Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-20-Speech-2-687-000"
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"en.20121120.36.2-687-000"2
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"Mr President, I believe that the Committee on Petitions is one of the most important committees in Parliament because it does provide a real tangible link between the European institutions and citizens. Mr Chichester was telling us about the explanatory statement. I have a few figures from that and it tells us that since 1997 over 20 000 petitions have been dealt with, and in the last three years alone 323 main petitioners actually addressed the committee in person, so that is a genuine link to citizens. However, the reason they are there in the first place of course is that they have concerns about the transposition or application of European legislation, so it is our duty to respond in a real and meaningful way.
One of the most significant areas is the area of the environment, which represents 20 % of the total of infringement cases, and the environmental impact assessment directive is a case in point. Indeed, my own Member State is before the courts, having failed to properly transpose that piece of legislation. I have personally come across a number of cases and situations that were adversely affected by this, including one in my own constituency in Donegal, in a place called Carnagarve where a sewage system was being constructed.
Another issue that has been highlighted is the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities to free movement and it is not just the physical obstacles but the inability to travel without a personal assistant. Most of us hop on a plane, a boat or a train and off we go, but for people with disabilities who can only travel with the help of a personal assistant, I am afraid the phrase ‘free movement of persons’ is a hollow promise from the EU because many Member States do not provide that service.
Finally, one thing I can say in light of my experiences on the Petitions Committee is that we need to be honest with citizens; we should not over-promise; we need to be clear about the possibilities and avenues for redress and above all we should not use the Petitions Committee to simply pass the buck."@en1
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