Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-13-Speech-2-399"
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"en.20071113.36.2-399"2
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"Madam President, first of all I wish to congratulate the rapporteur on an excellent report. I myself became a member of the Committee on Petitions just over one year ago and during that time I have had first-hand experience of the very valuable work that is done by the committee.
But how often do we as politicians hear of the democratic deficit, and how often are we therefore urged to engage with citizens? Well, the Committee on Petitions is a tangible, hands-on, practical way of engaging with European citizens. There is an essential element of truth in the statement that all politics is local, and while individuals throughout the EU-27 are concerned with the big issues of globalisation, EU enlargement, emigration, energy supply etc., they are most often concerned with how these issues affect their lives, their families and their communities. Equally, with European legislation, citizens are concerned with how this impacts on their lives and their communities. And where they perceive misapplication or unfair application of European legislation, they want a relatively simple, easy and effective way of dealing with that situation.
That is what they look for in the Committee on Petitions. If their petition is declared admissible, they want it dealt with in an efficient and timely way, and in this I particularly support the rapporteur on paragraphs 9, 10 and 12, where he calls on both the Commission and the committee to improve their timeliness.
I also agree with the rapporteur on paragraphs 25 and 26, where he calls for the need to strengthen the committee secretariat and the need to find the necessary financial resources to continue the development of the e-petition software system.
In my opinion, the Petitions Committee is very much part of the public face of the European institutions: citizens can access the committee and have their case heard, and it is a crucial part of EU citizenship. But the system must work efficiently. If it does not, it is the worst of all possible outcomes, because not only do citizens consider that the misapplication or non-application of EU legislation negatively impacts on their lives, but the very system that is there to support them in fact lets them down. That is why a well-functioning, properly resourced Committee on Petitions, working in good cooperation with the Commission and the Council, is core to supporting and validating the rights of EU citizens.
I fully support the suggestion to enhance the visibility of the Citizens’ Portal in relation to the right to petition. If citizens know that they have the right to petition and they have the expectation of a fair and timely response, then we are strengthening EU legislation, we are giving it greater legitimacy and transparency and we are strengthening the European Union.
Finally, I would like to say to the Commissioner that we must improve the functioning of the committee, as outlined in this report, and that wonderful phrase ‘connecting with citizens’ can become a reality rather than just an aspiration."@en1
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