The EU’s tools for direct citizen participation need a higher profile and more resources, argue MEPs in an evaluation report.
Petitions, European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECIs) and complaints to the European Ombudsman play a key role in boosting transparency and citizen participation in EU affairs, argue Petitions Committee MEPs in a report. It was adopted with 21 votes in favour and one against (12 abstentions).
The special role of petitions
Petitions are the EU’s oldest direct democracy tool, but improvements are needed for the petitions process to match citizens’ expectations, argue MEPs. They urge the Commission to conduct proper enquiries and take action on the basis of petitions, as only meaningful follow-up provides a real response to citizens’ concerns.
The MEPs note that currently, serious problems raised in petitions could remain unsolved, and a new binding agreement between Parliament and Commission on treating petitions may be needed. If citizens don’t get adequate solutions to their problems, they could become detached from EU institutions, argue MEPs. At the same time, petitions should be handled in a uniform way to avoid the impression of partisan treatment.
To raise the profile of petitions, MEPs argue that the Commission should include petitions in its policy papers and inform the public more clearly about the different competences of EU institutions and the member states. MEPs propose commissioning a special Eurobarometer to find out how much citizens know about their right to petition the EU. They would also like to see better search and analysis functions in the Petitions portal and website, so that people could see real-time data about their petitions and find other petitions on the same topic. Lastly, MEPs say that NGOs should tap the full potential of petitions in conveying issues, for example breaches of EU law, to EU institutions.
Ombudsman enquiries and ECI’s can promote trust and transparency
The European Ombudsman also has a key role in promoting trust in the EU through transparency, argue MEPs. They welcome the Ombudsman’s recently adopted new stature, and would like to see a bigger budget for the Ombudsman. In future, they should investigate more closely the spending of EU funds, which risks being undermined by rule of law deficits, corruption and conflicts of interest.
In the past, the Ombudsman has managed to make documents more accessible, trade negotiations and clinical trials more transparent, and complaint channels available to asylum seekers, among other achievements. In future, MEPs would also like to see a reform of EU law on public access to documents, as the current rules have become obsolete. The Ombudsman should also promote the results of its work to make sure that people are aware of it, say MEPs.
Lastly, ECIs are a unique instrument of direct democracy, but too few have received adequate follow-up from the Commission, argue the MEPs. They urge the Commission to more actively propose legislative changes after a successful citizens’ initiative, and to make the process more accessible to all EU citizens. Unsuccessful ECI’s should also be examined and possibly redirected to the Committee on Petitions to make sure that citizens do not disengage at this point. Within the Conference on the Future of Europe, citizens could also be encouraged to turn their proposals into ECI’s, say the MEPs.
To help citizens discover all the participatory mechanisms at their disposal, they should all be linked to one website and mobile application, propose MEPs. Overall, EU institutions should communicate multi-lingually about participatory tools, and schools and universities should teach students about them to engage young people more effectively. With more resources and a higher profile, tools that directly involve citizens could increase engagement and trust in the EU, notes the Petitions Committee.
“Ever since I started working on this report, my priorities have remained the same: promoting accessibility, transparency and communication. I wanted to make concrete proposals. The Conference on the Future of Europe is a good illustration of the citizens’ desire to make their voice heard. Now more than ever, we should follow this impulse and find better ways to inform people about European issues and to improve access to EU participatory tools,” said rapporteur Marie-Pierre Vedrenne (Renew, FR).
A future plenary session of the European Parliament will discuss the report and vote on it.
