The Committee on Petitions (PETI) is a standing committee of the European Parliament. It examines petitions submitted by European Union citizens and residents on matters falling within the Union's fields of activity and directly affecting them. The committee also monitors problems in the implementation of EU law, maintains relations with the European Ombudsman and participates in public hearings connected with successful European Citizens' Initiatives.

The right to petition the European Parliament is guaranteed by Article 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 44 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. A petition may be submitted individually or jointly with others and may concern any matter within the Union's fields of activity that directly affects the petitioner.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for petitions addressed to Parliament and for relations with the European Ombudsman. It also contributes to the organisation of public hearings on European Citizens' Initiatives and considers issues relating to the practical exercise of citizens' rights under Union law.

Its remit includes:

examining whether petitions are admissible under the Treaties and Parliament's Rules of Procedure; requesting information from the European Commission, member states and other institutions; referring petitions to other parliamentary committees for opinions or information; organising hearings, fact-finding visits and exchanges of views with petitioners; drawing Parliament's attention to alleged breaches or incorrect application of Union law; preparing reports and resolutions arising from petitions; relations with the European Ombudsman and consideration of the Ombudsman's annual report; participation in hearings linked to successful European Citizens' Initiatives; and safeguarding the practical exercise of the right to petition.

Petition procedure

Petitions may be submitted through Parliament's Petitions Web Portal or by post. They must identify the petitioner, state the subject clearly and concern an area within the European Union's competence that directly affects the petitioner. The committee first determines whether a petition is admissible.

When a petition is declared admissible, PETI may ask the European Commission to investigate, request information from national or regional authorities, refer the issue to another parliamentary committee, hold a public debate, organise a fact-finding mission or recommend that Parliament adopt a resolution. Petitions may remain open while the committee monitors follow-up by the relevant authorities.

The committee does not act as a court and cannot annul decisions taken by national authorities. Its work is instead political and supervisory, using Parliament's powers to bring citizens' concerns to the attention of EU institutions and member-state authorities.

Role in participatory democracy

PETI is one of Parliament's principal channels for direct public participation. Petitions can reveal gaps in legislation, failures in implementation or recurring problems affecting citizens in several member states. The committee may use this information when preparing reports or recommending legislative and administrative action.

The committee is also involved in the European Citizens' Initiative procedure. When an initiative reaches the required number of signatures and is registered for follow-up, PETI is automatically associated with the committee responsible for organising the corresponding public hearing.

Relations with the European Ombudsman

PETI is responsible for Parliament's institutional relationship with the European Ombudsman. It examines the Ombudsman's annual report, prepares Parliament's response and follows issues of maladministration, transparency, access to documents and ethical standards in the EU institutions.

Chairs

The following table lists the chairs of the committee since 1987.

Name Political group Member state Took office Left office Raphaël Chanterie EPP Belgium 1987 1989 Viviane Reding EPP Luxembourg 1989 1992 Rosy Bindi EPP Italy 1992 1994 Edward Newman PES United Kingdom 1994 1997 Alessandro Fontana EPP Italy 1997 1999 Vitaliano Gemelli EPP–ED Italy 1999 2004 Marcin Libicki UEN Poland 2004 2009 Erminia Mazzoni EPP Italy 2009 2014 Cecilia Wikström ALDE Sweden 2014 2019 Dolors Montserrat EPP Spain 2019 2024 Bogdan Rzońca ECR Poland 2024 Incumbent

Members

10th Parliament, 2024–2029

The committee currently has 34 full members. Its current composition is shown below, with the chair and vice-chairs indicated in italics.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Dolors Montserrat, Spain, Vice-Chair Fredis Beleris, Greece, Vice-Chair Peter Agius, Malta Alexander Bernhuber, Austria Gheorghe Falcă, Romania Norbert Herhammer, Germany Dariusz Joński, Poland Elena Nevado del Campo, Spain Emil Radev, Bulgaria Nils Ušakovs, Latvia, Vice-Chair Iratxe García Pérez, Spain Isilda Gomes, Portugal Sandra Gómez López, Spain Murielle Laurent, France Sandro Ruotolo, Italy Bogdan Rzońca, Poland, Chair Galato Alexandraki, Greece Paolo Inselvini, Italy Diego Solier, Spain Ivaylo Valchev, Bulgaria Michał Kobosko, Poland Jana Toom, Estonia Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Sebastian Kruis, Netherlands Georg Mayer, Austria Pál Szekeres, Hungary Cristina Guarda, Italy, Vice-Chair Ana Miranda Paz, Spain Damien Carême, France Valentina Palmisano, Italy Petras Gražulis, Lithuania Marcin Sypniewski, Poland Non-Inscrits Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos, Greece Alvise Pérez, Spain Maria Zacharia, Greece

Substitute members

The committee's substitute members are listed below.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Ioan-Rareș Bogdan, Romania Paulo Cunha, Portugal Dóra Dávid, Hungary Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Spain Stefan Köhler, Germany Nadine Morano, France Alex Agius Saliba, Malta Annalisa Corrado, Italy Andi Cristea, Romania Hana Jalloul Muro, Spain Giannis Maniatis (politician)Giannis Maniatis, Greece Costas Mavrides, Cyprus Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Poland Adrian-George Axinia, Romania Chiara Gemma, Italy Kosma Złotowski, Poland Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Ireland Eugen Tomac, Romania Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Spain Virginie Joron, France Fabrice Leggeri, France Gordan Bosanac, Croatia Vicent Marzà Ibáñez, Spain Nikos Pappas, Greece Isabel Serra Sánchez, Spain Milan Mazurek, Slovakia Non-Inscrits Erik Kaliňák, Slovakia Fidias Panayiotou, Cyprus

Research support

The committee is supported by the European Parliament's research services and policy departments. These services provide studies, briefings and analyses on citizens' rights, the application of EU law, petition systems, participatory democracy, the European Citizens' Initiative and the work of the European Ombudsman.

Research and studies prepared for the committee are published through Parliament's supporting-analyses database and the European Parliament Think Tank.

See also

Right to petition European Citizens' Initiative European Ombudsman Citizenship of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs

References

External links

Official website Members Petitions Web Portal Supporting analyses European Parliament Think Tank