Sittings · Document
2023 discharge: General budget of the EU - Court of Auditors
Committee on Budgetary Control
AM_Com_NonLegReport
Amendment 1
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2 a. Welcome the continuous increase in the number of transactions audited by the Court under the heading Administration; take note of an audit planned on the EU civil service, but remind the importance of having a more in-depth investigation into the administrative expenditure and repeats its call to include in its work comprehensive data on all institutions in order to provide a coherent basis for a consistent discharge procedure;
Or. en
Amendment 2
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – introductory part
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
8. Highlights that the budgetary execution for 2023 was impacted by two factors:
8. Highlights that the budgetary execution for 2023 was impacted by two factors, which explain the slightly lower rate than in 2022:
Or. en
Amendment 3
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – point 2
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2. the higher turnover of contract staff and SNEs (some SNE contracts were not extended and a few SNEs passed an internal competition for temporary staff), delays and difficulties in recruitment procedures;
2. the higher turnover of contract staff and SNEs (some SNE contracts were not extended and a few SNEs passed an internal competition for temporary staff), delays and difficulties in recruitment procedures as for any European bodies located in Luxembourg; ;
Or. en
Amendment 4
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12. Notes that the overall mission budget of the Court (Members and staff) initially set at EUR 2 722 500 has declined by 4,4 % to EUR 2 602 500 given changes in the Court’s working methods following the pandemic;
12. Welcomes that the overall mission budget of the Court (Members and staff) initially set at EUR 2 722 500 has declined by 4,4 % to EUR 2 602 500 given changes in the Court’s working methods following the pandemic;
Or. en
Amendment 5
Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 a. Recalls, that the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal, has launched a simplification revolution, ensuring a clear, simple and smart regulatory framework for businesses and drastically reducing administrative, regulatory and reporting burdens, in particular for SMEs, calls on the Court to assess ways to contribute to this strategy and help the Commission to implement the goals set out
Or. en
Amendment 6
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 a. Calls on the Court to conduct a comprehensive review of travel and meeting allowances, ensuring that expenditures are cost-effective, justified, and environmentally sustainable, including an increased reliance on hybrid meetings to reduce unnecessary spending and carbon emissions;
Or. en
Amendment 7
Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 b. Emphasises the Budapest Declaration’s strategy of enabling a mindset based on trust, allowing business to flourish without excessive regulation, with key objectives to be implemented by the Commission without delay include making concrete proposals on reducing reporting requirements by at least 25 % in the first half of 2025, and including red-tape and competitiveness impact assessments in its proposals, believes that the Court of Auditors could contribute with proposals to implement this plan, calls on the Court to assess ways to advice and help the Commission to implement the goals set out;
Or. en
Amendment 8
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 c. Calls on the institution to assess how the European Parliament’s regulatory framework to avoid corruption and fraud has failed, allowing active involvement of European Parliamentarians in a mafia like network engaging in corruption, money laundering for several years without detection
Or. en
Amendment 9
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 d. Calls on the institution to draw lessons learned and conclusions on its own internal rules and procedures taking into account the revision of the Parliament’s Rules of procedure and Code of conduct in September 2023, however recommends the institution to come up with further and stronger ways to step up against fraud and to fully protect the EU’s financial interests;
Or. en
Amendment 10
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17. Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
17. Welcome the readiness of the Court to respond to Parliament request to focus its audit work on the most pressing challenges, as well as to adapt the cooperation with the Parliament CCC in order to further improve mutual cooperation; Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings; reminds that Commissioner for Budget in the CONT meeting on 10 October 2024 openly stated that the Court has a full mandate on the RRF which indicates the need for a speed improvement of the Court access to all tools to deliver in its mandate;
Or. en
Amendment 11
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17. Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
17. Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules, and the information contained therein is not updated in a timely manner; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
Or. en
Amendment 12
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17 b. Stresses that the Court should have full access to fraud risk assessment tools, including Commission and Member State databases related to EU funding fraud cases, to enhance early warning systems against fraudulent activities;
Or. en
Amendment 13
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17. Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
17. Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; urges the Commission to grant the Court full and immediate access to all FENIX modules without delay; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
Or. en
Amendment 14
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17. Recalls that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
17. Regrets deeply that the Court’s access to FENIX, the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), remains an open issue due to the fact the Commission only grants the Court access to some of the FENIX modules; supports the Court’s request that the Commission grant it full access as soon as possible; notes that the Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs has endeavoured to grant the Court access to FENIX files within 2 weeks of approving a payment request; is alarmed, however, that in practice that deadline is not being met in many cases and that delays of up to 2,5 months have been encountered in some instances, significantly slowing down the delivery of Court findings;
Or. en
Amendment 15
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17 a. Calls on the Court to expand its audit scope to include European Investment Bank (EIB) operations financed with the EIB’s own funds, given the EIB’s growing role in EU economic,financial, and industrial policy; urges the Commission and Member States to grant ECA the legal mandate required for this expansion;
Or. en
Amendment 16
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17 a. Commends the timely and pertinent special reports on the implementation of the RRF, which enable the discharge authority to effectively exercise its prerogatives and provide recommendations to the Commission for enhancing the functioning of this instrument;
Or. en
Amendment 17
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17 b. Urges the Court to strengthen its role in combating fraud in the Union budget by identifying weaknesses, engaging in anti-fraud discussions, intensifying audits, cooperating with fraud detection bodies, and providing relevant feedback to the discharge authority;
Or. en
Amendment 18
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
17 c. Notes that the Court, at the end of 2023, had 969 members of staff; notes that in 2023, women constitute 53% of the staff and men 47%, unchanged from the previous year, 2022; regrets that women represent only 30% of senior management, a significant decline from 36.4% in 2022; highlights that the overall proportion of women in management positions has decreased in 2023; calls on the Court to continue its efforts to promote gender balance for the middle and senior management;
Or. en
Amendment 19
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18. Is alarmed that the recruitment process required additional effort, as around 50 % of candidates turned down the job offers from the Court, in part due to the limited attractiveness of Luxembourg as a place of employment and the cost of living; notes, however, that the big audit firms present in Luxembourg are also facing challenges and are now turning to Asian markets to recruit auditors; stresses that such an approach cannot be applied by the Court due to security and eligibility concerns;
18. Is alarmed that the recruitment process required additional effort, as around 50 % of candidates turned down the job offers from the Court, in part due to the limited attractiveness of Luxembourg as a place of employment and the cost of living;
Or. en
Amendment 20
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18. Is alarmed that the recruitment process required additional effort, as around 50 % of candidates turned down the job offers from the Court, in part due to the limited attractiveness of Luxembourg as a place of employment and the cost of living; notes, however, that the big audit firms present in Luxembourg are also facing challenges and are now turning to Asian markets to recruit auditors; stresses that such an approach cannot be applied by the Court due to security and eligibility concerns;
18. Is alarmed that the recruitment process required additional effort, as around 50 % of candidates turned down the job offers from the Court, in part due to the limited attractiveness of Luxembourg as a place of employment and the high cost of living; notes, however, that the big audit firms present in Luxembourg are also facing challenges and are now turning to Asian markets to recruit auditors; stresses that such an approach cannot be applied by the Court due to security and eligibility concerns; acknowledges the Court's efforts and encourages it to collaborate with other Luxembourg-based institutions within the High Level Interinstitutional Group to enhance Luxembourg’s appeal to prospective staff through identified measures, such as special housing allowances to mitigate high rental costs for lower-grade staff and reasonably priced temporary housing for short stays;
Or. en
Amendment 21
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18. Is alarmed that the recruitment process required additional effort, as around 50 % of candidates turned down the job offers from the Court, in part due to the limited attractiveness of Luxembourg as a place of employment and the cost of living; notes, however, that the big audit firms present in Luxembourg are also facing challenges and are now turning to Asian markets to recruit auditors; stresses that such an approach cannot be applied by the Court due to security and eligibility concerns;
18. Is alarmed that the recruitment process required additional effort, as around 50 % of candidates turned down the job offers from the Court, in part due to the limited attractiveness of Luxembourg as a place of employment and the cost of living; notes, however, that the big audit firms present in Luxembourg are also facing challenges and are now turning to Asian markets to recruit auditors; stresses that such an approach cannot be applied by the Court due to security and eligibility concerns; encourages addressing these challenges through introducing new measures such as higher relocation allowances, housing subsidies or tax benefits to make the employment more attractive;
Or. en
Amendment 22
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18 a. Recalls the Treaty on the European Union, that the EU and its institutions, shall promote solidarity and equality between women and men
Or. en
Amendment 23
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19. Shares the Court’s concern that, in general, the audit profession is facing recruitment issues due to a lack of interest in audit and control jobs among young workers;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 24
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19. Shares the Court’s concern that, in general, the audit profession is facing recruitment issues due to a lack of interest in audit and control jobs among young workers;
19. Shares the Court’s concern that, in general, the audit profession is facing recruitment issues due to a lack of interest in audit and control jobs among young workers; urges forthwith systematic inter-institutional cooperation to address this issue;
Or. en
Amendment 25
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19. Shares the Court’s concern that, in general, the audit profession is facing recruitment issues due to a lack of interest in audit and control jobs among young workers;
19. Shares the Court’s concern that, in general, the audit profession is facing recruitment issues due to a lack of interest in audit and control jobs among young workers; calls for proactive solutions to address this issue;
Or. en
Amendment 26
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
20. Shares the Court’s observations that EPSO competitions do not always achieve the objective of attracting and selecting relevant profiles of candidates from the private sector; highlights that several issues with EPSO competitions, for example technical problems with remote testing leading to the cancellation of one competition and putting all others on hold, raised serious concerns with the Court about business continuity; notes with appreciation that the Court has engaged in cooperation with EPSO in order to organise audit competitions at regular intervals;
20. Shares the Court’s observations that EPSO competitions do not always achieve the objective of attracting and selecting relevant profiles of candidates from the private sector; highlights the several issues with EPSO competitions, for example technical problems with remote testing leading to the cancellation of one competition and putting all others on hold; acknowledges the concerns related to the recruitment and the selection procedures of new staff; encourages the Court to continue its effort to address this situation in order to safeguard the continuity of the Court's activity; notes with appreciation that the Court has engaged in cooperation with EPSO in order to organise audit competitions at regular intervals;
Or. en
Amendment 27
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
20. Shares the Court’s observations that EPSO competitions do not always achieve the objective of attracting and selecting relevant profiles of candidates from the private sector; highlights that several issues with EPSO competitions, for example technical problems with remote testing leading to the cancellation of one competition and putting all others on hold, raised serious concerns with the Court about business continuity; notes with appreciation that the Court has engaged in cooperation with EPSO in order to organise audit competitions at regular intervals;
20. Shares the Court’s observations that EPSO competitions do not always achieve the objective of attracting and selecting relevant profiles of candidates from the private sector; highlights that several issues with EPSO competitions, for example technical problems with remote testing leading to the cancellation of one competition and putting all others on hold, raised serious concerns with the Court about business continuity; notes with appreciation that the Court has engaged in cooperation with EPSO in order to organise audit competitions at regular intervals; suggests possible cooperation with other relevant EU bodies in order to optimize hiring processes;
Or. en
Amendment 28
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
22. Appreciates the generous teleworking regime (up to 10 days per month) offered by the Court in order to mitigate the recruitment challenges;
22. Notes the teleworking regime (up to 10 days per month) offered by the Court in order to mitigate the recruitment challenges;
Or. en
Amendment 29
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
22 a. Welcomes the measures taken by the Court in 2023 in order to ensure the physical and mental well-being of staff;
Or. en
Amendment 30
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
24 a. Calls on the Court to publish an annual Gender and Diversity Report, with disaggregated data on gender, nationality, and employment categories, as well as concrete measures to increase representation of underrepresented Member States and minorities;
Or. en
Amendment 31
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
25. Welcomes the fact that the Court took various steps to tackle the issue of geographical balance, such as increasing publicity for the Court’s competition and vacancy notices in significantly underrepresented Member States, cooperating with Members of the Court to disseminate its notices and reaching out to potential candidates by attending career fairs in certain Member States;
25. Welcomes the fact that the Court took various steps to tackle the issue of geographical balance, such as increasing publicity for the Court’s competition and vacancy notices in significantly underrepresented Member States, cooperating with Members of the Court to disseminate its notices and reaching out to potential candidates by attending career fairs in certain Member States; encourages further steps being taken into consideration, such as early engagement strategies, attracting young talents from the countries with low representations;
Or. en
Amendment 32
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
25 a. notes with a certain regret that there is still some way to reach gender balance in middle and senior management;
Or. en
Amendment 33
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
26. Welcomes the fact that, at the end of 2023, all 29 additional posts required for the RRF audit of EUR 723,8 billion were filled; however, underscores that the materiality, complexity, large amounts and rapid disbursements from the RRF continue to pose challenges and that not all aspects of the RRF can be covered with the resources available;
26. Welcomes the fact that, at the end of 2023, all 29 additional posts required for the RRF audit of EUR 723,8 billion were filled; however, underscores that the materiality, complexity, large amounts and rapid disbursements from the RRF continue to pose challenges and that not all aspects of the RRF can be covered with the resources available, which allow the Court to assess the satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets and therefore the legality and regularity of RRF payments, but they are not sufficient to systematically cover compliance of RRF expenditure with EU and national laws; commends the efforts done by the Court to carry out its duties regarding the RRF so far despite the not fully adequate resources available;
Or. en
Amendment 34
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
26. Welcomes the fact that, at the end of 2023, all 29 additional posts required for the RRF audit of EUR 723,8 billion were filled; however, underscores that the materiality, complexity, large amounts and rapid disbursements from the RRF continue to pose challenges and that not all aspects of the RRF can be covered with the resources available;
26. Welcomes the fact that, at the end of 2023, all 29 additional posts required for the RRF audit of EUR 723,8 billion were filled; however, underscores that the materiality, complexity, large amounts and rapid disbursements from the RRF continue to pose challenges and that not all aspects of the RRF can be covered with the resources available; highlights the importance of ensuring that the Court is consistently provided with adequate staffing levels to fulfill both its mandate and additional responsibilities stemming from new financing instruments such as the RRF;
Or. en
Amendment 35
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
27. Takes into account that, as regards the gender balance of the College of the Court, the Members of the Court are appointed after consultation with the European Parliament and the Court has no role in the selection process for Members under Article 286(2) TFEU;
27. Regrets that 12 Member States have never nominated a woman to the Court; calls on the Court to evaluate its overall composition and provide this analysis to the Council and the Member States, ensuring that gender balance is appropriately considered in future nomination processes; reiterates its call for Member States to propose candidates of different genders, aiming for a more balanced and representative composition of the Court;
Or. en
Amendment 36
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
27. Takes into account that, as regards the gender balance of the College of the Court, the Members of the Court are appointed after consultation with the European Parliament and the Court has no role in the selection process for Members under Article 286(2) TFEU;
27. despite taking into account that the Members of the Court are appointed after consultation with the European Parliament and that the Court has no role in the selection process for Members under Article 286(2) TFEU; continues to regrets the lack of gender balance in the College of the Court, even with a certain improve in the number of women over the years; calls on the Council to reconsider the nomination procedure with the aim of tackling this problem with concrete actions, such as making it compulsory for Member States to nominate at least two candidates of different genders for each vacancy;
Or. en
Amendment 37
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
27. Takes into account that, as regards the gender balance of the College of the Court, the Members of the Court are appointed after consultation with the European Parliament and the Court has no role in the selection process for Members under Article 286(2) TFEU;
27. Takes into account that, as regards the gender balance of the College of the Court, the Members of the Court are appointed after consultation with the European Parliament and the Court has no role in the selection process for Members under Article 286(2) TFEU; points out that there is still an important gender imbalance within the Court, with only 9 women out of 27 members;
Or. en
Amendment 38
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
27 a. Regrets that over the years the Council repeatedly proceeds to nominate members of the Court despite those nominees being rejected by Parliament; underlines that Parliament should have a binding role in assessing the suitability of candidates for the Court;
Or. en
Amendment 39
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
27 a. Expresses regret that the Council has repeatedly nominated members of the Court despite their rejection by Parliament; emphasizes that Parliament should hold a binding role in evaluating the suitability of candidates for the Court;
Or. en
Amendment 40
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
29. Notes that 7 cases of burnout were reported in 2023; welcomes the fact that the Court took several steps to reduce the risk of burnout by introducing a full wellbeing programme, offering a resilience training, publishing and implementing guidelines on returning to work after long-term sick leave, continuing to offer mental health first aid, and providing financial support to staff by covering the cost of 10 sessions with a psychologist of their choice;
29. Notes with concern that 7 cases of burnout were reported in 2023, reflecting the same troubling number as in 2022; welcomes the fact that the Court took several steps to reduce the risk of burnout by introducing a full wellbeing programme, offering a resilience training, publishing and implementing guidelines on returning to work after long-term sick leave, continuing to offer mental health first aid, and providing financial support to staff by covering the cost of 10 sessions with a psychologist of their choice;
Or. en
Amendment 41
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
29 a. Welcomes the adoption of a new policy in December 2022 to ensure a respectful and harassment-free workplace, focusing on prevention, awareness-raising, and early detection; highlights measures such as a presentation to all staff in January 2023 to enhance understanding of the policy, the rollout of a harmonized reporting form, and the publication of the first aggregated annual report on policy implementation;
Or. en
Amendment 42
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
29 a. Notes with appreciation that in 2023 the Court again exceeded the professional training target of five days of non-language training per years for auditors (6.7 days), in line with the International Federation of Accountants' recommendations; notes in particular the training of the Court's staff on the NGEU and the RRF;
Or. en
Amendment 43
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
29 b. Welcomes the Court's Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2021-2025; notes with satisfaction the organisation of the third Disabilities Awareness Week and interinstitutional initiatives to foster inclusivity; emphasizes the ECA's efforts, including its survey on workplace accessibility, participation in the Ombudsman Award for Good Administration, and the external audit on building accessibility in compliance with Luxembourg's 2023 accessibility legislation;
Or. en
Amendment 44
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
29 c. Emphasizes the critical role of the Court as the Union’s independent external auditor and guardian of its finances, which requires the Court to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and accountability, serving as a model institution to inspire confidence and credibility; recalls that, in accordance with Article 285 TFEU, the members of the Court must exercise complete independence and adhere to the highest ethical principles, demonstrating integrity, objectivity, professional conduct, dignity, commitment, and loyalty;
Or. en
Amendment 45
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
30 a. reminds the role and importance of the Court as the Union’s independent external auditor and guardian of its finances which requires the Court to adhere to the highest possible standards and act as a model organisation in order to inspire confidence and credibility; notes that according to Article 285 TFEU, the members of the Court are completely independent;
Or. en
Amendment 46
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
31. Notes that, in 2023, the Court organised 3 training events specifically dedicated to ethics, which attracted 60 participants; takes into account the fact that the Court’s ethics-related courses were open to all staff, including managers, and that the standard courses are compulsory for newcomers and cover public ethics and the Court’s anti-harassment policy;
31. Notes that, in 2023, the Court organised 3 training events specifically dedicated to ethics, which attracted 60 participants; takes into account the fact that the Court’s ethics-related courses were open to all staff, including managers, and that the standard courses are compulsory for newcomers and cover public ethics and the Court’s anti-harassment policy; Regrets that the ethics-related courses were not compulsory to all staff on a regular basis
Or. en
Amendment 47
Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
31 a. Recalls the Treaty on the European Union, that the EU’s and its institutions, aim is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples, to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security
Or. en
Amendment 48
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
31 b. Calls on the institution to take full devotion and maximise its efforts with all its available measures and assets to promote peace and to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, and to preserve peace and strengthen European security
Or. en
Amendment 49
Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
31 c. Recalls the Treaty on the European Union, that the EU and its institutions, shall respect the equality of Member States before the Treaties as well as their national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government
Or. en
Amendment 50
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
31 d. Calls on the institution to always respect the equality of Member States and to treat all Member States equally, respect their sovereignty and their national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government;
Or. en
Amendment 51
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
32 a. Regrets that the Court has failed to fully cooperate with EPPO by refusing to lift the immunity of its former President and by denying EPPO access to conduct a search within its premises in relation to a probe into possible wrongdoing, which could be considered an interference with the proper conduct of an investigation, according to the EPPO; recalls that, as the Union’s external auditor, the Court is bound by the principles of accountability, integrity, and transparency, as well as the principle of mutual sincere cooperation between EU's institutions; calls on the Court to ensure that immunity is not invoked to hinder legitimate judicial proceedings and to take all necessary measures to ensure full compliance with interinstitutional cooperation in the prevention and investigation of fraud;
Or. en
Amendment 52
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
32 a. Is concerned by media’s report that an EPPO investigation on misuse of funds by the former President of the Court is currently blocked by the decision of the Court not to lift his immunity; requests the Court to fully cooperate with EPPO on any investigations they may activate and to report on the reasons for the decision not to lift the immunity;
Or. en
Amendment 53
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Daniel Freund
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
32 b. Notes with concern that, according to media reports, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has requested the lifting of immunity of several ECA staff members in 2023 and that, to date, the Court has refused to grant this request; stresses that while immunity serves to protect the independence of EU institutions, it should not be misused to shield individuals from legitimate judicial scrutiny; considers that requests for the lifting of immunity should only be refused in exceptional circumstances; calls on the Court to provide a detailed justification to the discharge authority for its decision in this case, outlining the specific legal and procedural concerns that led to the refusal, if any; further urges the Court to maintain a high level of transparency and accountability in its cooperation with EPPO and other EU bodies responsible for combating fraud and misconduct
Or. en
Amendment 54
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
32 a. Calls on the Court to ensure that all Members and senior staff publish their financial interests, gifts, and hospitality declarations in a public online database, in line with best practices in EU transparency rules;
Or. en
Amendment 55
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
34. Notes that, in 2024, the Court, jointly with the Court of Justice, invited the Commission to participate in an interinstitutional dialogue with a view to agreeing on common rules regarding the use of official cars, which is in line with the remark included in Parliament’s resolutions of 11 April 2022 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budgets of the Court of Auditors and of the Court of Justice; emphasises the call on all Union institutions to agree on a single system to be applied horizontally, which would reduce confusion and increase transparency and efficiency in the use of public money; notes that a working group will be created in the framework of the interinstitutional Preparatory Committee for Matters relating to the Staff Regulations; appreciates the Court’s readiness to align the rules with the applicable rules of the Commission;
34. Welcomes that, in 2024, the Court, jointly with the Court of Justice, invited the Commission to participate in an interinstitutional dialogue with a view to agreeing on common rules regarding the use of official cars, which is in line with the remark included in Parliament’s resolutions of 11 April 2022 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budgets of the Court of Auditors and of the Court of Justice; emphasises the call on all Union institutions to agree on a single system to be applied horizontally, which would reduce confusion and increase transparency and efficiency in the use of public money; notes that a working group will be created in the framework of the interinstitutional Preparatory Committee for Matters relating to the Staff Regulations; appreciates the Court’s readiness to align the rules with the applicable rules of the Commission , but reiterates the criticism already expressed on previous discharge resolutions on the new decision from 2022 concerning members’ travel, missions and use of drivers and cars, which is against the general principle that the use of the car fleet outside of the strict performance of the duties of the members of the Court should not take place under any circumstance;
Or. en
Amendment 56
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
35 a. Calls on the Court to introduce a mandatory "cooling-off" period of at least two years for former Members and senior officials before they can engage in lobbying or advisory roles in sectors subject to ECA audits;
Or. en
Amendment 57
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
36 a. Welcomes the extension of scope of information published on Members’ mission, but remind Parliament’s request to provide information about missions for the whole mandate of the Members; welcomes the revision of the Code of Conduct of members which forbid Members from holding any honorary position in political organisation, implementing Parliament’s request for Members not to have formalised political inks; take notes that conclusions of the internal audit report on ethics was to be communicated to the EP President and the Chair of the Budgetary Control Committee in the 3 quarter of 2024, and invite the Court to share this with the Committee of Budgetary Control in its entirety;
Or. en
Amendment 58
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
36 a. Urges the Court to publish real-time recusal decisions in cases where Members or staff declare conflicts of interest, ensuring greater transparency in the audit process;
Or. en
Amendment 59
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
38. Regrets that an annual list of contracts above Directive threshold (>EUR 140 000 for services/supplies; >EUR 5 382 000 for works) concluded in 2023 is not available on the website of the Court; calls on the Court to publish that list as a separate document and ensure user-friendly access to it;
38. Regrets that an annual list of contracts above Directive threshold (>EUR 140 000 for services/supplies; >EUR 5 382 000 for works) concluded in 2023 is not available on the website of the Court; calls on the Court to publish that list as a separate document without undue delay and ensure user-friendly access to it;
Or. en
Amendment 60
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
40. Completely supports the rationale of the Court for its decision not to join the Transparency Register, as it does not have a vested interest in influencing decision making, beyond providing facts and objective feedback about Union programmes; notes that all of the Court’s reports are publicly available and subject to a rigorous clearing procedure with the auditees; is aware that the opposite scenario would add an administrative burden to the Court and would not result in more transparency;
40. Strongly encourages the Court to reconsider its position regarding the EU Transparency Register, established by the interinstitutional agreement of 20 May 2021 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register1a;
Or. en
Amendment 61
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
40. Completely supports the rationale of the Court for its decision not to join the Transparency Register, as it does not have a vested interest in influencing decision making, beyond providing facts and objective feedback about Union programmes; notes that all of the Court’s reports are publicly available and subject to a rigorous clearing procedure with the auditees; is aware that the opposite scenario would add an administrative burden to the Court and would not result in more transparency;
40. Continues to reject the rationale of the Court for its decision not to join the Transparency Register, as it does not have a vested interest in influencing decision making, beyond providing facts and objective feedback about Union programmes; notes that all of the Court’s reports are publicly available and subject to a rigorous clearing procedure with the auditees; reiterate its strong call for the Court to join the EU Transparency Register in order to adhere to basic principles of transparency while at the same time not creating any obstacles to the full independence of the Court;
Or. en
Amendment 62
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
40 a. Welcomes the significant progress made in 2023 towards establishing the Document Management Ecosystem (DOME), namely the delivery and implementation by means of concrete document approval processes of both the new electronic signature and the core approval module for PASS (Process to Approve, Sign and Send documents); encourages the Court to further pursue its objectives of digitalizing the review and approval workflows and improving their efficiency;
Or. en
Amendment 63
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
40 b. Notes that the Court continued being actively involved in the Emerging technology group of the Interistitutional Committee for Digital Trasformation, focusing on the work on artificial intelligence (AI) in 2023; notes that the DATA Team (Data and Technology for Audit), established in 2021, continued working on the implementation of the development plan for better use of technology in support of the Court's audit objectives, particularly preparing an analysis of AI's opportunities and challenges for the Court and for its audit work, then starting to develop a proposal for a strategy on the use of AI in the audit process;
Or. en
Amendment 64
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
40 a. Reminds the importance to improve the digitalisation of the audit work; welcomes all the efforts in this direction that continue to be taken by the Court, combined with the increased numbers of on the spot visits, thus defining a system of efficient and accurate audit work;
Or. en
Amendment 65
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
42 a. Urges the Court to develop a cybersecurity audit framework for EU institutions and agencies, ensuring harmonized security standards and resilience measures against cyber threats;
Or. en
Amendment 66
Olivier Chastel, Gilles Boyer, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
43. Notes with appreciation that the Court conducts at least three simulated phishing exercises per year to raise users’ awareness of that cyber threat; notes furthermore that the Court conducts a comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment every three years;
43. Notes with appreciation that the Court conducts at least three simulated phishing exercises per year to raise users’ awareness of that cyber threat; notes furthermore that the Court conducts a comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment every three years; Suggests to the Court to organise on a regular basis compulsory training for al staff on cyber threat including good practices for a safe use of AI.
Or. en
Amendment 67
Caterina Chinnici
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
44. Notes with relief that there was no trace of data exfiltration or lateral movement of the intruder to other Court IT systems during the July 2023 cyber-incident, during which one of the perimeter security gateways was compromised by the exploitation of a software vulnerability;
44. Notes with relief that there was no trace of data exfiltration or lateral movement of the intruder to other Court IT systems during the July 2023 cyber-incident, during which one of the perimeter security gateways was compromised by the exploitation of a software vulnerability; notes that the software vulnerability had been disclosed by the vendor just two days before the incident;
Or. en
Amendment 68
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
50 a. Urges the Court to integrate environmental criteria into its procurement policies, ensuring that all purchased goods and services meet high sustainability standards, in line with EU Green Public Procurement guidelines;
Or. en
Amendment 69
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
51 a. Asks the institution to give recommendations to the European Parliament and its Budgetary Control Committee on new ways to fight against misconduct and misuse of EU funds based on their own institutional experience and lessons learned from cases in the past, share best practices, as it has been proven that the European Union’s financial interests were not well protected in the European Parliament; as unveiled by the criminal case and the investigations, believes that the Parliament could benefit from a fresh perspective in the matter and input from the institution;
Or. en
Amendment 70
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
51 a. Calls for the formalization of an annual interinstitutional dialogue between the ECA, European Parliament, Council, and Commission on budgetary control, ensuring systematic follow-up on audit findings and improved oversight of EU expenditure;
Or. en
Amendment 71
Tamás Deutsch, Julien Sanchez, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
52. Recalls once again that effective cooperation between the Court and the Commission will remain limited unless the Commission adopts the Court’s methodology for assessing error rates, which is based on an independent and comprehensive evaluation of all rule breaches, in contrast to the Commission’s focus on recoverable errors;
52. Recalls once again that effective cooperation between the Court and the Commission will remain limited unless the Commission adopts the Court’s methodology for assessing error rates, which is based on an independent and comprehensive evaluation of all rule breaches, in contrast to the Commission’s focus on recoverable errors; Parliament firmly rejects the use of EU funds as a means of political pressure and calls on the European Court of Auditors to conduct a special review of cases where access to EU funding has been restricted or made conditional for certain Member States on political grounds. The objective and lawful oversight of EU funds must not become a tool for the centralised Brussels elites’ political games.
Or. en
Amendment 72
Csaba Molnár, Claudiu Manda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
53. Welcomes the fact that the Court cooperates closely with both OLAF and the EPPO, including by organising workshops and awareness-raising events and by exchanging knowledge and experience; furthermore notes that the Court, in 2023, forwarded 20 cases of suspected fraud to OLAF and 17 such cases to the EPPO;
53. Welcomes the fact that the Court cooperates closely with both OLAF and the EPPO, including by organising workshops and awareness-raising events and by exchanging knowledge and experience; furthermore notes that the Court, in 2023, forwarded 20 cases of suspected fraud to OLAF and 17 such cases to the EPPO; emphasizes its position that all suspicions of fraud should be promptly referred to OLAF and EPPO for thorough investigation;
Or. en
Amendment 73
Damian Boeselager
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
53 a. Calls on the Court to establish a structured fraud-detection collaboration mechanism with OLAF and EPPO, including real-time data-sharing agreements and a joint audit approach for high-risk EU funding areas;
Or. en
Amendment 74
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
58 a. Calls on the institution to refrain from promoting, spreading and supporting gender and woke ideology and respect the Treaty and its provisions as well as to respect the Member States’ national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, history, religion and traditions
Or. en
Amendment 75
Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek, Tamás Deutsch, Julien Sanchez
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
60a. Commends the Court for its detailed reports, which are far clearer than the Commission's publications;
encourages the Court to give more specific examples in boxes.
Or. fr