2016/2146(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

- having regard to the Protocol (No 1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the role of National Parliaments in the European Union,

Amendment 10 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. whereas each petition is considered and examined carefully, efficiently and transparently, and whereas this is done in accordance with the clearly formulated administrative procedure for petitions which was introduced in 2014, which covers the entire life cycle of a petition at the European Parliament and which ultimately ensures that citizens receive an answer in writing within nine months;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the work that the Committee on Petitions carries out in listening to and helping to solve problems affecting its citizens at the European level and which fall within the Union's competences; believes that petitions can help in assessing the impact that EU legislation has on their daily lives;

Amendment 101 #

Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Jana TOOM, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the work that the Committee on Petitions carries out in listening to and helping to solve problems affecting its citizens; believes that petitions can help in assessing the impact that EU legislation has on their daily lives by acting like the bridge between the citizens and the institutions;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the fact that the Committee on Petitions has an opportunity and the huge challenge of maintaining a dialogue with citizens as it has the possibility to bring the EU’s institutions and citizens together once again;deleted

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the fact that the task of the Committee on Petitions ha, to maintain the dialogue with citizens is an opportunity and ~~the huge~~a challenge ~~of maintaining a dialogue with citizens~~in the same time as it has the possibility to bring the EU~~’s institutions and citizens together once again~~ closer to its citizens;

Amendment 104 #

Marian HARKIN, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 106 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the fact that the Committee on Petitions has an opportunity and the huge challenge of maintaining a trustworthy and fruitful dialogue with citizens as it has the possibility to bring the EU’s institutions and citizens together once again; considers that for this purpose providing an adequate response to their petitions is crucial, both in terms of timing and quality of the answer;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recalls that the equal and proportionate representation of petitioners' nationalities in the Committee's public debates should be respected; in order to strengthen the European dimension of the Committee, proper and fair representation of all Member States in the Committee's public debates should be encouraged;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that petitions are very important for the legislative process, as they detect deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation and provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; applauds the setting up of an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every committee of Parliament, in order to ensure smooth and effective coordination of petitions work; considers that petitions are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but should be a shared endeavour of all of the European Parliament’s committees; urges all parliamentary committees concerned to pay due attention to the petitions forwarded to them and to provide the information necessary for petitions to be processed properly;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in the improvement and future well-being of our societies; whereas the experience of these citizens in regard to the processing of their petitions may determine their perception of the ~~EU institutions and~~ respect for the right to petition contained in EU law;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that petitions are very important for the legislative process, as they detect deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation and provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; applauds the setting up of an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every committee of Parliament, in order to ensure smooth and effective coordination of petitions work; ~~considers that petitions are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but should be a shared endeavour of all of the European Parliament’s committees;~~ urges all parliamentary committees concerned to pay due attention to the petitions forwarded to them and to provide the information necessary for petitions to be processed properly;

Amendment 111 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that petitions ~~are very important for the legislative process, as they~~ detect deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation and provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; applauds the setting up of an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every committee of Parliament, in order to ensure smooth and effective coordination of petitions work; considers that petitions are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but should be a shared endeavour of all of the European Parliament’s committees; urges all parliamentary committees concerned to pay due attention to the petitions forwarded to them and to provide the information necessary for petitions to be processed properly;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that petitions are ~~very~~also important for the legislative process, as they detect deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation and provide other Parliament committees with useful ~~and direct~~ input for their legislative work in their respective fields; applauds the ~~setting up of~~intention to establish an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every committee of Parliament, in order to ensure smooth and effective coordination of petitions work; ~~considers that petitions are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but should be a shared endeavour of all of the European Parliament’s committees; urg~~believes that the network will enable a better understanding of the role of the petitions within the parliamentary work and strengthen the cooperation between the committees in matters raised by the petitioners; invites all parliamentary committees concerned to pay due attention to the petitions forwarded to them and to provide the information necessary for petitions to be processed properly;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that petitions are very important for the legislative process, as they detect existing loopholes and deficiencies in the transposition of Community legislation and provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; welcomes an increased interaction of the committee on Petitions with the rest of the parliamentary committees, as well as a more frequent presence of matters related to petitions in plenary; applauds the setting up of an informal petitions network within Parliament, with the participation of Members representing every committee of Parliament, in order to ensure smooth and effective coordination of petitions work; considers that petitions are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but should be a shared endeavour of all of the European Parliament’s committees; urges all parliamentary committees concerned to pay due attention to the petitions forwarded to them and to undertake the necessary efforts so as to provide the information necessary for petitions to be processed properly;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Acknowledges that Parliament also has a crucial political role to play on the Commission's enforcement actions, by scrutinising the annual reports on monitoring the implementation of EU law and adopting relevant parliamentary resolutions; Calls on the EC to take account of the EP resolutions, tabled by the PETI Committee, which identify specific application and implementation gaps of the EU law on the basis of petitions and call on it to act accordingly and report back to the EP on its follow up. Moreover, calls on the Council and the EP to take specific actions in the adoption of the Regulation 2013 /0140 COD on an exemption of Drosophila melanogaster from veterinary checks at EU external border of, as suggested by Nobel Prize laureats (biochemistry professors) in by petition 1358/2011;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the fact that in 2015 the time ~~taken~~ to process petitions ~~fell~~has been reduced, maintains nonetheless that ~~the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions is in need of greater technical resources and personnel in order to guarantee a reduction in~~ petitions processing should be digitalized, in particular through the introduction of new information and communication technologies in order to guarantee efficient and timely petitions treatment in compliance withe t~~ime taken to process petitions~~he revised administration procedure;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the fact that in 2015 the time taken to process petitions ~~fell~~was significantly reduced, there is no longer any delay in the admission, processing and treatment of the petitions, with the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions being up to date in the treatment of petitions received, maintains nonetheless that the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions is in need of greater technical resources and personnel in order to guarantee a further reduction in the time taken to process petitions;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the fact that in 2015 the time taken to process petitions fell, maintains nonetheless that the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions is in need of greater technical resources and personnel in order to guarantee a reduction in the time taken to process petitions; draws attention to the fact that the terms of the administrative reform of 2014 have been complied with, which require petitions that are admissible and that require deliberation to be processed, and the petitioner informed, within nine months of receipt at most;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in the improvement and future well-being of our societies; whereas the experience of these citizens in regard to the processing of their petitions may determine their perception of the EU institutions and respect for the right to petition ~~contained in EU law~~;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the fact that in 2015 the time taken to process petitions fell, maintains nonetheless that the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions is in immediate need of greater technical resources and personnel in order to guarantee a reduction in the time taken to process petitions;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Continues to consider it a particular obligation to ensure that, where petitions are inadmissible or unfounded, no disproportionately long delay occurs before they are declared inadmissible or are closed; emphasises in this context the requirement that the inadmissibility or closure of petitions on account of being unfounded must be carefully justified vis- à-vis the petitioners;

Amendment 123 #

Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

(Amendment subject to revision)

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Not~~Welcomes that, as mentioned by Vice- President Timmermans at his meeting with the Committee on Petitions on 5 May 2015, the Commission is involved with and committed to the petition process and responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament; points out that Commission replies are usually detailed and pertain to the petitions for which it has jurisdiction; recalls however that on many occasions the Commission does not bring any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context; notwelcomes that the written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions; notes that when the Commission cannot provide a detailed response to a request from the Committee on Petitions, it is often because it has no jurisdiction in the matter; ~~not~~welcomes the Commission’s commitment in sending generally competent officials to meetings of the Committee on Petitions; regrets that during public debates with petitioners and Members of Parliament the officials sent by the Commission do not provide any new or relevant information that might enable a solution to the issues raised;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that, as mentioned by Vice- President Timmermans at his meeting with the Committee on Petitions on 5 May 2015, the Commission is involved with and committed to the petition process and responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament; points out that Commission replies are usually detailed and pertain to the petitions for which it has jurisdiction; recalls however that on many occasions the Commission does not bring any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context; ~~notes that the written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions~~regrets the occasions where the Commissions focuses essentially on procedural aspects and does not enter in the substance of the matter; notes that wthe~~n the Commission cannot provide a detailed response to a request from the Committee on Petitions, it is because it has no jurisdiction in the matter~~ written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions; notes the Commission’s commitment in sending generally competent officials to meetings of the Committee on Petitions; regrets that during public debates with petitioners and Members of Parliament the officials sent by the Commission do not always provide any new or relevant information that might enable a solution to the issues raised; insists that the quality of the overall treatment of petitions increases when the highest-ranked officials possibly available represent the Commission in the debates;

Amendment 126 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that, as mentioned by Vice- President Timmermans at his meeting with the Committee on Petitions on 5 May 2015, the Commission is involved with and committed to the petition process and responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament; points out that Commission replies are usually detailed and pertain to the petitions for which it has jurisdiction; recalls however th~~at on many occasions~~e absence of details in many petitions which make that the Commission ~~doe~~is not able to bring any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context; notes that the written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions; notes that when the Commission cannot provide a detailed response to a request from the Committee on Petitions, it is because it has no jurisdiction in the matter; notes the Commission’s commitment in sending generally competent officials to meetings of the Committee on Petitions; regrets that during public debates with petitioners and Members of Parliament the officials sent by the Commission do not provide any new or relevant information that might enable a solution to the issues raised;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that, as mentioned by the First Vice- President ~~Timmermans~~of the European Commission at his meeting with the Committee on Petitions on 5 May 2015, the Commission is involved with and committed to the petition process and responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament; points out that Commission replies are usually detailed and pertain to the petitions for which it has jurisdiction; recalls however that on many occasions the Commission does not bring any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context; reminds the Commission that petitions which raise a potential breach of EU law can only be closed after their proper analysis has been concluded; notes that the written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions; notes that when the Commission cannot provide a detailed response to a request from the Committee on Petitions, it is because it has no ~~jurisdiction~~competence in the matter; notes the Commission’'s commitment in sending generally competent officials to meetings of the Committee on Petitions; regrets that during ~~public debates with petitioners and Members of Parliament the officials sent by the Commission do not provide any new or relevant information that might enable a solution to the issues raised~~the committee meetings the answers of the Commission are generally limited to the content of the official reply sent to the Committee;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that, as mentioned by Vice- President Timmermans at his meeting with the Committee on Petitions on 5 May 2015, the Commission is involved with and committed to the petition process and responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament; points out that Commission replies are usually detailed and pertain to the petitions for which it has jurisdiction; recalls however that on many occasions the Commission does not bring any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context; ~~notes that the written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions;~~ notes that when the Commission cannot provide a detailed response to a request from the Committee on Petitions, it is because it has no jurisdiction in the matter; notes the Commission’s commitment in sending generally competent officials to meetings of the Committee on Petitions; regrets that during public debates with petitioners and Members of Parliament the officials sent by the Commission do not provide any new or relevant information that might enable a solution to the issues raised;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that~~, as mentioned by Vice- President Timmermans at his meeting with the Committee on Petitions on 5 May 2015,~~ the Commission is involved with and committed to the petition process and responds as quickly as possible to new petitions forwarded to it by Parliament; points out that Commission replies are usually detailed and pertain to the petitions for which it has jurisdiction; recalls however that on many occasions the Commission does not bring any new information in its replies to petitions for which a review has been requested owing to a change in their status and context; notes that the written responses are monitored, as are explanations given during oral debates held by the Committee on Petitions; notes that when the Commission cannot provide a detailed response to a request from the Committee on Petitions, it is because it has no jurisdiction in the matter; notes the Commission’s commitment in sending generally competent officials to meetings of the Committee on Petitions; regrets that during public debates with petitioners and Members of Parliament the officials sent by the Commission do not provide any new or relevant information that might enable a solution to the issues raised;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in safeguarding fundamental rights and in the improvement and future well-being of our societies; whereas the experience of these citizens in regard to the processing of their petitions ~~may~~is very influential in determineing their perception of the EU institutions and respect for the right to petition contained in EU law;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Considers that in its role of guardian of the treaties, and particularly when it refers to environmental matters, the Commission should go beyond a mere formal examination of procedural compliance, and focus more on the actual content of the core issue; recalls the precautionary principle and the ultimate spirit of the EU environmental legislation to prevent irreversible damage on ecologically sensitive areas, and urges the Commission to adopt an approach that allows to make use of its powers and prerogatives on an ex-ante basis;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Will take greater care in future to ensure that the Commission reports to Parliament regularly on the progress of infringement proceedings which have been brought against individual Member States, in order to facilitate better cooperation and to make it possible to inform the petitioners concerned about progress at an early stage;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Confirms that, in the interests of transparency and in a spirit of faithful cooperation between the EU institutions, and pursuant to the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, upon request and where required the Commission will provide the European Parliament with a synthesis of the individual cases related to the EU Pilot procedures; notes that, ~~according to confirmation from the Court of Justice,~~beyond the confidentiality requirements which apply to dialogue between the Commission and Member States concerning open EU Pilot cases, ~~and also notes that such information is confidential~~relevant information concerning these exchanges should be provided to the Parliament upon request, at least after the closure of the procedure;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Con~~firm~~siders that, in the interests of transparency and in a spirit of faithful cooperation between the EU institutions, and pursuant to the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, upon request and where required the Commission ~~will~~should provide the European Parliament with a synthesis of the individual cases related to the EU Pilot procedures; nrecalls previous requests made by the Committee on Petitions to ensure access to EU Pilot and infringement procedure documents, as petitions frequently lead to the initiation of such procedures. Notes that, according to confirmation from the Court of Justice, confidentiality requirements apply to dialogue between the Commission and Member States concerning open EU Pilot cases, and also notes that such information is confidential;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Confirms that, in the interests of transparency and in a spirit of faithful cooperation between the EU institutions, and pursuant to the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, upon request and where required the Commission will provide the European Parliament with a synthesis of the individual cases related to the EU Pilot procedures; notes that, according to confirmation from the Court of Justice, confidentiality requirements apply to dialogue between the Commission and Member States concerning open EU Pilot cases, and also notes that such information is confidential; reiterates its call on the Commission to inform the Committee on Petitions about the developments in infringement proceedings which are directly linked to petitions;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Confirms that, in the interests of transparency and in a spirit of faithful cooperation between the EU institutions, and pursuant to the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, upon request and where required the Commission will provide the European Parliament with a synthesis of the individual cases related to the EU Pilot procedures; recognises the need to ensure full transparency in the disclosure of information concerning EU Pilot procedures and infringement procedures that have already ended; notes that, according to confirmation from the Court of Justice, confidentiality requirements apply to dialogue between the Commission and Member States concerning open EU Pilot cases, and also notes that such information is confidential;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Considers that the necessary information concerning infringement procedures initiated as a result of inquiries related to petitions should be timely provided to the Parliament, and particularly upon the request of the committee on Petitions;

Amendment 137 #

Marian HARKIN, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers essential improving the cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments; repeats its call for launching a structured dialogue with Member States in the form of regular meetings with the relevant national parliament committees; is pleased that a delegation from the Committee on Petitions of the German Bundestag was present at the Committee meeting held on 4 May 2015;encourages the representatives of Member States and of local and/or regional authorities concerned to attend the meetings~~; highlights the need for~~ of the Committee on Petitions; reminds at the importance of the participation of Council and Commission representatives ~~to be present~~ at meetings and hearings of the Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it essential to improv~~ing~~e cooperation with national parliaments and their relevant committees and with Member State governments, particularly to help ensure that the petition is dealt with by the relevant and competent authorities; encourages the representatives of Member States and of local and/or regional authorities concerned to attend meetings; highlights the need for Council and Commission representatives to be present at meetings and hearings of the Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 139 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Will take greater care in future to avoid giving the impression that petitions which seem to be of importance in connection with an election campaign in a Member State are assigned priority, whether with regard to the speed with which they are considered, with regard to planned fact-finding missions to the Member State in which an election is impending or with regard to deciding the topics to be placed on the agenda of the Committee on Petitions; reminds all concerned within Parliament of their special responsibility not to abuse the powers of the committee, and to avoid giving the impression of this particular form of partiality;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas petitioners tend to be citizens engaged in the improvement and future well-being of our societies; whereas the experience of these citizens in regard to the processing of their petitions, when based on the Committee's competences, may determine their perception of the EU institutions and respect for the right to petition contained in EU law;

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Acknowledges the impact of effective application of EU law on strengthening the credibility of the EU institutions; reminds that the Right to petition, enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty is an important element of European citizenship and a real barometer for monitoring the application of EU law and identifying possible loopholes. Calls on the PETI Committee to set up a regular meeting with the national committees on petitions in order to raise awareness of European citizens' concerns in the EU and in the Members States and strengthen further on their rights of through better European law making and implementation;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates the call of the report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2013 (2014/2008 (INI)) for an enhanced structured dialogue to be launched with Member States, for example, by holding regular meetings with members from national Petitions Committees or other competent authorities; is pleased that a delegation from the Committee on Petitions of the German Bundestag was present at the Committee meeting held on 4 May 2015;deleted

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates the call of the report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2013 (2014/2008 (INI)) for an enhanced structured dialogue to be launched with Member States, for example, by holding regular meetings with members from national Petitions Committees or other competent authorities; ~~is pleased that a delegation from the Committee on Petitions of the German Bundestag was present at the Committee meeting held on 4 May 2015~~calls on the Member States to take note of the recommendations made in the reports of fact-finding missions and during dialogues;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Is pleased that in 2015 191 citizens presented their ~~case~~petitions directly to the Committee on Petitions; recalls and supports the increased use of videoconferencing or any other means that enables petitioners to become actively involved in the work of the Committee on Petitions when they cannot be physically present;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes the restrictive and narrow interpretation of the European Commission in relation to Article 51(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law’; notes that Article 51(2) of the Charter states that the Charter ‘does not extend the field of application of Union law beyond the powers of the Union’; ~~notes, however, that this does not mean that citizens are unprotected if they believe that their fundamental right~~urges for a broader interpretation of the scope of application of the Charter, and to ultimately reassess the pertinence of this article in future revisions of the Charter and the treaties; underlines tha~~ve been violated in cases where EU law is not applied, as in such cases it is up to the Member States to ensure the protection of fundamental rights in accordance with their national legislation and~~t nothing prevents Member States to engage in a full application of the provisions of the Charter in their national legislation in order to ensure the protection of fundamental rights of their citizens beyond the implementation of Union law and reminds that they are bound also by other international obligations;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Notes~~Takes note of the restrictive and narrow interpretation of the European Commission in relation to Article 51(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘'only when they are implementing Union law’'; notes that Article 51(2) of the Charter states that the Charter ‘'does not extend the field of application of Union law beyond the powers of the Union’'; notes, however, that this does not mean that citizens are unprotected if they believe that their fundamental rights have been violated in cases where EU law is not applied, as in such cases it is up to the Member States to ensure the protection of fundamental rights in accordance with their national legislation and international obligations; reminds that the expectations of EU citizens often go beyond the Charter; invites the Commission to consider a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations in line with the principle of subsidiarity;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes the restrictive ~~and narrow~~ interpretation of the European Commission in relation to Article 51(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights which states, inter alia, that the Charter is addressed to the Member States ‘only when they are implementing Union law’; notes that Article 51(2) of the Charter states that the Charter ‘does not extend the field of application of Union law beyond the powers of the Union’; notes, however, that this does not mean that citizens are unprotected if they believe that their fundamental rights have been violated in cases where EU law is not applied, as in such cases it is up to the Member States to ensure the protection of fundamental rights in accordance with their national legislation and international obligations;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Regrets that petitioners are still not sufficiently informed about the grounds for declaring the petition inadmissible;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. 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, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for; calls on the European Commission to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations;deleted

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas the European Parliament is the only EU institution directly elected by citizens, and whereas the right to petition offers them the means to draw the attention of their elected representatives to matters that concern them; whereas unfortunately the committee on Petitions does not have sufficient inquiry capacity by itself at the moment;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. 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; rRecalls that, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for; calls on the European Commission to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Deplores the strict and restrictive 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, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for~~; calls on the European Commission to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expec~~ and are often unmet, precisely because of its strict and restrictive interpretations; calls on the European Commission to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations;

Amendment 153 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. 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, ~~owing to~~notwithstanding the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for; calls on the European Commission to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Deplores~~Is aware of 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, owing to the existence of Article 51 of the Charter, the expectations of citizens often go beyond what the Charter’s legal provisions strictly allow for; calls on the European Commission to adopt a new approach that is more consistent with those expectations;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Regrets that citizens of Poland and United Kingdom are still not protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. PStresses that in January 2015, two Members were appointed as representative members of the Committee on Petitions in the structures of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and that they took part in the analysis of the preliminary report of the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva, Switzerland, on 27-28 August 2015; points to the important ongoing work carried out by the Committee on Petitions in the context of the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; duly notes that 2015 was a very significant year in that for the first time a United Nations agency reviewed the fulfilment of human rights obligations in the EU; is pleased to note that a United Nations committee had the opportunity to hear all the details regarding the protection provided by the Committee on Petitions; underscores that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the petition treatment process1; is pleased to note that the public hearing ‘Protecting the rights of people with disabilities, from the perspective of petitions received’ organised by the Committee on Petitions on 15 October 2015, was highly accessible; draws attention to the importance of the findings of the study commissioned by Policy Department C entitled ‘The protection role of the Committee on Petitions in the context of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’; considers it important that the Committee on Petitions continues to organise events focusing on petitions in the field of disability; calls for the capacity of the Committee on Petitions and its Secretariat to be enhanced to enable it to properly fulfil its protection role; ~~calls for the establishment of a designated officer responsible for the processing of disabilities-related issues;~~ notes the Committee’s significant follow-up action in 2015 with regard to disability with respect to more specific topics such as the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty (petition No 0924/2011), the unlocking of the anti-discrimination Directive (petition No 0360/2009)~~, exemption from customs duties for certain products designed to promote the cultural, educational or scientific advancement of persons with disabilities (petition No 0240/2015)~~ or family caregivers (petition No 0098/2015); __________________ 1 Adopted by the UN Committee at its 14nth session (17 August to 4 September 2015); see: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatyb odyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=C RPD%2fC%2fEU%2fCO%2f1&Lang=en

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Points to the important ongoing work carried out by the Committee on Petitions in the context of the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; duly notes that 2015 was a very significant year in that for the first time a United Nations agency reviewed the fulfilment of human rights obligations in the EU; is pleased to note that a United Nations committee had the opportunity to hear all the details regarding the protection provided by the Committee on Petitions; underscores that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the petition treatment process1; is pleased to note that the public hearing ‘Protecting the rights of people with disabilities, from the perspective of petitions received’ organised by the Committee on Petitions on 15 October 2015, was highly accessible; draws attention to the importance of the findings of the study commissioned by Policy Department C entitled ‘The protection role of the Committee on Petitions in the context of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’; considers it important that the Committee on Petitions continues to organise events focusing on petitions in the field of disability; calls for the capacity of the Committee on Petitions and its Secretariat to be enhanced to enable it to properly fulfil its protection role; calls for the establishment of a designated officer responsible for the processing of disabilities-related issues; notes the Committee’s significant follow-up action in 2015 with regard to disability with respect to more specific topics such as the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty (petition No 0924/2011), ~~the unlocking of the anti-discrimination Directive (petition No 0360/2009),~~ exemption from customs duties for certain products designed to promote the cultural, educational or scientific advancement of persons with disabilities (petition No 0240/2015) or family caregivers (petition No 0098/2015); __________________ 1 Adopted by the UN Committee at its 14nth session (17 August to 4 September 2015); see: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatyb odyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=C RPD%2fC%2fEU%2fCO%2f1&Lang=en

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Points to the important ongoing work carried out by the Committee on Petitions in the context of the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; duly notes that 2015 was a very significant year in that for the first time a United Nations agency reviewed the fulfilment of human rights obligations in the EU; is pleased to note that a United Nations committee had the opportunity to hear all the details regarding the protection provided by the Committee on Petitions; underscores that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the petition treatment process1 ; is pleased to note that the public hearing ‘Protecting the rights of people with disabilities, from the perspective of petitions received’ organised by the Committee on Petitions on 15 October 2015, was highly accessible; draws attention to the importance of the findings of the study commissioned by Policy Department C entitled ‘The protection role of the Committee on Petitions in the context of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’; considers it important that the Committee on Petitions continues to organise events focusing on petitions in the field of disability; calls for the capacity of the Committee on Petitions and its Secretariat to be enhanced to enable it to properly fulfil its protection role; calls for the establishment of a designated officer responsible for the processing of disabilities-related issues; notes the Committee’s significant follow-up action in 2015 with regard to disability with respect to more specific topics such as the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty ~~(petition No 0924/2011)~~, the unlocking of the anti-discrimination Directive ~~(petition No 0360/2009)~~, exemption from customs duties for certain products designed to promote the cultural, educational or scientific advancement of persons with disabilities ~~(petition No 0240/2015) or family caregivers (petition No 0098/2015)~~or family caregivers; __________________ 1 Adopted by the UN Committee at its 14nth session (17 August to 4 September 2015); see: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatyb odyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=C RPD%2fC%2fEU%2fCO%2f1&Lang=en

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Points to the important ongoing work carried out by the Committee on Petitions in the context of the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; duly notes that 2015 was a very significant year in that for the first time a United Nations agency reviewed the fulfilment of human rights obligations in the EU; is pleased to note that a United Nations committee had the opportunity to hear all the details regarding the protection provided by the Committee on Petitions; underscores that the Commission has begun to incorporate the concluding observations by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the petition treatment process1 ; is pleased to note that the public hearing ‘Protecting the rights of people with disabilities, from the perspective of petitions received’ organised by the Committee on Petitions on 15 October 2015, was highly accessible; draws attention to the importance of the findings of the study commissioned by Policy Department C entitled ‘The protection role of the Committee on Petitions in the context of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’; considers it important that the Committee on Petitions continues to organise events focusing on petitions in the field of disability; calls for the capacity of the Committee on Petitions and its Secretariat to be enhanced to enable it to properly fulfil its protection role; calls for the establishment of a designated officer responsible for the processing of disabilities-related issues; notes the Committee’s significant follow-up action in 2015 with regard to disability with respect to more specific topics such as the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty (petition No 0924/2011), the unblocking of the anti-discrimination Directive (petition No 0360/2009), exemption from customs duties for certain products designed to promote the cultural, educational or scientific advancement of persons with disabilities (petition No 0240/2015) or family caregivers (petition No 0098/2015); __________________ 1 Adopted by the UN Committee at its 14nth session (17 August to 4 September 2015); see: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatyb odyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=C RPD%2fC%2fEU%2fCO%2f1&Lang=en

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas, under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in order to promote good governance and ensure the participation of civil society, the Union’s institutions, bodies, offices and agencies must conduct their work as openly as possible;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Urges for a prompt ratification at the EU level of the Marrakech Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled, regardless of the conflict over competences before the CJEU; reminds that in its 'Concluding Observations' in September 2015, the CPRD Committee pointed out some deficiencies within the EU for full compliance of the Convention; notes that the EU is required to swiftly adopt an amended European Accessibility Act including effective and accessible enforcement and complaint mechanisms; notes the requirement to decouple the roles of the European Commission by removing it from the independent monitoring framework, to ensure that the framework has adequate resources to perform its functions;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Stresses the wide range of subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, the internal market, environmental law, labour relations, migration policies, trade agreements, public health issues, child welfare, transport, animal rights and discrimination;deleted

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Stresses the wide range of subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the issue of German reparations and compensation for the Second World War, the rights of persons with disabilities, the internal market, environmental law, labour relations, migration policies, trade agreements, public health issues, child welfare, transport, animal rights and discrimination;

Amendment 163 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Marian HARKIN, Jana TOOM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Stresses the wide range of subjects raised in the petitions filed by citizens, such as fundamental rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, rights of persons belonging to different minorities, rights of children, the internal market, environmental law, labour relations, migration policies, trade agreements, public health issues, child welfare, transport, animal rights and discrimination;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

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

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Emphasizes the sensitive character of the petitions related to children's rights as in such cases there is a need to urgently and adequately respond to petitioners' concerns while preserving children's best interests, with regard to the investigation nature of the PETI Committee, underlines that any working group should have a clear mandate in compliance with the revised petitions administrative procedure in the EP to deliver tangible results and to avoid any unjustified delay in the petitions treatment;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Stresses that working groups which have been set up, particularly the Working Group on Child Welfare, must report on their work at regular intervals and that there is a clearly formulated mandate with limitations in time, which results in intensive processing of the cases to be considered; considers it important that the results of the work of the working group result in prompt completion of work on the petitions concerned;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Regrets the very restrictive approach of the Commission in its responses to petitions relating to different aspects of animal welfare, when it comes to the interpretation of its responsibilities under article 13 TFEU; urges the Commission to reconsider the current approach and to explore further its legal basis to play a role in ensuring a better protection of animal rights across the EU;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; draws attention to the public hearings on the European Citizens’ Initiative organised on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on ~~the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’~~Constitutional Affairs, the hearing on the right to submit petitions organised on 23 June 2015, and the hearing on protecting the rights of persons with disabilities organised on 15 October 2015;

Amendment 169 #

Ángela VALLINA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on ~~the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to th~~Constitutional Affairs on the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), on ~~‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’~~23 June 2015 on the Right to Petition and on 15 October 2015 on the Protection of the rights of people with disabilities from the perspective of petitions received;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas it is worrying that attempts are occasionally made, through the filing of petitions, to use the work of the Committee on Petitions as an extension of national election campaigns;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 26 February 2015 with the AFCO Committee on the E~~nvironment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’~~uropean Citizens' Initiative and the hearing about the Right to Petition on 23 June 2015;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is a~~n important way of~~ good way of better examining problems raised by petitioners; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’underlines the importance of the hearing organised on the Right to Petition on 23 June 2015; additionally draws attention to the public hearings organised together/jointly with other committees of the Parliament as the hearing on the European Citizens' Initiative with the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, the hearing on the Reform of the Brussels II Regulation with the Committee on Legal Affairs; the hearing in response to the ECI on 'Water is a Human Right' with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the hearing on the European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Vivisection" with the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the hearing for the ECI entitled 'One of Us' organized together with the Committee on Legal Affairs; also finds useful the workshop held together with the Committee on Legal Affairs on cross- border adoptions for identifying the possible solutions in specific matters;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners, such as the holding of a public hearing on German liabilities to Greece which include, inter alia, German war reparations, the repayment of the forced loan extracted from Greece during the German occupation and compensation for relatives of victims executed by the German forces of occupation between 1941 and 1944; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 11 March 2015, together with the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy for the ECI entitled 'Stop Vivisection', on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’;

Amendment 174 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners more in depth, as well as general aspects of the functioning of the EU as underlying shortcomings therein; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’;

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the organisation of public hearings is an important way of examining problems raised by petitioners which fall within the EU competences; draws attention to the public hearings organised on 26 February 2015 with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in response to the ECI on ‘Water is a Human Right’, and with the Committee on Legal Affairs for the ECI entitled ‘One of Us’;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers that the European Citizens’' Initiative (ECI) ~~is a new political~~as the latest right ~~for~~of EU citizens as well as a relevant agenda-setting tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, ~~allowing~~should enable interested citizens to play an active part in projects and processes that affect them, ~~and~~recalls that the potential of ~~which~~the ECI instrument must unquestionably be exploited to the full and significantly enhanced in order to achieve the best results and to encourage as many EU citizens as possible to participate in the further development of the European integration process; likewise considers that it must be one of the EU’'s priority objectives to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of its institutions; reminds the European Commission of the need to follow up on all the recommendations made in the European Parliament resolution of 28 October 2015 on the European Citizens’' Initiative (2014/2257(INI) ~~to ensure thereby that the right to present a European Citizens’ Initiative is properly implemented~~; reaffirms its commitment to being proactively involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process and to ensuring due legislative follow-up;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers that the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a new political right for citizens as well as a relevant agenda-setting tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, allowing citizens to ~~pla~~be directly and active ~~part~~ly involved in projects and processes that affect them, and the potential of which must unquestionably be exploited to the full and significantly enhanced in order to achieve the best results and to encourage as many EU citizens as possible to participate in the further development of the European integration process; likewise considers that it must be ~~one of~~among the EU’s priority objectives to strengthen the ~~democratic legitima~~protection of fundamental rights, of democratic legitimacy and of the transparency of its institutions; reminds the European Commission of the need to follow up on all the recommendations made in the European Parliament resolution of 28 October 2015 on the European Citizens’ Initiative (2014/2257(INI) to ensure thereby that the right to present a European Citizens’ Initiative is properly implemented; reaffirms its commitment to being proactively involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process and to ensuring due legislative follow-up;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers that the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a new political right for citizens as well as a relevant agenda-setting tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, allowing citizens to play an active part in projects and processes that affect them, and the potential of which must unquestionably be exploited to the full and significantly enhanced in order to achieve the best results and to encourage as many EU citizens as possible to participate in the further development of the European integration process; ~~likewise considers that it must be one of the EU’s priority objectives to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of its institutions;~~ reminds the European Commission of the need to follow up on all the recommendations made in the European Parliament resolution of 28 October 2015 on the European Citizens’ Initiative (2014/2257(INI) to ensure thereby that the right to present a European Citizens’ Initiative is properly implemented; reaffirms its commitment to being proactively involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process and to ensuring due legislative follow-up;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers that the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a new political right for citizens as well as a relevant agenda-setting tool for participatory democracy in the European Union, allowing citizens to play an active part in projects and processes that affect them, and the potential of which must unquestionably be exploited to the full and significantly enhanced in order to achieve the best results and to encourage as many EU citizens as possible to participate in the further development of the European integration process; likewise considers that it must be one of the EU’s priority objectives to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of its institutions; reminds the European Commission of the need to follow up on ~~all~~ the recommendations made in the European Parliament resolution of 28 October 2015 on the European Citizens’ Initiative (2014/2257(INI) to ensure thereby that the right to present a European Citizens’ Initiative is properly implemented; reaffirms its commitment to being proactively involved in organising public hearings for successful initiatives; undertakes to give priority, at institutional level, to the effectiveness of this participative process and to ensuring due legislative follow-up;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. ~~whereas the right to petition has to be a key element for a participatory democracy;~~ whereas petitions enable the European Parliament to listen to and help to solve problems affecting its citizens, and whereas the impact of EU legislation on the daily life of those living in the EU should be assessed through said petitions;

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Deplo~~Regrets the fact that the Commission considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago; considers that it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate its implementation to identify possible deficiencies and propose workable solutions with a view to revising it soon; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure~~, in its~~ a revision of this instrument~~, that all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully~~; calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Deplor~~Welcomes the fact that the Commission ~~considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago~~has committed to carrying out a review of how the Citizens’ Initiative works after accumulating experience during its several years of operation, thus enabling it to make a reliable assessment of regulation (EU) No 211/2011; considers that it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate its implementation to identify possible deficiencies and propose workable solutions ~~with a view to revising it soon~~; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure, in its revision of this instrument, that all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully; ~~calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;~~

Amendment 182 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Deplores the fact that the Commission considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago; considers that it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate its implementation to identify possible deficiencies and propose workable solutions with a view to revising it soon; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure, in its revision of this instrument, that ~~all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully~~the ECI has an actual input to the Union according to its values and Fundamental Rights; calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Deplores the fact that the Commission considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago; considers that it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate its implementation to ~~identify~~resolve all the possible deficiencies identified and propose workable solutions ~~with a view to revising it soon~~in order to revise it soon, ensuring that the procedures and conditions required for the ECI are genuinely clear, simple, easily applicable and proportionate; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure, in its revision of this instrument, that all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully; calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Deplores the fact that the Commission considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago; considers that it is necessary to ~~thoroughly evaluate its implementation to~~ identify possible deficiencies and propose workable solutions with a view to revising it soon; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure, in its revision of this instrument, that all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully; calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Deplores the fact that the Commission considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago; considers that it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate its implementation to identify possible deficiencies and propose workable solutions with a view to revising it soon; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure, in its revision of this instrument, that all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully; regrets currently existing lack of legal clarity and the rejection to register a massive initiative opposing the TTIP within this framework; calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Deplo~~Regrets the fact that the Commission considers that it is too early to revise Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 of 1 April 2012 which entered into force three years ago; considers that it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate its implementation to identify possible deficiencies and propose workable solutions with a view to revising it soon; welcomes the Commission’s report of 31 March 2015 on the ECI, and the European Ombudsman’s Decision OI/9/2013/TN, and calls on the Commission to ensure, in its revision of this instrument, that all the appropriate legal measures are taken with a view to providing proper follow-up when an ECI is deemed to have been completed successfully; calls on the Commission, in view of the various weaknesses identified, to present a proposal for reform of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011 as soon as possible;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Draws attention to its resolution of 8 October 2015 on mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments in Spain in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation and combatting banking abuses; calls on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements, Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts, and to share best practices in order to improve protection for citizens in financial difficulties;

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Draws attention to its resolution (2015/2740(RSP) of 8 October 2015 on mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments in Spain in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation; calls on the Commission to supervise closely the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and to share best practices in order to improve protection for citizens in financial difficulties;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Draws attention to its resolution of 8 October 2015 on mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments in Spain in the light of the petitions received, concerning which Parliament issued a series of recommendations for the proper application of EU mortgage legislation; calls on the Commission to supervise ~~closely~~ the implementation in all Member States of Directive 2014/17/EU on credit agreements and to share best practices in order to improve protection ofor citizens in financial difficulties;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the right to petition has to be a key element for a participatory democracy; whereas petitions enable the European Parliament to listen to and help to solve problems affecting its citizens, and whereas the impact of EU legislation on the daily life of ~~those living in the EU should~~EU citizens can be assessed also through ~~said~~ petitions;

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Is concerned with the evidences of shortcomings on proper access to justice in certain Member States unveiled as a result of the processing of petitions; considers that this is an essential issue to be addressed without delay in order to guarantee a proper democratic functioning of the Union and the exercise of fundamental rights by its citizens and residents; considers that example should be provided by the Union by deploying the pillar of the Aarhus convention on access to justice on environmental matters;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Draws attention to its resolution of 21 January 2016 on the activities of the Committee on Petitions 2014 and to its resolution of 25 February 2016 on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman 2014;deleted

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Welcomes the resumption of a more normal level of activity in the field of fact-finding visits, and expects that the full potential of this specific prerogative of the committee on Petitions will be exploited in the upcoming years until the very end of the legislative period; underlines the importance of the Working Documents produced after each visit, including specific recommendations, and urges the different authorities concerned to take them into due consideration; considers that the degree of compliance with these recommendations should be periodically appraised;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Highlights the work done in 2015 by the Committee on Petitions to provide petitioners with a web portal through which they can register, submit a petition, download accompanying documents and add their support to petitions already considered admissible; underscores the updating of the portal to which the petitions registered in 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been uploaded; is pleased to note that the new search, add support features and petitioner confidentiality features have been renovated and upgraded;deleted

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Urges the competent administrative bodies to expedite the steps still needed to conclude the ~~introduction of the~~ remaining project phases whereby petitioners will be able to receive information on the status of their petition~~, be~~ and be automatically notified of changes in the processing procedure through ~~automated~~ e-mail messages ~~and directly contact officials of the Committee on Petitions for clear, direct information on the evolution of the issue concerning them~~; underlines that the web portal is a crucial information source for EU citizens, therefore information on the lifecycle of the petition should be provided;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Urges the competent administrative bodies to expedite the steps still needed to conclude the introduction of the remaining project phases whereby petitioners will be able to receive information on the status of their petition, be notified of changes in the processing procedure through automated e- mail messages and directly contact officials of the Committee on Petitions for clear, direct information on the evolution of the issue concerning them; draws attention to the adoption of Regulation 910/2014/EU on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transaction in the internal market; urges that the submission documents signed by means of electronic signature from all 28 Member States should be accepted by the Committee of Petitions as well as all other European Union institutions;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Urges the competent administrative bodies to expedite the steps still needed to conclude the introduction of the remaining project phases of the Petitions web portal, whereby petitioners will be able to receive real-time information on the status of their petition, be notified of changes in the processing procedure such as the declaration of admissibility, the reception of a response from the Commission or the inclusion of their petition in the agenda of a committee meeting with a web- streaming link, all this through automated e- mail messages, and directly contact officials of the Committee on Petitions for clear, direct information on the evolution of the issue concerning them;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)

- having regard to Protocol (No 2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,

Amendment 20 #

Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the right to petition has to be a key element for a participatory democracy~~; whereas petitions enable the European Parliament to listen to and help to solve problems affecting its citizens, and~~ in which the right of every citizen to play a direct part in the democratic life of the Union is effectively protected; whereas genuine democratic and participatory governance should ensure full transparency, effective protection of fundamental rights and practical involvement of the public in decision-making processes; whereas petitions enable the European Parliament to listen to and help to solve problems affecting its citizens, while also prompting the other EU institutions and institutions in the Member States to do their utmost in this respect, within their respective spheres of competence; whereas the impact of EU legislation on the daily life of those living in the EU should be assessed through said petitions;

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Urges the competent administrative bodies to expedite~~Recalls the steps still needed to conclude the introduction of the remaining project phases whereby petitioners will be able to receive information on the status of their petition, be notified of changes in the processing procedure through automated e- mail messages and directly contact officials of the Committee on Petitions for clear, direct information on the evolution of the issue concerning them;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Is concerned that the procedure known as 'List 3', whereby registered petitions are flagged preliminary as potentially inadmissible, may result in weakened monitoring of a relevant amount of petitions by the expertise present in the committee on Petitions; considers that the lack of translation of petitions in this list, aimed at diminishing partially the overall processing workload of petitions, entails a higher risk of inadequate decisions on admissibility by Members of the committee, which are the ultimate liable parties on the matter;

Amendment 202 #

Marian HARKIN, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Emphasises the important role of SOLVIT, a problem-solving network between the Member States which should be thoroughly developed to its full potential in collaboration with the States and their national SOLVIT centres ~~under their national administrations, and requests that it be given more resources and~~, and requests that a more systematic analysis of the problems identified by SOLVIT be conducted as this network helps to give a realistic picture of the dysfunctions of the single market;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Emphasises the important role of SOLVIT, a problem-solving network between the Member States which should be thoroughly developed to its full potential in collaboration with the States and their national SOLVIT centres under their national administrations, and requests that it be given ~~mor~~adequate resources and that a more systematic analysis of the problems identified by SOLVIT be conducted as this network helps to give a realistic picture of the dysfunctions of the single market;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Calls on the United Kingdom to take note of the recommendations made in the report of the fact-finding mission conducted in London on 5 and 6 November 2015 which were approved by the Committee on 19 April 2016;deleted

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Stresses the importance of cooperation with the European Ombudsman, and the involvement of Parliament in the European Network of Ombudsmen; applauds the good relations maintained within the institutional framework between the European Ombudsman and the Committee on Petitions; commends the work of the Ombudsman so as to improve good administration in the EU, and appreciatesd in particular the ~~Ombudsman’s~~r regular contributions to the work of the Committee on Petitions throughout the year;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the right to petition has to be a key element for a participatory democracy; whereas petitions enable the European Parliament to listen to, to inform and to help to solve problems affecting its citizens, and whereas the impact of EU legislation on the daily life of those living in the EU should be assessed through said petitions;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Η

(Amendment subject to revision)

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events ~~in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of the financial crisis, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe~~; whereas the Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the ~~huge~~ challenge of maintaining dialogue with EU citizens;

Amendment 26 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the very serious social and economic impact of ~~the financial crisi~~austerity measures, the inability to resolve the financial crisis in a way that guarantees all citizens a free and dignified life and full protection of their fundamental rights, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe; whereas the Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of maintaining dialogue with EU citizens;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the Committee on Petitions is best able to show citizens what the European Union does for them and what solutions it can provide at European, national or local level; whereas the Committee on Petitions can do excellent work explaining the successes and benefits of the European project;deleted

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens are not yet aware of the right to petition, or of its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters which affect and concern them;deleted

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

Amendment 31 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Marian HARKIN, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the Committee on Petitions is best able to show citizens what ~~the European Union does for them and what~~ solutions it can provide for their problems at European, national or local level; ~~whereas the Committee on Petitions can do excellent work explaining the successes and benefits of the European project;~~

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the Committee on Petitions is best able to show citizens what the European Union does for them, according to its competences, and what solutions it can provide at European, national or local level; whereas the Committee on Petitions can do excellent work explaining the successes and benefits of the European project;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the Committee on Petitions is best able to show citizens what the European Union does for them and what solutions it can provide at European, national or local level; whereas the Committee on Petitions can do excellent work explaining and eventually proving the successes and benefits of the European project;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the Committee on Petitions is best able to show citizens what the European Union does for them and what solutions it can provide at European, national or local level; whereas the Committee on Petitions can do ~~excelle~~significant work explaining the successes and benefits of the European project;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

ΙJ. whereas the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to how EU legislation is applied, as petitions constitute a valuable source of information in detecting deficiencies in how EU legislation is applied; ~~whereas petitions are a basic tool in the early detection of those Member States lagging behind in transposition of EU law;~~

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to how EU legislation is applied, as petitions constitute a valuable source of information in detecting deficiencies in how EU legislation is applied; ~~whereas petitions are a basic tool in the early detection of those Member States lagging behind in transposition of EU law;~~

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to how EU legislation is applied, as petitions constitute a valuable source of first-hand information inbased on own experiences which help detecting deficiencies in how EU legislation is ~~applied~~implemented at national level, and ultimately monitored by the Commission in its role of guardian of the Treaties; whereas petitions are a basic tool in the early detection of those Member States lagging behind in transposition and actual enforcement of EU law;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’'s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to ~~how EU legislation is applied~~application of EU law, as petitions constitute a valuable source of information in detecting deficiencies in how EU legislation is applied; whereas petitions are a basic tool in the early detection of those Member States lagging behind in transposition of EU law; whereas, through petitions, EU citizens can complain about shortages in implementation of EU law and help detect breaches of EU law;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to how EU legislation is transposed and applied, as petitions constitute a valuable source of information in detecting ~~deficiencies in how EU legislation is applied~~potential violations and deficiencies in the application of EU legislation by Member States; whereas petitions are a basic tool in the early detection of ~~those Member States lagging behind in~~late transposition of EU law by Member States;

Amendment 4 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’'s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens are not yet aware of the right to petition, or of its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters which affect and concern them, and come within the Union's field of activity;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to how EU legislation is applied, as petitions, which are based on EU competences and fulfil the admissibility criteria, constitute a valuable source of information in detecting deficiencies in how EU legislation is applied; whereas such petitions are a basic tool in the early detection of those Member States lagging behind in transposition of EU law;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital ΙΑ

K. whereas, therefore, petitions ~~are very~~play quite an important ~~for~~role in the legislative process as they provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; whereas petitions are ~~not~~and should remain solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions~~, but should rather be a shared endeavour of all Parliament committees~~;

Amendment 42 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas, therefore, petitions are very important for the legislative process as they provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; whereas petitions ~~are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but~~ should rather be a shared endeavour of all Parliament committees;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas, therefore, petitions, which are based on EU competences and fulfil the admissibility criteria, are very important for the legislative process as they provide other Parliament committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields; whereas such petitions are not solely the responsibility of the Committee on Petitions, but should rather be a shared endeavour of all Parliament committees;

Amendment 44 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas, through petitions, EU citizens can complain about poor implementation of EU law; whereas in so doing citizens act as a useful source of information when it comes to detecting breaches of EU law;deleted

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas, through petitions which are based on EU competences and fulfil the admissibility criteria, EU citizens can complain about poor implementation of EU law; whereas in so doing citizens act as a useful source of information when it comes to detecting breaches of EU law;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas, through petitions, EU citizens and residents can complain about poor implementation of EU law; whereas in so doing citizens act as a useful source of information when it comes to detecting breaches of EU law;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

(Amendment subject to revision)·

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a(new)

La. whereas besides providing relevant feedback on the application of existing legislation, petitions can also help identifying loopholes within the EU law as well as to assess the impacts of absence of regulation in certain fields, hence becoming a trigger for further legislative efforts;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the Committee on Petitions has made greater use of the specific committee tools at its disposal, such as oral questions and short resolutions, so as to give visibility to the different issues of concern to citizens, or the sending of questions and resolutions to the plenary of Parliament~~, such as the resolutions on mortgage legislation and risky financial instruments in Spain or the best interests of children in Europe~~;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens and residents are not yet aware of the right to petition, or of its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters which affect and concern them;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas during 2015 petitions lodged by citizens were processed faster and with greater efficiency, the timespan involved in correspondence with petitioners having been reduced; whereas the Committee succeeded in reducing the accumulated petition backlog; whereas figures indicate that the revised administrative procedure of the Parliament has a positive impact on the work of the Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 52 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Marian HARKIN, Jana TOOM

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas during 2015 petitions lodged by citizens were processed faster and with greater efficiency, ~~the timespan involved in correspondence with petitioners having been reduced~~since currently there is no delay in the treatment of the petitions and the Secretariat is up to date in managing the petitions received, the timespan involved in correspondence with petitioners having been reduced; whereas the Secretariat has performed a noteworthy effort to achieve this improvement;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas petitioners actively contribute to the work of the Committee, providing additional information to ~~its~~ members, of the committee and the Commission and representatives of the Member States who ~~may b~~are present; whereas petitioners, by taking part in these discussions and presenting their petitions along with more detailed information, contribute to establishing a fluid dialogue with Members of the European Parliament and with the European Commission; whereas in 2015, 191 petitioners attended and were involved in the Committee’s deliberations; whereas although this number seems relatively low, the meetings of the Committee on Petitions are broadcast, enabling petitioners to follow live discussions in real time by means of internet streaming;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas petitioners actively contribute to the work of the Committee, providing additional information to its members, the Commission and representatives of the concerned Member States ~~who may be present~~; whereas petitioners, by taking part in these discussions and presenting their petitions along with more detailed information, contribute to establishing a fluid dialogue with Members of the European Parliament and with the European Commission; whereas in 2015, 191 petitioners attended and were involved in the Committee’s deliberations; whereas although this number seems relatively low, the meetings of the Committee on Petitions are broadcast, enabling petitioners to follow live discussions in real time by means of internet streaming;

Amendment 57 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA, Jana TOOM, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas petitioners actively contribute to the work of the Committee, providing additional first-hand information to its members, the Commission and representatives of the Member States who may be present; whereas petitioners, by taking part in these discussions and presenting their petitions along with more detailed information, contribute to establishing a fluid dialogue with Members of the European Parliament and with the European Commission; whereas in 2015, 191 petitioners attended and were involved in the Committee’s deliberations; whereas although this number seems relatively low, the meetings of the Committee on Petitions are broadcast, enabling petitioners to follow live discussions both in real time and delayed by means of internet streaming;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas petitioners actively contribute to the work of the Committee, providing additional information to its members, the Commission and representatives of the Member States who may be present; whereas petitioners, by taking part in these discussions and presenting their petitions along with more detailed information, contribute to establishing a fluid and constructive dialogue with Members of the European Parliament and with the European Commission; whereas in 2015, 191 petitioners attended and were involved in the Committee’s deliberations; whereas although this number seems relatively low, the meetings of the Committee on Petitions are broadcast, enabling petitioners to follow live discussions in real time by means of internet streaming;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a specific way of handling petitions relating to the welfare of children has been adopted and a ~~special~~ working group created on the issue, whereas the aim and wthe~~reas the group was constituted on 17 September 2015, having elected Eleonora Evi as its chair~~ added value of the working group should be to deliver adequate and prompt answers to the problems raised in petitions regarding children;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest when compared to the EU’s total population, which indicates that the vast majority of EU citizens are unfortunately not yet aware of the right to petition, or of its possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters which affect and concern them;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a specific way of handling petitions relating to the welfare of children has been adopted and a special working group created on the issue~~, and whereas the group was constituted on 17 September 2015, having elected Eleonora Evi as its chair~~ on 17 September 2015;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a specific way of handling petitions relating to the welfare of children has been adopted and a special working group created on the issue, and whereas the group was constituted on 17 September 2015~~, having elected Eleonora Evi as its chair~~ with representatives from all the political groups;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. whereas this working group has to report regularly to members of the Committee on Petitions on the work performed and on what has been achieved; whereas the mandate entails clear limitations in time and a specific remit, with the aim of concluding consideration of petitions;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas a petition is often filed at the same time as a complaint to the Commission, which could lead to the initiation of infringement proceedings; whereas in 2015 the European Parliament alerted the Commission, through petitions and questions, of deficiencies in the way that some Member States were applying and implementing certain EU laws;deleted

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas these petitions resulted in complaints on environmental issues~~; whereas the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Finland regarding the transposition of the Directive on public access to environmental information; whereas in a further five~~, and in a few cases regarding the environment the Commission initiated bilateral talks with the Member States concerned; whereas the cases were related to ~~shale gas, management of wolves, the incorrect application of the Directive on strategic environmental assessment and~~ , among other things, compliance of national legislation with the requirements of the Directive on public access to environmental information, shale gas, management of wolves and the incorrect application of the Directive on strategic environmental assessment;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas these petitions resulted in complaints on environmental issues; whereas the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to ~~Finland~~one Member State regarding the transposition of the Directive on public access to environmental information; whereas in a further five cases regarding the environment the Commission initiated bilateral talks with the Member States concerned; whereas the cases were related to shale gas, management of wolves, the incorrect application of the Directive on strategic environmental assessment and compliance of national legislation with the requirements of the Directive on public access to environmental information;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital S

S. whereas petitions filed by citizens also deal with justice issues, ~~in one instance motivating the Commission to initiate a bilateral dialogue with a Member State on its restrictions regarding change of name after marriage~~which, after environmental protection, was the second biggest issue in terms of the number of petitions (172 petitions, 7.5% of all petitions);

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital S

S. whereas petitions filed by citizens also deal with ~~justice issues~~issues regarding justice and judicial cooperation, in one instance motivating the Commission to initiate a bilateral dialogue with a Member State on its restrictions regarding change of name after marriage;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas the Commission intends to strengthen the application of EU legislation on the basis of transposition and systematic checks on compliance of national legislation; whereas the Commission will take appropriate measures, including launching new EU Pilot cases and infringement procedures, when it detects possible breaches of EU law;deleted

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas the Commission intends to strengthen the application of EU legislation on the basis of transposition and systematic checks on compliance of national legislation; whereas the Commission stated that it will take appropriate measures, including launching new EU Pilot cases and infringement procedures, when it detects possible breaches of EU law;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas 483 petitions were not considered admissible in 2015 and whereas there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by the high number of inadmissible petitions received (33.8%); whereas to remedy this situation, ~~communication with citizens needs to be encouraged and improved and the different areas of responsibility – European, national and local – n~~the principle of subsidiarity needs to be applied and the European institutions should be invited not to seedk to ~~be explained~~go beyond their proper powers;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V

V. whereas the involvement of Parliament in these procedures implies additional scrutiny of the investigative work of the competent EU institutions; whereas no petition is~~hould be~~ closed while it is being investigated by the Commission;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital X

X. whereas the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as ~~environmental legislation (in particular, waste water treatment, waste management, gas and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction~~the application of justice (in particular, custody rights regarding minors), fundamental rights (in particular, the rights of the child and of persons with disabilities), the free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment, ~~animal welfare, the application of justice (in particular custody rights regarding minors) and breaches of consumer rights~~breaches of consumer rights, animal welfare and environmental protection (in particular, waste water treatment, waste management, gas and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction);

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital X

X. whereas the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental legislation (in particular, waste water treatment, waste management, gas and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction), health (particularly the effects of pesticides and access to medicines), the banking system, transport, agriculture, fundamental rights (in particular the rights of the child and of persons with disabilities), the free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment, animal welfare, the application of justice (in particular custody rights regarding minors) and breaches of consumer rights;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital X

X. whereas the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental legislation (in particular, waste water treatment, waste management, gas and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction), fundamental rights (in particular the rights of the child and of persons with disabilities), the free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment, animal welfare, the application of justice (in particular custody rights regarding minors), the payment of war reparations and compensation and breaches of consumer rights;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital X

X. whereas the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental legislation (in particular, waste water treatment, waste management, river basin management, gas and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction), fundamental rights (in particular the rights of the child and of persons with disabilities), the free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment, animal welfare, the application of justice (in particular custody rights regarding minors) and breaches of consumer rights;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital X

X. whereas the key issues of concern raised in petitions pertain to a wide range of issues, such as environmental legislation (in particular, waste water treatment, waste management, gas and hydrocarbon prospection and extraction), fundamental rights (in particular the rights of the child ~~and~~, of persons with disabilities and of minorities), the free movement of persons, discrimination, immigration, employment, animal welfare, the application of justice (in particular custody rights regarding minors) and breaches of consumer rights;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Y

Y. whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions which began to operate in late 2014 is up and running, yet not finalized; whereas the portal is aimed at providesing EU citizens with an electronic tool that enables them to file and continuously track petitions, electronically sign their own petitions and add their support for other petitioners whose issues are of interest to them; whereas the shortcomings in some basic functionalities such as the search engine which persisted throughout the whole 2015 and until very recently undermined the role of the portal as an interactive space of exchange among citizens; whereas this problem has been finally resolved;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Y

Y. whereas the web portal of the Committee on Petitions which began to operate in late 2014 is up and running; whereas the portal provides EU citizens and residents with an electronic tool that enables them to file and track petitions, electronically sign their own petitions and add their support for other petitioners whose issues are of interest to them;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Z

Z. whereas this portal is conceived to makes the petition procedure more transparent and more interactive and also ensures more effective administration in the interest of petitioners, Members and the general public; whereas the second phase of the project, intended mainly to enhance the administrative handling of petitions but also enabling a real-time follow-up of petitions by the original petitioners and the latter supporters, had no substantial progress during 2015, when according to initial planning it should have been already completed by then;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AA

AA. whereas ~~all open petitions received in 2013, 2014 and 2015 were uploaded to the portal and work is currently under way~~the successive delays in the further phases of the project have generated an additional workload within the Secretariat of the committee on Petitions, due to the need to manually upload relevant files in the different data- bases; whereas there are still petitions pending to be uploaded, since only open petitions received in 201~~6 thus enhanc~~3, 2014 and 2015 have been included ing t~~ransparency and improving access for petitioners to information on the status of their petitions~~he portal so far and work is currently under way to upload petitions received in 2016;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas 483 petitions were not considered admissible in 2015 and whereas there is still widespread confusion about the EU’s fields of activity as is shown by the high number of inadmissible petitions received (33.8%); whereas to fundamentally remedy this situation, communication with citizens needs to be encouraged and improved and the different areas of responsibility – European, national and local – need to be explained;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AB

AB. whereas the shortcomings in some basic functionalities such as the search engine, which persisted throughout the whole 2015 and until very recently, severely undermined the role of the portal as an interactive space of exchange among citizens; whereas certain deficiencies have been remedied, particularly in the search function and regarding petitioner confidentiality, and whereas work is ~~under way to remedy certain shortcomings and~~expectedly under way from the second half of 2016 to make the service more useful and visible to citizens;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AB a (new)

ABa. whereas admissibility of petitions is grounded on the criteria set in article 227 of the TFEU; whereas the concept of field of activity of the Union goes much beyond the simple aggregation of competences; whereas a declaration of inadmissibility can be subject to judicial review if not duly justified according to these criteria;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AB b (new)

AB b. whereas the national courts have primary responsibility for ensuring that EU legislation is properly implemented in the Member States; whereas, in this context, a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice is a useful tool available to national judicial systems; whereas this procedure has been little used, if at all, in some Member States; whereas petitions provide an alternative and independent avenue for inquiry and for checks on compliance with EU legislation, and whereas these two alternative procedures should therefore not be mutually exclusive;

Amendment 83 #

Marian HARKIN, Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA

Motion for a resolution
Recital AC

AC. whereas the European Citizens’' Initiative (ECI) has to be an important tool for enabling citizens to directly participate in the ~~EU poli~~development of EU policies, and its potentical ~~decision-~~must be exploited fully; whereas the makin~~g process, and its potential must be exploited fully~~ differences between the ECI and the right to petition should be better communicated to the citizens; whereas the Parliament has a specific responsibility in rendering this instrument a real success; whereas, as emerged from statements in the public hearing of 22 February 2015, there is a widespread feeling on the part of organisations ~~process~~registering an ECI that the administrative barriers need to be removed in order to obtain the best possible results in regard to participation by citizens;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AC

AC. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has to be an important tool for enabling citizens to participate in the EU political decision-making process, and its potential must be exploited fully while ensuring that citizens are fully informed as to matters of EU competence and national competence; whereas, as emerged from statements in the public hearing of 22 February 2015, there is a widespread feeling on the part of organisations processing an ECI that the administrative barriers need to be removed in order to obtain the best possible results in regard to participation by citizens; notes however the need for transparency and accountability by such organizations;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AC

AC. whereas the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has to be an important tool for enabling citizens to participate in the EU political decision-making process, and its potential must be exploited fully; whereas, as emerged from statements in the public hearing of 22 February 2015, there is a widespread feeling on the part of organisations processing an ECI that the administrative barriers need to be removed in order to obtain the best possible results in regard to participation by citizens; regrets that the European Citizens’ Initiative does not allow for the repeal of normative texts;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AD

AD. whereas the Committee on Petitions is of the opinion that, three years after the entry into force on 1 April 2012 of Regulation (EU) No 211/2011, its implementation should be assessed in order to identify weaknesses and propose concrete viable solutions for its swift revision so that its ~~implementa~~functioning can be improved;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AE

AE. whereas in 2015, owing to the workload of the Committee on Petitions, ~~only~~ one fact-finding visit took place for petitions for which an inquiry was ongoing during 2015; whereas the fact-finding visit to the United Kingdom on 5 and 6 November 2015 on the issue of adoption without parental consent gave delegation members a deeper understanding of the situation as they were able to discuss the problem with representatives of the different UK institutions involved in the case;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

AF. whereas ~~in 2016, once the workload stabilised, three fact-finding visits were carried out with regard to petitions for which an inquiry was ongoing in 2016; whereas the~~fact-finding visits are a specific prerogative of the Committee and a fundamental part of its work, which entails interacting with petitioners and the authorities of the Member States concerned; whereas members of the Committee delegations take part in all activities, including the drafting of the final report, on an equal footing;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AG

AG. whereas the Committee on Petitions has responsibilities with regard to the Office of the European Ombudsman, which is responsible for investigating complaints from EU citizens and residents about possible maladministration within the EU institutions and bodies, and about which the Committee also produces an Annual Report, on the basis of the European Ombudsman’s own Annual Report;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas it is primarily in the interest of admissible and well-founded petitions for the work of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament not to be burdened with dealing with inadmissible or unfounded petitions for an unduly long period of time;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AH

AH. whereas on 26 May 2015 ~~Emily O’Reilly,~~ the European Ombudsman, presented her Annual Report for 2014 to ~~Martin Schulz,~~the President of the European Parliament. whereas on 23 June 2015 the Ombudsman presented her report at the meeting of the Committee on Petitions, the body responsible for relations with her institution.

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AI a (new)

AIa. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with and each petitioner must receive a reply within a reasonable period of time indicating the grounds for closing the petition in question;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AI b (new)

AIb. whereas all petitioners should have a possibility to directly present the cases to the Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’'s capacity to ~~react, helping to~~ resolve problems relating mainly to implementation and application of EU legislation, as petitions constitute a useful source of information in detecting ~~breaches in the implementation of EU legislation~~potential breaches of EU law; in this regard and to better respond citizens' needs emphasizes the importance of complying with the administrative reform of the Parliament in order to make the work of the Committee on Petitions more effective;

Amendment 94 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to the transposition and implementation of EU legislation, as petitions constitute a useful source of information infor detecting potential violations and breaches in the implementation of EU legislation as well as delays in the transposition of EU law by the Member States;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that the right to petition should enhance the European Parliament’s capacity to react, helping to resolve problems relating mainly to implementation of EU legislation, as petitions, which are based on EU competences and fulfil the admissibility criteria, constitute a useful source of information in detecting breaches in the implementation of EU legislation;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

(Amendment subject to revision)

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a(new)

1a. Invites the Commission to make greater use of its powers when it comes to ensuring an effective implementation of the EU legislation, for instance by pursuing a more swift use of the infringement procedure under articles 258 and 260 TFEU;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

(Amendment subject to revision)

Amendment 99 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses the work that the Committee on Petitions carries out in listening to and ~~helping to solve~~finding solutions for problems affecting ~~its~~EU citizens; believes that petitions can help in assessing the impact that EU legislation has on their daily lives;

source: 592.203

2016/11/11 PETI 5 amendments...

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H Ex-AM24

H. whereas confidence in the system and in the European project as a whole has been dented by recent events in the United Kingdom, the humanitarian refugee crisis, the social and economic impact of the financial crisis, and the rise in xenophobia and racism throughout Europe; whereas the Committee on Petitions has the responsibility and the huge challenge of maintaining dialogue with EU citizensthe Committee on Petitions has an opportunity and the huge challenge of maintaining a dialogue with citizens as it has the possibility to bring the EU’s institutions and citizens together once again, by placing the citizens in the centre of the European project;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L Ex-AM47

L. whereas, through petitions, EU citizens can better monitor the drawing up and complain about poor implementation of EU law; whereas in so doing citizens act as a useful source of information when it comes to detecting breaches of EU law;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 Ex-AM96

2. Stresses the work that the Committee on Petitions carries out in listening to and helping to solve problems affecting its citizens; believes that petitions can help in better assessing the impact that EU legislation has on their daily lives;

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 Ex-AM98

~~3. Committee on Petitions has an opportunity and the huge challenge of maintaining a dialogue with citizens as it has the possibility to bring the EU’s institutions and citizens together once again;~~Highlights the fact that the (amendment withdrawn, the original text is kept)

Amendment 211 #