Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-05-Speech-1-164"
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"en.20100705.19.1-164"2
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"Mr President, if I try to focus on the most important elements in the debate, I think I can group them into three important parts: the first is better communication and a better information spread; the second is cooperation between the European Parliament and the Commission in the field of petitions; and the third concerns all issues related to the infringement procedures.
Regarding better communication, I agree with honourable Members that it is very clear that we should try to spread information better and try to find a way to explain to the citizens what the European Citizens’ Initiative is, how it differs from petitions, what the relevant rights are and which rights relate to the Ombudsman. There is not enough information on the EU, and here I think we have to work together as regards how to improve the information spread among our citizens.
We have tried to improve the communication tools the Commission has at its disposal through the improved website. As I mentioned in my introductory remarks, the new Europa website is aimed precisely at overcoming that problem. We have already informed the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection about the work done on the website, and that committee will be very happy to pass that information on to the Committee on Petitions. We would welcome comments from the PETI Committee – or from any other committees in the European Parliament – on how they think we can improve the website and how we can better direct information to our citizens.
With the approval of the European Citizens’ Initiative, our citizens will get a new tool with a view to setting the agenda for all of us who work on European legislation. I would like to warmly thank the PETI Committee in particular, because its experience and advice was very important when we were drafting the draft regulation on the ECI. I am sure that we will be cooperating very closely in the coming days and months – when this issue is being discussed and debated in the European Parliament, and once the ECI is in place – as regards how we can work even better with this instrument and with the citizens who will be using it.
The Commission is open to working in very close cooperation with Parliament, because we realise how important petitions are for our citizens and we understand that the best answer is one which is correct, quick and not subject to delays. If this is the case, citizens will get frustrated. But sometimes, it is not easy to provide quick answers because very thorough analysis and very thorough legal study has to be done. There has to be a lot of background research so things sometimes take a while, but I am sure that we will be working with Parliament in looking for ways in which we can improve and speed up the process in this area.
The last point concerns infringements. I would like to assure honourable Members that we take this issue extremely seriously, as you can see from the list of infringement procedures that have been opened. It is a regular process within the Commission. The Commission’s primary goal is to encourage all Member States to uphold European law and all directives. We are trying to use all the means at our disposal to do this, including exchanges of views and encouraging Member States to correct improper transposition of European law. If this does not work, we take the matter to the European Court of Justice with a plea to correct the inappropriate transposition of European law. In the past, there have been requests from the European Parliament for more information on infringement procedures. I am very glad that we have now found an understanding as to how this will be done in the future, once the framework agreement between Parliament and the Commission enters into force. I am sure that, with the additional information you will have at your disposal, you can also exercise your rights and use your influence in the Member States to ensure that European law is respected.
I took note of the other detailed questions and comments raised and I will pass them on to the relevant departments."@en1
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