for an assessment of the implementation of these measures; calls for a thorough assessment of the exercise of this right in the next EU citizenship report’;

2021/10/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Points out that the right to petition is the oldest instrument involving the direct participation of citizens at EU level and that it is the easiest and most direct way for citizens to contact the EU institutions and express their views on the legislation adopted and the policy choices made at EU level; recalls that the number of received petitions vis-à-vis the EU population remains modest and that significant differences exist between Member States, regions and languages when it comes to exercising the right to petition; believes that targeted information campaigns and civic education about EU citizenship rights can reach a wider population and bring tangible results in awareness raising about citizens’ rights at EU level;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that many European citizens are deprived of their right to petition, as their platforms do not comply with accessibility standards and the requirements set out in Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls for a Eurobarometer survey to be carried out to gauge how much EU citizens know about the right to petition the European Parliament, with the aim of collecting data to use as a basis for a strong and accessible awareness-raising campaign;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls for the Petitions Web Portal to be improved to make it more visible for the public, user- friendly, easier to navigate and accessible to all citizens, especially to persons with disabilities; calls for the possibility of co- signing the petitions submitted via the Petitions Web Portal to be streamlined and accelerated;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that recent ECIs have called, inter alia, for the EU to take more action, more quickly, in the fight against climate change and in protecting indigenous national minorities and language communities;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Is of the opinion that the way in which official replies by the Commission to successful citizens' initiatives are formulated may significantly influence how the instrument is evaluated by citizens and that greater effort and more prudent examination is required in the case of each successful initiative to ensure the Commission gives adequate thought to citizens' propositions;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period ~~for the organisation of hearings~~, and to organise the public hearing and prepare the plenary debate as part of its ECI assessment;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional ~~website~~EU citizens’ website (and application, which is easily accessible for everyone, also taking as example the so-called Citizens’ App of the Parliament) to provide information on all the rights and instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their efforts at communication ~~efforts~~, which should be accessible and available in as many languages as possible, to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Calls on the Member States to make it ~~mandatory~~available and highly recommended for pupils in schools to be taught about the EU’s three participatory instruments; points out that civic engagement among young people is vital for the future of all democracies;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, with particular regard to the special needs of persons with disabilities (sign language, Braille); highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, which needs to be strengthened; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Stresses the need to address the shortcomings of the EU petition system, taking into consideration the special needs of persons with disabilities, in order to ensure its full democratic potential and agenda-setting role; calls on the EU institutions to use their resources to increase the attractiveness of this tool and promote citizens’ participation in EU law- making; in this regard, stresses the need for more EU funding to be allocated to the promotion of the participatory mechanisms;

2021/09/27
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Calls on the Commission to inform the public about the EU’s competences to make sure that ECIs concern subjects and issues that fall within the EU’s remit; emphasises that recent ECIs have called, inter alia, for the EU to take more action, more quickly, in the fight against climate change and in protecting indigenous national minorities and language communities;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Is of the opinion that the way in which official replies by the Commission to successful citizens' initiatives are formulated may significantly influence how the instrument is evaluated by citizens and that greater effort and more prudent examination is required in the case of each successful initiative to ensure the Commission gives adequate thought to citizens' propositions;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Highlights the need to establish a proper follow-up mechanism for unsuccessful ECIs in order to take citizens’ input seriously, including redirecting citizens to the Committee on Petitions, as the lack of impact could lead to disengagement; underlines the role that the Committee on Petitions must play throughout hearing processes; calls on the Commission to collaborate in a timely manner with Parliament after an ECI is deemed successful, to enable Parliament to make full use of the three-month period ~~for the organisation of hearings~~, and to organise the public hearing and prepare the plenary debate as part of its ECI assessment;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop interinstitutional ~~website~~EUcitizens’ website (and application, which is easily accessible for everyone, also taking as example the so-called Citizens’App of the Parliament) to provide information on all the rights and instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Emphasises the role of these three participatory instruments, which is to facilitate and encourage the engagement of citizens and residents of the EU; calls for the establishment and promotion of a large- scale, one-stop, accessible interinstitutional website to provide information on all the instruments that enable the public to participate directly in and influence decision-making at EU level;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls for public awareness of these three participatory instruments to be raised to ensure that they become effective tools for democratic participation; emphasises that all the European institutions should maximise their efforts at communication ~~efforts~~, which should be accessible and available in as many languages as possible, to ensure that as many citizens as possible know about, and are encouraged to participate in, the instruments;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Calls on the Member States to make it ~~mandatory~~available and highly recommended for pupils in schools to be taught about the EU’s three participatory instruments; points out that civic engagement among young people is vital for the future of all democracies;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, with particular regard to the special needs of persons with disabilities (sign language, Braille); highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Recalls that the EU’s multilingual communication policy is a crucial element in communicating with and engaging citizens from all Member States, which needs to be strengthened; highlights its importance in all communication channels, including social media, in order to better connect with citizens; welcomes the guidelines published by the Ombudsman instructing the institutions on how to develop their language policy in the most citizen-friendly manner;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2275(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Stresses the need to address the shortcomings of the EU petition system, taking into consideration the special needs of persons with disabilities, in order to ensure its full democratic potential and agenda-setting role; calls on the EU institutions to use their resources to increase the attractiveness of this tool and promote citizens’ participation in EU law- making; in this regard, stresses the need for more EU funding to be allocated to the promotion of the participatory mechanisms;

2021/09/16
Committee: PETI

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that while the number of reasoned opinions received from national parliaments continued to fall between 2017 and 2019, the number of opinions submitted to the Commission and contributions to the European Parliament, including on non-legislative initiatives, remains consistently high, which is testament to the positive and forward- looking engagement of national parliaments with the EU policy cycle; notes that several of these submissions focused on important institutional issues such as the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the activation of passerelle clauses; calls on the Commission to use all available means to support the active engagement of national parliaments in the legislative process of the EU;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the conclusions of the Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and ‘Doing less more efficiently’ of June 2018; welcomes, in particular, the concept of ‘active subsidiarity’, aiming to promote greater ownership of EU policies; insists that the Commission implement these conclusions, and in particular integrate the ‘model grid’, based on the criteria contained in the Protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality originally attached to the Amsterdam Treaty as well as relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice in order to assess the application of both principles throughout the decision- making process; notes that this will require a strong commitment, including from EU co-legislators;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Points out that local and regional authorities implement and use approximately 70% of EU legislation1a; considers that closely consulting their elected representatives in EU matters is a very effective way to bring EU institutions closer to citizens; _________________ 1aCommittee of the Regions Opinion "Better regulation: taking stock and sustaining our commitment" https://cor.europa.eu/EN/our- work/Pages/OpinionTimeline.aspx?opId= CDR-2579-2019

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Suggests that the introduction of a ‘red card’ instrument, enabling a legislative proposal from the Commission to be withdrawn if 55 % of national parliaments raise an objection, should be discussed at the Conference on the Future of Europe;deleted

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Encourages the involvement of regional parliaments with legislative powers, which~~Points out that regions with legislative powers are the most visible embodiment of European diversity; encourages the involvement of regional parliaments with legislative powers in EU legislative initiatives and supports their systematic consultation on major initiatives; recalls that such parliaments are represented in the Committee of regions and that under Article 6 of Protocol No 2 to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union they can be consulted by national parliaments~~, and supports their systematic consultation on major initiatives~~; commends that such parliaments also engage in direct interaction with the Commission through the submission of opinions on various issues of interest and calls on the Commission to encourage this engagement in the future; is of the opinion that giving greater importance to the concerns of regional Parliaments and authorities would increase the active dimension to the subsidiarity principle as well;

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2262(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Believes that the REFIT platform should be expanded to widen its focus from regulatory burdens to matters of subsidiarity and proportionality and should increase the involvement of local and regional authorities; warns against the rigid application by the Commission of a ‘one in, one out’ principle in the implementation of better law-making processes.

2021/03/09
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas, despite some steps forward in defining common standards of electoral procedures for the European Parliament, today EU elections are still mostly governed by national laws ~~and therefore~~; whereas more improvements are needed to establish a ~~genuinely~~more uniform procedure for European elections;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the conclusion of the ratification process for Council’s Decision 2018/994 of 13 July 2018 is still pending ~~but cannot hold back the necessary changes in the Union’s electoral systems~~;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the reform of the European Parliament's electoral procedure should aim to enhance the democratic and ~~transnational~~European dimension of the European elections and the democratic legitimacy of the Union decision-making process, reinforce the concept of citizenship of the Union, improve the functioning of the European Parliament and the governance of the Union, make the work of the European Parliament more legitimate, strengthen the principles of electoral equality and equal opportunities, enhance the effectiveness of the system for conducting European elections, and bring Members of the European Parliament closer to their voters, and in particular the youngest amongst them;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas, as outlined by the Venice Commission, the right to parliamentary representation is one of the most important rights in a democratic society1a and affirmative action in the sphere of electoral rules is one of the ways to establish fair and effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities2a; __________________ 1a Venice Commission: Opinion on the Hungarian Bill N°. 5190 on the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities CDL- MIN (93) 4 Revised, paragraph 12 2a Venice Commission: Report on the abolition of restrictions on the right to vote in general elections, CDL- AD(2005)011, paragraph 7

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)

Mb. whereas all Member States that have joined the European Union after the adoption of the Copenhagen criteria were encouraged and expected to sign and ratify the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities, Article 15 of which foresees that “The Parties shall create the conditions necessary for the effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities in cultural, social and economic life and in public affairs, in particular those affecting them.”

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)

Mc. whereas the Venice Commission has dealt extensively with the basic principles and good practices related to the representation of national minorities, issuing recommendations and acknowledging especially the role of guaranteed reserved seats for members of national minorities, lower electoral thresholds in proportional electoral systems for parties representing national minorities or the designation of electoral districts with the purpose to enhance the minorities' participation in the decision- making processes1a; whereas it pointed out that while a proportional electoral system is believed to offer more guarantees for minorities, this positive effect is neutralised if it is accompanied by thresholds, which considerably reduce the chances of minorities to be represented; __________________ 1a Compilation of Venice Commission Opinions and Reports Concerning Electoral Systems and National Minorities CDL-PI(2019)004 *, in particular its Report on Electoral Law and National Minorities CDL-INF (2000)

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M d (new)

Md. whereas the importance of the electoral process for facilitating the participation of minorities in the political sphere is also emphasised by "The (OSCE) Lund Recommendations on the effective participation of national minorities in public life";

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M e (new)

Me. whereas the principles of proportionality, electoral equality and equal opportunities have to be considered in regards to autochthonous minorities, which are clearly underrepresented in the EP; whereas approximately 20 MEPs out of 705 declare to claim to belong to a minority (=2,8%)1a; whereas according to the most comprehensive overview of national minorities in Europe2a the total number of persons in the EU belonging to a national minority - without counting speakers of regional or minority languages - is 29.844.468 out of 447.000.000 (6.7%), which shows that autochthonous minorities are clearly underrepresented in the EP; whereas no minority smaller than 50.000 members is represented (132 of 192 minorities); __________________ 1a Based on data from the European Parliament’s Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages 2a Pan, Christoph; Pfeil, Beate Sibylle; Videsott, Paul: National Minorities in Europe. 2nd Edition, Revised and Updated. Wien; Berlin: Verlag Österreich; Berliner Wissenschafts- Verlag 2018

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M f (new)

Mf. whereas across the EU there are various good practices fostering the participation of national minorities in national elections such as in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovenia; whereas in European elections in Belgium the German speaking region constitutes a separate constituency and in Italy the lists of the French, German and Slovene linguistic minorities may be linked to a national list, in which case the votes of the linguistic list will be added to those of the national list, obtaining one of its seats if a linguistic candidate receives at least 50,000 votes;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the right of all citizens of the Union to participate, on an equal basis, in the democratic life of the Union would be promoted by a ~~genuine~~deeper harmonisation of the procedure for elections to the European Parliament in all the Member States , which would also strengthen the political dimension of European integration;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Recital W

W. whereas an electoral authority, acting as a network of Member States' single contact authorities, should be set up at Union level, as this would facilitate access to information on the rules governing the European elections, as well as streamlining the process, managing the joint constituency and enhancing the European character of those elections;deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Regrets that most national and linguistic minorities are not usually represented in the European Parliament because they are too small to obtain a seat of their own; points out in this regard the effective barrier that electoral thresholds represent for parties representing minority communities running in single national constituencies or in large, densely populated constituencies;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Regrets that there are only two Member States which have special provisions for the Election of the European Parliament for minorities; Commends in this regard the good practices from Belgium in relation to the German minority and from Italy in relation to the French linguistic minority of Valle d’Aosta, the German one in Bolzano and the Slovenian in Friuli- Venezia Giulia;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Reiterates its call on the Commission and the Member States to guarantee equal opportunities for national and ethnic minorities to participate in political and social life and its encouragement of Member States to adopt electoral systems and laws facilitating the representation of national and ethnic minorities1a; points out that the same principle should be applied in the elections for the European Parliament; __________________ 1a European Parliament resolution of 13 November 2018 on minimum standards for minorities in the EU (2018/2036(INI)), paragraph 36. (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/do cument/TA-8-2018-0447_EN.html)

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8d. Stresses that the legitimacy of the democratic institutions is based on participation and representation of all groups in society, including persons belonging to national and linguistic minorities;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 e (new)

8e. Considers therefore that the European electoral law should provide a derogation from nationally provided thresholds for parties representing recognized national and linguistic minorities or groupings of such parties in order to increase the chances of national and linguistic minorities to participate in the political life of the Union and to be represented in the European Parliament;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 f (new)

8f. Strongly regrets that there are still Member States in the European Union whose election laws de jure prohibit the creation of parties based on ethnic, racial or religious lines or which expressly prohibit the use of mother tongue for minorities in election campaigns; considers that such practices are discriminatory, create unjustified electoral barriers and limit access to voters and political participation in elections and beyond and should therefore be banned;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Believes that all European voters should be a~~llowed to indicate~~ble to identify their preferred candidate for the President of the Commission, ~~and that leading candidates should be able to stand in all Member States, nominated by a European political party, by a movement or by a coalition of European parties~~nominated by a European political party, putting forward a common electoral programme;

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on European political parties ~~and movements~~ to nominate their candidates for the position of President of the Commission ~~- or common candidates of a coalition of European parties and movements -~~ at least 12 weeks before the start of the electoral period; considers that binding democratic procedures and transparency in the selection should be ensured; ~~expects candidates to be placed in the first position of the corresponding list of the joint constituency;~~

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that the introduction of a joint constituency from which forty-six members of the European Parliament shall be elected and in which lists are headed by each political family’s candidate for the post of President of the Commission could offer an opportunity to enhance the democratic and transnational dimension of the European elections; believes that the goal of establishing a joint constituency is achievable only if geographical, demographic and gender balance is ensured, by guaranteeing that smaller Member States are not put at a competitive disadvantage compared to the larger Member States; suggests in this respect introducing binding demographic representation in the lists for the joint constituency, such as maximum thresholds for candidates residing in the same Member State and a minimum obligatory representation of nationals of different Member States; encourages European parties and movements to appoint candidates in the joint lists coming from all Member States;deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

~~16. Believes that transnational lists are a lever that can be used to bring about the formation of true and effective European political parties and movements;~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Suggests including common provisions governing expenditure linked to the European electoral campaign for each entity admitted for the purpose of tabling a list of candidates for members of the European Parliament in the Union- wide constituency; calls for strong coordination with the upcoming revision of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/20214 on this matter;deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Proposes establishing a European Electoral Authority in charge of coordinating information on the European elections, monitoring the implementation of the common standards of the European electoral law and supervising the exchange of information on voting by citizens of the Union outside their home country; considers that such a body could facilitate an efficient exchange of information, and in particular the sharing of best practices, between national bodies; suggests that an essential task of the Authority would be the management of the register of electoral lists for joint constituencies;deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Recital 4 a (new)

(4a) Electoral thresholds should not affect the chances of national and linguistic minorities to participate in the political life of the Union and to be represented in the European Parliament. A derogation from a nationally provided threshold for parties representing recognized national and linguistic minorities or groupings of such parties should be possible for said minorities to be able to express a cohesive vote. The recognition of national and linguistic minorities should be understood in the sense of the Framework Convention for the protection of National Minorities, Member States being encouraged to interpret its provisions in the most inclusive manner.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Recital 5

(5) Article 17(7) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) gives the European Parliament the right to elect the President of the European Commission. In order to give that right its appropriate expression, ~~the~~all European ~~public sph~~voteres should be ~~developed in such a way that all European voters are allowed to indicate~~able to identify their preferred candidate for the President of the European Commission. For this to happen, the lead candidates nominated by a European political party, ~~by a movement or by a coalition of European parties,~~ need to be able to stand behind a common electoral programme in all Member States. Likewise, a Union-wide constituency, in which lists are headed by each political family’s candidate for President of the Commission, should be created, in order to enhance the democratic and pan- European dimension of the European elections. That Union-wide constituency should be subject to clear rules ensuring gender and demographic proportionality, with particular attention to small and medium sized Member States.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Recital 6

(6) According to Article 10(4) of the TEU, political parties at European level contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of citizens of the Union. European political parties ~~and movements~~ should therefore play a more central role in the European elections’ process, including by giving them the possibility of tabling pan- European lists in the Union-wide constituency, so that they become known by and more visible to electors, both on ballot papers and in campaign materials and publications.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – recital 9

(9) A European Electoral Authority should be established for the management of the Union-wide constituency. Such a European Electoral Authority would be essential for coordinating information on the European elections and monitoring the implementation of the common standards of the European electoral law, by ensuring an efficient exchange of information and best practices between national bodies. In addition.deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 2 – point 8

~~(8) ´Transnational list´ means the candidacy/list of candidates fielded in the Union-wide constituency;~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 12 – paragraph 2

2. Members of the European Parliament shall be elected as representatives of the citizens of the Union on the basis of proportional representation, in each Member State ~~and in the Union- wide constituency~~.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 12 – paragraph 4

~~4. In the Union-wide constituency, Members of the European Parliament shall be elected using the closed list system.~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 13 – paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Parties or groupings of parties representing recognized national and linguistic minorities shall be exempted from the minimum thresholds, provided they receive at least 50% of the votes necessary to obtain a seat.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Sven SIMON, Rainer WIELAND, Loránt VINCZE

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 15

~~[…]~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 15 – paragraph 19

19. ~~Campaigning for the Union-wide constituency shall start eight weeks before Election day.~~ No electoral campaigning shall be allowed on Election day.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 16

~~[…]~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 17 – paragraph 4

4. Member States shall ensure that European electoral entities are given equal treatment and opportunities as national parties and national political movements regarding the electoral campaign related to the Union-wide constituency.deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 18 – paragraph 1

1. Each Member State shall designate a contact authority responsible for exchanging data on voters and candidates with its counterparts in the other Member States ~~and with the European Electoral Authority established under Article 27~~.

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 18 – paragraph 2

2. The national authority referred to in paragraph 1 shall, in accordance with the applicable EU law concerning the protection of personal data, begin transmitting to those counterparts and the European Electoral Authority, no later than six weeks before the Election day as defined in Article 19(1), the data indicated in Council Directive 93/109/EC10 concerning citizens of the Union who, in a Member State of which they are not nationals, have been entered on the electoral roll or are standing as candidates. __________________ 10 Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament for citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals (OJ L 329, 30.12.1993, p. 34).deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 26 – paragraph 5

5. Where Parliament establishes a vacancy of a seat of a member elected from the Union-wide constituency, the President shall inform the European Electoral Authority thereof, and invite it to fill the seat without delay. Vacancies of seats of members elected from the Union-wide constituency shall be filled by the next candidate in the relevant list, according to the order of precedence.deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 26 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2

~~Vacancies of seats of members elected from the Union-wide constituency shall be filled by the next candidate in the relevant list, according to the order of precedence.~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 27

~~[…]~~deleted

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2220(INL)

Motion for a resolution
Annex to the motion for a resolution – Article 30

For the purposes of the provisions of Article 16(4) second subparagraph, and as regards only the 2024 election to the European Parliament in the Union-wide constituency, the electoral financing in favour of European electoral entities shall be calculated on the basis of aggregating the total number of votes cast for the national political parties and national political movements affiliated to them in the 2019 election to the European Parliament. In the case of European coalitions of national political parties or movements, the electoral financing shall be calculated on the basis of the votes cast for each national political party or movement affiliated to the standing coalition in the 2019 election to the European Parliament.Article 30 deleted Transitional provision

2021/11/11
Committee: AFCO

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

— having regard to the Council measure setting up the Revised EU-level Framework required by Article 33.2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities1a, _________________ 1a Council doc. No 6170/17

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the Committee on Petitions plays a ‘protection role’ to ensure EU compliance with the CRPD within the policymaking and legislative actions at EU level; whereas the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee has been identified to form the EU Framework together with the European Ombudsman, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the European Disability Forum, as adopted by the Council at its 3513th meeting held on 16 January 2017;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Takes note of the progress made by Member States in effectively implementing and monitoring the CRPD and in adapting accessibility measures to comply with the standards of the CRPD; calls on the Member States to designate, without further delay, responsible authorities to serve as focal points, and to establish coordinating mechanisms at all administrative levels, in accordance with Article 33 of the CRPD, for its implementation and monitoring;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Recalls that many persons with disabilities are still segregated from community life and do not have control over their daily lives, in particular those living in residential institutions as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and intensified the challenges faced by persons living in institutions; urges the Member States to mainstream support services in order to ensure for people with disabilities the equal right to live independently and to be included in the community;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9 b. Recalls the high number of European citizens deprived of their right to participate in elections including EP elections because of their disabilities or mental health problems; thus, calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the real right of persons with disabilities to vote in European Parliament elections;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Warmly welcomes the adoption of stronger rail passenger rights for people with disabilities and with reduced mobility, especially the phasing out of the current exemptions for Member States and the reduction of the period of advance notice to be given by persons with disabilities or reduced mobility who require assistance; ~~encourage~~calls the Member States to arrange, ~~where~~as soon as possible, shorter pre-notification periods for persons with disabilities who require assistance with travel, in order to allow persons with disabilities and with reduced mobility to more readily exercise their free movement rights; calls for the swift implementation of the rules laid down in the recast of Regulation (EC) No 1371/200718 in all Member States; _________________ 18 Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations, OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 14.

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls on the Member States to ensure the swift implementation at all levels of Directive 2016/2102 on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites and mobile applications, in order to guarantee that persons with disabilities are able to access all information they require in an accessible format, including national sign languages; welcomes the Commission’s initiative for an action plan on web accessibility for all EU institutions, bodies and agencies with a view to ensuring the compliance of EU websites, and the documents published on these websites and online platforms, with European accessibility standards; urges all EU institutions, bodies and agencies to comply with the European accessibility standards as quickly as possible;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Encoura~~Urges the relevant Parliament services to continue their efforts and finalise the project on the inter-service working group on sign language in the shortest possible time frame in order to meet the requests of petition 1056/2016 to allow for the tabling of petitions in international and national sign languages used in the EU and thereby make the fundamental right to petition more accessible for sign language users;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Notes that there is no mutual recognition of disability status between Member States; calls on the Member States to work together in a spirit of mutual trust to recognise the status assigned in another Member State; emphasises the Commission’s goal of working with Member States to expand the scope of the mutual recognition of disability status in areas such as labour mobility, statistics and the benefits related to the conditions of service provision;

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2209(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Calls on the Commission for special emphasis on a common framework for European statistics on individuals and households, making the situation and problems of persons with disabilities more comparable at European level so that policy makers can find more effective and tailored solutions to the needs of persons with disabilities.

2021/04/28
Committee: PETI

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1 Recalls that Part Two of the Withdrawal Agreement allows both EU citizens residing in the UK and UK nationals residing in the EU-27 at the end of the transition period to continue to live in their host State, exercising their rights based on EU law, provided that EU citizens and UK nationals are workers or self-employed, or have sufficient resources and health insurance, or are family members of a person who fulfils these conditions, or have already acquired the right of permanent residence and thus no longer be subject to these conditions;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)

-1 a. Welcomes the Joint Statement following the tenth meeting of the Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights of 15 June 20221a whereby the EU and UK reaffirmed their commitment to protect citizens’ rights in accordance with the obligations laid down in the Withdrawal Agreement; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /20.06.2022_joint_statement_sc_citizens_r ights_en.pdf

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that the Withdrawal Agreement allows the EU Member States and the UK to require mandatory application as a condition for confirmation of the enjoyment of the rights provided by the Agreement and that, like 13 Member States, the UK opted for a ‘constitutive system’ (the EU Settlement Scheme – EUSS), which grants eligible EU citizens resident in the UK either settled status or pre-settled status at the end of the transition period, allowing them to reside legally in the UK and enjoy all the rights provided for under the Withdrawal Agreement (WA); recalls that the WA makes clear that the administrative procedures under a constitutive system must be ‘smooth, transparent and simple’ and administrative costs must not exceed those imposed on nationals of the host State for obtaining similar documents;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. SRegrets that the eligibility conditions applied by the UK for access to rights under the EUSS still differ from those provided in the Withdrawal Agreement; stresses that the misalignment of the EUSS with the WA creates a risk of legal uncertainty for EU citizens in the UK as to whether their rights are guaranteed under UK immigration law or by the WA, and whether they can use their EUSS status to prove their rights under the WA;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Expresses its concern about the difficulties that EU citizens may encounter when applying for settled or pre-settled status due to the UK Home Office’s insistence on a digital-only approach; reiterates its call to the UK authorities to issue a physical document as proof of their right to reside in the UK in order to provide greater certainty and a sense ofsecurity1a; _________________ 1a European Parliament, Resolution of 15 January 2020 on implementing and monitoring the provisions on citizens' rights in the Withdrawal Agreement(2020/2505(RSP)).

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. URegrets the increasing delays in issuing residence documents and entry visas for EU citizens in UK and urges the UK authorities to elaborate plans to reduce the number of cases awaiting a decision; similarly urges the UK authorities to ensure the effective and transparent implementation of temporary protection measures for EU citizens who missed the deadline for applications;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Is concerned that the conditions and rights of pre-settled status holders are less secure than those of settled status, in particular that, pre-settled status holders without Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) have not been considered to have Withdrawal Agreement rights and thus cannot access benefits; recalls that in its judgement of 10 March 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that eligibility for NHS treatment does count as CSI and that the UK should not have imposed the CSI requirement to maintain a right to reside; urges therefore the United Kingdom to comply, pursuant to Article 89 of the Withdrawal Agreement, with such judgments;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it inconsistent with the WA that pre-settled status holders who do not reapply successfully for settled status risk losing their rights to live, work and access services in the UK; points out that pre-settled status holders can only lose their residence rights in limited circumstances (e.g. criminality, fraudulent applications, and extended absences), and that these circumstances do not include failing to apply for settled status; welcomes the fact that the UK High Court has granted permission to the UK Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to proceed with its judicial review claim against the Home Office in this respect;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Urges declaratory Member States to address the UK’s concerns relating to evidencing status and to UK citizens living in the EU accessing benefits and services and calls on the Commission to improve the monitoring of the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement in the Member States in order to reduce cases of misapplication;

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2202(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Acknowledges that the UK is a sovereign State and as such is free to set its own immigration policies; points out, however, that Section 75 of the UK’s Nationality and Borders Act requiring those without a UK immigration status (including EU citizens, with the exception of Irish citizens) to have an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before entering Northern Ireland will impact negatively on European Union citizens resident in Ireland; stresses, moreover, that the ETA system would not be fully in line with Article 2 of the Protocol on Northern Ireland, which protects the rights of individuals and requires the UK to ensure that there is no diminution of the rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity, including protection against discrimination; emphasises that any UK proposal which could ultimately require EU citizens resident in Ireland to register in order to obtain an exemption from the ETA system is disproportionate and its implementation would amount to a possible breach of the principle of non- discrimination as set out in the Treaties";

2022/10/19
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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 institutions~~the 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, n~~ot only is this perception presen~~evertheless, 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)

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas there have been six successful European Citizens' Initiatives to date, most recently the "Minority Safepack" initiative and the "End the Cage Age" initiative; whereas the "Minority Safepack" initiative was the first ECI to have been debated in the European Parliament based on the new ECI regulation, and was overwhelmingly supported by Parliament in December 2020 with 76% of the votes cast;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Sven SIMON, Loránt VINCZE, Vladimír BILČÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Underlines that the level of EU citizens’ engagement in the EU participatory democracy process and the subsequent use of tools is proportionate to the level of knowledge of EU actions and policies within the Union’s multi-level governance system; points out that European citizens are not sufficiently aware of their rights as EU citizens, including the right to vote in European and local elections when they exercise their right to mobility;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas most forms of participation are generally ubiased bytowards organised interest groups and ~~not~~rarely used by individual citizens; whereas individual citizens are largely unaware of the existing participatory instruments;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Domènec RUIZ DEVESA, Loránt VINCZE, Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR, Łukasz KOHUT, Dietmar KÖSTER, Pietro BARTOLO, Petar VITANOV, Cyrus ENGERER, Evin INCIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the need for supportive measures aimed at increasing civic literacy and building civic capacity to encourage citizens’ understanding of the policymaking process and to promote civic engagement in the actions of the Union; considers to that end that stronger action by Member States and the Commission in fostering EU citizenship education is necessary; calls on the Commission to provide support to complement educational programmes and training in all Member States, notably by supporting the development of a common curriculum on European citizenship education; invites the Commission and the Member States to develop a comprehensive European strategy on civic and citizenship education accompanied by supporting platforms to promote its implementation;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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~~effective in engaging with citizens under the Union's core principles of representative democracy; believes that citizens should have a greater voice in EU decision- making to make the Union more refflective~~, united, democratic, solidary, sovereign and resilient, are strengthened by directly engaging with~~ of citizens' views and more resilient, democratic and effective; in this regard, believes that Treaty change should not be precluded, although it should not be a goal in itself, and that the Conference on the Future of Europe is the appropriate forum to discuss this possibility; stresses that citizens should have a clear understanding of citizen engagement and dialogue structures so that expectation meets reality, otherwise there is a risk of disenfranchising citizens;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Commission to strengthen existing instruments of engagement with citizens, particularly those referred to in the Treaties;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Regrets the limited political and legal follow-up given by the Commission to successful European Citizens’ Initiatives~~Notes that the European Citizens’ Initiative has not expressed its potential as a key instrument for active citizenship and public participation and regrets the limited political and legal follow-up given by the Commission to successful European Citizens’ Initiatives, which eventually jeopardizes the potential use of this participatory tool by European citizens and engenders loss of trust in EU decision-making; strongly regrets the Commission’s dismissal of the Minority SafePack European Citizens’ Initiative, which addresses basic values and objectives enshrined in the Treaties;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Underlines th~~e benefit of engaging with citizens in the development of a European public sphere and in~~at not all stakeholders, notably citizens and civil society groups, are equally active politically, equally vocal, and influential; the reinfor~~cement of the democratic legitimacy of the EU~~e, believes that EU participatory democracy requires supporting unorganized citizens and promoting their access to electoral and participatory opportunities within and outside EU channels;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises that ~~the EU institutions have to be informed of citizens’ concerns and need to be more attentive to these concerns~~increased information sharing regarding citizens’ concerns will assist the EU institutions in their efforts to be attentive and responsive to these concerns under the Union's core principles of representative democracy;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses the importance of the right to petition granted by the Treaties to EU citizens and residents, allowing them to submit a petition to the European Parliament on an issue that falls within the EU’s fields of activity; calls for a strengthened involvement of the Commission in the process of providing responses to petitions in order to ensure that citizens receive timely and precise responses to their requests and complaints;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines the need to engage with young people in particular in a political debate on the future of Europe, as today’s decisions will determine their future; emphasises that the Erasmus+ programme should be utilised to enhance European citizenship education, especially amongst students and young people;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls that EU citizens have the right to address the European Ombudsman, which is one of the main rights conferred by the European citizenship, and that the Ombudsman has an important role in ensuring good administration, accountability and transparency in the EU institutions;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Highlights that it is clear there is a mismatch between the expectations of citizens from the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) and the ECI’s capacity to lead to legislative output; underlines that communication on citizen engagement needs to highlight the practical role of any mechanisms, otherwise failing to meet expectations will reduce participation, and in turn legitimacy; points out that new mechanisms should seek to increase the transparency of the follow-up stage and enhance the deliberative character of the ECI model; believes that the Commission should proactively address the concerns of the initiators and carry out a sufficient assessment including possible instruments to achieve stated goals; notes that the Commission must fully comply with its legal obligation to state sufficient reasons for why it did or did not take action on an ECI, and believes this needs to be more comprehensive to ensure citizens are provided with an accurate picture of what should be expected from engagement with or launching of an ECI;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop innovative and inclusive tools for citizens’ participation and dialogues, making better use of digital technologies to allow all citizens (younger and older people, people with disability, mobile EU citizens, people living in rural or less populated areas) to effectively take part in EU decision-making, building on the lessons from the way the COVID-19 pandemic acted as an accelerator for the use of digital tools;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Stresses the ~~need for permanent~~importance of effective participatory mechanisms to ~~allow for~~further facilitate and encourage citizens’ participation in EU decision- making;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Highlights the fact that regularly held citizens’ dialogues could serve different purposes, such as determining annual political or legislative priorities, developing specific proposals in relation to specific questions, or discussing institutional matters ~~or deciding on the spending of certain public resources;~~ ; underlines, however, that while citizens’ dialogues will prove to be beneficial in some areas, it is important that citizens have a clear understanding of engagement outcomes, including inherent limitations, with appropriate, and transparent, follow-up procedures; stresses the need for them to be of non- binding and advisory character only;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Sven SIMON, Loránt VINCZE, Vladimír BILČÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to encourage the active participation of EU citizens in EU matters, notably young people, in order to support their involvement in shaping society and politics; sees the upcoming Conference on the future of Europe as a timely opportunity to improve citizens’ participation;

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Highlights that civil society organisations, s~~hould~~takeholders 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;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Recalls that, prior to the launching of these dialogues, the EU institutions must commit themselves to following up on their outcome in the light of their competences and legislative procedures; ~~notes that citizens’ disappointment often stems from politicians over-promising and under-delivering~~highlights that any new participation instrument should be accompanied by a significant communication campaign, with high-level political engagement at EU and national level, similar to the successful electoral campaign in 2019 European Parliament elections;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
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 institut; recognises that there are difficulties and challenges to overcome if participative forums are to contribute more significantly to democratic quality, and in turn to a sense of ownership and European identity; in this light, opines that citizen engagement structures require an increased level responsiveness of the Commissions and ~~the credibility of such processes~~more transparency in the follow-up stage;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Believes that citizens’ participatory processes must adhere to the highest possible level of transparency~~Highlights that promoting the democratic legitimacy of the EU’s institutions through public engagement requires a greater understanding of EU decision-making and transparency surrounding the legislative procedure;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Member States to fully respect the rights of mobile EU citizens and to ensure that they can fully exercise their right to participate in European and local elections, which should not be limited by disenfranchisement in the countries of origin.

2021/04/26
Committee: LIBE

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Highlights the role played by the media in shaping citizens’ opinions on EU policy and the EU itself; stresses the need to uphold an independent and diverse media landscape across Europe, but believes greater effort should be made to tackle disinformation and misreporting in the media on EU issues, notably through increased support for fact-based, pan-European media projects;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

~~16. Proposes the setting up of an independent civil society forum in order to monitor the process and its follow-up by the EU institutions;~~deleted

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Proposes th~~e establishment of~~ at the Commission investigate how it can indeepen~~dent civil society organisation or foundation that~~ pan-EU networks, based on voluntary participation, to facilitate information sharing and knowledge transfer and to brings together different democracy initiatives ~~and that focuses~~ , including across different regions, and ensure that best practice methods are used; believes that this will increase citizen awareness of EU decision- making procedures, as well as ensure more opportunities for citizens ~~more~~to influen~~tial in~~ce policy- making;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Proposes that the Commission’s ‘Have your say’ website becomes a one- stop resource granting access to all participatory instruments; calls on the Commission to embrace further digital possibilities for citizen engagement, in all official EU languages, including tutorials, past examples and information on relevant legislation; believes that provisions should be made for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Proposes the introduction of a citizens’ consultations mechanism for pilot projects, since this would enable citizens to be involved in the shaping of the expenditure side of the Union's budget and would therefore pave the way towards creating a participative budget at EU level;deleted

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2201(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Stresses the need to ~~permanently include citizens in~~ facilitate citizens’ participation, withe s~~tructural reforms of the EU by reforming the Convention method as provided for in Article 48 of the Treaty on European Union~~ufficient engagement from EU institutions, in the structural reforms of the EU; proposes that this be discussed in the Conference on the Future of Europe;

2021/05/05
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1

— having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and in particular Article 50 and Article 8 thereof,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission Declaration for the European Parliament plenary of 16 April 2019;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

— having regard to European Council Decision (EU) 2018/937 of 28 June 2018 establishing the composition of the European Parliament,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 b (new)

— having regard to the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 10 December 2018, Andy Wightman and Others v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, case C- 621/18,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 c (new)

— having regard to the in-depth analysis of the European Parliamentary Research Service, entitled “Article 50 TEU in practice: How the EU has applied the 'exit' clause”, November 2020,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 d (new)

— having regard to the study commissioned by the European Parliament Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs, entitled ”Interpretation and implementation of Article 50 TEU – Legal and institutional assessment”, March 2021,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 e (new)

— having regard to the Good Friday or Belfast Agreement of 10 April 1998 between the Government of the United Kingdom, the Government of Ireland and the other participants in the multi-party negotiations (the "Good Friday Agreement"),

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)

-A. Whereas the objective of this report is to analyse the way in which the provisions of Article 50 of the TEU were interpreted and applied, and the way the procedure of withdrawal of the UK from the EU under that Article was organised and conducted, including the lessons drawn for EU law and the functioning of the European Union.

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)

-Aa. Whereas the reflection on the implementation of Article 50 contributes to a better understanding of key components of the EU constitutional identity, the principles underpinning the European integration, the importance of the decision making autonomy and the right to regulate, to be taken into account in future treaty change;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Article 50 of the TEU solved the pre-existing uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding the right to withdraw from the EU by explicitly giving Member States the unilateral right to withdraw, subject to no conditions apart from compliance with their own national constitutional requirements; whereas, while the compliance with such requirements is a question of the national law of the Member State wishing to withdraw, uncertainty may arise if different branches of government express conflicting views on what compliance requires;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) is not directly applicable to the TEU as the EU is not a party to the Convention;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas Article 50 of the TEU establishes ~~the only~~an exclusive procedure under which a Member State may lawfully withdraw from the EU; by integrating withdrawal into the EU legal order and thereby excluding relevant provisions from international law;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the withdrawal agreement is an EU legal act, on the content of which the CJEU may issue rulings through the annulment procedure or through preliminary ruling requests;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas Article 50 of the TEU is silent on several aspects of the procedure that arose during the withdrawal of the UK from the Union; whereas many of the political solutions adopted through the negotiations with the United Kingdom would serve as likely precedents in case of a future application of the Article, in particular in terms of deadlines and their extension, the sequencing of negotiations, the recourse of a transition period and the definition of the future relationship of the exiting country with the EU;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas Article 50 of the TEU does not impose any formal requirements regarding the notification of the intention to leave the Union or its revocation, the extension of the period of two years set out under Article 50(3) of the TEU, and does not explicitly provide for the possibility of transitional arrangements,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas Article 50 does not specify a time limit between the decision to withdraw and the notification thereof to the European Council; whereas the principle of sincere cooperation should require the handing in of the notification as soon as the decision to leave is taken and the requirement to respect national constitutional requirements is fulfilled;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas Article 50 foresees a two- year period for the parties to reach an agreement, which can be extended with the agreement of both parties; whereas the Article does not mention a specific time-limit for the extension nor the maximum number of times of extensions, thus allowing for useful flexibility in the negotiation process; whereas, nevertheless the repeated recourse to extensions could be seen as going against the logic of Article 50;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas, in its judgment of 10 December 2018, in case C-621/18, the Court of Justice determined the conditions under which the withdrawing Member State may revoke unilaterally the notification of its intention to withdraw from the Union,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

Cc. whereas Article 50 of the TEU is not clear as regards the application of parts of Article 218 of the TFEU other than its paragraph 3,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)

Cd. whereas the application of Article 50 of the TEU underlines that EU membership is voluntary and that a Member State cannot be forced to stay or leave, whereas the decision to withdraw from the Union is made in line with the withdrawing state’s internal constitutional order;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas Article 50 of the TEU confers on the Union institutions the exceptional horizontal competence to negotiate an agreement covering all matters necessary to arrange the withdrawal of a Member State;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas under the TEU, citizens are directly represented at Union level in the European Parliament; whereas in order to be able to give its consent to the withdrawal agreement, as foreseen in Article 50, Parliament should be closely involved in the negotiations especially in what regards citizens' rights;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas under the TEU, EU citizens are directly represented at Union level in the European Parliament;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas Parliament is part of the decision-making procedure under Article 50 of the TEU and exercises general political control, as provided for in Article 14 of the TEU;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas the withdrawal of the UK had an impact on the composition of the European Parliament as provided for in Article3(2) of European Council Decision (EU) 2018/937,

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas Article 50 is triggered by a political events preceding it, which have strong influence on the conduct of the withdrawal negotiations; whereas a great flaw of the Brexit process was that the extremely complex and multidimensional problem that is a country's relationship with the EU was presented to people as a binary choice; whereas UK citizens were never given a clear picture of what relationship their country would have with the EU once it left, and often were given misleading claims about the implications of Brexit, especially in what regards the issue of Northern Ireland;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the Union institutions have undertaken all efforts not to politicise the process of withdrawal, but the withdrawal under Article 50 of the TEU is nevertheless inherently political as it stems from and is influenced by fundamental choices regarding membership of the EU and/or the relationship with the EU;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas after the entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement the only legal path for a re-accession to the EU is on the basis of Article 49 of the TEU;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)

Ic. whereas Article 8 of the TEU emphasises the special relationship of the EU and its neighbouring countries;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)

Id. whereas, according to the European Parliament’s rules of procedure, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs is responsible for the institutional consequences of withdrawal from the Union;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Unprecedented process Or. en (This is not a paragraph, but a title before paragraph 1)

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that the withdrawal of aone of its Member States has been an unprecedented and extremely critical process for the European Union;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Emphasises that the historical importance for EU membership of the UK’s withdrawal did not and does not deviate the Union from its integration process, as the Article 50 provides guarantees to the EU legal order and protects fundamental goals of the European integration;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Underlines that the provisions of Article 50 of the TEU and the way in which they were interpreted and implemented reflect and uphold the common values and the goals that are at the foundation of the Union, in particular freedom, democracy and the rule of law;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Believes that Article 50 of the TEU has met its objectives of preserving the sovereign right of a Member State to withdraw from the European Union, thus confirming explicitly the voluntary nature of EU membership, and of ensuring the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the Union, while allowing for the subsequent building of an enhanced relationship between the EU and the UK as a third country;

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)

Danuta Maria HÜBNER, Vladimír BILČÍK, Seán KELLY, Paulo RANGEL, Loránt VINCZE, Brice HORTEFEUX

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. EU priorities Or. en (This is not a paragraph, but a title before paragraph 5)

2021/07/21
Committee: AFCO

2020/2136(INI)