Az ülések szó szerinti jegyzőkönyve

2014. március 10., Hétfő - Strasbourg

17. A Petíciós Bizottság 2013. évi tevékenységei (rövid ismertetés)

  Presidente. - L'ordine del giorno reca la relazione annuale di Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa, a nome della commissione per le petizioni, sulle attività della commissione per le petizioni nel 2013 (2014/2008(INI)) (A7-0131/2014)

  Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa, rapporteur. - Mr President, this is the final annual Committee on Petitions (PETI) report of the Seventh Legislature of the European Parliament, so it is more than just an outline of the Committee’s activities in 2013. It is also an overview of the whole parliamentary term.

The basic document is divided into three parts. The first part details the work of the Committee and the summary of our achievements. The second and third chapters, entitled New Horizons and Working Methods, are basically proposals for new suggestions to make the Committee’s work more substantial and visible.

One of these is the emphasis on collaboration with the other EU institutions and national authorities. As we all know, PETI is the platform for citizens to voice their concerns, and this enables dialogue. Therefore, it is very important to adopt final internal rules and to revise accordingly the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament to improve PETI working methods. Furthermore, we need clear deadlines to speed up the life cycle of petitions, but we must not forget to make the whole process more transparent and democratic.

Among the most important tools of the PETI Committee are the fact-finding visits. The revision of the rules on these is needed to introduce more efficiency and facilitate organisation. This is what we have to accomplish in the next term. As for the past, in 2013 the Petitions Committee was responsible for the organisation of the election of the new Ombudsman, Ms Emily O’Reilly, and dealt with a relatively higher number of fact-finding visits than in the past.

The PETI Committee held a series of public hearings on major subjects of petitions, such as citizenship and the importance of having single registration procedures for EU citizens in the national and European elections; the hearings on the impact of the economic crisis – petitioners here have criticised the unwillingness of banks to provide investment funding for small businesses – and the hearings on the rights of disabled people and, more precisely, of blind people.

The conclusions seem clear: annual dialogue between the members of the PETI Committee and the members of the petitions committees in the national parliaments is needed. On top of that, there is a strong recommendation for the use of new information and video facilities for future PETI Committee meetings which will bring further cost savings in the organisation of its hearings.

As for the statistics, since 2009 about 10[nbsp ]000 petitions have been registered in the European Parliament, of which about 60[nbsp ]% were declared admissible. In 2013 alone, 2[nbsp ]800 petitions were registered. I am convinced that more and more Europeans will address petitions to the European Parliament in the future. We need to live up to their expectations and call on the European Parliament to adopt urgent measures to ensure the efficient and transparent processing of petitions.

This report should be viewed not only as an achievement but also as a stepping stone towards new reforms which would allow the Petitions Committee to further assist citizens and to set standards for the upcoming legislature.

(Interventi su richiesta)

  Mairead McGuinness (PPE). - Mr President, I thank the rapporteur for his work on this report. I have just a few observations.

The Committee on Petitions is certainly a place of access for citizens, judging by the numbers of people who come to us. I still have some concern about how we handle all those people who bring petitions to us, the timeliness of our response, and also how we judge the admissibility of petitions, but it is clear that European citizens have greater trust in Parliament’s Committee on Petitions than they perhaps have in their own parliaments’ petitions committees. Even though we say there is a distrust of institutions, I am always impressed when people come to Europe for a solution to a national problem.

The Committee plays a key role in linking with citizens and very often achieves results. Sometimes it lets people down, because we take on petitions that we cannot resolve, and I was happy that one or two petitions could be returned to the Irish Parliament for consideration. However, it has done good work over this past legislature and will continue to do so in the next one.

  Marino Baldini (S&D). - Gospodine predsjedniče, funkcija Europskog parlamenta je da ispravno rješava i razmatra zahtjeve građana EU-a i da u svom radu to čini demokratski i transparentno. Važno je da inicijative građana i pravo na predstavku budu što bolje zastupljeni u radu Europskog parlamenta. Osim što građanima daje priliku da se izravno obrate svojim predstavnicima u mnogim pitanjima, Odbor PETI predstavlja glavno sredstvo za implementaciju Povelje Europske unije o temeljnim pravima čovjeka. Po tome, inicijativa direktno poboljšava sposobnosti Parlamenta Europske unije i jamči temeljna prava svima i odgovara na preokupacije građana.

Zbog navedenog, važno je da ovo pravo mora ostati u potpunosti zajamčeno i neovisno od državnih interesa. Europi je potrebna vjerodostojna i vidljiva politika koja joj omogućuje suočiti se s lakoćom s današnjim i budućim izazovima. Uspješnom implementacijom mehanizama, kao što je pravo na predstavku omogućuje čuti svijest građana koji čine ovu Uniju, vidjeti probleme i s odgovarajućim rješenjima ojačati demokraciju i izbjeći slične situacije u budućnosti.

  Andrej Plenković (PPE). - Gospodine predsjedniče, zahvaljujem kolegi na izvješću o djelatnostima odbora za predstavke tijekom 2013. Smatram da ono nudi objektivan pregled rada odbora i sadržava niz konstruktivnih preporuka, osobito u pogledu administrativnih kapaciteta odbora. Za razliku od niza drugih odbora ovoga Parlamenta koji kreiraju zakonodavstvo Europske unije, Odbor za predstavke sluša građane i na temelju njihovih predstavki provjerava primjenu EU zakonodavstva u državama članicama.

Građani Unije su prepoznali ovaj instrument, koriste ga sve više, a važno je naglasiti da su pitanja okoliša, temeljnih prava i unutarnjeg tržišta tri glavna područja interesa podnesenih predstavki. U tom smislu 10 000 predstavki u ovom sazivu Europskoga parlamenta kao i 2 885 tijekom europske godine građana jasan su signal interesa naših građana za Europska pitanja, ali i odgovor i pomoć Parlamenta na ona pitanja koja njih muče. U tom smislu vjerujem da će u idućem mandatu upravo ovaj Odbor za predstavke biti važan za dijalog s europskim građanima o svim europskim temama.

  Angelika Werthmann (ALDE). - Mr[nbsp ]President, 2013 was indeed a very active year in the Committee on Petitions. I would like to focus on two points.

As you know, it proved possible to resolve numerous issues, and I would like to mention, in particular, the cooperation with the Spanish authorities during the year. They were very forthcoming and cooperated successfully in resolving the issue of the Ley de Costas. A lot has been achieved and we hope to continue in the same spirit.

If we had had similar cooperation on our fact-finding visit to Denmark, many Danish and non-Danish mothers, as well as non-Danish fathers, would be better off by now. They need our support. There is a serious systemic and structural problem here, and I expect all of us to take a clear stand on the side of these petitioners. Our people must be heard and taken seriously, and we in the European Parliament should encourage their active participation.

  Margrete Auken (Verts/ALE). - Hr. formand! Tak til Wałęsa for den udmærkede betænkning, men der er to ting, jeg synes, vi skal være opmærksomme på i forbindelse med dette udvalg, som er Parlamentets egentlige borgernære udvalg. For det første er det det eneste udvalg, der ikke har fået tilført ekstra ressourcer efter Lissabontraktaten. Samtidig er mængden af andragender steget betragteligt! Løsningen her er ikke at sige, at vi skal indføre mere effektive metoder - jeg tror ikke, vi kan gøre arbejdet meget mere effektivt, end vi gør! Vejen frem er at få tilført flere ressourcer, så vores sekretariat bliver bedre udrustet.

For det andet vil jeg gerne støtte, hvad Baldini nævnte i sit indlæg. Han sagde det pænt: at udvalget bør være fri af alle stats- og partipolitiske interesser. Betænkningen indeholder forslag om, at der skal stemmes om, hvilke sager der skal behandles. Men det er en farlig vej, for så bliver det jo netop partipolitisk og ikke med fuld respekt for, at borgerne uanset partipolitiske interesser bliver hørt i deres klager til os.

  Dubravka Šuica (PPE). - Gospodine predsjedniče, ova europska građanska inicijativa koja je omogućila građanima participaciju nakon Lisabonskog sporazuma pokazala se jako dobrom, o čemu i govore brojke. Ako je 10 000 predstavki bilo u zadnjih pet godina, a u zadnjoj godini 2013.-oj 2 800, vidimo da je to instrument koji građane zanima i žele ga koristiti, a povezan je i s prošlom točkom dnevnog reda.

Ono što se da zaključiti je da je potreban dijalog, ali posebno dijalog između članova odbora Europskog parlamenta i nacionalnih parlamenata, jer zaista je zabrinjavajuće da se građani prije obraćaju Europskom parlamentu, nego svom nacionalnom parlamentu, što znači da moramo graditi povjerenje i transparentnost o kojoj smo maloprije govorili. Ono što mi se posebno sviđa u ovom izvješću je da će se uskoro uvesti poseban PETI web portal, preko kojeg će se moći dati i online peticija s čime ćemo našim građanima bitno omogućiti da lakše iznesu svoje probleme.

  Iñaki Irazabalbeitia Fernández (Verts/ALE). - Señor, Presidente, como ponente alternativo de este informe quiero agradecer al señor Wałęsa su trabajo, pero también quiero recalcar varias cosas en este que será el último informe de esta legislatura.

La ciudadanía confía en la Comisión de Peticiones; el número de peticiones en 2013 ha doblado el de 2010 y se han recibido más de 10[nbsp ]000 en el total de la legislatura. Por ello es necesario que la comisión sea dotada de más medios humanos y que el portal web sea puesto en marcha sin dilación. Pero estamos asistiendo a un intento del Partido Popular Europeo de rebajar el perfil político de la Comisión de Peticiones, con la intención de salvaguardar a los Gobiernos de los Estados miembros. A esa conclusión llegamos al leer la parte referida a los métodos de trabajo, donde se entra en detalles de procedimiento ajenos —en nuestra opinión— a un informe de este tipo, o la referencia en el considerando K a la adopción democrática de los órdenes del día, que puede otorgar a los grandes grupos la posibilidad de controlar los temas a tratar.

Por último, quiero llamar la atención sobre la importancia de aprobar la enmienda 7, que demanda la posibilidad para el peticionario de dirigirse a la Comisión de Peticiones en su lengua propia, tal como se puede hacer ahora por escrito con la Comisión o con el Comité de las Regiones, como consecuencia de un acuerdo bilateral entre esas instituciones y los Estados miembros. Ello ayudaría a acercar el Parlamento a la ciudadanía y a defender uno de los principios de la Unión: la diversidad cultural y lingüística.

  Csaba Sándor Tabajdi (S&D). - Wałęsa úr kiváló jelentése is bizonyítja, hogy 2009 óta a Petíciós Bizottság nemcsak az Európai Parlament, de az egész Európai Unió lelkiismeretévé vált. Reményt kellett nyújtanunk az elmúlt években azoknak a polgároknak, akik a demokratikus alapjogok megsértése miatt fordulnak az uniós intézményekhez. A magyarországi korkedvezményes és szolgálati nyugdíjak megszüntetésével jogtalanul fosztottak meg több tízezer embert. Ezeknek az ügye még napirenden van.

Fel kellett lépnünk olyan ügyekben is, mint a kollektív bűnösség elvét kimondó Benes dekrétumok 2007-es megerősítése, vagy a szlovákiai állampolgársági törvény. Az EU nem maradhat néma és tétlen az alapjogok megsértésekor, legyen szó akár a szerzett jogok elvételéről, akár a felvidéki magyar közösség kollektív megbélyegzéséről. Sajnos az elmúlt időszakra jellemző az, amiről McGuinness asszony beszélt, hogy az Európai Bizottság nem tartja be az Alapjogi Charta szellemét és betűjét.

  Seán Kelly (PPE). - A Uachtaráin, i slí amháin is dócha gurb é an coiste achainíocha (PETI) an coiste is tábhachtaí go háirithe do shaoránaigh a bhíonn i mbaol trasna na hEorpa: daoine a bhíonn in éadóchas, tagann siad anseo agus faigheann siad dóchas; daoine nach féidir leo cothrom na Féinne a fháil ina thír féin tagann siad anseo agus faigheann siad cothrom na Féinne. Tá moladh mór ag dul do na Feisirí óna Ballstáit éagsúla a éisteann le hachainíocha ó thíortha eile nach bhfuil aon bhaint acu leo. Déanann siad an-jab agus is fiú iad a mholadh dá bharr. Thug mé féin cúpla achainí anseo – ceann amháin a bhain le hionad salachair Inis Sionnach. Bhí an ráta galair don ailse 35% níos airde ná an méan. Tháinig siad anseo agus fuair siad cinneadh sásúil agus anois tá an t-ionad á ghlanadh agus cuirfear deireadh leis an salachar. Dá bhrí sin, déanann sé obair an-mhaith agus dá bhrí sin is fiú é a leanúint amach agus gach tacaíocht a thabhairt dó.

(Fine degli interventi su richiesta)

  Tonio Borg, Member of the Commission. - Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Wałęsa, for his excellent report on the activities of the Committee on Petitions in 2013. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Ms Mazzoni and the whole Committee on Petitions for their work.

The Commission has examined this report with great interest. It provides very interesting information about the activities of the Committee. Even though the nearly 3[nbsp ]000 petitions that were received last year concerned a wide variety of subjects, the report clearly points to the most topical and sensitive policy areas which formed the subject matter of petitions in 2013. The Commission finds that the work of the Committee on Petitions is of the utmost importance, as it implements the right to petition, which is one of the most fundamental rights of all European citizens.

Many petitions have been submitted in relation to issues concerning fundamental human rights, the environment, the internal market and the economic and social consequences of the crisis. For instance, petitions have been filed on the rights of children of separated or divorced parents, on the right to legitimately acquire property, and – to mention some others – on the rights of disabled persons and the right of free movement without discrimination on any grounds.

The petitions show that the citizens of the EU are conscious of the problems and concerns in a very concrete and tangible way. Just by looking at the list of topics, it is very easy to understand why the citizens concerned are keen to get these problems solved. It is, of course, very important that these issues are addressed when the EU has the competence and capacity to act, and the Commission has a special role in this context as guardian of the Treaties.

As you know, the Commission contributes to the work on petitions. It finds that it is extremely important to contribute when citizens use this concrete and established way of signalling their concerns. At a time when the so-called ‘citizen disconnect’ is a recurring theme, it is crucial that citizens’ concerns are heard. We hope that petitions can contribute to citizens regaining or consolidating their trust in the EU.

Many initiatives are being taken at present to reach out to citizens, and we see that they are using the available tools more than ever. The rise in the number of petitions – as has been mentioned in this Chamber – is proof of that. There are other examples, like the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), on which I will say a few words. On the whole, I think we can be very satisfied with how this new transnational instrument of participatory democracy has been used and implemented so far. I have recently seen the submission of the first two successful ECIs: one on the right to water and the petition entitled ‘One of Us’. More and more organisers are submitting requests for registration of their initiatives. The positive trends of the first two years clearly suggest that we are witnessing the emergence of what has the potential to become a popular and possibly influential means for our citizens to get directly involved in the work that our institutions carry out.

May I say, Mr President, that the Commission is grateful for the constant support shown by the Committee on Petitions, and by the European Parliament more generally, as regards the implementation of the European Citizens’ Initiative, which is an important complement to our more traditional representative democratic structures. As with petitions, this is a clear way for citizens who want to engage on EU issues to do so directly with the institutions, and the Commission counts on your continuing support. This Commission looks forward to continuing and enhancing its fruitful cooperation with Parliament in the field of petitions in the coming months. I am confident that the new Commission will continue this excellent cooperation with the same commitment.

Dichiarazioni scritte (articolo 149)

  Peter Jahr (PPE), schriftlich. – Der diesjährige Jahresbericht des Petitionsausschusses 2013 ist in vielerlei Hinsicht ein besonderer: So geht er nicht nur auf unsere geleistete Arbeit und die Erfolge ein, sondern skizziert darüber hinaus auch mögliche neue Perspektiven für die interne Arbeit des Ausschusses, aber auch in seiner Außenwirkung. Thematisiert ist beispielsweise das neue Webportal, das, sobald es online zur Verfügung steht, die Laufbahn einer Petition im Ausschuss beschleunigen und unsere Arbeitsweise transparenter machen soll. Aber nicht nur online wollen wir für mehr Effizienz sorgen. Wir haben uns in dieser Legislaturperiode immer wieder Gedanken darum gemacht, wie wir auch die analogen Arbeitsabläufe straffen und verbessern können Diesen Prozess gilt es fortzusetzen. Darüber hinaus beschreibt der Bericht die zahlreichen Aktivitäten, die der Petitionsausschuss unternommen hat. Diese reichen von der Organisation der Wahl der neuen Europäischen Bürgerbeauftragten Emily O‘Reilly bis hin zu öffentlichen Anhörungen beispielsweise zur Unionsbürgerschaft. Der Petitionsausschuss ist sprichwörtlich der direkte Draht zu unseren Bürgerinnen und Bürgern. Mir ist es daher ein besonderes Anliegen, diesen Draht nach außen hin sichtbarer und nach innen straffer zu gestalten, um auch in Zukunft gewährleisten zu können, dass die Anliegen der Bürger in Europa Gehör finden.

PRZEWODNICZY: JACEK PROTASIEWICZ
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