2014/2218(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

– having regard to Rule 215 of its Rules of Procedure,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~although~~ this figure is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, ~~it does nonetheless~~which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens are not yet aware of the right to petition and ~~have expectations regarding the usefulness of the petition procedure~~its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters which affect them and about which they are concerned;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Call for a timely feedback from the Commission in the shortest possible time frame, ideally within a period no longer than three months since the request is duly received; expects furthermore to receive a proper reply, following an in- depth inquiry; regrets that the answer of the Commission is often excessively bureaucratic and superficial, and disagrees in this sense with an approach exclusively based on formal or procedural grounds; considers that as guardian of the treaties the Commission should also enter into the substance and the ultimate spirit of the relevant EU legislation involved; feels entitled to refer further aspects back to the Commission in regard of certain petitions in case it fails to meet these minimum standards in its response, taking also into account possible further feedback and evidences of inaccuracy provided by the concerned petitioners in this regard;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4d. Stresses the importance of proactive monitoring and timely preventive action by the Commission where there is well- founded evidence that certain planned and published projects may breach EU legislation; is worried by the current trend within the Commission to inhibit inquiries into the substance of many petitions, using exclusively on procedural grounds; disagrees with the recurrent suggestions to close many files relating to petitions without a proper outcome from the examinations, and believes that this is not in line with the spirit of the Commission's ultimate role as guardian of the Treaties; calls for even more scrupulous attention and consequent action, in particular in those cases presented by petitioners which involve possible breaches of EU legislation by the Commission itself, for instance in the field of public access to documents, as guaranteed by the Aarhus Convention;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

(a) Points out the importance of the European Commission responding to all petitions in a detailed and proactive manner and as promptly as possible; calls on the European Commission to ensure that representatives participating in meetings of the Committee on Petitions be of the highest political rank possible;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

(b) Requests that, due to the special nature of this Committee and the significant workload relating to contact with the thousands of citizens and residents who file petitions every year, the human resources available to the Secretariat be increased;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

(a) considers it essential that high-ranking officials of the Commission or the responsible commissioner personally participates in the discussions of the Committee on Petitions in important cases.

Amendment 105 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses the need to improve correspondence with citizens in the aim of processing their demands.

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and ~~welcomes the presence of representatives of some Member States at meeting~~reiterates the call of the report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2013 (2014/2008 (INI)) for launching an enhanced structured dialogue with Member States namely by holding regular meetings with Members from national Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and welcomes the presence of representatives of some Member States at meetings; highlights the need for Council and Commission representatives to be present at Committee meetings and hearings where the content of the issues discussed require the implication of the aforementioned institutions.

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and welcomes the presence of representatives of some Member States at meetings;, in the aim of defending the rights of citizens more effectively and more transparently.

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it essential that cooperation with the parliaments, their relevant committees, and governments of Member States be strengthened and that Member State authorities be encouraged to be fully transparent in transposing and applying EU law; stresses the importance of collaboration with the Commission and the Member States and welcomes the presence of representatives of some Member States at meetings;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas although this figure is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, it does nonetheless indicate that EU citizens are aware of the right to petition and have expectations regarding the usefulness of the petition procedure as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters about which they are concerned; whereas despite some of the citizens being aware of the petition process, there is still widespread confusion about the EU's field of activity as shown by the high number of inadmissible petitions received (39.4%);

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the EU Member States to legally standardise the obligation to create petition committees in national parliaments, which would increase the effectiveness of the cooperation between the Committee on Petitions and the national parliaments.

Amendment 112 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Considers it essential that cooperation with the other committees be strengthened by asking their opinion on petitions, inviting their members to attend debates in their areas of responsibility, participating more in their work as committee for the opinion on certain reports and for reports on the proper transposition and implementation of EU law in the Member States; requests the competent committees to take the petitions forwarded to them in due consideration and to provide the appropriate feedback for the necessary treatment of petitions;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Underlines the growing importance of the Committee on Petitions in the European Parliament as a scrutiny committee, which should be a point of reference for the transposition and implementation of the European legislation on the administrative level in the Member states; reiterates the call of the report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2013 (2014/2008 (INI)) for more political debates during the plenary sessions and a more vivid communication on the petitions of European citizens;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. In the future, greater attention will be paid to avoiding the impression that petitions that appear to be important in the context of an election campaign in a Member State are treated with preference, whether that be with regard to the speed of processing or with regard to the opportunities in terms of presentation and awareness afforded by the processing; reminds all the stakeholders within Parliament of their particular responsibility to avoid the impression of this particular type of partiality.

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Regrets that more petitioners cannot directly present their cases to the Committee on Petitions, partly due to a lack of meeting time and human resources in the Secretariat; calls for an improvement in the time periods within which petitioners are informed of the handling of their petitions and their passage before the committee; supports increased use of videoconferencing or any means enabling petitioners to become actively involved in the work of the Committee on Petitions, even if they cannot be physically present;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls for the prompt establishment an informal Petitions Network within the Parliament, with the participation of members representing every committee of the Parliament, in order to ensure a smooth and effective coordination on the work related to petitions, which will improve the exercise of the right to petitions;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

(a) Points out the importance of the other committees of the European Parliament including in their meetings the handling of relevant matters set forth in the petitions relating to their areas of responsibility, and using the relevant petitions received as a source of information for legislative processes;

Amendment 118 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Deplores the fact that the Charter of Fundamental Rights has not been adopted in all the EU Member States and that many people have found its implementation to be unclear and, to some extent, disappointing; deplordetermines the strict way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with its stipulation that the provisions of the Charter are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law; recalls that the Commission has often said it is unable to act in the area of fundamental rights, when the Committee has so requested, citing Article 51 of the Charter; stresses the fact that the expectations of citizens are much greater than the Charter’s strictly legal provisions allow for; ~~calls on the Commission to do more to meet citizens’ expectations and to find a new approach to the interpretation of Article 51;~~

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. deplores the fact that the Charter of Fundamental Rights has not been adopted in all the EU Member States and that many people have found its implementation to be unclear and, to some extent, disappointing; deplores also that the European Convention on Human Rights has not yet been adopted by the EU as such within the meaning of Article 6(2) TEU and that European citizens do not have access to sufficient information concerning the procedures in place in this regard. deplores the strict way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with its stipulation that the provisions of the Charter are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law; recalls that the Commission has often said it is unable to act in the area of fundamental rights, when the Committee has so requested, citing Article 51 of the Charter; stresses the fact that the expectations of citizens are much greater than the Charter’s strictly legal provisions allow for; calls on the Commission to do more to meet citizens’ expectations and to find a new approach to the interpretation of Article 51; encourages a more effective application of the principle of subsidiarity set out in Article 5 TEU.

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas a proper treatment of petitions throughout the whole process is crucial in order to ensure a perception that the petition right is respected; whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in the improvement and the future wellbeing of our societies and who in principle have faith in the EU as a useful political project to provide answer to their concerns; whereas the experience of these citizens when it comes to this treatment might determine their future opinion on the European project;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Deplores the fact that the Charter of Fundamental Rights has not been adopted in all the EU Member States and that many people have found its implementation to be unclear and, to some extent, disappointing; deplores the strict way in which the Commission has interpreted Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights with its stipulation that the provisions of the Charter are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity and to the Member States only when they are implementing Union law; recalls that the Commission has often said it is unable to act in the area of fundamental rights, when the Committee has so requested, citing Article 51 of the Charter; stresses the fact that the expectations of citizens ~~are much greater t~~often go beyond whant the Charter’s strictly legal provisions allow for; calls on the Commission to do more to meet citizens’ expectations and to find a new approach to the interpretation of Article 51;

Amendment 121 #

Cecilia WIKSTRÖM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Points to the ~~work~~important work carried out by the Committee on Petitions in ~~connection with petitions on issues relating to disability and notes the Committee’s willingness to continue to supp~~the context of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; takes due note of the Concluding observations on the initial report of the European Union; highlights that the European Union Framework should be adequately resourced, in line with the requirements of the Convention; in this respect, calls for an enhancement of the capacity of the Committee on Petitions and its secretariat, enabling the Committee to properly fulfil its protection role; calls for the establishment of a designated officer with responsibility fort th~~is work in association with the parliamentary committees with responsibility in this field~~e processing of disabilities-related issues; emphasizes the Committee's willingness to work closely with legislative parliamentary committees involved in the European Parliament Network on Disabilities;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Points to the work by the Committee on Petitions in connection with petitions on issues relating to disability and notes the Committee’s willingness to continue to support this work in association with the parliamentary committees with responsibility in this field; welcomes the inclusion of the Committee on Petitions in the Framework of bodies established by the EU to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty obligations; calls on the Commission to link the analysis of petitions dealing with disability rights issues to the progress of the CRPD implementation in the EU;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Points to the work by the Committee on Petitions in connection with petitions on issues relating to disability and notes the ~~Committee’s willingness to continue to support this work in association with the parliamentary committees with responsibility in this field~~need for further efforts and action on behalf of the Committee in the protection of people with disabilities, such as actions directed to promote the swift ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

(a) Stresses citizens' concern regarding and rejection of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the opaque negotiations in which the European Commission is participating, as highlighted in numerous petitions received during 2014; points to the importance of the European Commission urgently implementing the recommendations made by the European Ombudsman in this regard; regrets that the European Commission has ignored the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA, which has received over three million signatures;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

(b) Points to the opinion issued by this Committee regarding the Recommendations of the European Commission on the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), in which, as highlighted in numerous petitions received, it rejects the arbitration instrument known as ISDS and regrets that the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP was rejected;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Regrets that some Member States have not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and calls on them to sign and ratify it as soon as possible;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Calls for the EU and the Member States to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Calls on the Member States to sign and ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities without further delay;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

(a) Stresses the high number of petitions received which reject the use of hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of gas and oil from the subsoil and highlight the harmful environmental, economic and social consequences linked to use of this technique;

Amendment 13 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas 1 887 petitions of which 1 070 petitions were inadmissible were closed in 2014, this is almost a 10% rise on the figure for 2013 where 1 723 petitions were closed;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Denounces in particular the practice of 'slicing up' files, which is encountered repeatedly with regards to major infrastructure or drilling projects which form the basis of numerous petitions on environmental issues;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in some Member States and in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ; stresses that it has been notified of ~~other~~many cases involving other countries:, Germany (in particular - notably in cases concerning the work of the Jugendamt (Child and Youth Welfare Office), Slovakia, France and the Netherlands; welcomes, in this regard, the upcoming revision in 2016 of Regulation Brussels IIa;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ; stresses that it has been notified of other cases involving other countries: Germany (notably in cases concerning the work of the Child and Youth Welfare Office), France and the Netherlands; stresses that a working group has been created within the Committee on Petitions to respond to these concerns quickly and coherently;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children and forced adoptions within some Member States; notes in this context that in the case of bi- national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact- finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ; stresses that it has been notified of other cases involving other countries: Germany (notably in cases concerning the work of the Child and Youth Welfare Office), France and the Netherlands;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the ~~spouse~~parent from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ; stresses that it has been notified of other cases involving other countries: Germany (notably in cases concerning the work of the Child and Youth Welfare Office), France and the Netherlands;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ; stresses that it has been notified of other cases involving other countries: Germany (notably in cases concerning the work of the Child and Youth Welfare Office), France ~~and~~, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway;

Amendment 136 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Notes the concerns of petitioners regarding alleged cases of injustice that have occurred during the administrative and judicial procedures for separation or divorce of parents and issues relating to the custody of young children; notes in this context that in the case of bi-national couples, discrimination on grounds of nationality may occur in favour of the spouse from the Member State in which proceedings take place and against the non- national of that state, with severe and often very dramatic repercussions on the rights of the child; ~~notes that the Committee on Petitions will conduct a fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom in 2015 to investigate complaints of this nature in situ;~~ ;stresses that it has been notified of other cases involving other countries: Germany (notably in cases concerning the work of the Child and Youth Welfare Office), France and the Netherlands;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

(a) Points out the large number of petitions received which fiercely criticise and warn of the consequences of the EU's migration, trade and external policies with regard to complying with the human rights of migrants; points out the obligation of all EU agencies, bodies and institutions, including FRONTEX, to ensure, at all times, compliance with human rights and with the Charter of Fundamental Rights in their field of activity;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Welcomes the social dialogue ‘European Forum on the Rights of the Child’ annually organised at the Commission’s initiative since 2007, the aim of which consists in supporting children’s rights as part of internal and external EU measures. The participants of this dialogue are: Representatives of the EU Member States, children’s rights representatives, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, Europarat, UNICEF, NGOs.

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 14 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas 817 petitions were declared admissible and could be closed in 2014, which is almost 7 % raise on the figure for 2013 where 677 were declared admissible and could be closed;

Amendment 140 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport, the disabled and animal rights; calls for further specialising the work of the Committee on Petitions by nominating internal rapporteurs on the major policies to which petitioners refer;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport, persons withe disab~~led~~ilities and animal rights; requests that in order to be able to deal with all this intensive and extensive range of petitions more resources be allocated to its Secretariat;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, human rights, the internal market, environmental law, labour relations, migration policies, trade agreements, public health issues, child welfare, transport, the disabled ~~and~~or animal rights;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport, the disabled ~~and~~, animal rights;, prohibition of discrimination.

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the wide range of the subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the disabled, the internal market, environmental law, public health issues, child welfare, transport~~, the disabled~~ and animal rights;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a ~~very~~n important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; believes that the ECI is the first ~~instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will~~transnational instrument that, once a new regulation is approved, may enable citizens to be~~come active~~ more directly involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in proactively organising public hearings for ~~successful~~the most significant initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process;

Amendment 146 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; believes that the ECI is ~~the first~~an instrument in support of transnational participatory and representative democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framising ~~of EU policies~~ and prioritising of Europeand legislationve issues to be dealt with; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; believes that the ECI is the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process and ensuring due legislative follow-up where appropriate;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; believes that the ECI is the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process; welcomes the accessibility features for disabled persons during the hearings such as the text to speech screen;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. believes that the organisation of public hearings is a very important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; wishes to draw attention to the public hearings organised with the Committee on the Environment in regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative on ‘Water is a Human Right’ and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’; proposes that this initiative be publicised more widely among citizens; believes that the ECI is the first instrument of transnational participatory democracy that will enable citizens to become actively involved in the framing of EU policies and legislation; reaffirms its commitment to being involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process;

Amendment 15 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas these figures indicate that the revised administrative procedure by the Secretary-General of the European Parliament from 2014, have increased the efficiency of the work of the Committee of Petitions;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Deplores the Commission's reply to the few successful ECIs and regrets there was little follow-up to the only instrument of transnational participatory democracy in the EU;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

(a) Stresses the approval of the Resolution on mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments in Spain (based on petitions received), although regrets that all the issues expressed in the numerous petitions received have not been recognised,

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the Commission’s decision to continue in 2014 activities under the banner of the ‘European Year of Citizens’ by focusing more on the European elections (held between 22 and 25 May 2014); welcomes the Commission’s readiness to inform citizens about the tools placed at their disposal so that they could better participate in the EU’s democratic process, as well as its readiness at that point in time to provide EU citizens with information and advice on their rights and the democratic instruments available to defend them; stresses that further efforts should be made in order to raise awareness, given that in many Member States turnout to the European Parliament's elections in 2014 fell short of 50%;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the Commission’s decision to continue in 2014 activities under the banner of the ‘European Year of Citizens’ by focusing more on the European elections (held between 22 and 25 May 2014); welcomes the Commission’s readiness to inform citizens about the tools placed at their disposal so that they could ~~better~~ participate in the EU’s de~~mocratic~~cision-making process, as well as its readiness at that point in time to provide EU citizens with information and advice on their rights and the democratic instruments available to defend them;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions of having ~~launched its~~a fully operational Internet portal through which petitioners may effectively register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of their petition; regrets that the expected implementation timeframe has not been accomplished and that many of the expected features remain incomplete; urges the responsible administrative bodies to speed-up the necessary steps to conclude the implementation of the remaining phases of the project, correcting any existing shortcoming;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions having launched its Internet portal through which petitioners may register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of their petition; regrets the delays which have meant that it is not currently fully operational, and asks that outstanding work be accelerated;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions having launched its Internet portal through which petitioners may register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of their petition, and through which they can directly contact EU officials in order to obtain clear, straightforward information concerning progress on the issues raised in their petition.

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Points to the importance of the Committee on Petitions having launched its Internet portal through which petitioners may register, submit their petition, upload supporting documents, support admissible petitions, receive information about their petition and also automatic e-mail alerts about changes to the status of their petition; highlights that further steps should be taken to enhance the transparency of the petition process;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls for a common approach by the European Parliament, the national parliaments and the lower levels of the Member States, with appropriate appeal bodies, in order to make it transparently clear to citizens which level and which instance can by addressed by their petitions, and shall make every effort with his own policies to explain this matter, in the most comprehensive way possible, to citizens who have selected the objectively incorrect level with a petition to the European Parliament, and to provide those citizens with advice regarding where the petition can be effectively filed.

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls for an effective assessment of the Petitions Secretariat staff focused on achieving both a qualitative and quantitative adequacy in accordance with the large accumulation of petitions and the ongoing delays in their processing; believes that adequate treatment and consideration of approved petitions, together with the delivery of fair feedback to petitioners, is key in the strengthening of the bonds between European civil society and European institutions.

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas EU citizens are ~~directly~~ represented by the only EU institution whose members may be elected by them, namely the European Parliament; whereas the right to petition gives them the means to ~~address their~~draw the attention of the elected representatives ~~directly~~;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Stresses the need to ensure more constructive information for citizens via the Committee on Petitions website by organising training seminars in the Member States.

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Acknowledges the important role of the SOLVIT network, which regularly uncovers and resolves problems linked to the implementation of internal market legislation; urges the Commission to upgrade this tool, allow members of the Committee on Petitions access to all information and keep them informed in cases relating to filed petitions;

Amendment 162 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. ~~Acknowledg~~Emphasises the important role of the SOLVIT network, which regularly uncovers and resolves problems linked to the implementation of internal market legislation; urges the Commission to upgrade this tool;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Highlights the need for the Committee on Petitions to step up its collaboration with other EU institutions and bodies, and with the national authorities in the Member States; considers enhanced dialogue and systematic cooperation with Member States, especially with national parliaments’ petitions committees, to be essential; recommends the forming of petitions committees to all parliaments of Member States where these have not yet been formed; considers the visit on 2 December 2014 by the petitions committee of the Scottish Parliament to be an example of said collaboration and that a partnership of this kind will make it possible to share best practices, pool experience gained and bring to fruition an efficacious and systematic procedure for forwarding petitions to the bodies responsible;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has, even though there were none during 2014; c~~alls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in~~ onsiders it essential that, particularly withe re~~port on the fact-finding visit on wast~~gard to the necessary fact-finding missions, the cfoll~~ection and the siting of l~~owing-up of petitions does not come to a standfstills, in ~~Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014;~~cluding between re-elections and reconstitution of Parliament, and calls on the Ccommi~~ssion to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste;~~ttees of Parliament to make appropriate arrangements.

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has, as foreseen in the rules, even though there were exceptionally none during 2014; calls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in the report on the fact-finding visit on waste collection and the siting of landfills in Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014; calls on the Commission to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste; expects the regular activity of the Petitions committee in terms of fact- finding visits to be resumed as of 2016;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has, even though there were none during 2014; stresses the need for fact-finding visits to result in clear recommendations focused on the resolution of petitioner's problems; calls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in the report on the fact-finding visit on waste collection and the siting of landfills in Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014; calls on the Commission to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that fact-finding visits are one of the most important investigation tools the Committee on Petitions has, ~~even though~~and regrets that there were none during 2014; calls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in the report on the fact-finding visit on waste collection and the siting of landfills in Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014; calls on the Commission to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste and treating wastewater;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Calls on Greece to take note of the recommendations made in the report on the fact-finding visit on waste collection and the siting of landfills in Greece, which was adopted in committee in February 2014; calls on the Commission to monitor carefully the use made of funds allocated to waste collection; calls on the Member States to comply with the EU directives on recycling waste;

Amendment 169 #

Heinz K. BECKER, Peter JAHR, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Pál CSÁKY, Julia PITERA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation~~, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example~~; encourages all Member States to actively participate in the petition process;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas citizens and the culture of service towards them should always be put at the centre of the work of the Parliament, and much particularly at the committee on Petitions, before any other consideration or efficiency criteria; whereas the current level of human resources available within the petitions unit puts at risk the accomplishment of these fundamental principles;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, ~~with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example;~~

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example and set an example via the presence of government representatives, where appropriate;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes and encourages the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Attaches great importance to the presence and active cooperation of representatives of the Member States during meetings of the Committee on Petitions; welcomes the presence of representatives from the public authorities of the Member State concerned, their participation and their active cooperation, with particular reference to the representatives of certain Member States such as Greece, Italy, France and Spain; encourages other Member States to follow their example;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Looks forward to enhance the cooperation with petitions committee in national and regional parliaments of the different Members States where these exist; commits to provide guidance in setting up such committees in the remaining Member States willing to do so;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the right to petition strengthens Parliament’s responsiveness to EU citizens and residents, providing them with an open, democratic and transparent mechanism;, in the aim of resolving problems relating primarily to the application of European legislation.

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the right to petition may strengthens Parliament’s responsiveness to EU citizens and residents, ~~providing them with~~if there is an open, democratic, inclusive and transparent mechanism at all stages of the petitions procedure;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

—– having regard to Rule 216(8) of its Rules of Procedure, having regard to Rule 52 of its Rules of Procedure,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas if fully respected in its essence the right to petition strengthens Parliament’s responsiveness to EU citizens and residents, providing them with an open, democratic and transparent mechanism;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the right of petition is a crucial element of participatory democracy;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. whereas the right to petition aims, along with the European Ombudsman, at dealing with maladministration on the part of EU institutions or national institutions when implementing EU law;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas petitions provide valuable feedback to legislators and executive bodies both at EU and national level; whereas petitions can be an early warning for Member States lagging in implementing EU law;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas petitions provide valuable feedback to legislators and executive bodies both at EU and national level, particularly on possible loopholes in the implementation of EU legislation;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas, if taken duly into account, petitions may provide valuable feedback to legislators and executive bodies both at EU and national level;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas petitions which have been addressed to the Committee on Petitions have often provided other European Parliament committees with useful input for their legislative work in their field; and for legislation at economic, social and environmental level.

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas petitions which have been addressed to the Committee on Petitions have often provided other European Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their field;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas ensuring the fundamental right to petition is duly respected is not a single responsibility of the Committee on Petitions but should rather be a shared endeavour of all the committees of the Parliament, as well as the other EU institutions; whereas no petition should be closed while awaiting feedback from other parliamentary committees;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

Fb. whereas the Committee on Petitions should endeavour to make a greater use of its prerogatives and general or specific committee tools, such as oral questions or short resolutions, so as to give visibility to different issues of concern of European citizens or residents, on the basis of the petitions received, bringing them forward to the plenary of this Parliament;

Amendment 3 #