Debate: Deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2021
Speaker: Maroš Šefčovič
Language: EN

Our rapporteur already made a reference to the increase in the number of petitions, and I can say that it was an almost 16% increase, and indeed, as Mr Falcă has said, the increase was quite significant and the overall number is now 1 573, which is pretty impressive. Many of these were to do with the health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as fundamental rights linked to the extraordinary measures taken by the Member States during this time. In addition, environmental issues remained an area of serious concerns for petitioners in 2020. I also take note that your committee has devoted much effort to the protection and promotion of the rights of people with disabilities and children’s rights. I would like to congratulate you on the improvements to your petitions web portal. This is an essential tool for ensuring a smooth, efficient and transparent petitions process and is fully in line with our collective efforts for a digital union. The issues raised by petitioners largely align with the Commission’s priorities under President von der Leyen’s political guidelines, especially the transition towards a greener, more digital, fairer and more resilient society. And as I said during our structured dialogue two weeks ago, I fully agree that providing timely and substantive answers to petitioners contributes to strengthening the credibility of all EU institutions. Therefore, I am working very hard together with the Commission services to make sure that the Commission plays an active role in your committee to ensure citizens receive detailed and understandable responses. The Commission has been well represented at your committee meetings, including by my fellow Commissioners, Vice-President Jourová, Commissioner Dalli, our services and also myself, and I am glad to say that we further rationalised the process of replying to your requests to achieve a more transparent and streamlined way of working. We also remain committed to fruitful cooperation in addressing infringement-related petitions. The proper application of EU law is a collective responsibility shared between the Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, and national authorities. Therefore I welcome your call on national authorities to be proactive in taking the necessary measures to respond to citizens’ petitions in cases of systemic failure to comply with EU law. As I explained during our structured dialogue, the aim of the formal infringement procedure is to help Member States to correct the laws or practices. It is not designed to offer concrete solutions for individuals or ensure individual redress, not least because the process can take years. Rather, infringements contribute to addressing systemic problems affecting a large amount of people, often across Member States. To put it simply, our enforcement work focuses on the root causes of the problem rather than the symptoms. One such example was the Commission’s intervention in the early stages of the pandemic against the practice of issuing travel vouchers for holidays cancelled because of COVID-19, even to those who wanted refunds. In its recommendation of 13 May 2020, the Commission recalled the obligations stemming from the Package Travel Directive and then opened infringement proceedings against 11 Member States. In most cases, the national measures were amended or expired or were not renewed. Only in one case did the Commission have to take the Member States to the European Court of Justice. I also appreciate this committee’s fruitful cooperation during the reporting period regarding the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and the negotiations on our future relationship with the United Kingdom. In particular your work helped to ensure that citizens can have their concerns around Brexit heard. To conclude, I want to reassure you that the Commission remains committed to maintaining close and fruitful cooperation with your committee.