Perhaps there was a sense of deja vu as MEPs assembled in the European Parliament’s Petition Committee room on 11 November 2019. From private complaints to appeals to European bodies to adopt a position on a specific matter, the Petition Committee embodies the provisions of Article 227 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union: the right for any EU citizen to petition the European Parliament.
As members debated the numerous items on the agenda, one petition seemed to stand out. Submitted in early 2018, it reignited one of the most polarising issues of European integration, the Euro. In a bold appeal, the petitioner called on the Eurozone to develop elements of a common fiscal policy to resemble how national governments use revenue and expenditure to influence their economy. These included initiatives such as greater levels of risk sharing to preserve and protect further attempts at financial and economic integration. Member States should tackle financial shocks together with an empowered centralised mechanism, or a jointly run institution, to resolve stressed financial entities and provide fiscal relief to Member States.
