Changes from plenary report to adopted text

Removed On 11 April 2019, the committee adopted the report on the Fact-Finding Visit to Valledora, Piedmont, Italy (17-18.12.2018).

Removed On 2 December 2019, the committee discussed the follow-up of the Fact-finding Visit to Famagusta, Cyprus (7-8.05.2018) in the presence of the petitioner.

RemovedPublic Hearings

RemovedIn 2019, the Committee on Petitions organised three public hearings, partly jointly with other parliamentary committees. The public hearings covered a wide range of subjects raised in petitions.

Removed• On 21 March 2019, the Committee on Petitions held a joint public hearing with the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on Climate Change Denial. The Hearing was based on petition No 0900/2016, introduced on behalf of Food & Water Europe and bearing 732 signatures of petitioners from all over the EU. The petition called for action against a multinational oil company for its alleged climate change denial. Against this background, the hearing aimed to explore the topic of climate change denial under different perspectives and to examine the communication techniques used in politics or by private companies and other actors in society to mislead the public on the negative impact of certain industrial activities or policies on the climate. Members highlighted the leading role the EU has taken on the global stage in the climate change debate and stressed the need for swift action on this matter.

Removed• On 12 November 2019, the Committee on Petitions held a Hearing on FATCA and its extraterritorial impact on EU citizens. In 2016, the Committee on Petitions was seized with Petition No 1088/2016 on the US’ Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act’s (FATCA) alleged infringement of EU rights and the extraterritorial effects of US laws in the EU. The aim of the hearing was to facilitate an exchange of views between the various stakeholders and discuss solutions to the issues faced by EU citizens affected by FATCA. The hearing was divided into two panels, one that focused on financial services and another on the indirect effects of FATCA on EU citizens, with a special emphasis on potential conflicts between the US law and European data protection rules. As a follow-up to the hearing, Members decided to write letters to the Finnish Presidency of the Council and to the European Commission calling on them to take action in support of the citizens concerned.

Removed• On 5 December 2019, the Committee on Petitions and the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, in association with the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, held a joint public hearing on the Revaluation of the wolf population in the EU. The purpose of the hearing was to achieve a better understanding on the status of the wolf population in the EU and, potentially, to consider possible changes to the current management of the wolf population in Europe based on the concerns raised by a number of petitions. Specific attention was paid to the analysis of the wolf population in the EU, on the legal framework for the protection of the wolf as well as on the impact of the wolves’ population on the environment and rural communities with a view to presenting conclusions and recommendations for policy-makers and stakeholders.

RemovedKey issues

Removed Environmental issues

RemovedIn 2019, the committee paid paramount attention to citizens’ concerns over the protection of the environment and climate change, which have been debated in every meeting very often in the presence of the petitioner. The committee dealt with the following main subjects: waste management, protection and preservation, plastics, water- and air pollution, nuclear energy and the impact of mining activities on the environment. On 20 February 2019, the committee examined a large number of petitions on nuclear energy raising serious concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants, transboundary impacts and differences between liability schemes in the Member States. In order to carry out an evidence-based assessment, the committee commissioned and heard an update of the study on ‘Cross-border nuclear safety, liability and cooperation in the European Union’. Subsequently, on 21 March 2019, the committee held a hearing on Climate Change Denial. Furthermore, as a follow up to the petitions on the exposure to dangerous substances, it commissioned a study on ‘Endocrine Disruptors: From Scientific Evidence to Human Health Protection’, which was presented in its meeting on 2 April 2019. Finally, waste management remained a recurring theme in 2019, which prompted the adoption on 21 March 2019 of a Short Motion for a Resolution on Waste Management. The resolution stresses that waste management is one of the main global socioeconomic and environmental challenges and pushes for a reduction of waste generation and a boost of reuse and recycling. It focuses on proper waste management and waste prevention as a top priority for the EU and on better implementation of waste legislation by Member States.

Removed Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Affairs

RemovedIn 2019, the committee discussed a number of petitions on fundamental rights, including on the protection of whistle-blowers, children’s rights and homelessness. In addition, on 21 January 2019, the committee adopted an opinion for the Committee on Constitutional Affairs on the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the EU institutional framework.

RemovedAs regards more specifically constitutional matters, several petitions raised citizens’ concerns over transparency and accountability of the EU institutions. In order to deal with these issues, on 2 April 2019 the committee requested and hosted a Workshop on ‘Conflicts of Interest - Integrity, Accountability and Transparency in the EU institutions and agencies’ organised by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs. The workshop examined the achievements reached in relation to the conflicts of interests in the EU institutions and agencies, as well integrity, accountability, transparency, code of conducts and revolving doors, while also discussing challenges for the future.

Removed Brexit

RemovedA significant number (73) of new petitions on Brexit was registered in 2019. In 2019, the Committee on Petitions continued examining and discussing the impact of Brexit on Citizens’ Rights on several occasions. In particular, at its meeting of 2 October 2019, the committee held an exchange of views with the European Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group. The members of the Group provided an update on the state of play of the negotiations carried out with the UK on citizens’ rights in the framework of the Withdrawal Agreement and highlighted the shortcomings and challenges of a ‘no-deal’ scenario. As a follow-up to the exchange of views, PETI members also discussed several petitions on Brexit, with a focus on citizen’s rights after the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. The Committee decided to keep monitoring the developments in the run-up to the Brexit deadline as well as the implementation of the EU Settlement Scheme by the UK.

Removed Animal welfare

RemovedIn 2019, citizens’ concerns over animal welfare remained high in the committee’s agendas. The committee discussed a large number of petitions on various issues, including the protection of stray animals and honeybees in the EU. In particular, on 2 October 2019, it discussed a series of petitions on the protection of animals during transport and on banning animal experiments. As a follow-up, the committee decided to keep these petitions open and to ask the Commission for an updated assessment. On 11 November 2019, the committee discussed a petition submitted on behalf of Animal Welfare Foundation, seeking a ban on the import of Prgenant Mare’s Serum Gonadotropin from South America as a result of investigations showing inhuman treatment of mares in blood farms in Uruguay and Argentina. The committee decided to ask the Commission for information on the topic within the new EU-Mercosur trade agreement, to ask both the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Trade Organisation for an opinion. Finally, on 5 December 2019, the Committee on Petitions and the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, in association with the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, held a joint public hearing on the Revaluation of the wolf population in the EU.

Removed Disability issues

RemovedThe Committee on Petitions plays a specific protection role as regards compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) within the policymaking and legislative actions at EU level. Within this responsibility, the committee deals with petitions on disability issues. Although the number of petitions on disability almost halved in 2019 in comparison with the previous year (12 in 2019 and 23 in 2018), the committee continued examining petitions on disability revealing that the main challenges remain mobility, discrimination and access to education. For instance, the committee discussed a number of petitions on inclusive education for disabled children. Additionally, the Committee has received several petitions of citizens, alerting on the difficulties persons with disabilities face in their daily life situations, including in public transport. Following the debate on Petition No 0535/2017 in regard to the mobility of persons with disabilities in the European Union, the Committee on Petitions decided to address all Member States of the Union with the view to compiling an overview of the concrete steps each member state has taken (or intends to take) for the effective implementation of UNCRPD. The committee welcomes the replies sent by most Member States in the course of the year 2019. Finally, it may be worth recalling that at its meeting on 12 November 2019 the committee endorsed the coordinators’ decision to send a letter to the President of the European Parliament to raise his awareness regarding Petition No 1056/2016 for the tabling of petitions in national sign languages used in the EU.

Removed Adopted Reports and Opinions

RemovedOn 21 January 2019, the committee adopted an opinion for the Committee on Constitutional Affairs on the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the EU institutional framework (2017/2089(INI)).

RemovedOn 22 January 2019, the committee adopted its report on the deliberations of the Committee on Petitions during the year 2018 (2018/2280(INI)).

RemovedOn 20 February 2019, the committee adopted an opinion for the Committee on Transport and Tourism on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on discontinuing seasonal changes of time and repealing Directive 2000/84/EC (COM(2018)0639 – C8 0408/2018 – 2018/0332(COD)).

RemovedOn 21 March 2019, the committee adopted a Motion for a Resolution on waste management (2019/2557(RSP)).

RemovedOn 12 November 2019, the Committee adopted a Report on the Annual Report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2018 (2019/2134(INI)). The Report highlights the Ombudsman’s work and commends her essential and fruitful dialogue with the Committee on Petitions, which constitutes an effective system of addressing the citizens’ concerns for guidance and help. The Report also points out that transparency and accountability-related inquiries continue to account for the greatest proportion of cases handled by the Ombudsman in 2018.

Removed Studies

RemovedIn 2019, the committee heard the presentations of the following studies commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at its request:

Removed- Quality Differences in Consumer Products in the EU Legislation, (presented on 22 January 2019);

Removed- Cross-border nuclear safety, liability and cooperation in the European Union (presented on 20 February 2019);

Removed- Endocrine Disruptors: From Scientific Evidence to Human Health Protection (presented on 2 April 2019);

Removed- Food Labelling for Consumers – EU Law, Regulation and Policy Options (presented on 11 April 2019);

RemovedIn July 2019, the Policy Department for Citizens Rights and Constitutional Affairs published at the request of Committee on Petitions an in-depth analysis on the Achievements of the Committee on Petitions during the 2014-2019 parliamentary term and the challenges for the future, which was distributed to the members of the committee at the end of its constitutive meeting.

Removed Workshops

RemovedOn 2 April 2019, the Committee on Petitions hosted a Workshop on ‘Conflicts of Interest - Integrity, Accountability and Transparency in the EU institutions and agencies’ organised by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at its request. The workshop examined the achievements reached during this parliamentary term in relation to the conflicts of interests in the EU institutions and agencies, as well integrity, accountability, transparency, code of conducts and revolving doors, while also discussing challenges for the future. Petition No 0224/2018 on the appointment of the Secretary-General of the European Commission was debated in the context of the Workshop on conflict of interests.