Sittings · Document
Report (2025/2145(DEC)) 2026-04-22
Discharge 2024: EU general budget - Commission
22.4.2026 A100085/31
Amendment 31
Sarah Knafo
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A100085/2026
Daniel Freund
Discharge 2024: EU general budget - Commission
(2025/2145(DEC))
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 6. Notes with concern that the current implementation rate for the cohesion funds is significantly lower than the implementation rate during the previous MFF 2014-2020, which coincides with the fact that only around 50 % of funds under the RRF had been disbursed by the end of 2024, implying that the remaining 50 % of the funds must be disbursed before then end of the RRF implementation period in December 2026; notes with concern that the total amount of outstanding Union bonds rose to EUR 578,2 billion at the end of 2024 and notes with concern the Court’s estimates that this amount could reach EUR 900 billion by the end of 2027, which will place a significant burden on future MFFs due to the associated interest payments and principal repayments; notes that the sustainability of Union debt must be factored into all future budgetary decisions; | 6. Notes with concern that the current implementation rate for the cohesion funds is significantly lower than the implementation rate during the previous MFF 2014-2020, which coincides with the fact that only around 50 % of funds under the RRF had been disbursed by the end of 2024, implying that the remaining 50 % of the funds must be disbursed before the end of the RRF implementation period in December 2026; notes with concern that the total amount of outstanding Union bonds rose to EUR 578,2 billion at the end of 2024 and notes with concern the Court's estimates that this amount could reach EUR 900 billion by the end of 2027, which will place a significant burden on future MFFs due to the associated interest payments and principal repayments; notes that the sustainability of Union debt must be factored into all future budgetary decisions; considers that rising debt service costs represent a structural constraint on the Union budget and that restoring fiscal sustainability requires prioritising expenditure discipline over any increase in the overall level of Union spending or the creation of new tax resources at Union level; |
Or. en
22.4.2026 A100085/32
Amendment 32
Sarah Knafo, Christine Anderson
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A100085/2026
Daniel Freund
Discharge 2024: EU general budget - Commission
(2025/2145(DEC))
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13. Recalls that the Commission’s 2024 review of NGO grant agreements found no breaches of the law; nevertheless, underlines that any recipient of Union funding, including NGOs, should be subject to robust, proportionate and risk-based scrutiny and transparency requirements, in line with legal provisions and sound financial management; stresses that budgetary control, safeguards and transparency requirements must be applied in a neutral, proportionate and evidence-based way, ensuring that transparency and oversight apply effectively across all categories of beneficiaries and that the scrutiny is risk-based; emphasises that the lack of transparency undermines trust in the discharge process and that effective scrutiny requires the application of equivalent standards to all beneficiaries; takes note of the Court’s findings in its special report 11/2025 ‘Transparency of EU funding granted to NGOs’; | 13. recalls that the Commission’s 2024 review of NGO grant agreements found no breaches of the law; stresses, however, that legality alone does not ensure sound financial management or safeguard institutional neutrality; underlines that any recipient of Union funding, including NGOs, should be subject to robust, proportionate and risk-based scrutiny and transparency requirements; considers that the use of Union funds to finance advocacy, lobbying or communication activities aimed at influencing Union institutions, legislative processes or electoral debate may constitute a circular use of public money incompatible with the principle of sound financial management, whereby Union funds are used to generate pressure on Union decision-making processes; calls on the Commission to exclude such activities from the scope of eligible expenditure and to introduce clear and enforceable contractual safeguards, full transparency of funded activities and deliverables, and effective ex post controls, including recovery of funds where such conditions are breached; emphasises that the lack of transparency undermines trust in the discharge process and that effective scrutiny requires the application of equivalent standards to all beneficiaries; takes note of the Court’s findings in its special report 11/2025 ‘Transparency of EU funding granted to NGOs’; |
Or. en
22.4.2026 A100085/33
Amendment 33
Christine Anderson
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A100085/2026
Daniel Freund
Discharge 2024: EU general budget - Commission
(2025/2145(DEC))
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13 a. Highlights concerns about the emergence of a “lobby loop”, whereby Union funds are granted to organisations that subsequently engage in advocacy, communication or lobbying activities directed at Union institutions and legislative processes; notes in this context reported cases of close alignment between Commission policy priorities and NGO advocacy campaigns, including under the responsibility of former Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans1a; stresses that such practices, even where formally compliant, risk undermining public trust in the neutrality and integrity of Union spending and decision-making; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a See e.g. European Court of Auditors criticism of NGO funding transparency and risks of advocacy alignment: https://www.brusselstimes.com/1536519/funding-for-ngos-are-granted-at-the-expense-of-transparency-says-eu-watchdog |
Or. en
22.4.2026 A100085/34
Amendment 34
Christine Anderson
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A100085/2026
Daniel Freund
Discharge 2024: EU general budget - Commission
(2025/2145(DEC))
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13 b. Notes the significant political impact of reporting by the NGO Correctiv in early 2024 on an alleged “secret plan” discussed at a meeting in Potsdam, which triggered widespread public mobilisation and influenced the political debate ahead of elections; notes that central factual claims of this reporting – including the existence of a “masterplan” to deport German citizens – were subsequently challenged before national courts and, in a judgment of March 2026, found to be unlawful, not sufficiently substantiated and in parts untrue, leading to judicial prohibitions, while related proceedings remain ongoing2a; stresses that this case illustrates how politically consequential narratives, even when based on factually incorrect or legally impermissible claims, can decisively influence democratic processes and public opinion; calls on the Commission to ensure that Union funds are not used, directly or indirectly, to support or amplify such narratives without full transparency, strict factual accountability and a clear separation from institutional decision-making; | |
| _________________ | |
| 2a Landgericht Berlin II, judgment of 17 March 2026 (Potsdam meeting / “masterplan” claims), press release: https://www.berlin.de/gerichte/presse/pressemitteilungen-der-ordentlichen-gerichtsbarkeit/2026/pressemitteilung.1653487.php |
Or. en
22.4.2026 A100085/35
Amendment 35
Sarah Knafo
on behalf of the ESN Group
Report A100085/2026
Daniel Freund
Discharge 2024: EU general budget - Commission
(2025/2145(DEC))
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 68. Notes that the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020 estimated that for each euro of costs linked to the programme, five euros worth of benefits would be generated for society by 2040; deeply regrets that 74 % of proposals assessed as high quality by independent experts could not be funded due to budget constraints; notes that an additional EUR 159 billion would have been needed to fund all high-quality proposals; stresses the importance of ensuring sufficient funding for Union R&I to boost the Union’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness; highlights the importance of making full use of the Seal of Excellence and other complementary Union and national funding instruments, including those under cohesion policy, to support high-quality but unfunded research and innovation projects and to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems across the Union; | 68. Notes that the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020 estimated that for each euro of costs linked to the programme, five euros worth of benefits would be generated for society by 2040; deeply regrets that 74 % of proposals assessed as high quality by independent experts could not be funded due to budget constraints; notes that an additional EUR 159 billion would have been needed to fund all high-quality proposals; stresses the importance of ensuring sufficient funding for Union R&I to boost the Union's sustainable prosperity and competitiveness; insists that Union research funding must be subject to strict relevance criteria directly linked to European industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy, and considers that grants with no demonstrable connection to these objectives represent an unjustified use of taxpayers' money; highlights the importance of making full use of the Seal of Excellence and other complementary Union and national funding instruments, including those under cohesion policy, to support high-quality but unfunded research and innovation projects and to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems across the Union; |
Or. en