Tag: citizens' rights

Cross-border crimes, such as money laundering or counterfeiting, should be defined in the same way across all EU countries, according to the bloc's new Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, who will outline her long-term ambitions at a conference in Brussels today (18 March).

Swedish Commissioner-designate for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström gave a steady account to the European Parliament in a confirmation hearing yesterday (19 January), but was accused by some MEPs of lacking ambition in her proposals.

Reinforcing citizens' rights will be a top priority in the coming years, said Viviane Reding, the EU's commissioner-designate for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, at a parliamentary hearing yesterday (12 January), voicing her opposition to body scanners at airports.

The European Commission launched a consultation yesterday (11 November), calling for advice on how to implement the citizens' initiative, one of the key democratic innovations of the Lisbon Treaty.

Over 330,000 French residents living outside the EU will be deprived of their votes in the European elections on 7 June, as a bill to allow them to cast their ballot was postponed by the French parliament.

Since the introduction of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, EU citizens residing in other member states have been entitled to vote in elections to the European Parliament. But in 20 of the 27 countries, only a few of them have registered to do so, EurActiv has learned.

Following in the footsteps of the first transnational citizens' consultation, the King Baudouin Foundation and its partners yesterday (3 December) launched a new Europe-wide debate on the economic and social future of Europe.

Due to their recommending force, deliberative polls can act as incentives for politicians to take action, says Stephen Boucher from Notre Europe. Such polls could also help to bridge the gap between the EU insitutions and its citizens, and increase acceptance for economic and social reforms, Boucher argues in an interview with EurActiv.

In this paper for the Robert Schuman Foundation, Thierry Chopin and Jean-François Jeannet explore the available options for distributing seats in the European Parliament, aiming to determine which best satisfies both democratic and diplomatic issues.

Even though the June Summit consultations among member states continue behind closed doors, a group of EU policymakers have taken up proposals by citizens and have vowed to make their voices heard. The consultations show that citizens are results-oriented and are in favour of having "more Europe".

For the first time, the European Communities have signed a human-rights charter, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But, in a last-minute move, the Commission refrained from signing an additional Protocol establishing a complaints procedure, which some member states consider too far-reaching.

Inspired by a provision in the stalled Constitutional Treaty, civil-society groups have called on the EU to give legal force to citizen’s initiatives.

Former EU commissioner Mario Monti has told EU governments to publicly consider viable options in the event that a member state says 'No' to the Constitution in an upcoming referendum.

On 9 July, Michael Cashman (PES-UK), will present its own-initiative report on access to documents to the Parliament's Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs.