Brussels, 14/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - Protecting the environment and defending citizens' rights are the main concerns of the EP petitions committee. With adoption on Wednesday 14 September of the committee's 2010 activity report by Willy Meyer (GUE/NGL, Spain), the EP calls for the immediate creation of a web portal dedicated to petitions, with an interactive template.
According to the EP, the petitions committee is the appropriate body for ensuring follow-up of citizens' initiatives registered with the Commission. In 2010, the European Parliament received 1,655 petitions, 14% down compared to the 1,924 received in 2009. Of those, 653 (39.5%) were declared inadmissible in 2010. Last year, the environment was still the major area of concern raised by petitioners, followed by fundamental rights, the internal market and justice. (L.C./transl.jl)