—

having regard to Articles 2, 6 and 9-12 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and to Articles 18-25 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

—

having regard to Article 21 and Articles 39-46 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the Charter’),

—

having regard to the right to petition the European Parliament, which is enshrined in Articles 24(2) and 227 TFEU and in Article 44 of the Charter,

—

having regard to Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States (1) (the Freedom of Movement Directive),

—

having regard to Council Directive 94/80/EC of 19 December 1994 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections by citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals (2), and to Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament for citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals (3),

—

having regard to Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (4),

—

having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 of 27 November 2003 concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility (5),

—

having regard to Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents (6),

—

having regard to the Commission report of 15 December 2020 entitled ‘EU Citizenship Report 2020: Empowering citizens and protecting their rights’ (COM(2020)0730),

—

having regard to the Commission report of 15 December 2020 under Article 25 TFEU entitled ‘On progress towards effective EU citizenship 2016-2020’ (COM(2020)0731),

—

having regard to the results of the Commission’s 2020 public consultation on EU citizenship rights, and to the results of the Flash Eurobarometer 485 survey on European Union Citizenship and Democracy published in July 2020, which show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many EU citizens have encountered difficulties in accessing healthcare support, childcare support, information about border restrictions, etc.,

—

having regard to its resolution of 12 December 2017 entitled ‘The EU Citizenship Report 2017: Strengthening Citizens’ Rights in a Union of Democratic Change’ (7),

—

having regard to its resolution of 12 February 2019 on the implementation of the Treaty provisions related to EU citizenship (8),

—

having regard to the Commission report of 17 June 2020 on the impact of demographic change,

—

having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

—

having regard to Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (9),

—

having regard to the Commission’s 2021-2030 strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities,

—

having regard to Green Paper on ageing of 27 January 2021 entitled ‘Fostering solidarity and responsibility between generations’ (COM(2021)0050),

—

having regard to European Economic and Social Committee information report of 20 March 2019 on the real rights of persons with disabilities to vote in European Parliament elections,

—

having regard to its resolutions of 24 November 2020 on the Schengen system and measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis (10) and of 17 September 2020 entitled ‘COVID-19: EU coordination of health assessments and risk classification, and the consequences for Schengen and the single market’ (11),

—

having regard to its resolution of 19 June 2020 on European protection of cross-border and seasonal workers in the context of the COVID-19 crisis (12),

—

having regard to its resolution of 8 July 2020 on the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families in the COVID-19 crisis (13),

—

having regard to its resolution of 24 November 2020 on tackling homelessness rates in the EU (14),

—

having regard to its resolutions of 17 December 2020 entitled ‘The European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Minority SafePack — one million signatures for diversity in Europe’’ (15) and of 7 February 2018 on protection and non-discrimination with regard to minorities in the EU Member States (16),

—

having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2021 on LGBTIQ rights in the EU (17),

—

having regard to its resolution of 7 October 2021 entitled ‘The protection of persons with disabilities through petitions: lessons learnt’ (18),

—

having regard to its resolutions of 11 March 2021 entitled ‘The activities of the European Ombudsman — annual report 2019’ (19) and of 16 January 2020 entitled ‘The activities of the European Ombudsman — annual report 2018’ (20),

—

having regard to its resolution of 17 December 2020 on the outcome of the Committee on Petitions’ deliberations during 2019 (21),

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having regard to its resolution of 16 December 2021 on the deliberations of the Committee on Petitions in 2020 (22),

—

having regard to the report of Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI) entitled ‘Engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative’ (A9-0018/2022),

—

having regard to the PETI report on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2020 (A9-0342/2021),

—

having regard to the public hearings on matters related to EU citizenship organised by PETI since 2018, notably the hearing of 26 May 2021 entitled ‘Inter-institutional relations in the treatment of petitions: the role of the Commission’; of 29 October 2020 entitled ‘Union citizenship: empowerment, inclusion, participation’, jointly held with the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE); of 1 February 2018 on ‘Citizens’ rights after Brexit’ jointly held with the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and LIBE; and of 21 February 2018 on the ‘European Citizens’ Initiative: assessing the Commission proposal for a new ECI regulation’ jointly held with the Committee on Constitutional Affairs,

—

having regard to the public hearing of 15 October 2020 entitled ‘Minority SafePack — one million signatures for diversity in Europe’ organised by the Committee on Culture and Education and LIBE in association with PETI,

—

having regard to the interparliamentary committee meeting of 27 November 2018 jointly organised by PETI and the Committee on Legal Affairs on ‘Empowering parliaments and enforcing citizens’ rights in the implementation and application of Union law’,

—

having regard to the studies commissioned in 2019, 2020 and 2021 by its Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of PETI entitled ‘Strengthening the role and impact of petitions as an instrument of participatory democracy — Lessons learnt from a citizens’ perspective 10 years after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty’ (29 October 2021), ‘Obstacles to the free movement of rainbow families in the EU’ (8 March 2021), ‘Obstacles to participation in local and European elections, inside the EU’ (15 September 2020) and ‘Achievements of the Committee on Petitions during the 2014-2019 parliamentary term and challenges for the future’(3 July 2019),

—

having regard to the workshops on LGBTI+ rights in the EU and on the rights of persons with disabilities organised on 22 March 2021 and 28 October 2020 respectively by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs for PETI,

—

having regard to the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (23) (the Withdrawal Agreement),

—

having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the report of the Committee on Petitions (A9-0019/2022),

A.

whereas EU citizenship is one of most tangible achievements of the EU and confers on EU citizens a set of fundamental rights, including free movement in the EU, the right to participate in EU democratic life and the right to be protected from discrimination, while ensuring equal opportunities;

B.

whereas Brexit has highlighted the importance of EU citizenship rights and their crucial role in the everyday lives of millions of EU citizens, and has raised awareness in the EU about the potential loss of those rights and its consequences, as revealed by the large number of petitions submitted by EU citizens living in the UK and by UK citizens residing in an EU country on the consequences of Brexit on their status as EU citizens;

C.

whereas the rule of law is one of the values that underpin the Union, and whereas its protection ensures respect for fundamental rights and democracy;

D.

whereas freedom of movement, which allows any EU citizen to live, work or study and have access to healthcare in any Member State, is one of the foundations of the EU;

E.

whereas active citizenship is better ensured if the fundamental needs of citizens are satisfied; whereas the protection provided by minimum wages is therefore of great importance and is a prerequisite for achieving the EU’s goal to leave no one behind;

F.

whereas people facing precarious working and living conditions often feel marginalised and participate less or not at all in social life, civil society and elections;

G.

whereas homeless people not only face precarious living conditions, but often have little or no access to information regarding their rights and the tools to defend them;

H.

whereas the definitions of vulnerable, disadvantaged or under-represented groups vary widely between Member States and can even depend on the political and social situation in a Member State at a given moment;

I.

whereas numerous cross-border and seasonal workers face difficult, unhealthy and unsafe working conditions, little or no job security and insufficient or no social security coverage and access to social benefits; whereas many cross-border and seasonal workers come from vulnerable social groups and regions; whereas the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the existing precarious situations of numerous cross-border and seasonal workers, creating gaps in the implementation of existing legislation for their protection;

J.

whereas the COVID-19 outbreak has brought a number of unprecedented challenges to free movement across the EU, with many Member States imposing travel restrictions and internal border controls as emergency measures; whereas EU citizens have submitted a significant number of petitions raising serious concerns over the impact of national emergency measures on their freedom to travel, work and study abroad, and their ability to build and maintain cross-border family ties;

K.

whereas the pandemic is having a particularly negative impact on the situation of persons with disabilities and the elderly, significantly limiting their ability to exercise their rights;

L.

whereas PETI has received a considerable number of petitions raising concerns over the discrimination experienced by LGBTIQ persons in the EU, and rainbow families (i.e. families where at least one member is LGBTIQ) in particular, when exercising their freedom of movement in the EU, resulting in adverse consequences for the rights and interests of their children;

M.

whereas Article 21 of the Charter explicitly prohibits ‘discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation’, as the primary expression of EU citizenship; whereas it forms, at the same time, a crucial component of the successful exercise of the freedom of movement, as evidenced in the abovementioned petitions;

N.

whereas around 50 million people belong to a national minority or a minority language community in the EU; whereas the Commission has taken no legislative steps in response to the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Minority SafePack — one million signatures for diversity in Europe’, despite the fact that it was supported by a large majority of MEPs;

O.

whereas the granting and removal of citizenship remains a competence of the Member States;

P.

whereas petitions have shown that mobile EU citizens and residents still face difficulties in exercising their electoral rights, owing to administrative burdens, bureaucracy and language barriers in some Member States, and misinformation or a lack of cooperation by some Member State authorities;

Q.

whereas persons with disabilities still face legal, practical and physical barriers to effectively exercising their right to vote and to be elected and their right to access information on election regulations, procedures, programmes and debates in formats adapted to the needs of people with various types of disabilities, and thus continue to be under-represented in elections; whereas data on the electoral participation of under-represented groups remains limited;

R.

whereas the right of EU citizens to participate in the democratic life of the EU goes beyond voting or standing as candidates in European elections; whereas the Treaties provide a number of participatory tools that aim to encourage citizens to directly engage with the EU, including the right to petition, the right to address the European Ombudsman and the right to submit a European Citizens’ Initiative;

S.

whereas in some EU Member States, stateless persons with long-term residency status are not fully involved in democratic participation and, in particular, are deprived of the right to participate in municipal and/or European elections; whereas the Commission did not come up with the recommendation on approximating equality for stateless minorities, such as Roma: it was in fact proposed in the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Minority SafePack — one million signatures for diversity in Europe’;

T.

whereas the EU has to protect EU citizens residing in the UK, in line with the Withdrawal Agreement;

U.

whereas elderly people are a committed group of citizens who make an important and valuable contribution to society by participating in voluntary activities, social initiatives, and supporting and caring for dependents;

V.

whereas access to goods and services, including public services, increasingly requires digital skills;

W.

whereas the digital transformation brings opportunities for and poses a threat to all generations, especially the elderly; whereas technological changes may have a negative impact on elderly people who do not have adequate knowledge, skills and access to digital technology; whereas elderly people are often victims of discrimination, violence, isolation and loneliness, exclusion and limitations on their autonomy, i.e. as a result of the introduction of digital solutions that do not take their needs into account;

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