Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-06-Speech-3-416"
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"en.20090506.41.3-416"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this is my last speech in the plenary sitting of the European Parliament and, as rapporteur of the European Citizens’ Initiative, I am pleased to have been given the floor. I hope that tomorrow, during the last sitting of this legislative period, Parliament will send a political signal, that it will set a course towards bringing Europe closer to its citizens, and that it will move ahead with a project that has been close to my heart for many years.
Let me start by making a number of observations. I realise with regret that neither my Group nor my Party – and here I am choosing my words carefully – was able to support the Citizens’ Initiative. While, on the one hand, no opportunity is missed to complain about the democratic deficit in the EU, on the other, there is a general refusal to take the serious steps to make the European project more democratic. This is behaviour that is neither credible nor forward-looking. It blocks the progress in Europe that the citizens have insisted on for such a long time and I cannot and will not accept it.
Before the end of my mandate I would like to thank all my fellow Members of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance who have supported me with my report. I would like to thank Jo Leinen, the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, and, in particular, all the coordinators and shadow rapporteurs of these four Groups. I thank you that we worked together so well across party and country boundaries and that we were able to advance the European integration project together.
Vice-President, the provision contained in the Treaty of Lisbon concerning the Citizens’ Initiative is without doubt a milestone in the European integration process. The truth is that, in the European Union, it is not states we want to unite, but people. This matter will be addressed in a totally new way if, as laid down for the first time in Article 11(4) of the Treaty on European Union (EU Treaty, new version n.v.), citizens are directly involved in the European legislative process. One million citizens will then have the right to ask the Commission to present a specific draft regulation or directive, which the Council has had since 1957 and the European Parliament since 1993.
In my report, Parliament presented key points and guidelines for a future regulation on conditions and procedures for a European Citizens’ Initiative. Vice-President, in the event of the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force, I expect the Commission not only to present a proposal as quickly as possible but also to follow the guidelines of my report if at all possible. In particular, the Commission should endorse the view of Parliament, which reflects the view of a significant number of Member States within the meaning of Article 11(4) of the EU Treaty (n.v.). In my report, the number 7 is proposed. It is essential that not just any arbitrary figure is established, as it must, first, be able to justify the associated restriction of the right of EU citizens to equal participation in a Citizens’ Initiative, whatever their nationality, and, second, it must be oriented towards the relevant objective. This means that the establishment of a minimum number of Member States must ensure that the starting point in the European legislative process is not an issue that reflects the specific interests of a single Member State, but rather one that is consistent with the European general interest.
In addition, I ask that particular attention is paid to the structure of the procedure, especially the question of the admissibility of a Citizens’ Initiative. The criteria of friendliness towards citizens and legal security must be given top priority. If EU citizens codetermine the European legislative process and wish to introduce a Citizens’ Initiative, fairness essentially requires that the competent EU bodies state as soon as possible and in a binding manner whether the planned initiative fulfils the legal requirements of the Treaty. It is absolutely vital that this takes place before the statements of support are collected, as the Member States that provide the necessary resources need legal security.
Finally, I should like to remind the House that the provisions of the Citizens’ Initiative did not fall from the sky. They were already in the Constitutional Treaty, as they had been developed in the Constitutional Convention, at the signing of which some Members were present, in close cooperation with NGOs. Their inclusion in the Convention’s draft Constitution was neither a sure-fire thing nor the result of chance. They represent the results of intensive consultations between the members of the Convention and NGOs committed to democratic policy. We now know that this idea has been on ice for six years. It is high time that it is brought to life after such a long time. The time has come for direct democracy in a united Europe."@en1
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