2017/2222(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest compared to the EU’s total population; whereas the ~~number nevertheless indicates that EU citizens are aware, and make use, of~~overall number indicates that greater efforts are needed to increase the awareness of EU citizens on the right to petition; whereas in exercising theat right to petition, ~~and~~citizens expect to, by drawing the attention of the EU institutions, t~~o matters which they are concerned about, through the petition procedure~~hat the issues which concern them will be treated appropriately;

Amendment 10 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Gabriele PREUSS, Sorin MOISĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas active participation is only possible on the basis of a democratic and transparent process of all EU institutions, allowing Parliament and the Committee of Petitions to render its work citizen-friendly and comprehensible;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Stresses the wide range of subjects raised in the petitions filed, from the internal market, justice, energy and transport to fundamental rights, health, environmental law, disability and animal welfare; underlines the increase by 10% of the number of petitions received in 2016 (1.569) and calls on the European institutions to adequately staff the services in charge of handling petitions, notably the secretariat of the Committee on Petitions;

Amendment 101 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that comprehensive analyses are conducted on the compliance with EU law of environmental assessments carried out by Member States, with regard to permission granted for infrastructure projects in relation to which citizens, through their petitions, have highlighted serious risks to human health and the environment;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Regrets that the Commission did not exercise its powers of control in a resolute manner to prevent the placing on the single market of pollutant, diesel- powered cars that contribute significantly to the release of NO2 into the atmosphere over the limit values and that do not comply with EU rules on the type- approval and emissions of passenger and light commercial vehicles; points out that this aspect forms an integral part of the concerns of citizens who have exercised their right to petition to call for effective protection of human health, the environment and consumer rights;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Stresses that full transparency and full public access to the documents of the EU institutions should be the rule in order to ensure the highest levels of protection of the democratic rights of citizens; takes the view that a proposal to amend Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 should be promptly put forward in this regard;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Draws attention to numerous petitions on the practices of child welfare authorities and the protection of children’s rights, particularly with cross-border implications; acknowledges the work done by the committee’s working group on child welfare; draws attention to the short motion for resolution on ‘Protecting the best interest of the child (across borders) in Europe’ adopted in March 2016; ~~welcomes the~~takes note of the proposal to recast of the Brussels IIa Regulation on jurisdiction, the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, and on international child abduction, and notes that a large number of issues raised in petitions, such as those relating to the procedures and practices specifically followed by the relevant authorities in the Member States in child-related decisions having cross- border implications, and the efficacy of return proceedings following international parental child abduction, need to be ~~improved~~verified thoroughly with a view to resolving the existing difficulties;

Amendment 106 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Highlights the consistently high number of petitions concerning animal welfare and reiterates its regret over the delay which has built up in the implementation of the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015; considers it vital to launch a new strategy at EU level to bridge all the existing gaps and ensure full and effective protection of animal welfare through a clear and comprehensive legislative framework that fully meets the requirements of Article 13 TFEU;

Amendment 107 #

16. Deplores the fact that although Petition 2214/2014 on German war reparations owed to Greece was declared admissible on 7 September 2015, the majority of PETI coordinators in the end decided, on 8 September 2016, to close this petition, alleging that the subject matter falls outside the scope of EU competences;deleted

Amendment 108 #

Jana TOOM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 109 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Sorin MOISĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 11 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas active participation is only possible on the basis of a democratic and transparent process allowing Parliament and the Committee of Petitions to render its work citizen-friendly and ~~comprehensible~~meaningful;

Amendment 110 #

Rainer WIELAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 111 #

Virginie ROZIÈRE, Gabriele PREUSS, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Sorin MOISĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 112 #

Jana TOOM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Regrets that no significant progress has been made in the case concerning the electoral rights of non- citizens in Estonia and Latvia, following petition 0747/2016; stresses that any unnecessary delays may cause distrust in the European institutions;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Stresses the important role of the SOLVIT network, which provides a means for citizens and enterprises to address concerns about possible breaches of EU law by public authorities in other Member States; calls on the Commission, and on the Member States themselves, to promote SOLVIT in order to make it more helpful and visible to citizens; welcomes, in this regard, the Action Plan to reinforce the SOLVIT network published by the Commission in May 2017; calls on the Commission for a swift implementation of this Action Plan and to report back to the European Parliament on its results;

Amendment 114 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Points to the improvements made to the Petitions Web Portal; underlines the need for further technical improvements to the web portal to ensure that the committee on Petitions is fully prepared to deal with unexpected situations, such as a sudden increase in the number of petitions submitted; considers the ongoing technical development, and enhanced technical capacity, of the portal as essential for a smooth petition process; underlines the importance of the portal as an easily accessible communication gateway for citizens and petitioners, also for users of mobile devices and for persons with disabilities; looks forward to the prompt implementation of the remaining phases of the project, which will allow for an enhanced interactive experience and increased real-time information by petitioners and those supporting petitions;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Recognises that there has been an unacceptable delay in the expansion of the secretariat of the committee; calls for the recruitment of experienced officials to enhance the working capacity of the committee;

Amendment 116 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18b. Calls for a more focused and active press and communications service and a more active social media presence, making the work of the Committee more responsive to public concerns;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas an increase in citizens' direct participation and improvement of the quality of decision-making at EU level are possible only if they are underpinned by a democratic governance that is able to guarantee full transparency, an effective protection of fundamental rights and the inclusion of EU citizens’ requests on the EU political agenda;

Amendment 13 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas those who submit and support petitions are engaged citizens, which in turn expect the EU institutions to bring forward an added value in the resolution of their concerns; whereas failure to act adequately upon them is likely to result into frustration and consequently disaffection towards the Union;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas it is noted that citizens often turn to the Petitions Committee as a last resort when other bodies and institutions at regional and national levels are unable to resolve their concerns;

Amendment 15 #

Rainer WIELAND

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas petitions ~~allow Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law and its impact on EU citizens and resident~~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 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas petitions allow Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law ~~and~~, its impact on EU citizens and residents as well as to consider new proposals for regulation;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas petitions are a useful source of information with regard to detecting breaches of EU law; and the shortcomings and inconsistencies of EU law in respect of the goal of ensuring that the fundamental rights of all citizens are fully protected;

Amendment 18 #

Cristian Dan PREDA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas petitions are a useful source of information, among others, with regard to detecting breaches of EU law;

Amendment 19 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas petitions provide information in various areas of use to other parliamentary committees, also in relation to their legislative activities; whereas fulfilling the fundamental right to petition through an adequate treatment of petitions is a responsibility of the Parliament as a whole;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest compared to the EU’s total population; whereas the number ~~nevertheless~~ indicates that a portion of EU citizens are aware, and make use, of the right to petition, and expect to draw the attention of the EU institutions to matters which they are concerned about, through the petition procedure; whereas, however, more needs to be done to promote the right to petition the European Parliament;

Amendment 20 #

H. whereas petitions provide a vast range of important information in various areas of use to other parliamentary committees;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with, and whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a first reply from the Committee of Petitions within a reasonable period of time; whereas subsequent exchanges and replies are often needed as a result of the initial examination of petitions or the interaction with the Commission and national authorities as further follow- up to seek for solutions;

Amendment 22 #

Rainer WIELAND

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas each petition is c~~arefully assessed and dealt with, and whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a reply from the Committee of Petitions within a reasonable period of time~~onsidered fully 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 23 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE, Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas each petition ishould be carefully assessed and dealt with, and whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a reply from the Committee of Petitions ~~within a reasonable period of time~~in full accordance with the right to good administration enshrined in Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas each petition is carefully assessed and dealt with, and whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a reply from the Committee of Petitions that addresses their issue fully within a reasonable period of time;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the work of the Committee on Petitions has improved significantly since the introduction of the administrative procedure in 2014 that covers the entire life cycle of a petition with the objective of delivering an efficient and transparent written reply to the petitioner within nine months;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas, to ensure an efficient work of the Committee on Petitions, the unfounded or inadmissible petitions should be closed rapidly and justified to the petitioner in order not to burden the work of the Committee; whereas the administrative procedure to deal with petitions should always be based on the best interest of the petitioners;

Amendment 27 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Ka. whereas the particular, interactive nature of the petition process itself and the core role citizens play therein renders each case unique and does exclude a pre- established time frame; whereas such procedures require particular flexibility and public relations skills from the administration side;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions in 2016 pertained to the internal market (in particular the provision of services and the free movement of people), fundamental rights (especially the rights of the child and of people with disabilities), social affairs (working conditions) ~~and~~, environmental issues (waste management, pollution and environmental protection) and the specific issue of Brexit (loss of acquired rights and the mandate of the referendum);

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal website, launched at the end of 2014, is operational; whereas 1 067 petitions (68 % of those received) were submitted via the web portal in 2016, as compared to 992 in 2015; whereas technical improvements have been made, including improvements to the search function, benefitting both users and portal administrators; whereas petition summaries are uploaded shortly after adoption; whereas the confidentiality settings and privacy statements have been revised, and a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) have been introduced; whereas petition summaries from 2015 and 2016 were uploaded with the help of a new migration tool; whereas a search engine optimisation (SEO) process has been conducted; whereas a high number of individual support requests by users has been handled successfully; whereas further stages of the project are under way, enabling features such as the automatic electronic notification of the inclusion of each petition concerned in committee agendas together with its upcoming web- streaming link and also of the subsequent uploading of related minutes and videos of their debates, both for petitioners and supporters concerned;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the ~~number of petitions received is modest compared to the EU’s total population; whereas the number nevertheles~~petitions indicates that EU citizens are aware, and make use, of the right to petition, and expect to draw the attention of the EU institutions to matters which they are concerned about, through the petition procedure;

Amendment 30 #

Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)

Na. whereas Article 10 of the Treaty on European Union establishes that every citizen has the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union, and decisions of the European institutions are to be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the European Citizen’s Initiative is potentially an important tool for strengthening citizens’ participation in the EU political decision-making process and should be exploited fully; whereas the legislative proposal put forward by the Commission on 13th September 2017 to review the current Regulation 211/2011 on the ECI represents a kick-off of a very necessary process of revision in order to render this tool more accessible and useful for the EU citizens;

Amendment 32 #

Cristian Dan PREDA

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the European Citizen’s Initiative is ~~potentially~~ an important tool for strengthening citizens’ participation in the EU political decision-making process ~~and should be exploited fully~~that, if used to its full potential, could increase citizens’ trust in the EU institutions and contribute to the construction of a genuine and inclusive European Union;

Amendment 33 #

Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the European Citizen’s Initiative is ~~potentially~~ an important tool for strengthening citizens’ participation in the EU political decision-making process and should be exploited fully and actively promoted among citizens;

Amendment 34 #

Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Gabriele PREUSS, Virginie ROZIÈRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

Amendment 35 #

Jana TOOM

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas four fact-finding visits pursuant to Rule 216a of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure were planned; whereas fact-finding visits represent a core tool for the Petitions' committee, both in terms of being a unique opportunity to gather information from different stakeholders in complex issues, and at the same time to help visibilizing concretely the work of the Parliament to citizens in different corners of Europe; whereas two fact-finding visits took place, one to Spain following the reception of several petitions from EU citizens regarding possible infringements of the Water Framework Directive, and one to Slovakia on the use of EU structural funds in long- term residential centres for persons with disabilities; whereas two other planned fact-finding visits, one to Ireland and one to Italy, were cancelled;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas Emily O’Reilly, the European Ombudsman, presented her Annual Report for 2015 to the Committee on Petitions at its meeting on 20 June 2016, ~~and~~in which it emerged that the greatest number of complaints received by the Ombudsman concerned the lack of transparency and, in particular, the refusal of EU institutions to allow access to documents or information; whereas the European Ombudsman also encountered problems in relation to which she planned to take action, particularly with regard to the effective protection of fundamental rights, transparency in the EU decision-making process, transparency in lobbying, and ethical issues concerning posts held by former EU Commissioners and cases of ‘revolving doors’; whereas the annual report of the Committee of Petitions, in turn, is partly based on the Ombudsman’s annual report;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital U a (new)

Ua. whereas the role of the working groups in the Committee on Petitions is to allow for a speedy and efficient processing of the petitions by reporting to the Committee on the progress made; whereas, in that context, their mandate should be very clear and limited in terms of objectives and timing in order not to delay the work of the Committee;

Amendment 4 #

Cristian Dan PREDA

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the number of petitions received is modest compared to the EU’s total population; whereas the number nevertheless indicates that EU citizens are aware, and make use, of the right to petition, and expect to draw the attention of the EU institutions to matters which they are concerned about and that fall under the scope of EU competences, through the petition procedure;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V

~~V. whereas the overhaul of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure (adopted in Plenary in December 2016) also entails changes to, and the clarification of, the petition procedure;~~deleted

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V

V. whereas ~~the overhaul of~~ Parliament’s Rules of Procedure ~~(adopted in Plenary in December 2016) also entails~~should include changes to, and the clarification of, the petition procedure so that the right of petition can be used to the best advantage, to the benefit of the substantive protection of EU citizens’ rights;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V a (new)

Va. whereas a purely formalistic approach to the treatment of petitions in relation to environmental assessments jeopardises the proper implementation of EU environmental law in the Member States and the credibility of the Commission, which should supervise effectively to ensure that the fundamental rights of citizens are fully protected;

Amendment 43 #