Petitions to the European Parliament are a valuable tool which enables Europe’s citizens to react if they believe EU laws have been infringed. The Petitions Committee’s 2009 annual report, adopted by MEPs on 6 July in Strasbourg, says an interactive petitions website is needed to improve awareness of what can and cannot be achieved through petitions. MEPs also propose setting up an electronic register through which citizens can lend support to, or withdraw their backing from, a petition. They stress the need to ensure that citizens are fully aware of the distinction between these petitions and the citizens’ initiative, which was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. In 2009, numerous petitions referred to the excessive time taken by host member states to issue residence permits to third-country family members and difficulties in exercising voting rights or having qualifications recognised.