The European Ombudsman has opened an inquiry into a complaint from Amnesty International against the European Commission. The inquiry focuses on how the Commission seeks to ensure that the Croatian authorities respect fundamental rights in the context of border management operations.

Amnesty International and other organisations have raised concerns about border management by the Croatian authorities, drawing attention to alleged human rights violations linked to ‘pushbacks’ of migrants and other border operations. In the context of EU funding, which Croatia receives for border management operations, Croatia should have set up a ‘monitoring mechanism’ to ensure that border management operations are fully compliant with fundamental rights and EU law.

The complainant has raised doubts as to whether such a mechanism has been set up, and claims that the Commission has failed to verify that the Croatian authorities have done so or how the allocated funds have been spent.

The Ombudsman has set out a series of questions to the Commission and asked it to reply by 31 January 2021. The questions seek to establish the nature of the monitoring mechanism and how the Commission has verified it has been set up. If it has been created, the questions seek to establish how the Commission has verified its effectiveness and, more generally, how the Commission ensures that border management operations that receive EU funds ensure respect for fundamental rights.

• El pleno analiza el resultado de las elecciones en EEUU 

  Los líderes de los grupos políticos discutirán el miércoles las potenciales consecuencias de las presidenciales en las relaciones UE-EEUU y la política global.

• UE por la Salud: el PE quiere reforzar el nuevo programa sanitario común 

  Los eurodiputados quieren elevar la ambición del nuevo programa de salud de la UE, para resolver las lagunas evidenciadas por la pandemia y garantizar la solidez de los sistemas sanitarios.

• Incentivos para las inversiones sostenibles para una transición verde 

  El pleno va a presentar propuestas para financiar el Pacto Verde y la transición hacia actividades económicas sostenibles. Tras un debate el miércoles, adoptará una resolución el viernes.

• Vacunas de COVID-19: el PE pide transparencia total sobre los acuerdos de compra 

  Los criterios y condiciones para la compra de vacunas contra el coronavirus, así como el acceso equitativo a las mismas, centrarán un debate el jueves con la comisaria Kyriakides.

• COVID-19 y valores europeos: los principios democráticos han de prevalecer 

  Los eurodiputados preguntarán a la Comisión sobre el efecto de las medidas de emergencia para frenar la pandemia en los valores fundamentales, y adoptarán una resolución el viernes.

• Elección de un nuevo vicepresidente del PE 

  Tras la marcha de Mairead McGuinness para convertirse en comisaria, el pleno debe elegir el jueves al eurodiputado o eurodiputada que la sustuirá.

• Protección para los alimentos europeos en China 

  El acuerdo entre la UE y China para proteger dos centenares de productos de alimentación europeos y chinos contra las falsificaciones será votado por el pleno el viernes.

• Lucha contra el terrorismo, libertad de expresión y educación 

  Tras los recientes ataques terroristas en Francia y Austria, el pleno del Parlamento evaluará las medidas vigentes y las opciones para el futuro.

• Acuerdos de pesca con Senegal and Seychelles 

  El Parlamento tiene previsto aprobar la renovación de sendos acuerdos de pesca con Senegal y Seychelles, en una votación el jueves.

• Otros temas 

The pandemic has restricted the right to free movement of citizens within the EU internal borders, especially affecting those living in border regions and cross border workers.

In a draft motion for resolution adopted on Tuesday with 28 votes in favour, none against and 5 abstentions, the Committee on Petitions (PETI) expressed its concerns over the full or partial border closures during COVID-19 that severely affects citizens’ freedom of movement, especially in border regions.

The text urges member states and the Commission for more flexibility, localised measures, better coordination and cooperation, as well as contingency plans in order to avoid temporary border closures in the future.

Protecting freedom of movement

The Committee regrets the uncoordinated and sudden closure of borders and measures adopted during the first wave of the pandemic and underlines the need to respect the rules of the Schengen acquis to avoid a fragmented approach across the EU. Petitions MEPs worry particularly about the consequences of reintroducing border controls and travel restrictions on cross-border workers, students and binational couples.

Restrictions to free movement should remain an exception, MEPs stress, suggesting they be replaced by targeted measures that respect the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination. Measures should reflect the health situation of each region and comply with maximum security and health safety standards.

Special attention to border regions

Citizens coming from border regions and cross border workers should be exempted from pandemic measures and restrictions, provided they respect the advice and measures of their respective authorities. MEPs insist overall on a swift return to a fully functional Schengen area without border closures, reminding that a Strategy on the future of Schengen is a key initiative of the Commission for 2021 and that the completion of the Schengen area is essential.

Enhancing cross border information

The Committee on Petitions underlines the need for compatibility among different tracing apps and the right of citizens to reliable, comprehensive and real-time information about the pandemic, travel restrictions, health and safety measures. PETI calls on the Commission to update the “Re-open EU” website accordingly to facilitate free movement, reiterating the importance of multilingual communication, especially in cross-border areas.

Background information

On 2 July 2020, the Committee on Petitions examined a petition on the Schengen system and measures taken during the COVID-19 crises. The petition pointed to the restrictions to freedom of movement and asked to examine the legality of border closures.

The European Parliament received 1 357 petitions during the European election year, marking an 11,23 % increase from 2018.

On Tuesday, the Committee on Petitions adopted their report on deliberations for 2019 with 33 votes in favour, none against. Each year, MEPs give a comprehensive overview of their committee work, including statistics on received petitions and assessments of other parliamentary activities such as adoption of reports, organisation of hearings and relations with other EU institutions.

The draft report highlights that the right to petition the European Parliament is one of the fundamental rights of EU citizens, which offers an open, democratic and transparent mechanism to directly address their elected representatives. At the same time, information provided in petitions is valuable for learning about cases of misapplication or breaches of Union law, and allows Parliament and other EU institutions to assess its transposition and impact on EU citizens and residents, and whenever possible find resolutions.

Environment, fundamental rights and justice

Most petitions submitted in 2019 were related to environmental issues (252), in particular waste management, protection, preservation and pollution; followed by fundamental rights (189), notably the rights of the child, voting rights and EU citizens’ rights, in particular in the context of Brexit; and justice (184). Similar to previous years, the committee received a high number of petitions related to health (97), transport (90), the internal market (89), employment (79) and education and culture (62).

While the number of petitions concerning disabilities has decreased in comparison

with previous years, the committee reminds of its specific role within the EU in the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the special attention given to petitions on inclusive education for disabled children throughout the year.

European Citizens’ Initiative

Petitions MEPs believe it is essential for citizens be get involved directly in EU law-making and welcome the new rules for the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), aimed at making the tool more user friendly and accessible. Yet more needs to be done by the European Commission in response in order to turn this instrument into a “real success of European participatory democracy” in the eyes of citizens. They therefor urge the Commission to put forward a legislative proposal for any successful ECI supported by Parliament.

European Ombudsman

The report welcomes the active participation and contribution in PETI of the European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, who was re-elected by Parliament in 2019. As the committee responsible for maintaining relations with the Ombudsman, the committee played a key role in organising transparent and efficient public hearings for the candidates for the post in 2019, reminds the text.

Find more information on petition statistics by country, language, nationality and subject here.

„Die Öffentlichkeit hat angesichts der massiven Vorwürfe ein Recht auf objektive Kontrolle und Berichterstattung. Aufgrund der täglich neuen medialen Enthüllungen rund um ein allfälliges Behördenversagen im Verfassungsschutz muss sich die Volksanwaltschaft einen unmittelbaren, vollständigen und objektiven Überblick verschaffen“, so Volksanwalt Walter Rosenkranz, der in seinem Geschäftsbereich u.a. für die Prüfung von Verwaltungsakten des Innenressorts zuständig ist.

„Die Volksanwaltschaft agiert hier als Kontrollorgan des Parlaments, das auch den entsprechenden Bericht erhalten wird.“ Es müsse absolute Klarheit geschaffen werden, wenn der Verdacht im Raum steht, dass fehlerloses Agieren durch die zuständigen Behörden und die daraus resultierenden Maßnahmen seitens der Justiz den Terroranschlag verhindern hätten können.

Im Prüfverfahren werden mehrere Punkte seitens der Volksanwaltschaft durchleuchtet:

1. Die Vorgänge rund um den versuchten Munitionsankauf des unter Auflagen aus der Strafhaft entlassenen Terroristen in der Slowakei. Die Tatsache wurde seitens der slowakischen Behörden im Juli an das BVT weitergeleitet. Welche Reaktionen bzw. Nicht-Reaktion rief diese brisante Mitteilung beim BVT hervor?
2. Wird die polizeiliche Überwachung des – laut Gutachten nicht ungefährlichen und nicht deradikalisierten – Attentäters inklusive der Vernetzungstreffen mit deutschen und schweizerischen Dschihadisten, die seitens europäischer Geheimdienste dem BVT gemeldet wurden, geprüft. Warum und wann wurde die Observierung des späteren Terroristen abgebrochen?
3. Letztlich wird auch dem Verdacht nachgegangen, dass eine seit über einem Jahr geplante Aktion gegen den radikalen politischen Islam verraten worden sein soll. Auch hier wird die Volksanwaltschaft in die entsprechenden Akten einsehen.

„Der Volksanwaltschaft ist es natürlich vollkommen klar, dass sehr viele der Unterlagen höchster Geheimhaltung unterliegen, und z.B. Namen von V-Männern, geplante Maßnahmen zur Terrorbekämpfung etc. nicht an das Licht der Öffentlichkeit gelangen dürfen. Die Prüforgane und ich selbst werden daher viele Unterlagen in den Räumlichkeiten der Dienststellen sichten, und keine Aktenkopien durch potentiell löchrige Kanäle schicken oder anfertigen. Ich garantiere eine rasche und lückenlose Aufklärung, ohne einzelne Menschen oder Interessen des Staates zu gefährden. Aber im Ergebnis möchte ich mit einer klaren Beurteilung der Abläufe – ob gut oder schlecht – vor die Öffentlichkeit treten können“, so Rosenkranz.