Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-06-Speech-3-428"
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"en.20090506.41.3-428"2
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".
Thank you, Mr President, and friend, for those kind words that, obviously, are emotionally affecting at a time when I am in the House for the last time in this term of office, to thank for their collaboration all those with whom I have had the honour of working and, also, to ask forgiveness for any mistakes I may have made. I have tried to do my best for the citizens of my country and all Europeans, and there have been periods during this work that have been truly special, such as the Convention.
In fact, we are talking today about citizenship and I am speaking on behalf of the Committee on Petitions. Which committee in this Parliament is closer to the citizens than the Committee on Petitions? It safeguards one of the most important rights enjoyed by European citizens, namely, the right of petition.
The issue is this: if the European Parliament is known in many countries, it is through the exercise of the right of petition. We, as members of the Committee on Petitions, know this, and in fact the entire House knows this. The Treaty of Lisbon, which makes the European Union more democratic and more effective, is bringing in new elements, such as the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and new instruments, such as the citizens’ initiative.
The issue is to avoid confusion, for example, between the right of petition and the citizens’ initiative right. I would like to point out that, for instance, citizens may demand, through a petition, that Parliament request the Commission to take a legislative initiative, so that in the future we might have a European citizens’ initiative calling on the Commission to institute a legislative procedure and a petition, on the basis of the right of petition, addressed to the relevant committee of this House, asking the House to approach the Commission to that effect. We need to avoid this contradiction and to seek synergy that reinforces both routes, which are routes that make citizenship more concrete within the EU.
Of course, the Committee on Petitions would like to be involved in the administration of this right of citizens’ initiative. Of course, all the committees would like to be involved, but I would ask that this right be made effective in the best possible way. I believe that this would also be a tribute to a day like today, which is so important: the Treaty of Lisbon has been ratified by the senate of the Czech Republic, so there is just one step left before this Treaty becomes a reality and, in fact, before this Treaty, which is the heir to the European Constitution, the best text produced by the EU to date, enters into force.
If we succeed in this, all of us who are here – starting with all the members of the Convention who are here tonight – will have made a huge contribution to the usefulness of having been a Member of this Parliament."@en1
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