Sittings · Document

Draft report (2024/2029(DEC)) 2025-02-05

2023 discharge: General budget of the EU - European Public Prosecutors Office (the ‘EPPO’)

Committee on Budgetary Control

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Amendment 1

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas the competence of the EPPO encompasses several types of fraud, and includes VAT fraud with damages above EUR 10 million, money laundering and corruption;

B. whereas the competence of the EPPO encompasses several types of fraud, and includes cross-border VAT fraud with damages above EUR 10 million, money laundering, corruption, organised crime and other offences for which the EPPO performs prosecutorial functions before the competent courts of the participating Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 2

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas the competence of the EPPO encompasses several types of fraud, and includes VAT fraud with damages above EUR 10 million, money laundering and corruption;

B. whereas the competence of the EPPO encompasses several types of fraud, and includes VAT fraud with damages above EUR 10 billion, money laundering and corruption;

Or. fr

Amendment 3

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Recalls the Parliament’s strong support for the establishment of the EPPO; stresses the EPPO’s important in the protection of the Union’s financial interests and as an essential component of the Union’s anti-fraud architecture and of an wider Union system based on integrity, accountability and the sound financial management of resources;

2. Recalls the Parliament’s strong support for the establishment of the EPPO; acknowledges EPPO as an independent Union body; stresses the EPPO’s important role in the protection of the Union’s financial interests and as an essential component of the Union’s anti-fraud architecture and of a wider Union system based on integrity, accountability, transparency and the sound financial management of resources; commends the EPPO for its work in investigating, prosecuting, and ensuring justice for crimes affecting the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption, and cross-border VAT fraud;

Or. en

Amendment 4

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma, Giuseppe Lupo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Notes that the overall final budget allocated to the EPPO for 2023 was EUR 65,9 million, substantially increased (by 14,7 %) from the EUR 51,2 million that was allocated in 2022, while the 2021 budget (EUR 26,2) related to a period prior to the EPPO’s financial autonomy; observes that the EPPO’s budget includes the reinforcement, granted by the budgetary authority on EPPO’s request in June 2023, by EUR 500 000 (the request also included human resources related to essential enhancement of the EPPO’s security capacity, leading to the grant of eight additional establishment plan posts); appreciates that no budget was returned in 2023, compared to 10 % (EUR 5,9 million) of the initial budget in 2022 and 21 % (EUR 9,5 million) in 2021;

Or. en

Amendment 5

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Is aware that, following the achievement of its financial autonomy, in June 2021, the EPPO has prioritised the operational expenditure related to investigation, prosecution and security measures, and that this has resulted in limiting the non-operational expenditure to essential level support services; remarks that, in this context, a total of EUR 28 312 075 was allocated on operational expenditure lines (Title 3), representing 43 % of the EPPO’s final budget 2023 (compared to EUR 21 047 346 that is 41 % in 2022); observes that the main cost drivers for these activities were the EDPs’ remuneration (51 % of the operational activities compared to 42% in 2022), followed by operational ICT activities like maintenance and development of the EPPO’s CMS (19 % compared to 28 % in 2022), and the linguistic services (translation and interpretation related activities) (14 %, the same as in 2022);

7. Is aware that, following the achievement of its financial autonomy, in June 2021, the EPPO has prioritised the operational expenditure related to investigation, prosecution and security measures, and that this has resulted in limiting the non-operational expenditure to essential level support services; remarks that, in this context, a total of EUR 28 312 075 was allocated on operational expenditure lines (Title 3), representing 43 % of the EPPO’s final budget 2023 (compared to EUR 21 047 346 that is 41 % in 2022); is surprised that the main cost drivers for these activities were the EDPs’ remuneration (51 % of the operational activities compared to 42% in 2022), followed by operational ICT activities like maintenance and development of the EPPO’s CMS (19 % compared to 28 % in 2022), and the linguistic services (translation and interpretation related activities) (14 %, the same as in 2022);

Or. fr

Amendment 6

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma, Giuseppe Lupo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Notes that the remuneration of the EDPs reached EUR 14,5 (compared to EUR 8,7 million in 2022), and it represents the main operational expenditure because of the increased number of EDPs in place over 2023; welcomes the accession of Poland and Sweden to the EPPO, which was announced in 2024; notes that it did not affect the 2023 expenditure and concerns the 2024 budget only marginally, due to the late and gradual intake of two European Prosecutors and of number of EDPs; understands that a more solid cost estimation will be possible only in 2025; welcomes the inclusion in the programme of the new Irish Government of the objective to join the EPPO; calls on the Hungarian government, as the sole remaining Member State that has not yet joined the EPPO despite the absence of any legal or constitutional impediment, to join the EPPO without further delay; recalls that broad public support for Hungary’s accession has been demonstrated by the collection of 680,000 signatures in favour of joining the EPPO, underscoring a strong societal demand for enhanced legal safeguards against fraud and corruption affecting the Union’s financial interests;

Or. en

Amendment 7

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Is aware that the costs for translation services are expected to further increase, in line with the EPPO’s increasing caseload, and welcomes both the internal guidance developed on the use of translation services, with a view of reinforcing control over costs and including the recommendation to use machine translation services whenever possible, and the resort of national service providers in the limit allowed by the current Regulation; observes, in that regard, that while Article 107 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 provides for translation services required for the administrative functioning of the EPPO at the central level to be provided by the Union’s Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, it also provides different handling of operational and urgent matters and empowers EDPs to decide on the arrangements for translations for the purpose of investigations in accordance with applicable national law;

10. Is aware that the costs for translation services are expected to further increase, in line with the EPPO’s increasing caseload, and recognises the need for additional resources for translation; welcomes both the internal guidance developed on the use of translation services, with a view of reinforcing control over costs and including the recommendation to use machine translation services whenever possible, and the resort of national service providers in the limit allowed by the current Regulation; observes, in that regard, that while Article 107 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 provides for translation services required for the administrative functioning of the EPPO at the central level to be provided by the Union’s Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, it also provides different handling of operational and urgent matters and empowers EDPs to decide on the arrangements for translations for the purpose of investigations in accordance with applicable national law;

Or. en

Amendment 8

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Maintains that the budgetary and human resources allocated to the EPPO are expected to be adequate to allow the efficient and successful carrying out of its mandate and the normal handling of the related administrative procedures; reiterates its call on the Commission to review the EPPO budgetary framework in close cooperation with the EPPO to find adequate ways to support it in its work; recommends the Commission to consider that in the context of a growing number of complex cases, additional resources will be needed and these should not be dependent on the revision of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 and of the EPPO mandate;

16. Maintains that the budgetary and human resources allocated to the EPPO are expected to be adequate to allow the efficient and successful carrying out of its mandate and the normal handling of the related administrative procedures; reiterates its call on the Commission to review the EPPO budgetary framework in close cooperation with the EPPO to find adequate ways to support it in its work; calls the Commission to allocate additional resources justified by the growing number of complex cases, and emphasises that these should not be dependent on the revision of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 and of the EPPO mandate, but rather on the importance of the fight against organised crime and the protection of EU financial interests in the next Multiannual Financial Framework;

Or. en

Amendment 9

Pasquale Tridico

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Emphasises that the activities of the EPPO contribute to the protection of the Union’s financial interests and are also expected to recover amounts from the Union’s budget that were not used for its intended purpose due to criminal activities; believes that the amounts resulting from seizing and confiscating measures adopted by the EDPs in the Member States could, after the deduction of costs incurred by the Member States’ authorities to implement those measures, flow back into the Union Budget in accordance with Article 38 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939; considers that the potential revenue resulting from seizing and confiscating measures should be accounted for in the Union Budget as non-assigned revenue; calls on the Commission to make the necessary arrangements with the relevant national authorities to allow those amounts to enter into the Union Budget;

17. Emphasises that the activities of the EPPO contribute to the protection of the Union’s financial interests and are also expected to recover amounts from the Union’s budget that were not used for its intended purpose due to criminal activities; believes that the amounts resulting from seizing and confiscating measures adopted by the EDPs in the Member States could, after the deduction of costs incurred by the Member States’ authorities to implement those measures, flow back into the Union Budget in accordance with Article 38 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939; considers that the potential revenue resulting from seizing and confiscating measures should be accounted for in the Union Budget as non-assigned revenue and should be used primarily by Member States via the presentation of new projects or the reinforcement of the EU Anti-Fraud Architecture; calls on the Commission to make the necessary arrangements with the relevant national authorities to allow those amounts to enter into the Union Budget;

Or. en

Amendment 10

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Acknowledges that the EPPO clearly contributes to European added value in terms of coordination and cooperation with the Member States in investigating and prosecuting crimes against the financial interests of the Union and that the EPPO has been achieving the goals set out in Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 in that regard; expects Member States to comply with legal obligations and to report all relevant cases to the EPPO; notes with concern that in several instances Member States have been declaring criminal offences affecting the financial interests of the Union as national cases, which are within the competence of the EPPO; notes that questions of competence between the national authorities and the EDPs have come up in several cases across several countries; is aware that, according to Article 25(6) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, cases of disagreement about the EPPO’s competences are to be decided by the same national judicial authority who is responsible for determining the competent body for prosecution at national level; regrets that in many participating Member States the procedures in force and the national authorities entrusted with the decisions on such cases regarding conflicts of competence are not set in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, stresses that in cases of conflicts of competence between the EPPO and a national prosecution authority, the national authority competent to decide on the attribution of competence could come to a conclusion without requesting a preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice and could, instead adopt a decision that is binding on the EPPO and points out that this is against the spirit of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, which provides that, in accordance with Article 267 TFEU, the Court of Justice has jurisdiction to give a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of the provision on conflicts of competence between the EPPO and national authorities; believes that the current situation lacks legal clarity; encourages all Member States to work more closely with the EPPO; emphasises that the competence of the EPPO is clearly outlined in Article 22(1) and (2), and in Article 23 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2019, and that all Member States are to comply with that Regulation; notes that when Member States have doubts about the competence of the EPPO in a particular case, there is the possibility of submitting a preliminary question to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling pursuant to Article 267 TFEU and Article 42(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 ; urges the Commission, where there is a breach of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, to submit the case to the Court of Justice; notes with concern that the question of competence can cause a halt to the investigation; is concerned about potential loss of evidence when cases are paused; calls on the Commission to collect information regarding cases regarding conflicts of competence for the evaluation report that will be submitted in 2026;

18. Acknowledges that the EPPO clearly contributes to European added value in terms of coordination and cooperation with the Member States in investigating and prosecuting crimes against the financial interests of the Union and that the EPPO has been achieving the goals set out in Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 in that regard; expects Member States to comply with legal obligations and to report all relevant cases to the EPPO; notes that questions of competence between the national authorities and the EDPs have come up in several cases across several countries; is aware that, according to Article 25(6) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, cases of disagreement about the EPPO’s competences are to be decided by the same national judicial authority who is responsible for determining the competent body for prosecution at national level; regrets that in many participating Member States the procedures in force and the national authorities entrusted with the decisions on such cases regarding conflicts of competence are not set in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, stresses that in cases of conflicts of competence between the EPPO and a national prosecution authority, the national authority competent to decide on the attribution of competence could come to a conclusion without requesting a preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice and could, instead adopt a decision that is binding on the EPPO; in accordance with Article 267 TFEU, the Court of Justice has jurisdiction to give a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of the provision on conflicts of competence between the EPPO and national authorities; believes that the current situation lacks legal clarity; encourages all Member States to work more closely with the EPPO; emphasises that the competence of the EPPO is clearly outlined in Article 22(1) and (2), and in Article 23 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2019, and that all Member States are to comply with that Regulation; notes that when Member States have doubts about the competence of the EPPO in a particular case, there is the possibility of submitting a preliminary question to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling pursuant to Article 267 TFEU and Article 42(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 ; urges the Commission, where there is a breach of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, to submit the case to the Court of Justice; notes with concern that the question of competence can cause a halt to the investigation; is concerned about potential loss of evidence when cases are paused; calls on the Commission to collect information regarding cases regarding conflicts of competence for the evaluation report that will be submitted in 2026;

Or. fr

Amendment 11

Joachim Stanisław Brudziński

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Acknowledges that the EPPO clearly contributes to European added value in terms of coordination and cooperation with the Member States in investigating and prosecuting crimes against the financial interests of the Union and that the EPPO has been achieving the goals set out in Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 in that regard; expects Member States to comply with legal obligations and to report all relevant cases to the EPPO; notes with concern that in several instances Member States have been declaring criminal offences affecting the financial interests of the Union as national cases, which are within the competence of the EPPO; notes that questions of competence between the national authorities and the EDPs have come up in several cases across several countries; is aware that, according to Article 25(6) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, cases of disagreement about the EPPO’s competences are to be decided by the same national judicial authority who is responsible for determining the competent body for prosecution at national level; regrets that in many participating Member States the procedures in force and the national authorities entrusted with the decisions on such cases regarding conflicts of competence are not set in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, stresses that in cases of conflicts of competence between the EPPO and a national prosecution authority, the national authority competent to decide on the attribution of competence could come to a conclusion without requesting a preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice and could, instead adopt a decision that is binding on the EPPO and points out that this is against the spirit of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, which provides that, in accordance with Article 267 TFEU, the Court of Justice has jurisdiction to give a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of the provision on conflicts of competence between the EPPO and national authorities; believes that the current situation lacks legal clarity; encourages all Member States to work more closely with the EPPO; emphasises that the competence of the EPPO is clearly outlined in Article 22(1) and (2), and in Article 23 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2019, and that all Member States are to comply with that Regulation; notes that when Member States have doubts about the competence of the EPPO in a particular case, there is the possibility of submitting a preliminary question to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling pursuant to Article 267 TFEU and Article 42(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 ; urges the Commission, where there is a breach of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, to submit the case to the Court of Justice; notes that the question of competence can cause a halt to the investigation; is concerned about potential loss of evidence when cases are paused; calls on the Commission to collect information regarding cases regarding conflicts of competence for the evaluation report that will be submitted in 2026;

Or. en

Amendment 12

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma, Giuseppe Lupo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 a. Stresses the crucial role of the EPPO in investigating and prosecuting cases of fraud affecting RRF funds, thereby safeguarding the Union's financial interests; notes that the EPPO's workload, initially underestimated, has significantly increased and is expected to continue growing in the coming years, particularly due to the rising number of RRF-related cases, as well as the new cases from Poland and Sweden;

Or. en

Amendment 13

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 a. 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 14

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 b. 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 15

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Notes that, during 2023, the College met 22 times and adopted 73 decisions, among which are the anti-fraud strategy 2023-2025, the anti-harassment policy for staff and for members of the College or the EDPs;

20. Welcomes that, during 2023, the College met 22 times and adopted 73 decisions, among which are the anti-fraud strategy 2023-2025, the anti-harassment policy for staff and for members of the College or the EDPs;

Or. en

Amendment 16

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 27

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

27. Notes that, on 1 March 2023, an updated version of the EPPO Anti-fraud Strategy 2023- 2025 was adopted setting the objectives to counter fraud at all levels of the organisation in connection with a dedicated action plan which is part of EPPO internal control environment and is monitored on a regular basis; appreciates the annual review of the Anti-Fraud Strategy action plan by the EPPO Internal Control Officer, reporting the results of that review to the Administrative Director;

27. Welcomes that, on 1 March 2023, an updated version of the EPPO Anti-fraud Strategy 2023- 2025 was adopted setting the objectives to counter fraud at all levels of the organisation in connection with a dedicated action plan which is part of EPPO internal control environment and is monitored on a regular basis; appreciates the annual review of the Anti-Fraud Strategy action plan by the EPPO Internal Control Officer, reporting the results of that review to the Administrative Director;

Or. en

Amendment 17

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 28

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

28. Is aware that, in line with the EPP’s financial rules, the EPPO ensures the adequate level of the financial transactions and procurement procedures via ex post controls on financial transactions (payments, commitments and recovery orders) and on procurement procedures for the period 1 January to 31 December 2023;

28. Is aware that, in line with the EPPO’s financial rules, the EPPO ensures the adequate level of the financial transactions and procurement procedures via ex post controls on financial transactions (payments, commitments and recovery orders) and on procurement procedures for the period 1 January to 31 December 2023;

Or. en

Amendment 18

Pasquale Tridico

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29. Observes the increase in crime reports submitted to the EPPO (4 187 in 2023 compared to 3 318 in 2022 and 2 832 in 2021) and, as a result, the increase in open investigations (1 371 in 2023 compared to 865 in 2022 and 567 in 2021) and in the estimation of damages (EUR 19,27 billion in 2023 compared to 14,1 billion in 2022 and 5,4 billion in 2021); remarks that reports from private parties (2 494, which is 29 % more than in 2022) and from national authorities (1 562, which is 24 % more than in 2022) represent the biggest share of operational input received, while reports from other Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies remained very few (108), suggesting that no significant improvement in terms of detection and reporting was achieved from their side; notes that the number of indictments (139 in 2023 compared to 87 in 2022 and 5 in 2021) together with the freezing orders obtained by the EPPO (EUR 1,5 billion compared to EUR 359,1 million in 2022 and EUR 147 million in 2021) are indicative of the growing performance level of the EPPO;

29. Observes the increase in crime reports submitted to the EPPO (4 187 in 2023 compared to 3 318 in 2022 and 2 832 in 2021) and, as a result, the increase in open investigations (1 371 in 2023 compared to 865 in 2022 and 567 in 2021) and in the estimation of damages (EUR 19,27 billion in 2023 compared to 14,1 billion in 2022 and 5,4 billion in 2021); remarks that reports from private parties (2 494, which is 29 % more than in 2022) and from national authorities (1 562, which is 24 % more than in 2022) represent the biggest share of operational input received, while regrets that reports from other Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies remained very few (108), suggesting that no significant improvement in terms of detection and reporting was achieved from their side; notes that the number of indictments (139 in 2023 compared to 87 in 2022 and 5 in 2021) together with the freezing orders obtained by the EPPO (EUR 1,5 billion compared to EUR 359,1 million in 2022 and EUR 147 million in 2021) are indicative of the growing performance level of the EPPO;

Or. en

Amendment 19

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29. Observes the increase in crime reports submitted to the EPPO (4 187 in 2023 compared to 3 318 in 2022 and 2 832 in 2021) and, as a result, the increase in open investigations (1 371 in 2023 compared to 865 in 2022 and 567 in 2021) and in the estimation of damages (EUR 19,27 billion in 2023 compared to 14,1 billion in 2022 and 5,4 billion in 2021); remarks that reports from private parties (2 494, which is 29 % more than in 2022) and from national authorities (1 562, which is 24 % more than in 2022) represent the biggest share of operational input received, while regrets that reports from other Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies remained very few (108), suggesting that no significant improvement in terms of detection and reporting was achieved from their side; notes that the number of indictments (139 in 2023 compared to 87 in 2022 and 5 in 2021) together with the freezing orders obtained by the EPPO (EUR 1,5 billion compared to EUR 359,1 million in 2022 and EUR 147 million in 2021) are indicative of the growing performance level of the EPPO;

Or. en

Amendment 20

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29a. Notes that, in two cases out of three, the EPPO does not open an investigation in response to a report;

Or. fr

Amendment 21

Pasquale Tridico

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

31. Is concerned about the increasing number of EPPO investigations regarding the implementation of Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs) (there were 233 investigations at the end of 2023, compared to 15 cases at the end of 2022) and their relevant estimated financial damage (EUR 1,86 billion); Is particularly worried that against this high number of investigations, no cases of fraud on RRF were reported by the Member States; stresses that relevant analyses suggest a possible exponential grow of the number of cases of fraud, corruption, double funding and conflict of interest in the next years; express concerns that this trend is particularly worrying when it comes to Italy which alone accounts for 75% of the total investigations; calls on the EPPO, the Commission and OLAF to cooperate closely with the aim of minimising as far as possible the impact of such fraudulent misbehaviours on the Union’s budget and safeguarding the achievements of the RRF’s goals; remind the call on the Commission to provide adequate guidance to the EPPO on how to support and foster the adoption of the remedial measures which follows the EPPO independent investigation and prosecution of fraud affecting the RRF and to keep the budgetary authority informed regarding the available options;

Or. en

Amendment 22

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma, Giuseppe Lupo

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

31. Is concerned about the increasing number of EPPO investigations regarding the implementation of Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs) (there were 233 investigations at the end of 2023, compared to 15 cases at the end of 2022) and their relevant estimated financial damage (EUR 1,86 billion); stresses that relevant analyses suggest a possible exponential grow of the number of cases of fraud, corruption, double funding and conflict of interest in the next years; calls on the EPPO to systematically analyze and identify fraud patterns in Member States where multiple RRF cases have been detected, and to communicate these patterns to Member States, the Commission and the Recovery and Resilience Task Force, with the objective of enhancing preventative measures to mitigate fraud occurrences; calls on the EPPO, the Commission and OLAF to cooperate closely with the aim of minimising as far as possible the impact of such fraudulent misbehaviours on the Union’s budget and safeguarding the achievements of the RRF’s goals;

Or. en

Amendment 23

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

31 a. Emphasizes the critical role of the EPPO and OLAF in safeguarding the financial interests of the European Union across Member States; calls for a prioritization of investigations into the misuse of EU funds in Member States with persistently high levels of corruption, with particular attention to governments where systemic corruption has been repeatedly highlighted by OLAF investigations and consistently addressed in the European Commission’s Country-Specific Recommendations; expresses deep concern over the ongoing prevalence of governmental corruption cases involving the Hungarian government, exemplified by the recent sanctions imposed under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act against the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, responsible for national security and intelligence services; underlines that this alarming development underscores the urgent need to reinforce EU mechanisms to combat systemic fraud and corruption effectively;

Or. en

Amendment 24

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 35

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

35. Points out that, in 2023, the occupancy rate at the central office was 92,97 %, of which 238 were members of staff compared to 256 budgeted posts; notes that out of 140 posts for the EDPs, 130 were on the post at the end of 2023 and another 10 started at the beginning of 2024, reaching 00 % of occupancy rate; observes that the EPPO reinforced its capacity to run timely and transparent recruitment procedures by concluding 24 selection procedures in 2023, on-boarding 45 statutory staff members and 8 new European Prosecutors while 35 new EDPs were appointed;

35. Points out that, in 2023, the occupancy rate at the central office was 92,97 %, of which 238 were members of staff compared to 256 budgeted posts; notes that out of 140 posts for the EDPs, 130 were on the post at the end of 2023 and another 10 started at the beginning of 2024, reaching 100 % of occupancy rate; observes that the EPPO reinforced its capacity to run timely and transparent recruitment procedures by concluding 24 selection procedures in 2023, on-boarding 45 statutory staff members and 8 new European Prosecutors while 35 new EDPs were appointed;

Or. en

Amendment 25

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 37

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

37. Understands that Luxembourg labour market is very competitive, that the financial conditions offered by the Union administration are not attractive compared to the local market (subject to diverse salary indexations throughout the year), and do not take due account of the high cost of living in Luxembourg, which has become even more difficult because of the inflation rate and increased cost of housing; notes that the EPPO cannot offer the career path for its staff members to become EU Officials and that its posts are therefore even less attractive than those in the four other Union institutions operating from Luxembourg; emphasises that this results either in a very limited number of applications for vacant posts or in the rejection by the selected candidates of the employment offer once received, due to the high cost of living;

37. Notes with concerns that the Luxembourg labour market is very competitive, that the financial conditions offered by the Union administration are not attractive compared to the local market (subject to diverse salary indexations throughout the year), and do not take due account of the high cost of living in Luxembourg, which has become even more difficult because of the inflation rate and increased cost of housing; notes that the EPPO cannot offer the career path for its staff members to become EU Officials and that its posts are therefore even less attractive than those in the four other Union institutions operating from Luxembourg; emphasises that this results either in a very limited number of applications for vacant posts or in the rejection by the selected candidates of the employment offer once received, due to the high cost of living; calls on the EPPO and the Commission to implement measures that enhance EPPO's attractiveness to highly skilled professionals with international experience, such as the housing allowance for lower-grade staff approved by the budgetary authority for 2025, as recommended by the High-Level Interinstitutional Group;

Or. en

Amendment 26

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 37 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

37a. Notes the overrepresentation of certain nationalities among staff;

Or. fr

Amendment 27

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39. Notes that, at the end of 2023, geographical and gender balance was adequately pursued overall across the 238 members of staff (with 137 men and 101 women); maintains that the nationality breakdown of the EPPO population is constantly monitored by those hiring new members of staff, in seeking to ensure balance, especially, in light of the uneven distribution of applicants, and with Italy (34), Romania (33), Greece (26) and Belgium (24) being more represented across the 26 different nationalities; observes, however, that gender distribution amongst the senior management positions (four to one) remains suboptimal and asks to take this aspect into consideration in the framework of the overall diversity strategy; regrets that gender distribution among senior management positions remains uneven; calls for the adoption of a Gender Action Plan with clear targets for gender balance in leadership roles and for the publication of an annual gender equality report, including concrete measures to close gender gaps in recruitment and career advancement;

Or. en

Amendment 28

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39. Notes that, at the end of 2023, geographical and gender balance was adequately pursued overall across the 238 members of staff (with 137 men and 101 women); maintains that the nationality breakdown of the EPPO population is constantly monitored by those hiring new members of staff, in seeking to ensure balance, especially, in light of the uneven distribution of applicants, and with Italy (34), Romania (33), Greece (26) and Belgium (24) being more represented across the 26 different nationalities; expresses concern over the significant gender imbalance in senior management positions (four to one), which remains inconsistent with the principles of gender equality; calls for this issue to be addressed as a matter of priority within the framework of the overall diversity strategy;

Or. en

Amendment 29

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39 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 30

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39 b. 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 31

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 32

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 40 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

40 a. Calls on the EPPO to publish an annual diversity and inclusion report, disaggregated by gender, nationality, and employment category, to monitor and actively address disparities; encourages the EPPO to adopt proactive measures to ensure a balanced representation of nationalities among its staff, reflecting the diversity of the participating Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 33

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 42 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

42 a. Underlines the need for greater career development opportunities for European Delegated Prosecutors (EDPs) to attract and retain experienced professionals; calls for improved employment conditions, including a clear career progression path and the standardisation of social security and pension arrangements across participating Member States, ensuring that national salary discrepancies do not deter qualified candidates from applying;

Or. en

Amendment 34

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

51. Remarks that no case of burnout or harassment have been reported and that the number of long-term sick leave is very limited; welcomes the EPPO’s awareness of its duty to ensure promotion and preservation of health and wellbeing across staff, as well as the monitoring practices to earn such understanding which take into account untaken annual leave, the carry-over of annual leave and absences, the number of staff on long-term sick leave and the length of the absences; recalls the importance of establishing a clear and structured procedure for reporting cases of harassment by the European Chief Prosecutor and by the European Prosecutors, as well as its divulgation to all the staff;

51. Welcomes that no case of burnout or harassment have been reported and that the number of long-term sick leave is very limited; welcomes the EPPO’s awareness of its duty to ensure promotion and preservation of health and wellbeing across staff, as well as the monitoring practices to earn such understanding which take into account untaken annual leave, the carry-over of annual leave and absences, the number of staff on long-term sick leave and the length of the absences; recalls the importance of establishing a clear and structured procedure for reporting cases of harassment by the European Chief Prosecutor and by the European Prosecutors, as well as its divulgation to all the staff;

Or. en

Amendment 35

Csaba Molnár, Marit Maij

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 52

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

52. Observes that in early 2023 the EPPO’s central office carried out a traineeship pilot and the EPPO legal service sector hosted two trainees followed by two more in March and September 2023 for remunerated, in-person, five-month traineeships; notes that, based on the positive conclusions of the pilot, a traineeship policy was drafted and has been approved in 2024, followed by a first cycle of effective trainees the same year; welcomes the initiative to launch an experimental relationship-building with the local university and if successful, calls for its expansion to additional universities across the EU, which could offer interesting perspectives to further develop the early talent programmes for diversity; stresses that the high cost of living in Luxembourg poses a considerable obstacle for potential trainees; emphasizes that traineeships should be remunerated in compliance with the European Parliament's resolution of 14 June 2023 on Quality Traineeships in the Union (2020/2005(INL)), which calls for all internships in Europe to be paid;

Or. en

Amendment 36

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 54 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

54 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 37

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 55

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

55. Understands that the EPPO’s ethical framework is being gradually built up; observes that the core values of that ethical framework are clearly set out in codes of conduct, which outline the standards of behaviour expected of employees at all levels; also observes that the ethical framework depends on the EPPO’s code of good administrative behaviour, its anti-fraud strategy and a training programme on ethics, which encompasses harassment, whistleblowing, the prevention of conflicts of interest and other ethical issues; notes that the EPPO’s staff is not required to attend that training programme;

Or. en

Amendment 38

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 55

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

55. Understands that the EPPO’s ethical framework is being gradually built up; observes that the core values of that ethical framework are clearly set out in codes of conduct, which outline the standards of behaviour expected of employees at all levels; also observes that the ethical framework depends on the EPPO’s code of good administrative behaviour, its anti-fraud strategy and a training programme on ethics, which encompasses harassment, whistleblowing, the prevention of conflicts of interest and other ethical issues; regrets that the EPPO’s staff is not required to attend that training programme;

Or. en

Amendment 39

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 57

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

57. Notes that no effective cases of conflict of interest were detected in 2023; is aware that, while a structured conflict of interest policy is being developed, dedicated conflict of interest declaration forms have been established and conflict of interest rules are in force for the members of College, the EDPs, the staff members of the operational units, and other sensitive posts;

Or. en

Amendment 40

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 57 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

57 a. Notes the measures in place to prevent conflicts of interest at the EPPO, including conflict of interest declaration forms for members of the College, European Delegated Prosecutors (EDPs), and staff members in sensitive positions; welcomes the ongoing development of a structured conflict of interest policy and calls for its swift adoption; further calls for the implementation of a mandatory annual ethics and integrity training for all EPPO personnel, with a particular focus on professional independence, whistleblower protection, and the prevention of undue external influence;

Or. en

Amendment 41

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 57 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

57 b. Urges the EPPO to enhance its internal integrity framework by mandating public disclosure of all financial interests and external activities of senior officials, including members of the College; calls for a periodic audit of these disclosures to identify and mitigate potential risks of undue influence;

Or. en

Amendment 42

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 58 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

58 a. Calls for the establishment of an independent Ethics Oversight Unit or a similar body within the EPPO to conduct systematic reviews of potential conflicts of interest, particularly regarding contract awards, financial transactions, and post-employment transitions; stresses the need for clear and enforceable post-term employment restrictions, including an extended cooling-off period for senior officials before they can engage in private-sector activities linked to EPPO investigations;

Or. en

Amendment 43

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 58 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

58 b. Calls for the introduction of a more robust revolving door policy, including an extended cooling-off period of at least two years for senior EPPO officials before they can engage in private-sector employment related to EPPO investigations; requests that the EPPO conduct an annual review of compliance with these post-employment restrictions;

Or. en

Amendment 44

Csaba Molnár, Marit Maij

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 59

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

59. Recalls that the EPPO is to adopt a dedicated whistleblowing and anti-retaliation procedure to integrate the implementing rules to the Staff Regulations adopted by the College (College Decision 2021/077 laying down guidelines on whistleblowing applicable within the EPPO) and to accompany Article 45.12 of the EPPO Financial Rules (establishing the actions to be undertaken in the circumstances); welcomes the initiative of intensifying internal communication on the first network of confidential counsellors and on the anti-harassment provisions and to all National European Delegated Prosecutors’ Assistants (NEDPAs) on whistleblowing mechanism for breaches against the EPPO mandate;

59. Calls the EPPO to adopt a dedicated whistleblowing and anti-retaliation procedure to integrate the implementing rules to the Staff Regulations adopted by the College (College Decision 2021/077 laying down guidelines on whistleblowing applicable within the EPPO) and to accompany Article 45.12 of the EPPO Financial Rules (establishing the actions to be undertaken in the circumstances) in order to ensure a safe and protected workplace; welcomes the initiative of intensifying internal communication on the first network of confidential counsellors and on the anti-harassment provisions and to all National European Delegated Prosecutors’ Assistants (NEDPAs) on whistleblowing mechanism for breaches against the EPPO mandate;

Or. en

Amendment 45

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 59 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

59a. Calls on the EPPO to include elected opposition members and experts with no links either to the Commission or to the EPPO on its various ethics committees;

Or. fr

Amendment 46

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 71

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

71. Acknowledges the EPPO’s need for up-to-date equipment, cybersecurity and IT systems to deal with increasingly complicated crimes frequently involving digital elements and digital methodologies; supports the EPPO in its request for resources to be allocated to protecting its cybersecurity;

71. Acknowledges the EPPO’s need for up-to-date equipment and IT systems to deal with increasingly complicated crimes frequently involving digital elements and digital methodologies; stresses as well the urgency of developing a strong cybersecurity framework, given the growing risks posed by highly tech-savvy criminal networks and potential foreign interferences, through cyberattacks; supports the EPPO in its request for resources to be allocated to protecting its cybersecurity and calls for the swift implementation of a robust cybersecurity strategy to safeguard EPPO’s operations and data integrity

Or. en

Amendment 47

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 75

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

75. Believes that the Luxembourg authorities providing the EPPO’s headquarters should consider their sustainability and energetic performance, where possible by undertaking specific actions for renewable energy such as the installation of solar panels, CO2 offsetting and adopting the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme to evaluate, report, improve organisations’ environmental performance and to save energy; invites the Commission to explore if the dialogue with the local host can be facilitated with a view to pursuing the optimisation of resource usage;

75. Believes that the Luxembourg authorities providing the EPPO’s headquarters should consider their sustainability and energetic performance, calls on the EPPO to engage in discussions with the Luxembourg authorities to explore specific actions for improving the environmental footprint of its premises, including the installation of renewable energy sources such as solar panels, the introduction of CO2 offsetting measures and implementation of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme to evaluate, report, enhance organisations’ environmental performance and to save energy; Calls on the Commission to facilitate dialogue between the EPPO and the local host authorities to ensure the optimal use of resources and the alignment of EPPO operations with the Union’s sustainability

Or. en

Amendment 48

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 75 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

75 a. Calls on the EPPO to develop and implement an internal Green Transition Plan, including carbon footprint monitoring, mandatory energy efficiency measures, and sustainability criteria for procurement and operational procedures, with the aim of achieving climate neutrality in its operations by 2030;

Or. en

Amendment 49

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 76 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

76 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 50

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 77

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

77. Maintains that the EPPO’s role as one of the major operational components of the Union’s anti-fraud architecture can be effectively pursued only with intense cooperation and coordination with its partners and stakeholders; encourages the EPPO to continue its efforts of communication and coordination with the several partners, whose action has been designed to be reciprocally complementary;

77. Maintains that the EPPO’s role as a major operational components of the Union’s anti-fraud architecture can be effectively pursued only with intense cooperation and support from its partners and stakeholders; encourages the EPPO to continue its efforts of communication and coordination with its partners, in full respect of EPPO’s independence

Or. en

Amendment 51

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 78

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

78. Welcomes the initiatives launched by OLAF and the EPPO to intensify the operational dialogue and develop trust and share knowledge amongst the involved actors; appreciates the first international conference allowing exchange of views between EPPO prosecutors and OLAF investigators, hosted by Parliament in 2024, and believes it to be an example for the way forward; emphasises that the revision of the regulatory frameworks of OLAF and EPPO provides the opportunity to reconsider many aspects of their working together in the light of the experiences earned in those first years of EPPO operational activity, and having specific regard to the opening of complementary OLAF investigations and administrative investigations in support of the EPPO; stresses that the dialogue and cooperation need to be not only endorsed as a spontaneous initiative, but made more effective by the setting of an inter-institutional, well-disciplined forum which is to create the opportunity of mutual and synergistic collaboration in the execution the EPPO’s and OLAF’s mandates, with a view to optimising the efficiency and efficacy of the available resources in action;

78. Welcomes the initiatives launched by OLAF and the EPPO to intensify and streamline their operational cooperation and share knowledge amongst the involved actors; appreciates the first international conference allowing exchange of views between EPPO prosecutors and OLAF investigators, hosted by Parliament in 2024; emphasises that the revision of the regulatory frameworks of OLAF and EPPO provides the opportunity to reconsider many aspects of their working together in the light of the experiences earned in those first years of EPPO operational activity, having specific regard to the opening of complementary OLAF investigations and administrative investigations in support of the EPPO, as well as OLAF’s increased role in detecting and reporting fraud to the EPPO in support of the recovery of the damage to the EU budget; believes that the dialogue and cooperation within the antifraud architecture could be made more effective by the setting of a regular inter-institutional forum with a view to optimising the efficiency and efficacy of the available resources in action;

Or. en

Amendment 52

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 79

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

79. Expects that the working group established with the Commission, and the meetings on the implementation of the Commission-EPPO Working Arrangement, will ensure that EPPO notifications for the purpose of administrative recovery, as provided for by Article 103(2), point (c), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 will duly and effectively enable the Commission to maximise recovery to the Union budget, while complying with the confidentiality and proper conduct of the investigative actions; stresses that, in this specific regard, no feedback has been yet provided by either party, preventing the legislators from earning a comprehensive understanding of the underlying issues, including the specific amounts recovered annually by the Commission from Member States in cases of damage to the EU budget; highlights that the recovery of funds by national authorities remains under the Commission's responsibility, as mentioned in the Mission Letter for the Commissioner on Budget and Anti-Fraud, while the EPPO does not hold a mandate to follow up on the recovery process; calls on the Member States to strengthen cooperation and inform both the Commission and the EPPO of final confiscations; urges a revision of the relevant Regulations to clarify the EPPO’s role in the recovery process; and urges the EPPO and the Commission to adopt an agreed upon form of reporting to Parliament; understands that this could require appropriate development of the EPPO’s CMS, and asks the Commission to prioritise the allocation of resources to the EPPO to meet that need;

Or. en

Amendment 53

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 79 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

79 a. Welcomes the initiatives launched by OLAF and the EPPO to intensify operational dialogue and improve coordination; underlines the importance of full and effective data-sharing between the EPPO, OLAF, Eurojust, and Europol to ensure seamless cooperation in the fight against cross-border fraud; calls for the establishment of a joint working group to oversee data integration and case management efficiency among these bodies;

Or. en

Amendment 54

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 80

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

80. Welcomes the strengthened cooperation with Europol; observes that the ODIN (Operational Digital Infrastructure Network) programme would enable to exploit fully the amount of data collected by EPPO in its investigations (more than 1000 terabytes and growing); notes that, in that framework, EPPO has identified possible crimes outside its competence, including organised crime, drug trafficking, illicit cigarette production, investment fraud, illegal gambling and prostitution (non-PIF offences), and others which have resulted in the transmission of several files as key evidence to ongoing national investigations and that 28 new cases have been initiated by national prosecution offices to further investigate those non-PIF offences, which are outside EPPO remit; understands that for this and other analyses, however, cooperation with Europol suffers from limitations stemming from national procedural criminal law and accessibility of the EPPO data owned; considers that while cooperation with Europol needs to be even further enhanced, it cannot fully substitute the development of the EPPO internal analytical platform, which remains material to a fast interpretation of the data collected during its investigations and the setting of operational strategies in cross-border cases requiring access to the EPPO’s entire CMS;

Or. en

Amendment 55

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 81 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

81 a. Expresses concern over the rising number of fraud cases linked to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF); calls on the Commission to introduce mandatory reporting of all RRF fraud cases to the EPPO and to establish an early warning system that allows for the timely detection of fraudulent activities related to the allocation and spending of RRF funds;

Or. en

Amendment 56

Pasquale Tridico

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 81 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

81 a. Welcomes that EPPO signed Working Arrangement with the European Parliament in November 2024, establishing clear modalities of cooperation for the purpose of protecting the financial interests of the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 57

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 83

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

83. Strongly welcomes the participation of Poland and Sweden in the EPPO; is aware that this will have an impact on the EPPO’s budgetary needs, and supports EPPO request aiming to equip the EPPO with the necessary resources to take advantage of the participation of Poland and Sweden to its operational activities; welcomes the inclusion in the programme of the new Irish Government of the objective to join the EPPO; calls on the Hungarian government, as the sole remaining Member State that has not yet joined the EPPO despite the absence of any legal or constitutional impediment, to join the EPPO without further delay; recalls that broad public support for Hungary’s accession has been demonstrated by the collection of 680,000 signatures in favour of joining the EPPO, underscoring a strong societal demand for enhanced legal safeguards against fraud and corruption affecting the Union’s financial interests;

Or. en

Amendment 58

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 83 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

83 a. 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 59

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek, Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 83 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

83 b. 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 60

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 a. Strongly condemns the continued lack of cooperation from certain non-participating Member States in providing mutual legal assistance to the EPPO; urges the Commission to initiate infringement proceedings against any Member State that systematically obstructs EPPO-led investigations; reiterates its call for Ireland, Denmark and Hungary to take the necessary steps towards full participation in the EPPO framework to ensure comprehensive and uniform protection of the Union’s financial interests;

Or. en

Amendment 61

Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 a. Condemns the recently reported systematic espionage organized by the Hungarian government against OLAF staff during an investigative mission into the potential misuse of EU funds by ELIOS, a company linked to the Hungarian Prime Minister’s son-in-law; emphasizes that OLAF and the EPPO, as cornerstone institutions of the EU’s anti-fraud architecture, are regrettably exposed to such threats not only from third countries but also within EU Member States; stresses that such actions gravely undermine the rule of law and the integrity of EU institutions; calls for the swift establishment of robust protection measures to safeguard EU institutional staff on mission in Member States and to prevent such unacceptable violations in the future;

Or. en

Amendment 62

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 a. Notes that, on 14 October 2022, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that there is an ongoing investigation into the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines in the EU and the fact that this exceptional confirmation comes after the extremely high public interest on the matter highlighting grave concerns regarding transparency and accountability in the COVID-19 vaccines procurement process1a; takes note that, to this date, EPPO has not released an update on this investigation; considering the gravity of the matter, calls for an urgent public update on the progress of the investigation and its findings;

_________________

1a https://www.eppo.europa.eu/en/media/news/ongoing-eppo-investigation-acquisition-covid-19-vaccines-eu

Or. en

Amendment 63

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85a. Is concerned that the announcement two years ago, on 14 October 2022, of the opening of an investigation into the purchase of COVID vaccines, under what were the biggest contracts in the history of the European Union, involving overordering amounting to 10 doses for every inhabitant plus a considerable waste of public money (EUR 71 billion for over four billion doses), has not been followed by any significant investigative activity or any communication explaining the EPPO's inaction to the public;

Or. fr

Amendment 64

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 b. Notes with grave concern the unprecedented fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of transparency within public institutions, and the mismanagement of EU public funds; emphasizes that the EPPO’s Activity Report for 2023 continues to highlight numerous cases of fraud related to funds allocated for the COVID-19 pandemic9a;

_________________

9a https://www.eppo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-03/EPPO_Annual_Report_2023.pdf

Or. en

Amendment 65

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85b. Regrets that MEPs’ repeated requests for information on the resources allocated by the EPPO for the investigation into COVID vaccine purchases have gone unanswered;

Or. fr

Amendment 66

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 c. Calls for an immediate investigation into the European Commission’s use of public funds to finance a shadow lobby group promoting its own green policies; stresses that lobbying should be transparent, with full disclosure of all parties involved;

Or. en

Amendment 67

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85c. Notes that the Commission claims not to know how many hundreds of millions of doses have been discarded, but that it organised the joint purchase of a further 146 million doses in January 2025;

Or. fr

Amendment 68

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 d. Highlights the critical necessity of promptly dedicating necessary resources to ensure the timely conclusion of the ongoing investigation into the acquisition of the COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union, especially considering the substantial public interest in this matter, coupled with the fact that the investigation already commenced in 2022 and to this date no decision has been publicly announced;

Or. en

Amendment 69

Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85d. Points out that the EPPO's role is not to slow down or suppress major investigations into possible fraud against the EU budget, as some observers have noted in the case of the investigation into the purchase of COVID vaccines;

Or. fr

Amendment 70

Damian Boeselager

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 89 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

89 a. Recalls the importance of transparency in the EPPO’s interactions with external actors; calls for the establishment of a mandatory public register of all meetings between EPPO officials and representatives of third parties, including lobbyists and national government representatives, in order to prevent undue influence and reinforce public trust in the EPPO’s independence;

Or. en

Amendment 71

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek, Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 89 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

89 a. 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 72

Pasquale Tridico

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 90

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

90. Believes that the working arrangements with the Ukrainian competent authorities could effectively enhance the level of protection of the Union’s financial interests following the relevant commitments undertaken to support Ukraine and its population; reminds that offences affecting Union funds allocated to third countries fall under its jurisdiction, even if committed in whole or in part outside the combined territories of the participating Member States, whenever the constituent elements the offence have occurred in Ukraine or other third country; welcomes the efforts by the Ukrainian Authorities on anti-corruption measures, but recall that the country is still subject to high rate of corruption and fraud, demanding extra precaution to be taken and further anti-corruption measure in order to successfully reach transparency goals; is aware that transmission of evidence has occurred in execution of mutual legal assistance requests and welcomes the perspective of activating a joint task force with the Ukrainian authorities to coordinate investigations; reminds the Commission and other Union institutions bodies, offices and agencies of the importance of detection and timely submission of investigative input to the EPPO.

Or. en