European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2022 on the outcome of the Committee on Petitions’ deliberations during 2021 (2022/2024(INI))
Date: 2022-12-15
Institutions: Committee on Petitions, European Parliament
Subjects: EP Committee, EU national, activity report, administrative transparency, citizens' Europe, fundamental rights, operation of the Institutions, participatory democracy, petition








C_2023177EN.01012901.xml










17.5.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 177/129






P9_TA(2022)0451
Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2021
European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2022 on the outcome of the Committee on Petitions’ deliberations during 2021 (2022/2024(INI))
(2023/C 177/16)

The European Parliament,






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having regard to its previous resolutions on the deliberations of the Committee on Petitions,










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having regard to Articles 10 and 11 of the Treaty on European Union,










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having regard to Articles 20, 24 and 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which reflect the importance the Treaty attaches to the right of EU citizens and residents to bring their concerns to the attention of Parliament,










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having regard to Article 228 TFEU on the role and functions of the European Ombudsman,










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having regard to Article 44 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’) concerning the right to petition the European Parliament,










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having regard to the provisions of the TFEU relating to the infringement procedure and, in particular, to Articles 258 and 260 thereof,










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having regard to its resolution of 9 March 2022 on engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative (1),










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having regard to Rules 54 and 227(7) of its Rules of Procedure,










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having regard to the report of the Committee on Petitions (A9-0271/2022),










A.


whereas the purpose of the annual report on the outcome of the Committee on Petitions’ deliberations is to present an analysis of the petitions received in 2021 and of relations with other institutions, and to present an accurate picture of the objectives achieved in 2021;










B.


whereas in 2021, Parliament received 1 392 petitions, which represents around half of the number received in 2013 (2 891) and 2014 (2 715), when the total number of petitions received reached its peak; whereas the number of petitions submitted in 2021 also represents a decrease of 11,5 % compared to the 1 573 petitions submitted in 2020 and a slight increase of 2,5 % compared to the 1 357 petitions submitted in 2019;










C.


whereas in 2021, the number of users supporting one or more petitions on Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal was 209 272, which represents a very considerable increase from the 48 882 users recorded in 2020; whereas the number of clicks in support of petitions also increased in 2021, reaching a total of 217 876 (up from 55 129 in 2020); whereas petition No 0549/2021 by Adriana Muresan, bearing 22 735 signatures, on the alleged poor safety conditions in car parks for trucks and commercial vehicles on the European road network represents a record number of co-signatures for a petition in 2021;










D.


whereas the large number of petitions voicing citizens’ concerns over the public health and socio-economic emergencies, vaccination, and the implementation of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, resulting from the persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly contributed to the increase in the number of petitions registered in 2021 on this topic in comparison with the previous year; whereas 17,3 % of the petitions received in 2021 related to the COVID-19 pandemic;










E.


whereas the number of petitions received in 2021 asking for full compliance with EU environmental law, as well as for effective and rapid measures, in line with the precautionary principle, in order to protect ecosystems and habitats of Union concern significantly increased, amounting to a total of 327 (23,5 %);










F.


whereas the high number of petitions submitted in 2021 reveals that, also in the second year of the pandemic, citizens placed significant trust in Parliament, choosing to address their concerns and complaints directly to their elected representatives at EU level, whom they considered to be the source of decision-making; whereas the Parliament must do its utmost to validate this trust;










G.


whereas, however, the overall number of petitions remains modest in relation to the total population of the EU, revealing that efforts still need to be stepped up to increase citizens’ awareness about their right to petition, to further promote this instrument and to increase the geographical representation of petitions submitted per Member State, or to increase awareness of petitions’ possible usefulness as a means of drawing the attention of the EU institutions and the Member States to matters that affect and concern citizens directly; whereas, in exercising the right to petition, citizens expect that the EU institutions will reply in a timely manner and will provide added value in finding a solution to their problems; whereas failure to act at Union level to ensure full protection of citizens’ rights arising from EU law is likely to result in discontent towards the Union;










H.


whereas the criteria for the admissibility of petitions are laid down in Article 227 TFEU and Rule 226 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, which require that petitions must be submitted by an EU citizen or by a natural or legal person who is resident or has a registered office in a Member State, either individually or in association with others, on matters which fall within the EU’s fields of activity and which affect the petitioners directly, with the latter condition having a very broad interpretation;










I.


whereas, of the 1 392 petitions submitted in 2021, 368 were declared inadmissible and 17 were withdrawn; whereas the relatively high percentage (26,5 %) of inadmissible petitions in 2021 demonstrates that there is still a widespread lack of clarity about the scope of the Union’s areas of responsibility; whereas in order to remedy this situation, communication with citizens needs to be encouraged and improved;










J.


whereas each petition is considered and examined carefully, efficiently and transparently;










K.


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 with regard to the processing of their petitions is very influential in determining their perception of the EU institutions and respect for the right to petition as enshrined in EU law;










L.


whereas the right to petition the European Parliament is one of the fundamental rights of EU citizens set out in the Treaties and in the Charter; whereas the right to petition provides EU citizens and residents with an open, democratic and transparent mechanism to address their elected representatives directly; whereas it is therefore essential to improve respect for this right and its implementation in a timely manner in order to enable citizens to participate more actively and more effectively in the life of the Union; whereas, through petitions, EU citizens can complain about failures to implement EU law and help detect breaches of EU law;










M.


whereas the European Parliament is the only EU institution directly elected by EU citizens; whereas the right to petition offers Parliament, as well as other EU institutions, in particular the Commission, given its role of ensuring the correct application of EU law throughout the Union, the opportunity to enhance their responsiveness to complaints and concerns relating to the respect for EU fundamental rights and compliance with EU legislation in the Member States; whereas petitions are therefore a useful source of information on instances of misapplication or breaches of EU law and, thus, enable Parliament and other EU institutions to assess the transposition and application of EU law, as well as on shortcomings and loopholes in current EU law, and its impact on the rights of EU citizens and residents; whereas the submitted petitions should indicate to the EU institutions the areas where major effort and action at EU level is needed for the transposition and application of EU law;










N.


whereas Parliament has long been at the forefront of the development of the petitions process internationally and has the most open and transparent petitions process in Europe, allowing a significant number of petitioners to participate fully in its activities;










O.


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;










P.


whereas the Committee on Petitions carefully examines and deals with each petition submitted to Parliament; whereas each petitioner has the right to have his or her petition handled impartially and fairly in full compliance with the right to good administration enshrined in Article 41 of the Charter; whereas each petitioner has the right to receive a reply informing him or her about the decision on admissibility and follow-up actions taken by the committee within a reasonable period of time, in his or her own language or in the language used in the petition; whereas each petitioner is entitled to request that his or her petition be reopened on the basis of any relevant fresh developments;










Q.


whereas Parliament has already acknowledged that the Commission’s refusal to take action on issues raised in individual petitions constitutes a breach of the current EU Treaties’ provisions related to the right to petition, as it is not limited to issues of strategic importance or reflecting structural problems; whereas the Commission is still implementing its strategic approach in handling petitions on the basis of its 2017 communication entitled ‘EU law: Better results through better application’ (2), despite Parliament’s request for the Commission to revise it in a timely manner;










R.


whereas the Commission is failing to provide comprehensive information to the Committee on Petitions on the legislative and non-legislative measures taken following petitions received, as well as on infringement procedures related to petitions; whereas there is no public register linking petitions with all follow-up actions taken on them;










S.


whereas the activities of the Committee on Petitions are based on the input provided by petitioners; whereas the information submitted by petitioners in their petitions and at committee meetings, along with the Commission’s assessment and the replies of the Member States and other bodies, are crucial for the work of the committee; whereas admissible petitions also provide valuable contributions to the work of the other parliamentary committees, given that they are forwarded by the Committee on Petitions to other committees for an opinion or for information; whereas, therefore, petitions are very important for the legislative process, as they provide other parliamentary committees with useful and direct input for their legislative work in their respective fields;










T.


whereas the Committee on Petitions attaches paramount importance to the examination and public discussion of petitions at its meetings; whereas petitioners have the right to present their petitions and frequently take the floor in the discussion, thereby actively contributing to the work of the committee; whereas in 2021, the Committee on Petitions held 12 committee meetings, at which 159 petitions were discussed with 113 petitioners present remotely and most of them actively participating by taking the floor; whereas the slightly higher number of petitions discussed at meetings in 2021 compared to 2020 can be explained by the increase in timeslots for committee meetings, but always with limited interpretation facilities as a consequence of Parliament’s precautionary measures in the context of the persistence of the pandemic;










U.


whereas the main subjects of concern raised in petitions submitted in 2021 related to fundamental rights (in particular the impact of COVID-19 emergency measures on the rule of law and democracy, on access to education during the lockdowns, the freedom of movement and the right to work, as well as to LGBTIQ+ rights in the Union), health (notably questions on access to healthcare, on the public health crisis resulting from the persistence of the pandemic, ranging from the protection of citizens’ health, including vaccination policy, to the use, implementation and application of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in the Member States and the alleged discrimination between vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons), the environment (mostly concerning mining activities and their impact on the environment, illegal logging, violence against environmental whistleblowers, the possible improvement of coexistence between people and large carnivores, illicit waste disposal, nuclear safety, air pollution, wind farms, defective mica blocks and the deterioration of natural ecosystems), minority rights and discrimination (including the rights of national or linguistic minorities), education (in particular questions related to discriminatory access to education or contested national reforms of the law on education), the lack of safety in truck parking areas, the situation of EU students in the UK after the UK’s withdrawal from Erasmus+, and employment (in particular questions relating to national treatment of work contracts), in addition to many other areas of activity;










V.


whereas when adopting its meeting agenda, the Committee on Petitions pays attention to petitions and topics with significant relevance for discussion at EU level and the need to maintain an equitable geographical coverage of topics according to the petitions received;










W.


whereas 78,6 % (1 094) of the petitions received in 2021 were submitted via Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal, down slightly from 79,7 % (1 254 petitions) in 2020, thus confirming that Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal has become by far the most used channel for citizens to submit petitions to Parliament;










X.


whereas in 2021, the most important objective of the Petitions Web Portal (PETI Portal) was fully achieved, as the portal was online and operational for over 99,9 % of the time; whereas all petitions were prepared and published in a timely manner, within a few days of their adoption, and all internal and external requests for support regarding the use and content of the PETI portal were replied to successfully, in a timely manner and in all languages; whereas version 2.4 of the Petitions Web Portal was deployed and a request was made to initiate an artificial intelligence chatbot for the Petitions Web Portal;










Y.


whereas in 2021, the Committee on Petitions held one fact-finding visit; whereas the second fact-finding visit, scheduled for December, was postponed as a result of the decision taken considering the increase of the spread of COVID-19 and to minimise health risks for Parliament’s Members and staff;










Z.


whereas under the Rules of Procedure, the Committee on Petitions is responsible for relations with the European Ombudsman, who investigates complaints about maladministration within the institutions and bodies of the EU; whereas the current European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, presented her annual report for 2020 to the Committee on Petitions at its meeting of 14 July 2021;










AA.


whereas the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, has an essential role in the Committee on Petitions and the information provided by the petitioners is useful in discovering possible breaches or misapplications of European law;










AB.


whereas the Committee on Petitions is a member of the European Network of Ombudsmen, which also includes the European Ombudsman, national and regional ombudsmen and similar bodies in the Member States, the candidate countries and other European Economic Area countries, and which aims to promote the exchange of information about EU law and policy, and to share best practices;










AC.


whereas improving citizens’ participation and ensuring full protection of citizens’ rights arising from EU law are key elements for bringing the EU closer to its citizens; whereas the Committee on Petitions adopted the report on engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative (3), focusing on ways of raising citizens’ awareness of their rights, communication campaigns to draw attention to existing channels for participation, closer cooperation with other institutions and parliamentary committees and civic engagement on the part of young people, concluding that the Commission must revise its current strategic approach to handling petitions, as it has resulted in leaving untreated, inter alia, issues concerning serious violations of EU law detrimental to the protection of citizens’ rights; whereas the Committee on Petitions considers the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) a very important instrument of participatory democracy, which should be enhanced to enable citizens to become more actively and directly involved in shaping the Union’s policies and legislation;












1.


Emphasises the fundamental role of the Committee on Petitions in protecting and promoting the rights of EU citizens and residents by ensuring that petitioners’ concerns and complaints are examined in a timely, effective, appropriate and non-discriminatory manner, and that the petitioners are informed about the actions taken and progress made on their petitions, and that they are resolved through an open, democratic and transparent petitions process;












2.


Recalls that, in 2021, there were considerable differences in the number of petitions submitted to the Committee on Petitions from the 27 Member States, with most of the petitions concerning Spain (17 %), followed by Germany (9,7 %), Italy (9,2 %), Greece (5,9 %), Romania (4,1 %), Poland (4 %) and France (2,6 %); points out that the number of petitions concerning the remaining Member States was less than 2 % per Member State;












3.


Stresses that petitioners often address the Committee on Petitions about topics that are pressing to them; underlines that in such situations, a delayed treatment of petitions provides little value to the petitioners; believes that the Committee on Petitions should take action to clear the backlog of open petitions; invites the Committee on Petitions to review its working methods, in order to ensure that all petitions are treated with a consistent and transparent set of criteria that guarantee a timely and effective process;












4.


Is of the opinion that the Committee on Petitions is equally available to citizens and residents in all 27 Member States and that the treatment of petitions should be geographically balanced; believes, in this respect, that Parliament should increase its efforts to promote the role and work of its Committee on Petitions and raise awareness among all EU citizens of the possibility to address a petition to Parliament; emphasises that when adopting its agenda for meetings, hearings and missions, the Committee on Petitions must follow its guidelines and objective criteria such as the contribution of selected petitions to the current EU debate and their balanced geographical coverage according to the petitions received; emphasises that the activity of the Committee must always be aimed at responding to the matter directly affecting the petitioner; recalls, in this context, the very European dimension of the Committee on Petitions whose role it is to treat petitions on matters which come within the European Union’s fields of activity, as enshrined in the TFEU; to this end, believes that the Committee on Petitions has a special responsibility to uphold this European dimension vis-à-vis the petitioners and towards the outside world, and that all its Members in their actions and considerations should be always guided by the European institutional responsibility rather than by national political interests; recalls that agreements between the political groups represented in the Committee on Petitions are essential to provide a balanced and understandable response to the petitioners;












5.


Reiterates the importance of a continuous public debate on the Union’s field of activity in order to ensure that citizens are correctly informed about the scope of the Union’s competences and the different levels of decision-making; calls, in this regard, for broader awareness-raising campaigns, through the active involvement of communications services, both at European and national level, to help increase citizens’ knowledge about their right to petition, as well as the scope of the Union’s responsibilities and the competences of the Committee on Petitions with a view to reducing the number of inadmissible petitions and better responding to citizens’ concerns; underlines that additional efforts need to be made to raise awareness on the right to petitions in those EU Member States from which proportionately less petitions are submitted;












6.


Considers it of the utmost importance that the Commission revise its strategic approach on the handling of petitions currently based on its 2017 communication entitled ‘EU law: Better results through better application’ in order to adopt clear rules and establish an administrative procedure to deal with admissible petitions, ensuring adequate follow-up, including on issues raised in individual petitions, which often denounce violations of EU law, which affect a large number of citizens or highlight further alleged violations of EU law on the same topic as ongoing infringement procedures;












7.


Points out that petitions constitute a unique opportunity for Parliament and the other EU institutions to directly connect with EU citizens and maintain a regular dialogue with them, particularly in cases where they are affected by the misapplication or breach of EU law, as well as by shortcomings and loopholes in current EU law; stresses the need for enhanced cooperation between the EU institutions, bodies and agencies and national, regional and local authorities on inquiries regarding the impact and the implementation of and compliance with EU law; believes that such cooperation is crucial to address and resolve citizens’ concerns over the application and effectiveness of EU law and contributes to strengthening the democratic legitimacy and accountability of the Union; calls for the more active participation of Member States’ representatives in committee meetings and for timely and detailed responses to requests for clarification or information sent by the Committee on Petitions to national authorities;












8.


Requests the setting up of a one-stop-shop interinstitutional IT tool between the Commission and Parliament to share publicly all the available information on all follow-up actions taken on petitions, including information on EU Pilot and infringement procedures, legislative proposals, recordings of the Committee’s meetings during which a petition is debated, replies by national authorities and Parliament’s standing committees, and on any other related non-legislative action;












9.


Recalls that petitions contribute considerably to the Commission’s role as guardian of the Treaties by providing citizens with an additional opportunity to notify alleged breaches of EU law; stresses that more structured means of collaboration and reinforced cooperation between the Committee on Petitions and the Commission through timely and detailed answers from the Commission, which are based on thorough examination of the issues raised in petitions, are essential to ensure the successful treatment of petitions: underlines that the Commission should be more actively involved in order to deliver precise response to petitions’ requests and complaints; reiterates its call on the Commission to provide the Committee on Petitions with regular and updated information on developments and the state of play in relation to infringement proceedings which were launched on the basis of the petitions received, and to ensure that the Committee on Petitions obtains access to relevant Commission documents on infringements and EU Pilot procedures; deplores, in this context, the lack of systematic follow-up in communications with the Committee on Petitions; considers that an interinstitutional agreement between Parliament and the Commission on the handling of petitions could be the way forward in order to ensure the transparent and efficient treatment of petitions;












10.


Recall that the e-Peti database is an important internal tool that allows the members of the Committee on Petitions to access all necessary information in order to follow up on the state of play of each individual petition and to be able to make informed decisions when it comes to the petitions’ ongoing treatment or possible closure; to this end, the e-Peti database should be regularly updated and, if possible, linked to the Commission’s list of infringements;












11.


Underlines that increased attention should be given to the adoption of a European legislative act that enshrines the recognition of LGBTIQ+ rights;












12.


Calls on the Commission to assess in a more timely manner whether national authorities are taking the necessary measures, where they have not already done so, to respond in an effective manner to citizens’ concerns as expressed in their petitions where cases of failure in compliance with EU law occur, which is detrimental to the full protection of rights of citizens and residents in the EU, and to launch infringement procedures where necessary; firmly believes that rapid action by the Commission against breaches of EU law is crucial to prevent these breaches from becoming systemic in nature;












13.


Calls on the Commission to improve its system for collecting information on petitions and to include in its annual report on monitoring the application of EU law a direct reference to petitions, with a clear focus, inter alia, on the link between petitions, infringement procedures, EU legislative acts or any other EU legal act;












14.


Points out the need to prevent any inconsistency or lack of homogeneity in the treatment of petitions, in order to guarantee the correct implementation of the right to petition;












15.


Underlines that petitions may be also considered as a strategic tool to trigger legislative initiatives of the European Parliament pursuant to Article 225 TFEU, thereby helping to address any shortcomings in current EU law detrimental to citizens’ rights;












16.


Recalls that cooperation with other committees in Parliament is essential for the accurate and comprehensive treatment of petitions; notes that in 2021, 82 petitions were sent to other committees for opinion and 548 for information; welcomes the fact that 46 opinions and 176 acknowledgements of taking petitions into consideration in their work were received from other committees; notes that the public hearings organised jointly with other parliamentary committees facilitate a thorough examination of petitions; recalls that petitioners are informed of the decisions to request opinions from other committees for the treatment of their petitions; calls on parliamentary committees to step up their efforts to actively contribute to the examination of petitions — by proving their expertise — and thus enable Parliament to respond more swiftly and comprehensively to citizens’ concerns;












17.


Believes that the petitions network is a useful tool for facilitating the follow-up of petitions in parliamentary and legislative work; takes the view that this network should enhance dialogue and cooperation with the Commission and other EU institutions; trusts that regular meetings of the petitions network are crucial in order to ensure more visibility for the Committee on Petition’s activities and strengthen cooperation with the other parliamentary committees through the exchange of information and sharing of best practices among the network’s members;












18.


Underlines that during the increased timeslots for committee meetings in 2021, in adaptation to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee on Petitions expressed its position on important issues raised in petitions by adopting, among others, its report of 9 November 2021 on the deliberations of the Committee on Petitions during 2020 (4), its two reports of 26 January 2021 on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2019 (5) and of 2 December 2021 on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2020 (6), its report of 27 January 2021 on engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative (7), and its opinion of 27 May 2021 on the Commission’s 2020 Rule of Law Report (8); appreciates the very good work of the secretariat of the Committee on Petitions at a time when working conditions remained complex;












19.


Draws attention to the large number of petitions on COVID-19 that the Committee on Petitions examined and replied to in 2021; stresses that most of these petitions called for the protection of citizens’ health against the consequences of the virus, including questions on vaccination policy and alleged discrimination between vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons, as well as for assessment of the management of the health crisis in the Member States;












20.


Strongly regrets the Commission’s failure to disclose all details of the contracts signed with pharmaceutical companies on COVID-19 vaccines in violation of citizens’ right to information; is seriously concerned about the maladministration by the Commission related to its refusal to grant public access to documents concerning 1,5 million medical masks which the Commission purchased at an early stage in the COVID-19 pandemic and which did not meet the required quality standards (9);












21.


Takes note that, along with fundamental rights and the environment, health was one of the main areas of concern for petitioners in 2021, while recognising that health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic were at the centre of the Committee on Petitions’ work; emphasises the attention paid by the Committee on Petitions to the consequences of COVID-19 in terms of internal market policy (in particular questions relating to national travel restrictions and their impact on the freedom of movement of persons within and outside the EU); points, in this regard, to the public hearing held by the Committee on Petitions jointly with the Committee on Transport and Tourism on 14 July 2021 entitled ‘How to improve air passenger rights during the COVID-19 crisis? — Regulation (EC) No 261/2004’ (10), in order to assess how effectively the Flight Compensation Regulation has been applied during the COVID-19 pandemic and if the EU legal framework on passenger rights was adequate to deal with such a crisis;












22.


Draws attention to the large number of petitions alleging violations of the Charter; points out the limited outcome of the aforementioned petitions owing to the effective limitation of the scope of application of the Charter, as outlined in its Article 51; recalls that the expectations of most petitioners in relation to the rights conferred on them by the Charter are high and go beyond their current scope of application; reiterates its call for consideration to be given to broadening the interpretation of Article 51 beyond the scope of Union law or deleting it altogether, as stated in previous resolutions (11);












23.


Draws attention to the significant number of petitions discussed in relation with various aspects of the protection of the rights of rainbow families in the EU, in particular the different stances regarding the free movement and mutual recognition rights of LGBTIQ+ families in the EU; recalls the workshop of 22 March 2021 on LGBTI+ rights in the EU, which the Committee on Petitions held to discuss the situation of LGBTIQ+ persons, to examine the new strategy on LGBTIQ equality presented by the Commission, and to address the problem represented by obstacles to the free movement of rainbow families; draws attention to the report of the Committee on Petitions of 15 July 2021 on LGBTIQ rights in the EU (12), wherein it calls for the Commission to take concrete measures to ensure protection for LGBTIQ+ families in line with the Court of Justice of the European Union judgments in the cases of Coman and Hamilton, Maruko, Römer and Hay (13), and the Taddeucci and McCall judgment (14) of the European Court of Human Rights;












24.


Points out that petitions related to the rights of national minorities remained on the agenda of the Committee on Petitions, especially in the areas of discriminatory practices concerning their right to education in their mother tongue, linguistic or cultural rights, and other rights such as the right to property, as outlined in petitions concerning land confiscation and restitution cases in some Member States;












25.


Notes that environmental issues remained an area of serious concern for petitioners in 2021; regrets that environmental rules are not always correctly implemented in the Member States, as described in numerous petitions raising complaints about air pollution, large carnivores’ conservation status and their impact on human activities, illegal logging, attacks on environmental activists, illicit plastic waste disposal, the deterioration of natural ecosystems, nuclear safety and the alteration of biodiversity, and also confirmed by EU Pilot and infringement procedures launched by the Commission; points to the important work carried out by the Committee on Petitions to highlight the impact of mining activities on the environment, as demonstrated by the number of petitions received on this topic; draws attention to the public hearing of 2 December 2021 on the environmental and social impacts of mining activity in the EU, held by the Committee on Petitions in association with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, in order to acquire scientific knowledge on various aspects, including mining legislation, safety standards, the social and environmental impacts of mines, environmental citizenship, public participation and transparency in the mining sector; stresses that the Commission should investigate as a matter of priority the cases of incorrect transposition and implementation of EU environmental legislation in order to efficiently address the concerns of the petitioners; suggests that Member States prioritise the implementation of the precautionary and ‘do no harm’ principles when considering the authorisation of projects that have an impact on the environment;












26.


Stresses that illicit practices denounced in the petitions such as disposing of waste in illegal landfills, illegal logging and the illegal timber trade, the destruction of ecosystems, or the illicit killing and trafficking of species protected under EU Habitats Directive constitute serious breaches of EU law and amount to environmental crimes; highlights, in this context, that the Commission should strengthen the tools to fight environmental crime at EU level in order to efficiently investigate and prosecute such crimes and bring offenders to justice;












27.


Draws attention to the joint hearing of the Committee on Petitions and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of 25 February 2021 on plastics and waste management in the circular economy, which focused on the implementation of the current legislative framework on plastic waste, addressing the main challenges encountered by the Member States as well as highlighting the opportunities that the legal framework provides with a view to reducing the impact of plastic in the environment across Europe;












28.


Stresses the importance of delivering on EU citizens’ expectations regarding the protection of the environment, and in particular of taking action in the field of water policy to reduce pollution and hazardous residues of chemical substances; points, in this regard, to the resolution of 23 March 2021 on chemical residues in the Baltic Sea, based on Petitions Nos 1328/2019 and 0406/2020 (15); calls on the Commission to ensure that the issue of munitions dumped in European seas is included in the horizontal programmes in order to enable the submission of projects covering regions affected by the same problem and to facilitate the exchange of experience and best practices;












29.


Urges the Commission, together with the Member States, to ensure the correct implementation of EU legislation in the environmental field;












30.


Draws attention to the joint hearing of the Committee on Petitions and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of 16 June 2021 on the fair and equal treatment of farmers across the European Union, which focused on the reform of the common agriculture policy, the new EU rules for direct payments and rural development after 2022;












31.


Recalls that the Union must guarantee citizens the right to participate actively in the democratic functioning of the European Union in any of its official languages in order to avoid any form of discrimination and to promote multilingualism; encourages in this sense the EU institutions to make use of as many official languages as possible and to implement their multilingualism policies coherently;












32.


Underlines the work of the Committee on Petitions in connection with petitions relating to alleged poor safety conditions in parking facilities for trucks and commercial vehicles on the European road network, in relation to attacks on carriers in truck parking areas; points, in this regard, to the motion for a resolution adopted by the Committee on Petitions on 6 October 2021 on the safety of truck parking lots in the EU (16); urges the Commission and the Council to take the necessary measures to establish and develop police cooperation involving the competent authorities of all Member States to prevent, detect and investigate criminal offences on roads and in parking areas; encourages the Commission to follow up on this resolution with concrete actions and strengthen the monitoring of safety conditions in truck parking areas;












33.


Stresses the important contribution made by the Committee on Petitions to the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, as revealed by its treatment of a number of petitions on this sensitive topic; points, in this regard, to Parliament’s resolution of 7 October 2021 on the protection of persons with disabilities through petitions: lessons learnt (17), which was adopted by the Committee on Petitions on 14 July 2021; recalls the workshop of 9 November 2021 entitled ‘The rights of persons with disabilities — The implementation of the 2015 Concluding Observations of the CRPD Committee by the EU and the 2021-2030 Disability Strategy’, which the Committee on Petitions held to focus on the implementation of the Convention and on how this has been addressed and resolved notably through disability strategies;












34.


Welcomes the specific protection role played by the Committee on Petitions within the EU in the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; points to the committee’s important ongoing work in connection with petitions concerning issues on disabilities; notes that the number of petitions on disability decreased in 2021 in comparison with the previous year; stresses that accessibility and mobility in public spaces, discrimination, inclusion and access to education and employment remain among the main challenges faced by persons with disabilities;












35.


Recalls the fact that relations with the European Ombudsman are one of the responsibilities conferred by Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on the Committee on Petitions; welcomes Parliament’s constructive cooperation with the European Ombudsman, as well as its involvement in the European Network of Ombudsmen; acknowledges the European Ombudsman’s regular contributions to the work of the Committee on Petitions throughout the year; firmly believes that the Union’s institutions, bodies and agencies must ensure consistent and effective follow-up to the recommendations of the Ombudsman; strongly supports the Ombudsman’s work on upholding public access to EU documents, which encompassed 214 inquiries in 2021; reiterates its calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for a revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, as adopted in previous resolutions; stresses that any such revision must enhance transparency and accountability by promoting good administrative practice (18);












36.


Stresses that the ECI is an important instrument for active citizenship and public participation; welcomes the discussion in several meetings as petitions of some unsuccessful ECIs, which gave citizens the opportunity to expose their ideas and hold a constructive debate, as well as facilitating the participation of EU citizens in the democratic process of the Union; takes note of the significant number of new ECIs registered by the Commission in 2021, which shows that citizens are seizing the opportunity to use participatory instruments to have a say in policy and law-making processes; calls on the Commission to better engage with citizens and give adequate follow-up to successful ECIs, including through legislative proposals;












37.


Underlines that additional communication efforts should be guaranteed to increase the visibility of the activities of the Committee on Petitions in all Member States of the EU, especially the visibility of its official missions;












38.


Underlines that the Petitions Web Portal is an essential tool for ensuring a smooth, efficient and transparent petitions process; welcomes, in this regard, the improvements to data protection and security features which have made the portal more user-friendly and secure for citizens; stresses that efforts must be continued to make the portal more accessible and known to citizens, including to persons with disabilities; considers that the Petitions Web Portal must provide short descriptions in clear and plain language of all EU participatory instruments, thereby helping users to identify the most appropriate channel and reduce the number of inadmissible petitions; supports the creation of a single digital portal where citizens can access and find out about all the procedures for tabling petitions;












39.


Notes that although the number of people supporting one or more petitions is clearly on the rise, many petitioners have expressed concern at the complexity of the procedures to be completed on Parliament’s Petitions Web Portal in order to manifest support for a petition;












40.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution and the report of the Committee on Petitions to the Council, the Commission, the European Ombudsman, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Member States’ committees on petitions, national ombudsmen or similar competent bodies.






(1)  OJ C 347, 9.9.2022, p. 110.

(2)  OJ C 18, 19.1.2017, p. 10.

(3)  Adopted by Parliament on 9 March 2022 as a resolution (OJ C 347, 9.9.2022, p. 110).

(4)  Adopted by Parliament as a resolution on 16 December 2021 (OJ C 251, 30.6.2022, p. 96).

(5)  Adopted by Parliament on 11 March 2021 as a resolution on the activities of the European Ombudsman — annual report 2019 (OJ C 474, 24.11.2021, p. 82).

(6)  Adopted by Parliament on 16 February 2022 as a resolution on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2020 (OJ C 342, 6.9.2022, p. 58).

(7)  Adopted by Parliament as a resolution on 9 March 2022 (OJ C 347, 9.9.2022, p. 110).

(8)  Opinion PE689.805 in procedure 2021/2025(INI), adopted by Parliament as a resolution on 24 June 2021 (OJ C 81, 18.2.2022, p. 27).

(9)  European Ombudsman case 790/2021/MIG.

(10)  Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights (OJ L 46, 17.2.2004, p. 1).

(11)  European Parliament resolution of 27 February 2014 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2012) (OJ C 285, 29.8.2017, p. 112).

(12)  Adopted by Parliament as a resolution on 14 September 2021 (OJ C 117, 11.3.2022, p. 2).

(13)  Judgment of 5 June 2018, Coman, C-673/16, ECLI:EU:C:2018:385; judgment of 1 April 2008, Maruko, C-267/06, ECLI:EU:C:2008:179; judgment of 10 May 2011, Römer, C-147/08, ECLI:EU:C:2011:286; judgment of 7 February 2014, Hay, C-267/12, ECLI:EU:C:2013:823.

(14)  Taddeucci and McCall v. Italy, No 51361/09.

(15)  Adopted by Parliament as a resolution on 27 April 2021 (OJ C 506, 15.12.2021, p. 9).

(16)  Adopted by Parliament as a resolution on 25 November 2021 (OJ C 224, 8.6.2022, p. 95).

(17)  European Parliament resolution of 7 October 2021 on the protection of persons with disabilities through petitions: lessons learnt (Petitions No 2582/2013, 2551/2014, 0074/2015, 0098/2015, 1140/2015, 1305/2015, 1394/2015, 0172/2016, 0857/2016, 1056/2016, 1147/2016, 0535/2017, 1077/2017, 0356/2018, 0367/2018, 0371/2018, 0530/2018, 0724/2018, 0808/2018, 0959/2018, 0756/2019, 0758/2019, 0954/2019, 1124/2019, 1170/2019, 1262/2019, 0294/2020, 0470/2020, 0527/2020, 0608/2020, 0768/2020, 0988/2020, 1052/2020, 1139/2020, 1205/2020, 1299/2020, 0103/2021 and others) (OJ C 132, 24.3.2022, p. 129).

(18)  European Parliament resolution of 16 December 2021 on the deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2020 (OJ C 251, 30.6.2022, p. 96).