Complaints about difficulties in exercising the citizen's right to free movement, obtaining residence permits for third-country family members, and having qualifications recognised, made up a large share of almost 2,000 citizens' petitions received by the European Parliament in 2009, says the Petitions Committee's annual report. Citizens are entitled to speedy redress and greater transparency from all EU institutions, and petitions can help deliver them, it said.

A growing share of petitions are from citizens who have difficulties in exercising their right to free movement, says the committee's annual report. Such complaints cite the excessive time taken by host Member States to deliver residence permits to third-country family members and difficulties in exercising voting rights and having qualifications recognised. Many other complaints were about environmental issues and commercial practices that are unfair to small businesses.

MEPs regret that a growing number of complaints fall outside the EU's area of competence, such as calculating retirement benefits and enforcing national courts' decisions. In fact, 54% of the 1,924 petitions received by Parliament in 2009 had to be declared inadmissible.

To raise awareness of what can be achieved by submitting complaints to Parliament, MEPs call for the creation of a user-friendly, interactive petitions portal, which could include links to other means of redress at EU level, such as the European Ombudsman. The Petitions Committee also proposes setting up an electronic register through which citizens may lend support to, or withdraw it from, a petition.

Citizens' initiative

The right of citizens' initiative would enable citizens to ask the European Commission to table a draft law, provided it is backed by at least one million citizens from one third of the EU Member States. The Petitions Committee points out that this proposal could ensure "enhanced transparency and accountability in the EU decision-making process".

MEPs also recall that Parliament has received campaign-type petitions bearing more than one million signatures and stresses the need to ensure that citizens are fully aware of the distinction between these  petitions and "citizens' initiative" ones. "Campaign" petitions set out concerns that existing EU laws may have been infringed, whereas citizen's initiative ones serve to propose new EU legislation.

In 2009, Parliament received 1,924 petitions, slightly up on 2008 (1,849). About 46% of the complaints received last year were declared admissible, a very similar percentage to 2008. These petitions focused mainly on the environment (228 petitions), fundamental rights (164), justice (159) and the single market (142).