AM\765227EN.doc PE419.876v01-00
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
2004
2009
Committee on Foreign Affairs
2008/2224(INI)
30.1.2009
AMENDMENTS
1 - 13
Draft opinion
Maria Badia i Cutchet
(PE412.271v02-00)
on active dialogue with citizens on Europe
(2008/2224(INI))
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Amendment 1
Nirj Deva
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Draft opinion Amendment
2. Notes that, according to recent polls, a
large majority of Europeans are in favour
of Europe speaking with one voice on
matters of foreign policy; highlights the
fact that a statement to that effect was
included at the request of European
citizens in the open
letter/recommendations from the
participants at the concluding conference
of the six "Plan D" citizens' projects on 9
December 20071;
2. Notes that, according to recent polls
(such as the referendum on the Lisbon
Treaty in Ireland), a large majority of
Europeans are not in favour of Europe
speaking with one voice on matters of
foreign policy;
Or. en
Amendment 2
Justas Vincas Paleckis
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Draft opinion Amendment
3. Stresses the importance of considering
citizens' opinions on Europe as a global
player, taking into account in particular the
increasingly prominent role of the
European Parliament in this issue and the
real gap which exists between citizens and
European politicians; therefore encourages
the involvement of MEPs and members of
the Council in the "Plan D" visits by
Members of the Commission, as they play
an important role in reaching out to
national parliaments, civil society, business
3. Stresses the importance of considering
citizens' opinions on Europe as a global
player, taking into account in particular the
increasingly prominent role of the
European Parliament in this issue and the
real gap which exists between citizens and
European politicians; therefore encourages
the involvement of MEPs and members of
the Council in the "Plan D" visits by
Members of the Commission, as they play
an important role in reaching out to
national parliaments, civil society, business
1 See Point 17: "In a global world, it makes sense for the EU to take greater responsibility than today in the
fields of military action, foreign aid and diplomatic relations. The EU should be able to speak with one voice
on a global level to defend its values."
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and union leaders and regional and local
authorities in Member States;
and union leaders and regional and local
authorities in Member States; calls on the
Commission and European Parliament
representations in Member States to
improve cooperation when it comes to
consulting citizens, sharing information,
knowledge and ideas about the EU, and
providing opportunities for voters to meet
MEPs elected in different countries and
EU officials;
Or. en
Amendment 3
Jo Leinen
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Draft opinion Amendment
3. Stresses the importance of considering
citizens' opinions on Europe as a global
player, taking into account in particular the
increasingly prominent role of the
European Parliament in this issue and the
real gap which exists between citizens and
European politicians; therefore
encourages the involvement of MEPs and
members of the Council in the "Plan D"
visits by Members of the Commission, as
they play an important role in reaching out
to national parliaments, civil society,
business and union leaders and regional
and local authorities in Member States;
3. Stresses the importance of considering
citizens' opinions on Europe as a global
player, taking into account in particular the
increasingly prominent role of the
European Parliament in this issue;
therefore encourages the involvement of
MEPs and members of the Council in the
"Plan D" visits by Members of the
Commission, as they play an important role
in reaching out to national parliaments,
civil society, business and union leaders
and regional and local authorities in
Member States;
Or. de
Amendment 4
Ioan Mircea Pascu
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
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Draft opinion Amendment
3a. Stresses the importance of education
in strengthening European values,
through the introduction of courses in
European law and history in secondary
schools alongside those which already
exist in relation to national law;
Or. en
Amendment 5
Andrzej Wielowieyski
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Draft opinion Amendment
3b. Expresses its strong concern about the
deepening gap and lack of contact
between the citizens and the EU
institutions, reflected by the lack of
interest shown by the media and national
political parties; encourages the
Commission, therefore to examine the
possibility of introducing, within a timeframe
of 4 to 6 years, a mechanism for the
general consultation of EU citizens,
organised on a regular basis, on essential
issues pertaining to the EU's activities, as
a way of bringing Europe closer to its
citizens;
Or. en
Amendment 6
Jo Leinen
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
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Draft opinion Amendment
4. Recognises that the world at large is
showing an ever greater interest in the
European project, and that the EU and its
citizens are also becoming more aware of
the advantages of sharing their
supranational experience with the outside
world, especially with the EU's neighbours;
therefore calls on the Commission to
explore, with its Delegations in third
countries, possibilities for bringing
together EU and non-EU citizens on key
issues, through media and other forms of
culture, education, language learning and
mobility or exchange programmes such as
Erasmus Mundus;
4. Is pleased that the world at large is
showing an ever greater interest in the
European project, and that the EU and its
citizens are also becoming more aware of
the advantages of sharing their
supranational experience with other
countries and regions, especially with the
EU's neighbours; therefore calls on the
Commission to develop, through its
Delegations in third countries, ways of
reaching out to those countries' citizens
and informing them about opportunities
in the European Union, e.g. about media
and other forms of culture, education,
language learning and mobility or
exchange programmes such as Erasmus
Mundus;
Or. de
Amendment 7
Zbigniew Zaleski
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Draft opinion Amendment
4a. Supports the development of
departments of European Studies within
university programmes, which will
include history, politics, law and
European Union processes; considers that
these programmes should be conducted in
widely spoken languages so as to allow
the maximum number of students from
the EU and from partner countries in the
Tempus programme to gain knowledge of
the subject;
Or. en
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Amendment 8
Nirj Deva
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Draft opinion Amendment
5. Notes that, particularly in the context of
the increase in the number of third-country
nationals in the EU and the emergence of
multicultural societies, greater efforts
should be made to provide for the
integration of immigrants into the EU,
giving them better access to information
about what EU citizenship entails by, for
example, strengthening partnerships
between different levels of government
(local, regional and national) and nongovernmental
actors (e.g. employers, civil
society, migrants' associations, the media
and non-governmental organisations
supporting migrants);
5. Notes that, particularly in the context of
the increase in the number of third-country
nationals in the EU and the emergence of
multicultural societies, efforts made to
provide for the integration of immigrants
are best handled at Member State level;
Or. en
Amendment 9
Ioan Mircea Pascu
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Draft opinion Amendment
5. Notes that, particularly in the context of
the increase in the number of third-country
nationals in the EU and the emergence of
multicultural societies, greater efforts
should be made to provide for the
integration of immigrants into the EU,
giving them better access to information
about what EU citizenship entails by, for
example, strengthening partnerships
between different levels of government
(local, regional and national) and nongovernmental
actors (e.g. employers, civil
5. Notes that, particularly in the context of
the increase in the number of third-country
nationals in the EU and the emergence of
multicultural societies, to which they have
also contributed, greater efforts should be
made to provide for the integration of
immigrants into the EU, giving them
concrete access to information about what
EU citizenship entails by, for example,
strengthening partnerships between
different levels of government (local,
regional and national) and nonPE419.876v01-
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society, migrants' associations, the media
and non-governmental organisations
supporting migrants);
governmental actors (e.g. employers, civil
society, migrants' associations, the media
and non-governmental organisations
supporting migrants); considers that
successful integration will support the
further development of a multicultural
European consciousness based on
tolerance, dialogue and equality;
Or. en
Amendment 10
Nirj Deva
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Draft opinion Amendment
6. Calls on the Commission to launch local,
small-scale communication campaigns
with the involvement of local actors, and
to promote agreements providing for
citizens to be better informed about
immigrants' countries of origin, as the
most effective and meaningful ways of
achieving these communication goals,
and also to continue with the efforts made
in the context of the European Year of
Intercultural Dialogue 2008.
6. Stresses the importance of considering
citizens' opinions on Europe, and
therefore, noting that the citizens of
Europe have huge concerns about the
numbers of people coming into Member
States from outside the Union, demands
that the Commission in no way launch
local, small-scale communication
campaigns with the involvement of local
actors or promote agreements providing for
citizens to be better informed about
immigrants' countries of origin, because
the citizens of Europe would be horrified
to learn that their taxes, being wealth
robbed from them by the state, were then
being spent by the EU on propaganda
designed to brainwash them.
Or. en
Amendment 11
Jo Leinen
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
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Draft opinion Amendment
6. Calls on the Commission to launch local,
small-scale communication campaigns
with the involvement of local actors, and to
promote agreements providing for citizens
to be better informed about immigrants'
countries of origin, as the most effective
and meaningful ways of achieving these
communication goals, and also to continue
with the efforts made in the context of the
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
2008.
6. Calls on the Commission to launch local,
small-scale communication campaigns
with the involvement of local actors, and to
promote activities for citizens to be better
informed about immigrants' countries of
origin, as the most effective and
meaningful ways of achieving these
communication goals, and also to continue
with the efforts made in the context of the
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
2008.
Or. de
Amendment 12
Ioan Mircea Pascu
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Draft opinion Amendment
6. Calls on the Commission to launch local,
small-scale communication campaigns
with the involvement of local actors, and
to promote agreements providing for
citizens to be better informed about
immigrants' countries of origin, as the most
effective and meaningful ways of
achieving these communication goals, and
also to continue with the efforts made in
the context of the European Year of
Intercultural Dialogue 2008.
6. Calls on the Commission to launch local,
small-scale communication campaigns
with the involvement of local actors, to
promote agreements providing for citizens
to be better informed about immigrants'
countries of origin and, equally, to better
inform immigrants of their rights and
duties as European citizens, as the most
effective and meaningful ways of
achieving these communication goals, and
also to continue with the efforts made in
the context of the European Year of
Intercultural Dialogue 2008.
Or. en
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Amendment 13
Zbigniew Zaleski
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Draft opinion Amendment
6a. Calls on the Commission to provide
financial support for projects aimed at the
promotion of EU ideas; considers that
these programmes should be tailored
towards students in secondary and tertiary
education who can engage local
communities (villages and municipalities)
and increase locals' familiarity with the
values of the European Communities.
Or. en
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