Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Change 1 under “EXPLANATORY STATEMENT - SUMMARY OF FACTS AND FINDINGS”

ChangedRegarding the monitoring of the programme, there are monitoring indicators common to all strands and these are set in the Programme Regulation .Regulation. There is also a Key Performance Indicator for DG JUST set by Eurobarometer related to Strand 3 objectives, i.e. Citizens’ perception of democratic participation, ‘my voice counts’. The aim is to raise the 2019 percentage of 48 %.

Change 2 under “EXPLANATORY STATEMENT - SUMMARY OF FACTS AND FINDINGS”

ChangedUnder the CERVstrandCERV strand – Citizens’ engagement and participation – in the WP for 2021 - 2022, one of the priorities is funding ‘innovative democratic approaches and tools to help citizens make their voices heard and publicly exchange views on all areas of EU action, notably digital tools (‘e-democracy’)’.

Change 3 under “MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION”

ChangedA. whereas active citizen participation in political and cultural life is a fundamental right that should be equally accessible to all; whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides for the right to participate in government and free elections, the right to participate in the cultural life of the community and the right to peaceful assembly and association, enabling full participation in society;

Change 4 under “MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION”

ChangedB. whereas citizenship of the Union gives people various rights, in particular the right to petition Parliament on any issue withinfor which the EU’sEU has responsibility, the right to raise perceived cases of maladministration by any EU institution with the European Ombudsman, the right to write to any EU institution in one of the EU’s official languages and receive a reply in the same language and the right to access Parliament, Council and Commission documents underin certainaccordance conditions;with the applicable EU rules;

Change 5 under “MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION”

ChangedC. whereas present and emerging systemic challenges, such as the climate crisis, global pandemics, the digital shifttransition and migration,social inequalities require the adaptation of structures and approaches grantingensuring active participation toof citizens in society; whereas the active digital engagement of citizens should take into account and address the digital gap between generations;generations and social groups as well as between well connected urban areas and rural and remote areas, while improving overall digital literacy;

Change 6 under “MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION”

RemovedD. whereas citizen engagement must be understood as multi-level, encompassing local, regional, national, European and global processes; whereas the ongoing processes of globalisation and European integration will require the new generation of Europeans to be increasingly politically engaged at multiple levels in order to be able to live and work internationally and navigate difference in their daily lives; whereas societies are becoming more diverse, making respect for the diversity of cultures and origins and the rejection of any kind of discrimination towards women, LGTBIQ people or minorities ever more important within Europe;

AddedD. whereas EU programmes promoting civic engagement, rights and values, the sense of belonging and increasing socio-civic competences and critical thinking are more important than ever;

RemovedE. whereas socio-political changes observed in Member States, ranging from social polarisation and low institutional trust to democratic backsliding, the erosion of the rule of law, exclusionary nationalism and the instrumentalisation of Euroscepticism for political purposes, along with the rise of extremist movements and authoritarianism, may pose a serious threat to European democracies and destabilise the Union as a whole; whereas strengthening citizens’ active participation and engagement through formal, non-formal, informal and lifelong learning and education can play an important role in countering this trend;

AddedE. whereas citizens’ engagement must be understood as multilevel, encompassing local, regional, national, European and global processes through which people acquire awareness and knowledge and express their opinions taking part in and influencing the decisions that affect their lives; whereas participants from rural and remote areas must be encouraged to participate in the programme; whereas the ongoing processes of globalisation and European integration will require the new generation of Europeans to be increasingly politically engaged on multiple levels in order to be able to live and work internationally and navigate difference in their daily lives; whereas societies are becoming more diverse, making respect for human dignity, the diversity of cultures and origins and the rejection of any kind of discrimination towards women, LGTBIQ+ people, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups ever more important within Europe;

RemovedF. whereas the emergence of a European citizenship has been hindered by a knowledge gap and an emotional gap, and should therefore be accompanied and reinforced by a set of mechanisms enabling citizen participation and intercultural dialogue; whereas a better understanding of our shared European history and stronger citizen engagement in social and political life can have a beneficial impact on an emerging European identity that complements citizens’ multiple local, national, geographical, cultural or other identities;

AddedF. whereas socio-political changes observed in Member States, ranging from social polarisation and low institutional trust to democratic backsliding, the erosion of the rule of law, the shrinking space for civil society, exclusionary nationalism and the instrumentalisation of Euroscepticism for political purposes, along with the rise of extremist movements and authoritarianism, entryism of religious fundamentalisms, as well as disinformation campaigns and misinformation, may pose a serious threat to European democracies and destabilise the Union as a whole; whereas strengthening citizens’ active participation and engagement through formal, non-formal, informal and lifelong learning and education plays a fundamental role in countering this trend;

Change 7 under “MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION”

Changed1. Firmly believes that the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme makes a unique contribution to enhancing civic engagement and participation from a fundamental rights perspective by effectively combining values, civil dialogue and citizenship, while also promoting social and gender equalityequality, the diversity through the assistance for preserving the regional heritage, historical consciousness and the fight against discrimination and violence; is of the opinion that the CERV programme is an essential instrument for the future of the EU and for addressing socio-political challenges, such as the knowledge gap, Euroscepticism, shrinking civic spacespace, and the erosion of and challenges to the rule of law across Europe.Europe; encourages the programme to support actions aimed at building the resilience of civil society organisations, including those focused on the rule of law and EU values;

Change 8 under “MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION”

Removed3. Underlines that the programme faced several challenges that hindered the initial stages of its implementation, many of which were external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, and that these disrupted and compromised citizens’ rights and participation in democracy; notes, however, that implementation then picked up and is now going well;

Added3. Calls on the Commission to prioritise data collection on the CERV programme, particularly on disadvantaged groups, including marginalised communities, minorities, and vulnerable populations to address their unique challenges and promote research into their experiences; insists on the need to establish strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; underlines that this approach will be useful to inform policy development, ensuring the meaningful participation of disadvantaged groups in civic engagement initiatives and elevate their voices, and create a more inclusive and equitable programme while ensuring better future evaluations in general;

Removed4. Is concerned that the use and introduction of new digital tools for the implementation of EU funds (e.g. the eGrants tool) appear to be a key issue for beneficiaries with regard to the programme’s development; regrets that complex procedures have also hindered the participation of smaller organisations that do not have the time and resources required to go through the application process; considers that the design of these tools limits the programme’s ability to adapt to new developments and changing needs; calls for the elimination of the administrative burden and the simplification of the application, contracting and reporting processes;

Added4. Underlines that the programme faced several challenges that hindered the initial stages of its implementation, many of which were external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, and that these disrupted and compromised citizens’ rights and participation in democracy; notes, however, that after a slow start its implementation picked up and now the programme is functioning well; furthermore highlights that awareness campaigns must be organised in order to reach a wider population, especially from rural areas;

Removed5. Underlines that it is not obligatory for Member States to set up a CERV programme national contact point (NCP) that offers unbiased advice, helpful information and support to applicants, stakeholders and beneficiaries, including assistance with the application process, while sharing easy-to-understand information about programme outcomes; notes with regret, nevertheless, that only 20 Member States had NCPs by June 2023;

Added5. Is concerned that the use and introduction of new digital tools for the implementation of EU funds (e.g. the eGrants tool) appear to be a key issue for beneficiaries with regard to the programme’s development; regrets that complex procedures have also hindered the participation of smaller organisations that do not have the time and resources required to go through the application process within the set timelines; considers that the design of these tools limits the programme’s ability to adapt to new developments and changing needs; calls for the elimination of the administrative burdens and the simplification of the application, contracting and reporting processes; underlines that simplifying administrative requirements also includes a more efficient and flexible application process for organisations that have signed multi-year framework partnership agreements, also in order to anticipate policy developments; stresses, furthermore, the need to make the application portal more user friendly, especially for small-scale organisations, and to ensure that all the documents related to the procedure be translated in all EU languages in order to widen participation from all Member States and ensure cultural diversity;