Strasbourg, 22/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 22 May, the European Parliament adopted, by a vast majority (614 votes in favour, 15 against and 16 abstentions) amendments to its regulation on the implementation of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), in particular on the organisation of public hearings.
The report adopted, by Zita Gurmai (S&D, Hungary), states that when the Commission publishes a citizens' initiative in the register, the president of the Parliament should ask the competent committee to hold a public hearing at the Parliament, “at an appropriate date”, in other words within three months following the presentation of the ECI to the Commission, to be attended by a representative group of organisers invited to present the initiative. If several published initiatives have a “similar objective”, the president of the European Parliament could decide, having consulted the organisers of the ECIs, to hold a joint public hearing to deal with all the citizens' initiatives in question, on an equal footing.
The parliamentary committee would also ensure that the Commission takes part in the organisation of the public hearing and that it is represented at the appropriate level, in other words the commissioner concerned or, if he or she is unable to attend, one of his or her colleagues or the director-general concerned.
Proposed citizens' initiatives which have been registered but which cannot be presented to the Commission because “it was not possible to respect all of the relevant procedures and conditions laid down” may be examined by the petitions committee if it feels that a follow-up is appropriate, the MEPs add.
The MEPs are also calling on their president to take the appropriate measures to ensure that a one-stop shop is in place within the Parliament, where the citizens, representative associations and civil society may come for all matters concerning the citizens' initiatives and within the responsibility of the deputy president responsible for the ECI. The measures required to ensure maximum visibility for the public hearings on the European citizens' initiatives must also be taken, such as making use of the best available tools in terms of information and communication technology. The report also states that the presence of MEPs at the hearings on the citizens' initiatives is to be encouraged. (CG/transl.fl)