Sittings · Document

Draft report (2024/2083(INI)) 2025-02-05

Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2023

Committee on Budgetary Control

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Amendment 1

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the judgements of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) of 16 February 2022 in Cases C-156/21 and C-157/216 and the CJEU’s conclusions that that rule of law conditionality mechanism is in line with EU law, confirming the appropriateness of the legal basis, the regime’s compatibility with Article 7 TEU and the principle of legal certainty,

Or. en

Amendment 2

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Council implementing decision 2022/2506 of 15 December 2022 on measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary,

Or. en

Amendment 3

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission’s negative decision of 16 December 2024 on the lifting of the measure under Article 2(2) of Council implementing decision 2022/2506 on measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary,

Or. en

Amendment 4

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (the Common Provisions Regulation),

Or. en

Amendment 5

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing,

Or. en

Amendment 6

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1640 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 on the mechanisms to be put in place by Member States for the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Directive(EU) 2019/1937, and amending and repealing Directive (EU) 2015/849,

Or. en

Amendment 7

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 g (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1620 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 establishing the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism and amending Regulations (EU) No 1093/2010, (EU) No 1094/2010 and (EU) No 1095/2010,

Or. en

Amendment 8

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas the number of irregularities detected and reported demonstrates the results of Member States’ efforts to counter illegal activities in this area and is not to be interpreted as an indication of the level of mismanagement or fraud in the Member States;

D. whereas enhanced efforts are needed to clarify whether reporting low levels of fraud is a consequence of a genuinely low occurrence of misconduct or a consequence of weak detection, and conversely, whether high reporting levels are a consequence of high occurrence of misconduct or of strong detection;

Or. en

Amendment 9

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas the number of irregularities detected and reported demonstrates the results of Member States’ efforts to counter illegal activities in this area, other factors need to be taken into account in order to make the overall assessment of the level of mismanagement or fraud in the Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 10

Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ea. The European Commission should not spend millions of euros financing 'green' NGOs engaged in lobbying the EU institutions (LIFE programme scandal).

Or. fr

Amendment 11

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital E b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Eb. The Members of the European Parliament, elected by European citizens to exercise their power of scrutiny, should be given unrestricted access to all contracts concluded by the European Commission.

Or. fr

Amendment 12

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital E c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ec. Regrets how drastic and recurrent the scandals have been, such as: the EUR 71 billion spent on wasted COVID-19 vaccines and on remdesivir, without any inquiry being conducted into potential conflicts of interest, disinformation and mistakes in negotiating the contracts; the European Prosecutor's failure to act in the Pfizer-Von der Leyen case; lobbyists/NGOs being financed by the Commission (LIFE scandal); the decision to contract Blackrock for a study on banking rules, and EU officials' recruitment contract being entrusted to an American firm; the authorised revolving door case of Thierry Breton joining an American bank; the Commissioner of Justice being found to have EUR 1 million-worth of Belgian lottery tickets; those accused of rape and harassment barely receiving any punishment; the lack of consequences for receiving free flights and bags of money from Qatar.

Or. fr

Amendment 13

Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital E d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ed. Calls for the Commission to be more transparent and proactive in detecting and resolving these scandals.

Or. fr

Amendment 14

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez

Motion for a resolution

Recital G

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G. whereas the diversity of legal and administrative systems in the Member States and their varying levels of digitalisation need to be adequately addressed with the creation of more unified, interoperable and comparable administrative and reporting systems in the EU in order to effectively prevent and counter fraud, corruption, irregularities and other infringements;

G. whereas the diversity of legal and administrative systems in the Member States and their varying levels of digitalisation need to be adequately addressed with the creation of interoperable and comparable administrative and reporting systems in the EU in order to effectively prevent and counter fraud, corruption, irregularities and other infringements;

Or. fr

Amendment 15

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Recital G a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G a. whereas a solid cooperation between authorities conducting administrative investigations and those conducting criminal investigations at both EU and Member State level should be encouraged

Or. en

Amendment 16

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital I

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

I. whereas criminal networks operating in the EU are fully embracing the entire range of cutting-edge information technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to facilitate their criminal activities, posing an even more complex threat to the EU budget and a new challenge for law enforcement and requiring the AFA to fast-track its exploration of AI use in the fight against fraud;

Or. fr

Amendment 17

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital J

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

J. whereas respect for the values on which the EU is founded and for fundamental rights, as well as compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, are prerequisites for accessing EU funding;

J. whereas respect for the laws on which the EU is founded and for fundamental rights, as well as compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, are prerequisites for accessing EU funding;

Or. fr

Amendment 18

Julien Sanchez, Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital K

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

K. whereas the rule of law conditionality mechanism applies across the entire EU budget as a prerequisite for accessing all EU funds and allows measures to be taken in cases of breaches of the rule of law principles that affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial management of the EU budget or the EU’s financial interests;

deleted

Or. fr

Amendment 19

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital K a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ka. The use of this mechanism against Hungary, Poland and other governments for base political reasons has a corrosive effect that is extremely damaging to European integration and the relationship of trust that European citizens wish to see between the Member States and could destroy our countries' Union.

Or. fr

Amendment 20

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez

Motion for a resolution

Recital K b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Kb. The European Union should not finance foreign countries or organisations in such countries that do not respect certain fundamental values or show contempt for the key interests of the European Union (genital mutilation; death penalty for those who abandon their religion; refusal to take back their criminals expelled from Europe; lack of respect for women's rights; terrorist financing; etc.).

Or. fr

Amendment 21

Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Recital L

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

L. whereas Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility16 (the RRF Regulation) contains provisions concerning the protection of the EU’s financial interests; recalls that the European Court of Auditors published an opinion expressing concerns over these expenditures in 2023, as its procedures make it impossible to assess achievements or to know with any certainty who has ultimately received the EU funds;

_________________

16 OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/241/oj.

Or. fr

Amendment 22

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 a. Reminds, that the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal has set out a way for 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, simplification and making existing rules more effective could contribute and strengthen the protection of the EU’s financial interests;

Or. en

Amendment 23

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1a. Calls for more transparency over the scandals that have damaged the image of the institutions and European citizens' trust in the Commission's reports;

Or. fr

Amendment 24

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 b. Stresses that the Budapest Declaration called for enabling a mindset based on trust, allowing business to flourish without excessive regulation, 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, which could further strengthen combating against fraud;

Or. en

Amendment 25

Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1b. Urges the Commission to more carefully monitor the proper application of measures to fight corruption and fraud linked to EU funding in third countries, international and non-governmental organisations, and the EU institutions;

Or. fr

Amendment 26

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 c. Stresses that 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 starting at the end of 2022 which is still ongoing, where several Members were involved in an organised crime-like network;

Or. en

Amendment 27

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1c. Calls on the European Commission to invite experts with no links to the Commission and opposition members to take part in its various ethics committees and anti-fraud procedures to strengthen the monitoring system;

Or. fr

Amendment 28

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 d. Reminds that the purpose of the Budgetary Control Committee is to ensure the protection of the EU's financial interests through transparency, accountability and efficient management of EU funds, maintaining high standards of ethics and accountability in EU administration, striving towards a transparent and accountable EU financial system, committed to enhancing public trust;

Or. en

Amendment 29

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 e. Believes that both the European Parliament and its Budgetary Control Committee have seriously failed in their duties and in fulfilling their mandate, therefore as a consequence of the ongoing investigations, an in depth institutional self-reflection and reconsideration of their working methods is necessary;

Or. en

Amendment 30

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 f. Considers that the Parliament’s anti-fraud set up, including the Budgetary Control Committee would benefit from an external body’s or expert group’s analysis and advice on how to alter its ways of working and possibly reconsider the issues and matters it has been prioritizing in its Committee works;

Or. en

Amendment 31

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 g (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 g. Strongly believes that granting the discharge for the financial year 2023 to the European Parliament would send the wrong message to the other institutions, as well as to the citizens of the European Union as there is still an open case and an investigation in process;

Or. en

Amendment 32

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 h (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 h. Stresses, that the Committee should follow the same procedure as it would with any other EU institution in a similar situation and emphasises that the discharge procedure offers an opportunity for the institutions to reflect on past developments and lessons learnt, to identify both good practices and weaknesses to be addressed, with the aim of further improving EU financial management and achieving better results with the EU budget in the future;

Or. en

Amendment 33

Tamás Deutsch, Julien Sanchez, Virginie Joron

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 i (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 i. Recommends involving an external body or expert group to assess whether the measures adopted by the Parliament in 2023 have been sufficient to avoid large scale corruption cases and misconduct, conflict of interests to occur and to determine if the discharge for year 2023 to the European Parliament can be granted;

Or. en

Amendment 34

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 j (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 j. Believes that better protecting the EU’s financial interest and more effectively combating fraud is only possible if consequences and lessons are learned from actual cases and it is a good opportunity for the European Parliament and its Budgetary Control Committee to find new ways of fulfilling its mandate to keep high standards of ethics and accountability in the EU administration and to regain public trust;

Or. en

Amendment 35

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 k (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 k. Calls on all the EU institutions to assess how the European Parliament’s regulatory framework to avoid corruption and fraud has failed, allowing active involvement of European Parliamentarians in a maffia like network engaging in corruption, money laundering for several years without detection;

Or. en

Amendment 36

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 l (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 l. Calls on all the EU institutions 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 37

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 m (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 m. Asks all the EU institutions 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 38

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 n (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 n. Stipulates the need to further strengthen and revise the anti-corruption and transparency rules of the institutions, welcomes the revision of the Parliament’s Rules of procedure and Code of conduct in September 2023, however finds the changes insufficient;

Or. en

Amendment 39

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 o (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 o. Highlights that the European Parliament’s rules to protect the financial interests of the EU and to ensure transparency and avoid misconduct have failed to function, as it has been revealed that for several years there was active involvement of European Parliamentarians in a maffia like network engaging in corruption, money laundering;

Or. en

Amendment 40

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 p (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 p. Believes that the scale of the scandal and the fact that the persons involved have been continuing these illegal activities within the institution for several years; should have consequences for the institution and its bodies responsible to protect and ensure the protection of the financial interests of the European Union;

Or. en

Amendment 41

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Reiterates that a more measurable and results-oriented governance of the activities of the AFA’s many components is key to effectively protecting the Union’s financial interests;

3. Reiterates that a more measurable and results-oriented governance of the activities of the AFA’s many components is key both to effectively protecting the Union’s financial interests and to assessing the AFA's efficiency;

Or. ro

Amendment 42

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Underlines that the fight against fraud requires a holistic and comprehensive approach, covering all stages of the anti-fraud cycle and reflecting the multiple, interconnected and interdependent actors and processes in place for the protection of the financial interests of the Union;

Or. en

Amendment 43

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Recalls that solid cooperation between the administrative and judicial authorities conducting investigations at both EU and Member State levels is essential; reiterates its concerns over the still suboptimal situation, in particular as regards the detection and reporting of suspected fraud and irregularities and their follow-up, in which there are marked differences between Member States; encourages therefore the Member States to take a proactive approach to protecting the Union's financial interests, to enhance exchange of information between their national authorities and with EU bodies and agencies, also in order to identify and address emerging risks and fraud trends in a timely manner;

Or. en

Amendment 44

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Notes that the overall number of cases of fraud and irregularities reported by the competent EU and national authorities slightly increased in 2023 (13 563) compared to 2022 (12 455); observes, further, that the overall financing concerned in relation to these cases in 2023 (EUR 1.90 billion) was higher than in 2022 (EUR 1.77 billion) and that this indicates a significant risk of loss for the EU budget; acknowledges that the multiannual cycle of implementation of numerous programmes makes comparisons based on a five-year average more appropriate than year-to-year comparisons for identifying real-time situations and obtaining reliable analysis of trends and patterns; appreciates, accordingly, that the 2023 PIF Report refers to the results of the 2019-2023 period;

5. Notes that the overall number of cases of fraud and irregularities reported by the competent EU and national authorities significantly increased with 9% in 2023 (13 563) compared to 2022 (12 455); regrets that this represents an all-time high and follows a growing trend over the last 5 years; observes, further, that the overall financing concerned in relation to these cases in 2023 (EUR 1.90 billion) was remarkably higher than in 2022 (EUR 1.77 billion), which constitutes an increase of 7.3%; acknowledges that the multiannual cycle of implementation of numerous programmes makes comparisons based on a five-year average more appropriate than year-to-year comparisons for identifying real-time situations and obtaining reliable analysis of trends and patterns; appreciates, accordingly, that the 2023 PIF Report refers to the results of the 2019-2023 period;

Or. en

Amendment 45

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5a. The rise in the number of irregularities and in funding that achieves no positive results highlights the need to correlate budgets with the performance indicators of the competent institutions;

Or. ro

Amendment 46

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Is concerned by the overall scenario depicted by the multiannual analysis in the 2023 PIF Report; emphasises that the current situation justifies the efforts made to ensure more effective deployment of adequate resources and their more efficient use, which requires better governance and cooperation; underlines that fraud, corruption, and violations of democracy, justice, and the rule of law are deeply interconnected and cannot be tackled in isolation; calls on the Commissioners on budget, fraud and public administration and on democracy, justice and the rule of law to work closely and immediately on launching initiatives to make the actions and the results of the AFA measurable and more tangible and to present them to Parliament, in line with the commitment made at the confirmation hearings; suggests to create stronger synergies between DG BUDG and other DGs working on the Rule of Law and the protection of other EU values, particularly DG JUST, DG EMPL, and DG REGIO to ensure that all departments work together rather than in silos to address these systemic challenges more effectively;

Or. en

Amendment 47

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Reiterates the call for a holistic approach in PIF reports, which are also considered an AFA governance tool;is aware that, as emphasised in the 2023 PIF Report, the operational protection of the Union’s financial interests from fraud, irregularities and other illicit activities is entrusted to national authorities, OLAF and the EPPO, andwelcomesthe integration of OLAF and EPPO findings in the 2023 PIF Report; asks for a deeper analysis of the interaction between the AFA components;

7. Reiterates the call for a holistic approach in PIF reports, which are also considered an AFA governance tool, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the synergies between all relevant actors, identify best practices and address shortcomings; ;is aware that, as emphasised in the 2023 PIF Report, the operational protection of the Union’s financial interests from fraud, irregularities and other illicit activities is entrusted to national authorities, OLAF and the EPPO, andwelcomesthe integration of OLAF and EPPO findings in the 2023 PIF Report; asks for a deeper analysis of the interaction between the AFA components, and calls to further improve this holistic approach, aiming at providing a clearer, more complete and more concrete picture of the overall state of play of the protection of the Union's financial interests, encompassing the entirety of the anti-fraud action, both at national and EU level;

Or. en

Amendment 48

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Reiterates the call for a holistic approach in PIF reports, which are also considered an AFA governance tool; is aware that, as emphasised in the 2023 PIF Report, the operational protection of the Union’s financial interests from fraud, irregularities and other illicit activities is entrusted to national authorities, OLAF and the EPPO, and welcomes the integration of OLAF and EPPO findings in the 2023 PIF Report; asks for a deeper analysis of the interaction between the AFA components and for the introduction of measures to increase the efficiency of the competent institutions with a view to reducing fraud and irregularities;

Or. ro

Amendment 49

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Welcomes the way in which the EPPO, operationally active since June 2021, has developed and increased its activities, which is well-reflected in the numbers of opened investigations (1 371 compared to 865 in 2022), of the overall currently active investigations (1 927 compared to 1 117 in 2022) and of indictments (139 compared to 87 in 2022); appreciatesthe level of detail in EPPO reporting, which offers relevant information on many trends and on the situation in the participating Member States;

9. Welcomes the way in which the EPPO, operationally active since June 2021, has developed and increased its activities, which is well-reflected in the numbers of opened investigations (1 371 compared to 865 in 2022), of the overall currently active investigations (1 927 compared to 1 117 in 2022) and of indictments (139 compared to 87 in 2022); appreciates the level of detail in EPPO reporting, which offers relevant information on many trends and on the situation in the participating Member States; calls for greater EPPO efficiency, with this being reflected in the amounts recovered and not just in the number of investigations;

Or. ro

Amendment 50

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Stresses the added value that EU bodies bring to the protection of the financial interests of the Union and the fight against fraud, especially when it comes to cross-border crime, as shown by the operational results from EPPO and OLAF also in 2023; reiterates its call to ensure all relavant EU actors involved in the fight against fraud adequate resources and, in this regards, reminds the Commission and the Council that every euro spent on investigation and anti-fraud actions returns to the EU budget;

Or. en

Amendment 51

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Is concerned that the substantial financial loss of value added tax (VAT) fraud reported by the EPPO is having a detrimental effect on the national budgets of the Member States; underlines that VAT is an important resource also for the Union’s budget; deems that it is appropriate to take into account the complexity of the underlying provisions on the system of own resources of the Union when quantifying the financial impact of the EPPO’s activities17 ; points out the concerning number of investigations into the recovery and resilience programmes (233) and the estimated financial loss (EUR 1.86 billion);

10. Is concerned that the substantial financial loss of value added tax (VAT) fraud reported by the EPPO is having a detrimental effect on the national budgets of the Member States while simultaneously threatening fair taxation and fair competition between businesses in the Single Market; underlines that VAT is an important resource also for the Union’s budget; deems that it is appropriate to take into account the complexity of the underlying provisions on the system of own resources of the Union when quantifying the financial impact of the EPPO’s activities17 ; points out the concerning number of investigations into the recovery and resilience programmes (233) and the estimated financial loss (EUR 1.86 billion);

_________________

17 Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2020/2053 of 14 December 2020 on the system of own resources of the European Union and repealing Decision 2014/335/EU, Euratom, OJ L 424, 15.12.2020, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2020/2053/oj.

Or. en

Amendment 52

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 53

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement solutions allowing a follow-up to OLAF recommendations and EPPO prosecutions, their analysis and the measurability of the actual impact of their actions on the protection of the Union’s budget in terms of recovery of both mismanaged funds and of uncollected resources, with a view to providing additional justification for results-oriented policymaking;

Or. ro

Amendment 54

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. States that communication and transparency are essential to address fraud and corruption; emphasises the importance of engaging civil society, the media and investigative journalism to enhance awareness; encourages the Commission to launch an EU-wide public awareness campaign on the risks of fake news, misinformation, and deepfake content in financial fraud cases, particularly in EU-funded projects; calls for training programs for journalists, civil society organizations, and national anti-fraud bodies on detecting and exposing disinformation tactics used in fraud schemes;

Or. en

Amendment 55

Rudi Kennes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. States that communication and transparency are essential to address fraud and corruption; emphasises the importance of engaging civil society, the media and investigative journalism to enhance awareness; suggests that, in this context, at EU level, companies, and multinationals in particular, should be urged to be more transparent about tax optimisation and should give full insight into the use of profits and into the flow of money between member states;

Or. en

Amendment 56

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. States that communication and transparency are essential to address fraud and corruption; emphasises the importance of engaging civil society, the media and investigative journalism to enhance awareness; calls on the Commission to take all necessary measures to safeguard these actors from unlawful state surveillance, intimidation, and attempts to undermine their legitimacy, in line with EU fundamental rights and the rule of law principles;

Or. en

Amendment 57

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. States that communication and transparency are essential to address fraud and corruption; emphasises the importance of engaging civil society, the media and investigative journalism to enhance awareness; stresses that civil society organisations must have access to sufficient (EU) funding to effectively uncover and prevent fraud and corruption, ensuring their independence and capacity to hold authorities accountable;

Or. en

Amendment 58

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12. States that communication and transparency are essential to address fraud and corruption; emphasises the importance of engaging civil society, the private sector, the media and investigative journalism to enhance awareness; underlines the role played by public authorities, including national governments, in fostering a zero-tolerance culture against fraud;

Or. en

Amendment 59

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12 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 60

Rudi Kennes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12 a. underlines that transparency plays an important role in the management of public funds, encourages the Commission and Member States to maximise transparency in the use of funds, including concerning the information on final beneficiaries;

Or. en

Amendment 61

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12 b. Expresses deep concern over the findings of the 2023 Rule of Law Report regarding the deteriorating rule of law situation in Hungary, particularly the persistent and systemic challenges in the judiciary and media sector; notes with alarm the increasing pressure on judicial independence, including concerns over the selection and promotion of judges, and recent reports of intimidation and interference in judicial decisions, as exemplified by the resignations of judges in protest against political influence; calls on the Hungarian authorities to take immediate and concrete steps to safeguard judicial independence, uphold media freedom, and fully implement the recommendations of the European Commission’s Rule of Law Report to restore democratic checks and balances;

Or. en

Amendment 62

Rudi Kennes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12 b. furthermore, encourages Belgium in the context of transparency to abolish banking secrecy;

Or. en

Amendment 63

Rudi Kennes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

12 c. Reminds that in order to effectively protect the EU's financial interests more coherent and systematic rules on transparency, incompatibilities, conflict of interests, illegal lobbying and revolving doors should be put in place; calls on the Commssion to strengthen its internal control mechanisms, including the setting up of an internal corruption mechanism for the EU institutions;

Or. en

Amendment 64

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13. Is concerned about the EPPO’s and Europol’s clear warning on the increasing presence of groups of organised criminals behind the most relevant cases of cross-border fraud; notes that the EPPO’s annual report indicates 209 investigated offences concerning PIF-focused criminal organisations in its active investigations up to the end of 2023; understandsthat organised crime affects Union resources substantially; is aware that the current analysis and reporting tools do not allow its quantification in a way that is satisfactory for evaluating the effectiveness or the shortcomings of the measures and policies in place; calls on the Commission to swiftly launch all necessary actions to address the analysis and reporting issue;

13. Is concerned about the EPPO’s and Europol’s clear warning on the increasing presence of groups of organised criminals behind the most relevant cases of cross-border fraud; notes that the EPPO’s annual report indicates 209 investigated offences concerning PIF-focused criminal organisations in its active investigations up to the end of 2023; understandsthat organised crime affects Union resources substantially, and that the scale of fraud affecting the financial interests of the EU, in particular on the revenue side of the budget, can only be explained by the heavy involvement of serious organised criminal groups; is aware that the current analysis and reporting tools do not allow its quantification in a way that is satisfactory for evaluating the effectiveness or the shortcomings of the measures and policies in place; calls on the Commission to swiftly launch all necessary actions to address the analysis and reporting issue;

Or. en

Amendment 65

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

13 a. Maintains that the lack of efficient transposition of national legislation in many Member States and the lack of harmonisation of national legislations offer opportunities to organised criminal groups for a number of illegal cross-border activities in areas affecting the Union’s financial interests; reiterates, therefore, its previous calls for the revision of Council Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA on the fight against organised crime1a and for the introduction of a new common definition of organised crime, taking into account, in particular, the use of corruption, violence, threat or intimidation to obtain the control of economic activities or procurement;

_________________

1a OJ L 300, 11.11.2008, p. 42.

Or. en

Amendment 66

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

14. Points out the results of the 2023 Eurobarometer survey on ‘Citizens’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU in 2023’, showing that corruption is a serious concern for EU citizens and businesses in the EU; maintains that high-level corruption, including in EU institutions, affects not only the Union’s financial interests and the EU economy as a whole, but also undermines citizens’ trust in democratic institutions, both in the EU and in the Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 67

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15. Points out that, in relation to corruption cases, the EPPO reported 131 investigated offences up to the end of 2023 (there were 87 cases in 2022) and that, over the years 2019-2023, 65 cases were reported to the Commission via IMS18by 11 countries, and that the reported irregular amounts linked to such cases come to about EUR 50.5 million;

15. Points out that, in relation to corruption cases, the EPPO reported 131 investigated offences up to the end of 2023 (there were 87 cases in 2022) and that, over the years 2019-2023, 65 cases were reported to the Commission via IMS18 by 11 countries, and that the reported irregular amounts linked to such cases come to about EUR 50.5 million; calls on the Commission to request that EPPO inform the European Parliament on how much of that EUR 50.5 million has been recovered;

_________________

18 Electronic system developed to report fraudulent and non-fraudulent irregularities detected in the Member States and used by 35 countries.

Or. ro

Amendment 68

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16. Acknowledges that anti-corruption strategies are in place in the Member States; calls for an evaluation and a periodical revision of these strategies;

16. ;Acknowledges that anti-corruption strategies are in place in the Member States; calls for an evaluation and a periodical revision of these strategies;

emphasises the importance of taking into account Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) relating to corruption;

Or. en

Amendment 69

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

16 a. Reiterates the importance of fully addressing Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) relating to the fight against corruption;

Or. en

Amendment 70

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17. Acknowledges the Commission’s efforts to prevent and address cases of conflict of interest in the management of the Union’s resources; observes that, in the period 2019-2023, 419 cases were reported via the IMS related to conflict of interest (there were 375 in 2018-2022) involving in total about EUR 112 million; stresses that the ECA has indicated in its audit work19 that the main source of information on conflict of interest is the IMS and that the quantity and quality of the data recorded in the IMS varies between Member States; underlines that where Member States consider a conflict of interest to be a minor component in a wider fraud case, they do not report such cases as relating to conflicts of interest; calls on the Commission to adopt initiatives necessary to ensure consistent and adequately detailed reporting in the IMS of the above situations;

_________________

19 Special reports 01/2019 entitled ‘Fighting fraud in EU spending’, paragraphs 23-28, 06/2019 entitled ‘Tackling fraud in EU cohesion spending’, paragraphs 47-57, and ECA special report 06/2023 of 13 March 2023 entitled ‘Conflict of interest in EU cohesion and agricultural spending – Framework in place but gaps in transparency and detection measures’ – paragraph 80.

Or. en

Amendment 71

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

17 a. Regrets that only 9 Member States have sufficient staff in their national- fraud coordinating structure; expresses concern that 18 Member States need improvement; underlines that the majority of Member States point out that there is a need to improve staff's expertise level; calls on the Commission to address these issues as a matter of priority, including in the context of the European Semester cycle;

Or. en

Amendment 72

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

18. Observes that, in 2023, the overall number of fraudulent and non-fraudulent irregularities related to traditional own resources (TOR) (5 118 compared to 4 661 in 2022) was 10 % higher than the five-year average (2019-2023), but that the amount decreased by 12 % to EUR 478 million (compared to EUR 783 million by 2022); regrets that while the data show improved recovery for non-fraudulent cases (82 %), the recovery rate for fraudulent cases remains unchanged at 25 %, which is still low;

Or. en

Amendment 73

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19. Points out that, in 2023, the Commission considered that in only five of the new write-off reports submitted to it by the Member States had it been satisfactorily demonstrated that TOR had been lost for reasons not imputable to the Member States in question and that the latter were not financially responsible for the loss; notes, by contrast, that in 81 cases, amounting to almost EUR 69 million, the Commission considered that the Member States had not satisfactorily demonstrated that TOR had been lost for reasons not imputable to them and that they were therefore financially responsible for the loss; concludes, therefore, that there is actionable room for improvement in the collection of TOR by Member States; calls on Member States to intensify efforts for improving the effectiveness of their national administrations’ activity in the field of recovery to increase the amount of TOR made available to the EU budget;

Or. en

Amendment 74

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 a. Underlines the importance of Member States fulfilling their responsibility for collecting TOR as it serves to protect the financial interests of the Union and to ensure that the burden of financing EU expenditure is fairly shared among the Member States as well as to maintain a level playing field for economic actors in the Single Market;

Or. en

Amendment 75

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 19 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

19 b. Notes that according to the 2024 VAT Gap Report, the EU VAT Gap amounted to EUR 89.3 billion in nominal terms in 2022, increasing by EUR 13.3 billion compared to 2021; reiterates its call to reduce the VAT Gap through digital means, fraud-proofing VAT rules, and stronger cooperation between national tax authorities;

Or. en

Amendment 76

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20 a. Notes with concern that, according to the VAT Gap report, in 2021, Member States lost around €61 billion in VAT, with conservative estimates attributing one quarter of that to intra-EU VAT carousel fraud, evasion and avoidance; highlights that, by addressing this problem, the European Union will not need to introduce the new own resources;

Or. en

Amendment 77

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

22. Stresses the importance of effective and efficient cooperation between OLAF and the EPPO in this specific revenue sector and maintains that adequate detection and data transmission by OLAF to the EPPO could increase the collection of VAT and customs revenue for the EU budget;

Or. ro

Amendment 78

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 24

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

24. Observes that in cohesion policy the number and financial amounts of non-fraudulent irregularities reported for the 2014-2020 programming period are much lower than those reported during the first 10 years of implementation of the 2007-2013 programming period; points out that the fraud detection rate20 for the 2014-2020 programming period is similar (0.53 %) to the 2007-2013 programming period, while the irregularity detection rate is much lower (0.67 %) than the rate recorded for the 2007-2013 programming period (2.5 %); notes that individual irregularities involving high financial amounts have a strong impact on the fraud detection rate; calls for further clarification of the correlation between the level of the fraud detection rate and the occurrence of fraud;

_________________

20 The fraud detection rate (FDR) is calculated as the percentage of irregular financial amounts linked to fraudulent irregularities regarding total payments. The irregularity detection rate (IDR) is calculated as the percentage of irregular financial amounts linked to non-fraudulent irregularities regarding total payments.

Or. en

Amendment 79

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25. Welcomes OLAF’s analytical report entitled ‘Fraud and irregularities by areas of the cohesion policy – comparing risks’, which refers to information from Member States for the 2014-2020 programming period up until December 2023 and identifies areas particularly exposed to fraud risk (such as investments for the environment, climate change and the transition to a low carbon economy, research, development and innovation); remarks that the highest financial amounts in fraud cases were in environmental protection and research, technology development and innovation; underlines that the Commission's transparency register includes almost 3,400 NGO, non-elected actors whose influence is decisive with regard to the legislative provisions that will subsequently apply to the citizens of the Member States; Calls that all NOGs that receive EU funds to be audited if they influence public legislations;

Or. en

Amendment 80

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 27 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

27a. Calls for details on the profile of fraudsters and percentage of repeat offenders and for a list of the individuals and organisations sanctioned this year by the Member States or different EU institutions in connection with European funding;

Or. fr

Amendment 81

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 28

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

28. Emphasises that recovery is themeasure that protects the Union’s financial interests, allowing for the correct implementation of EU policies and for refunding of disbursed expenditure that is non-compliant with the funding requirements; stresses the findings of ECA special report 7/202421when referring to the 2014-2020 period, for which the reported irregular expenditure was EUR 14 billion, which is to be refunded via recovery; calls on the Commission to propose adequate measures to provide complete information on irregular expenditure and the linked corrective measures taken;

28. Emphasises that recovery is the measure that protects the Union’s financial interests, allowing for the correct implementation of EU policies and for refunding of disbursed expenditure that is non-compliant with the funding requirements; stresses the findings of ECA special report 7/202421 when referring to the 2014-2020 period, for which the reported irregular expenditure was EUR 14 billion, which is to be refunded via recovery; stresses the need to speed up the recovery process by establishing clear deadlines and penalties for delays, so that the funds are restored to the EU budget as swiftly as possible; calls on the Commission to propose adequate measures to provide complete information on irregular expenditure and the linked corrective measures taken;

_________________

21 ECA special report 7/2024 entitled ‘The Commission’s systems for recovering irregular EU expenditure Potential to recover more and faster’.

Or. ro

Amendment 82

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 28

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

28. Emphasises that recovery is themeasure that protects the Union’s financial interests, allowing for the correct implementation of EU policies and for refunding of disbursed expenditure that is non-compliant with the funding requirements; stresses the findings of ECA special report 7/202421 when referring to the 2014-2020 period, for which the reported irregular expenditure was EUR 14 billion, which is to be refunded via recovery; calls on the Commission to propose adequate measures to provide complete information on irregular expenditure and the linked corrective measures taken;

28. Emphasises that, when despite preventive measures, fraudulent or non-fraudulent irregularities are detected, recovery is themeasure that protects the Union’s financial interests, allowing for the correct implementation of EU policies and for refunding of disbursed expenditure that is non-compliant with the funding requirements; stresses the findings of ECA special report 7/202421 when referring to the 2014-2020 period, for which the reported irregular expenditure was EUR 14 billion, which is to be refunded via recovery; calls on the Commission to propose adequate measures to provide complete information on irregular expenditure and the linked corrective measures taken;

_________________

21 ECA special report 7/2024 entitled ‘The Commission’s systems for recovering irregular EU expenditure Potential to recover more and faster’.

Or. en

Amendment 83

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 28 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

28 a. Stresses the importance of follow-up measures after the necessary corrective actions have been taken, with a view to learning from cases of fraud and improving procedures to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future; considers, in this regard, it important that Member States thoroughly follow up on cases by analysing the enabling factors behind the fraud and assessing the need to revise their management and control systems;

Or. en

Amendment 84

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 28 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

28 b. Notes with concern the European Court of Auditors’ conclusion in its Annual Report 2023 that at the end of the eligibility period (31 December 2023) not all Member States’ management and control systems functioned effectively; calls on the Commission to ensure that Member States remedy the inadequacies identified in their control frameworks without delay and by implementing the recommendations addressed to it by the ECA, namely by following up on the weaknesses in Member States’ management and control systems, identifying and applying the lessons learnt, and communicating the necessary actions to national authorities; underlines the importance of robust management and control systems in preventing fraud as they have the effect of deterring criminals from attempting to defraud public authorities; expects Member States to step up efforts to ensure that their management and control systems are up to task;

Or. en

Amendment 85

Julien Sanchez, Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29a. Expresses its deep concern at the revelations concerning the alleged involvement of the European Commission in funding environmental organisations in order to influence the European Parliament's legislative process; regrets the lack of transparency over the funding of certain NGOs engaged in influencing politics and considers the Commission's potential misuse of EU funds to finance lobbying an unacceptable abuse of power that jeopardises the integrity of the EU's legislative process; calls on the Commission to clarify as a matter of urgency the conditions for awarding and using grants awarded to these organisations and demands the immediate publication of all related contractual documents; calls for an in-depth investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to verify the legality of this funding and to identify possible breaches of EU budgetary rules; calls, furthermore, for a parliamentary inquiry to be launched to assess the scope of this case and propose corrective measures to ensure the integrity and transparency of the EU's decision-making process;

Or. fr

Amendment 86

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 a. Considers that when assessing delivery models for EU expenditure, various alternatives’ susceptibility to fraud and other misuse should be taken into account;

Or. en

Amendment 87

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 a. Expresses its deep concern about Timmernansgate, and the practice of the Commission to provide at least 15 million euros worth of subsidies to NGOs to influence Members of the European Parliament, Commission services and to mobilize public opinion to push for green policies; calls on the European Court of Auditors to audit the LIFE-programme and other programms to identify and end all such practices; reminds the Commission that such practices countervenes the principle of separation of powers and calls on the Commission to end such schemes with immediate effect;

Or. en

Amendment 88

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 a. 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 and that these secretive actions distort policy discussions and block meaningful public input and scrutiny, representing a serious breach of public trust1a;

_________________

1a https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/01/ec-paid-shadow-lobby-to-promote-own-green-policies-dutch-newspaper-claims/

Or. en

Amendment 89

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 b. Recalls that the European Court of Auditors already in 20181a warned the European co-legislators that that the Commission was not sufficiently transparent regarding the implementation of EU funds by NGOs, and that more efforts were needed to improve on the ground checks; regrets that none of the recommendations formulated by the Court of Auditors for improving the transparency of the EU funds implemented by NGOs have been addressed by the co-legislators, despite high-level scandals such as Qatargate and Timmermansgate, which involved NGOs; reminds that, in 2024, the Revision of the Financial Regulation of the EU brought insufficient results in this regard; calls on AMLA, EPPO and OLAF to properly scrutinize non-governmental organisations that are funded by the EU;

_________________

1a ECA Special Report No 35/2018

Or. en

Amendment 90

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

29 b. Notes that the EU is one of the largest global funders of civil society organizations; emphasizes the importance of establishing a common definition of NGOs across the EU, based on a clearly defined set of criteria, including non-profit status, public benefit objectives, and independence; underlines that this definition should also consider how organizations engage with the EU, such as through open deliberative processes, financial involvement, or formal political consultations and it should be supported by robust requirements for accountability and transparency;

Or. en

Amendment 91

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 30

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

30. Appreciates the efforts made by the Commission in the revision of the 27 recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) to adjust to the energy market disruptions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; notes that the integration into the RRPs of REPowerEU should contribute to reducing dependence and making progress on the green transition;

Or. ro

Amendment 92

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 30

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

30. Appreciates the efforts made by the Commission in the revision of the 27 recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) to adjust to the energy market disruptions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; notes that the integration into the RRPs of REPowerEU is expected to contribute to the reduction of dependence on Russian fossil fuel´s and increase European self-sufficiency;

Or. en

Amendment 93

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 30 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

30 a. Recalls nevertheless, that delays can be observed in the implementation of the RRF and calls on the Commission to remain vigilant, in particular towards the end of the RRF lifecycle, in order to ensure that Member States adequately protect the financial interests of the EU and that EU taxpayers’ money is adequately spent;

Or. en

Amendment 94

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 30 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

30 b. Expresses concerns about ECA’s repeated observations that point to persistent weaknesses in the implementation of Member States control systems as this poses risks to the availability of complete and accurate data underlying payment requests, access to those requests for control purposes, and the effective functioning of Member State control systems to protect the EU’s financial interests; regrets that in several Member States the control systems were not fully functional when the national recovery and resilience plans started to be implemented; underlines that such issues pose risks to the regularity of RRF payments and the protection of the EU’s financial interests;

Or. en

Amendment 95

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

31. Observes that the Commission’s control framework for the RRF relies primarily on the responsibility of the Member States to protect the EU’s financial interests; calls on the Commission to maintain a high level of attention to the fulfilment by the Member States of the specific audit and control milestones added to those RRPs which had lacked robustness and to continue efforts to close accountability gaps; takes notesof the actions launched by the Commission following the ECA’s recommendations on the identifiable weaknesses of some Member States’ control and reporting systems;

Or. en

Amendment 96

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

31 a. Notes with grave concern that the European Court of Auditors’ special report 14/2024 found that the climate impact of green spending under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) could be overestimated by up to EUR 34.5 billion, with some projects having minimal impact on the energy transition or even causing environmental harm while also increasing the risk of fraud;

Or. en

Amendment 97

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 31 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

31 b. Calls for the establishment of clear, measurable criteria for green investments under the EU budget and RRF to ensure that only projects with significant and proven environmental and economic benefits receive funding, thereby enhancing accountability and long-term sustainability while reducing the risk of fraud;

Or. en

Amendment 98

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 32

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

32. Observes that, for the RRF in 2023, the 2023 PIF Report indicates the number of cases of suspected fraud reported by the Commission (15) and the number of audits (13, compared with 16 carried out in 2022), but it does not include the concerningly high number of EPPO investigations (233 investigations referred to recovery and resilience programmes, with an estimated financial loss of EUR 1.86 billion); is concernedby analyses suggesting the possible exponential growth in the number of cases of fraud, corruption, double funding and conflicts of interest in the coming years, which could mean that the impacts of the RRPs were in vain;

32. Observes that, for the RRF in 2023, the 2023 PIF Report indicates the number of cases of suspected fraud reported by the Commission (15) and the number of audits (13, compared with 16 carried out in 2022), but it does not include the concerningly high number of EPPO investigations (233 investigations referred to recovery and resilience programmes, with an estimated financial loss of EUR 1.86 billion); is concerned by a possible increase of the number of cases of fraud, corruption, double funding and conflicts of interest in the coming years and urges the Commission and Member States to swiftly act in order to ensure the sound management and fair distribution of RRF funds;

Or. en

Amendment 99

Daniel Freund

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 Commission to introduce mandatory fraud reporting via the Irregularity Management System (IMS) for all RRF-related cases, ensuring that irregularities and fraud affecting RRF funds are systematically recorded and monitored; notes with concern the lack of transparency in reporting fraud linked to RRF funds and insists that all Member States comply with standardized reporting obligations;

Or. en

Amendment 100

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 35

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

35. Reiterates that transparency plays a vital role in exposing fraudulent schemes and discouraging fraudsters; reiterates its dissatisfaction with the interpretation endorsed by the Commission of the concept of ‘final recipient’ under the RRF; rejects the Commission’s incomplete and misleading interpretation24 ; remarks that even according to the Commission guidelines25 , the ‘final recipient’ is the ‘last entity’ that receives funds for an RRF measure, and that any initial or intermediary recipient of funding, such as ministries or agencies operating merely as distributors of the funds, should not be considered to be the ‘last entity’; asks the Commission again to request that the Member States provide information on the ‘final recipient’ or ‘last entity’ and not to accept from Member States any information on ‘second-level recipients’ that is not in line with the agreement between the co-legislators;

_________________

24 The Commission’s responses to the ECA’s special report of 2 September 2024 entitled ‘Absorption of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility – Progressing with delays and risks remain regarding the completion of measures and therefore the achievement of RRF objectives’, page 4.

25 Commission Notice – Guidance on recovery and resilience plans (C(2024)4618).

Or. en

Amendment 101

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 35

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

_________________

25 Commission Notice – Guidance on recovery and resilience plans (C(2024)4618).

Or. en

Amendment 102

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the lessons learnt from the design and implementation of the RRF, including the recommendations addressed to it by the European Court of Auditors and the European Parliament, are taken into account in future EU funding instruments, notably the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework;

Or. en

Amendment 103

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39a. Expresses concern about how much interest will be accrued in repaying the ‘whatever the cost’ post-COVID plan negotiated by Brussels at a variable rate, given the rise in interest rates and the already huge debt already faced by some EU countries;

Or. fr

Amendment 104

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39b. Calls on the anti-fraud services to investigate whether the legal weaknesses of the 'huge' contracts negotiated by the Commission are due to incompetence or mal-intent;

(conditions not allowing the States to ‘get out’ of the Pfizer contract; laboratories not facing any consequences where there are side effects; massive variable-rate loan just before the rise in rates);

Or. fr

Amendment 105

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39 a. Underlines that the shortcomings identified in the implementation of the RRF, including risks of fraud, double funding, and lack of transparency, must serve as a lesson for future EU financial frameworks; opposes any replication of the RRF model in its current form and stresses that any future performance-based funding must be accompanied by significantly stronger safeguards, transparency requirements, and fraud prevention mechanisms to ensure the sound management of EU funds;

Or. en

Amendment 106

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 40

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

40. Welcomes the political agreement reached on the proposed recast text of the Financial Regulation; believes that extending the scope of EDES to include shared management, and the adoption of a legal basis to use ARACHNE as a model for an EU-wide data-mining and risk-scoring tool, will strengthen the protection of the EU’s financial interests; recalls the calls made in previous reports to ensure that all Member States make use of data-mining tools, especially Arachne, to ensure timely and diligent reporting standards;

Or. en

Amendment 107

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 43 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

43 a. Recognises that taking advantage of a real-time and data-driven economy has significant benefits for the protection of the Union’s financial interests, while reducing the administrative burden on public authorities and businesses operating and trading across borders within the EU; calls on the EU and Member States to improve the effectiveness of data sharing by creating a digital ecosystem allowing for seamless, real-time and secure movement of standardised, structured and machine-readable data between businesses and public authorities, notably national tax administrations with a view to limiting possibilities for committing fraud and tax evasion;

Or. en

Amendment 108

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 43 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

43 a. Urges the European Commission to establish a standardized AI auditing mechanism to detect fraudulent financial reporting generated by artificial intelligence, ensuring that automated systems cannot be exploited to falsify financial records, misrepresent transactions, or manipulate EU funding applications;

Or. en

Amendment 109

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 44 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

44 a. Calls for the integration of AI-driven fraud detection systems, including real-time financial tracking algorithms, within EU institutions and Member States' anti-fraud units; stresses that AI should be leveraged for proactive fraud detection, particularly in high-risk sectors such as public procurement and financial aid distribution;

Or. en

Amendment 110

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 45

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

45. Believes that digitalisation offers opportunities for tangible improvements to the governance of the anti-fraud network, and that by facilitating communication and accessibility it helps improve reporting, thereby allowing a better understanding of the obstacles that persist and a more timely and comprehensive response by decision-makers and co-legislators; underlines the need to ensure sufficient levels of expertise among staff in national anti-fraud coordinating structures; welcomes that over half of the Member States have taken steps to identify and address skills gaps in digitalisation, notably lack of information and access to data on digitalisation; encourages Member States and actors in the AFA to continue addressing skills gaps through measures involving, inter alia, knowledge sharing, training, and broadening of know-how and skills in the field of digitalisation;

Or. en

Amendment 111

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46. Welcomes the efforts of many components of the AFA in assessing and further developing the options offered by AI and machine learning in identifying and detecting irregularities and pursuing efficiency gains in both analysis and classic administrative tasks; reiterates that human assessment must remain the pivotal characteristic of every process; adds that AI has the potential to be a game changer in the fight against fraud, allowing the rapid analysis of large data sets, as well as enhancing fraud detection and identification of fraud patterns; recalls that the successful use of AI relies on effective collaboration between all stakeholders and on the availability of high quality data, underpinned by the effective use of ARACHNE; urges the Commission to work towards developing AI in Europe so as to uphold data sovereignty and ensure robust data protection, aligning with the principles outlined in the AI Act29 and the General Data Protection Regulation30 (GDPR); calls on all antifraud actors to strengthen their cooperation to leverage the use of AI effectively and responsibly in the fight against fraud;

_________________

29 OJ L 1689, 12.7.2024 of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828, OJ L 1689, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj.

30 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj.

Or. en

Amendment 112

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 113

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to integrate artificial intelligence and data analytics into fraud detection systems, ensuring interoperability between national and EU-level databases while maintaining strong data protection safeguards; further calls for a dedicated EU-wide initiative to develop AI-driven fraud detection mechanisms within OLAF, EPPO, and Europol, to increase efficiency in tracking and preventing financial crimes against the EU budget;

Or. en

Amendment 114

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46 a. Calls on the Commission to prioritize research and policy measures to combat fraudulent activities enabled by artificial intelligence, including deepfake technology and AI-driven disinformation campaigns that could compromise financial and anti-fraud mechanisms; recognizes the growing risk of AI-generated content being used to manipulate procurement processes, financial transactions, and evidence in fraud investigations;

Or. en

Amendment 115

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46 b. Calls on the Commission to propose stricter legal provisions and penalties for entities found to be using artificial intelligence to commit or facilitate financial fraud, including AI-driven money laundering schemes, falsification of contracts, and digital identity theft in procurement processes;

Or. en

Amendment 116

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 47 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

47 a. Recommends the establishment of an EU-wide task force composed of representatives from OLAF, EPPO, Europol, and national anti-fraud units, with a dedicated focus on digital fraud threats, including deepfake technology, AI-generated fake documents, and synthetic identity fraud; underlines that this task force should develop and share best practices with Member State;

Or. en

Amendment 117

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 47

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

47. Underlines the fact that the EU’s AFA is a composite institutional architecture designed to detect, prevent and combat fraud and other forms of misconduct affecting the EU’s financial interests, built on a multilayered network of cooperation in which the first layer (OLAF, the EPPO, Europol, Eurojust, AMLA, the Commission, the ECA and the European Investment Bank (EIB)) is grounded on horizontal cooperation between the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, while the other layers are based on vertical relationships between EU and national authorities, and between EU authorities and international organisations; points out that the AFA has evolved over the years through a series of separate decisions that have led to an innovative network of entities; underlines that their coordinated activities in recent years have generated valuable experience that should be considered in the future revision of the relevant regulations; stresses that with the creation of the EPPO, the first European prosecutorial authority was established, adding to the investigative activity conducted by OLAF, and that the lessons learnt in the first years of its operational activity need to be adequately integrated in the legislative framework to be able to take full advantage of the available tools and resources;

Or. en

Amendment 118

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 47

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

47. Underlines the fact that the EU’s AFA is a composite institutional architecture designed to detect, prevent and combat fraud and other forms of misconduct affecting the EU’s financial interests, built on a multilayered network of cooperation in which the first layer (OLAF, the EPPO, Europol, Eurojust, AMLA, the Commission, the ECA and the European Investment Bank (EIB)) is grounded on horizontal cooperation between the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, while the other layers are based on vertical relationships between EU and national authorities, and between EU authorities and international organisations; points out that the AFA has evolved over the years through a series of separate decisions that have led to an innovative network of entities; underlines that their coordinated activities in recent years have generated valuable experience that should be considered in the future revision of the relevant regulations; stresses that with the creation of the EPPO, the first European prosecutorial authority was established, enabling prompt and direct criminal law investigations and prosecutions, and that the lessons learnt in the first years of its operational activity need to be adequately integrated in the legislative framework to be able to take full advantage of the available tools and resources;

Or. en

Amendment 119

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 49 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

49 a. Underlines the importance of the Rule of Law as one of the fundamental values of the Union and stresses that the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism is crucial in order to ensure that Member States continue to respect rule of law principles; reiterates its deep concerns regarding the situation concerning the rule of law in certain Member States, which is deeply worrying in its own right and leads to serious losses for the Union budget; calls on the Commission to ensure a strict and fast implementation of all elements of the mechanism when Member States breach the rule of law principles and this affects, or risks affecting, EU financial interests; further insists on the need for coherence across various instruments when assessing the rule of law situation in Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 120

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

51. Notes that the fourth Commission Report 2023 on the rule of law, adopted in February 2024, provides a follow-up to last year’s rule of law report’s recommendations; acknowledges that, in the fight against corruption, various Member States have updated or launched a revision of their national strategies and/or action plans, while others have reformed criminal law to strengthen the fight against corruption; observes that for many Member States the main obstacle to the fight against corruption is the limited resources of prosecution services; calls on the Commission to continue encouraging and supporting the efforts of Member States to reform and improve the efficacy of criminal proceedings and addressing the other challenges identified in the report; reminds the Commission that effective tools to boost the rule of law, such as infringement procedures, funding conditionality and the Article 7 TEU procedures, must be used effectively; highlights in this regard that the new Financial Regulation introduces an Article 2 TEU values conditionality and calls on the Commission to start applying it, particularly in cases where infringement procedures have already been launched against a Member State for violations of Article 2 TEU values, as this constitutes a clear recognition of an ongoing breach that could also impact the sound financial management of the Union budget.

Or. en

Amendment 121

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. fr

Amendment 122

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

51. Notes that the fourth Commission Report 2023 on the rule of law, adopted in February 2024, provides a follow-up to last year’s rule of law report’s recommendations; acknowledges that, in the fight against corruption, various Member States have updated or launched a revision of their national strategies and/or action plans, while others have reformed criminal law to strengthen the fight against corruption; observes that for many Member States the main obstacle to the fight against corruption is the limited resources of prosecution services; calls on the Commission to continue encouraging and supporting the efforts of Member States to reform and improve the efficacy of criminal proceedings and addressing the other challenges identified in the report; reminds the Commission of the effective tools at its disposal to safeguard the rule of law, such as infringement procedures, funding conditionality and the Article 7 TEU procedures, and expects it to make full use of them all; underlines that taxpayers must be able to trust that common EU funds are used appropriately and responsibly;

Or. en

Amendment 123

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

51. Notes that the fourth Commission Report 2023 on the rule of law, adopted in February 2024, provides a follow-up to last year’s rule of law report’s recommendations; acknowledges that, in the fight against corruption, various Member States have updated or launched a revision of their national strategies and/or action plans, while others have reformed criminal law to strengthen the fight against corruption; observes that for many Member States the main obstacle to the fight against corruption is the limited resources of prosecution services; calls on the Commission to continue encouraging and supporting the efforts of Member States to reform and improve the efficacy of criminal proceedings and addressing the other challenges identified in the report; reminds the Commission that effective tools to boost the rule of law, such as infringement procedures, funding conditionality and the Article 7 TEU procedures, must be used effectively; urges the Council to continue the Article 7 TEU procedure against the Hungarian government;

Or. en

Amendment 124

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

51 a. Takes note of the Commission’s negative decision on the lifting of the measure under Article 2(2) of Council implementing decision 2022/2506 of 15 December 2022; expects the Commission and the Council to lift the adopted measures only where evidence is collected that the remedial measures adopted by the Hungarian Government have proven effective in practice and, in particular, that no regression has been detected on already adopted measures;

Or. en

Amendment 125

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 51 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

51 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 126

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 52

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

52. Emphasises that respect for the rule of law, including the fight against corruption, is a key determinant of the single market environment that fosters investment, growth, jobs and innovation, and protects small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and economic operators operating across borders; stresses that the Commission is accountable for rigorous verification, as a condition for disbursing funding, of the fulfilment of the rule of law-related milestones integrated in the various Member State recovery and resilience plans; recalls that the Commissioner for democracy, justice and rule of law, working in close coordination with the recently appointed Commissioner on budget, anti-fraud and public administration, holds primary responsibility for the full application of the general regime of conditionality; calls on the Commission not to use ‘dialogue’ with Member States or the ‘pilot’ procedure as an open-ended means to avoid launching actual infringement procedures; welcomes the commitment of the Commissioner on budget, anti-fraud and public administration to introduce strong safeguards on the rule of law in the next MFF;

52. Emphasises that respect for the rule of law, including the fight against corruption, is a key determinant of the single market environment that fosters investment, growth, jobs and innovation, and protects small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and economic operators operating across borders; stresses that the Commission is accountable for rigorous verification, as a condition for disbursing funding, of the fulfilment of the rule of law-related milestones integrated in the various Member State recovery and resilience plans; recalls that the Commissioner for democracy, justice and rule of law, working in close coordination with the recently appointed Commissioner on budget, anti-fraud and public administration, holds primary responsibility for the full application of the general regime of conditionality; calls on the Commission not to use ‘dialogue’ with Member States or the ‘pilot’ procedure as an open-ended means to avoid launching actual infringement procedures; welcomes the statement in the Commission Political Guidelines that respect for the rule of law is a must for EU funds and the commitment by the Commissioner for budget, anti-fraud and public administration to introduce strong safeguards on the rule of law; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to pursue a comprehensive approach for the respect for the rule of law and to put forward proposals for further strengthening the Union’s rule of law toolbox as a priority, including strengthened rule of law conditionality for funds already in the current programming period;

Or. en

Amendment 127

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 52

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

52. Emphasises that respect for the rule of law, including the fight against corruption, is a key determinant of the single market environment that fosters investment, growth, jobs and innovation, and protects small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and economic operators operating across borders; stresses that the Commission is accountable for rigorous verification, as a condition for disbursing funding, of the fulfilment of the rule of law-related milestones integrated in the various Member State recovery and resilience plans; recalls that the Commissioner for democracy, justice and rule of law, working in close coordination with the recently appointed Commissioner on budget, anti-fraud and public administration, holds primary responsibility for the full application of the general regime of conditionality; calls on the Commission not to use ‘dialogue’ with Member States or the ‘pilot’ procedure as an open-ended means to avoid launching actual infringement procedures; calls furthermore on the Commission to prioritise horizontally those infringements affecting the EU financial interests, notably regarding the PIF Directive and the EPPO Regulation; welcomes the commitment of the Commissioner on budget, anti-fraud and public administration to introduce strong safeguards on the rule of law in the next MFF;

Or. en

Amendment 128

Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 52

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. fr

Amendment 129

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 52 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

52 a. Considers that the protection of the common EU values in Article 2 TEU currently included in the Common Provisions Regulation needs to be further strengthened; calls on the Commission to explore how a mechanism equivalent to the horizontal enabling conditions could be developed as a general feature in all areas of the EU budget, with a view to linking a wider range of policies to all the values set out in Article 2 TEU; calls on the Commission to explore means of linking funding to rule of law conditions and the completion of necessary reforms in order to ensure a comprehensive approach, applied horizontally to all EU funds;

Or. en

Amendment 130

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 52 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

52 a. Calls on the Commission 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 131

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 53

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

53. Maintains that corruption is intrinsically linked to money laundering, and that money laundering is one of the most important enablers of illegal activities by organised criminals, as it allows them to transfer the proceeds of their crime into the legal economy; recognises that the heterogeneous national legal systems and fragmented application of the Union’s anti-money laundering framework have made it difficult to prevent, detect and counter money laundering; welcomes, in this regard, the adoption of the ambitious anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) legislative package, which will unify national rules and thus enhance the collective fight against money laundering across the Union; welcomes the establishment of the new Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA); considers that the new agency will play a central role in the new anti-money laundering framework through its coordinating and supervisory responsibilities;

Or. en

Amendment 132

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 53 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

53 a. Recalls that money laundering and terrorist financing are intrinsically linked according to the EU co-legislators, regrets in this regard the lack of attention for terrorist financing in the reports of the EPPO, OLAF and the European Court of Auditors; calls on these institutions to scrutinize EU funds being funnelled into NGOs and other organisations mainstreaming terrorist organisations like Hamas, including the EU funding to UNRWA;

Or. en

Amendment 133

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 54

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

54. Shares the view that the protection of the EU’s financial interests has been strengthened by the political agreement of 7 December 2023 on recasting the Financial Regulation; points out that the scope of EDES has been extended to encompass shared and direct management and provide new grounds for exclusion; welcomes the introduction of a legal basis for a risk scoring and data mining tool to be used by all Member States and in all management modes; regrets that both these measures will enter into force only in 2028 and only from the next MMF, but understands that this timeframe is needed to guarantee interoperability of the systems and databases and to allow Member States to adjust their procedures accordingly;

54. Shares the view that the protection of the EU’s financial interests has been strengthened by the political agreement of 7 December 2023 on recasting the Financial Regulation; points out that the scope of EDES has been extended to encompass shared and direct management and provide new grounds for exclusion; welcomes the introduction of a legal basis for a risk scoring and data mining tool to be used by all Member States and in all management modes; regrets that both these measures will enter into force only in 2028 and only from the next MMF, resulting in several more years without comprehensive transparency on the final recipients of EU funds and missing a crucial opportunity to use this data to strengthen safeguards against corruption and fraud;

Or. en

Amendment 134

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 58 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

58 a. Expresses concern that the Commission's latest interim evaluation of Hercule III found aspects that may have hampered the programme’s effectiveness, notably, that certain Member States’ administrations lacked the resources to enable them to cope with the programme’s administrative requirements;

Or. en

Amendment 135

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 59

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

59. Takes note of the reiterated calls from the EPPO to bolster the detection capacity of the relevant components of the AFA, and recalls that, in line with the CAFS, emphasis is to be given to data analysis as a tool for detecting fraud; encourages the Commission to strengthen the use of the IMS as a tool to support auditors’ risk analysis when preparing audit activities; invites OLAF to increase its training offer to Commission staff, including auditors and relevant actors in the financial flow circuit;

59. Takes note of the reiterated calls from the EPPO to bolster the detection capacity of the relevant components of the AFA, and recalls that, in line with the CAFS, emphasis is to be given to data analysis as a tool for detecting fraud; highlights in this regards the importance of harmonisation of definitions in order to obtain comparable data across the EU; encourages the Commission to strengthen the use of the IMS as a tool to support auditors’ risk analysis when preparing audit activities; invites OLAF to increase its training offer to Commission staff, including auditors and relevant actors in the financial flow circuit;

Or. en

Amendment 136

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 64

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

64. Points out that the transposition of the PIF Directive differs between Member States, which, in some cases, affects the cross-border exercise of EPPO competences; calls on the Commission to ensure proper implementation of the PIF Directive and to propose its revision, based on the experience gathered; stresses the need for increased cross-border cooperation and data-sharing mechanisms between Member States to combat AI-enabled fraud, particularly in high-risk areas such as VAT fraud, customs fraud, and financial aid distribution; encourages the creation of a joint EU intelligence hub to track fraudulent AI activity in real-time;

Or. en

Amendment 137

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 65

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

65. Underlines that Article 25(3) of the EPPO Regulation, which elaborates on the exercise of the EPPO’s competence in the event of non-PIF offences inextricably linked to PIF offences, raises legal and practical questions and requires further streamlining in order to make effective use of the EPPO’s legal framework; calls on the Commission to propose suitable solutions in the forthcoming revision of the EPPO Regulation;

Or. en

Amendment 138

Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 66

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

66. Reiterates34 that the EPPO has an important role in safeguarding the rule of law and in combating corruption in the Union, and encourages the Commission to closely monitor Member States’ level of cooperation with the EPPO in the rule of law reports; welcomes the accession of Poland and Sweden to the EPPO; notes with approval Ireland’s recent announcement of its intention to participate; 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;

_________________

34 Motion for a European Parliament resolution report on the Commission’s 2023 Rule of Law report (2023/2113(INI)).

Or. en

Amendment 139

Maria Grapini

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 68

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

68. Notes that in 2023, cooperation between the relevant actors increased, with the EPPO and Eurojust cooperating on 26 ongoing cases at the end of 2023; observes that also in 2023 the EPPO and Europol cooperated efficiently on various operational matters, and understands that this cooperation almost doubled in 2023, with Europol providing support on 47 cases upon the EPPO’s request;

Or. ro

Amendment 140

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 69

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

69. Welcomes the efforts by OLAF and the EPPO to strengthen their cooperation; understands that information is being exchanged between the two offices in order to avoid parallel investigations into the same matters, and that, in 2023, 22 complementary investigations were opened by OLAF and four supporting investigations were requested by the EPPO; is aware that the synergies resulting from the use of complementary investigations (ex Article 12(f) of the EPPO Regulation) and investigations in support (ex Article 12(e) of the EPPO Regulation) are suboptimal; calls on the Commission to start a dialogue with the two offices and to explore how better coordination and cooperation could be achieved, by reviewing their regulation, if necessary;

69. Welcomes the efforts by OLAF and the EPPO to strengthen their cooperation; understands that information is being exchanged between the two offices in order to avoid parallel investigations into the same matters, and that, in 2023, 22 complementary investigations were opened by OLAF and four supporting investigations were requested by the EPPO; is aware that the synergies resulting from the use of complementary investigations (ex Article 12(f) of the EPPO Regulation) and investigations in support (ex Article 12(e) of the EPPO Regulation) are suboptimal; calls on the Commission to address the legal and operational causes for this, on the occasion of the review of their regulations;

Or. en

Amendment 141

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 69 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

69 a. Expresses deep concern over the case of former Director-General of DG MOVE, Henrik Hololei, which, according to media reports, was found by OLAF to have accepted flights and gifts from Qatar while leading negotiations on the EU-Qatar air transport agreement and disclosed confidential information in return; regrets that, despite OLAF forwarding its findings to the President of the Commission in July 2024, neither the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) nor the competent Belgian authorities seem to have been seized in this matter; calls for an investigation into why this report has apparently not been shared with the relevant prosecutorial authorities and stresses the need for a clear and systematic approach to ensure that all OLAF cases involving relevant potential criminal offenses are promptly referred to EPPO and the competent national authorities; calls on the Commission to reinforce the legal and procedural framework to prevent such failures in the future;

Or. en

Amendment 142

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 71

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

71. Understands that the Commission has yet to provide data on the recoveries to the benefit of the Union budget following the EPPO activities reported to the Commission, as provided by Article 103(2) of the EPPO Regulation; observes that the freezing of assets is essential to combat crime affecting the EU budget, but that it needs to be complemented with actual recoveries; highlights that, so far, the recovery gap between amounts seized and amounts confiscated is significant (EUR 1.5 billion seized and EUR 60 million confiscated in 2023) and that the amount confiscated is not expected to return by default to the Union’s budget; notes that, in line with Article 38 of the EPPO Regulation, the potential revenue resulting from seizure and confiscation measures taken by EDPs in Member States should flow back into the EU budget and could be accounted for in the EU budget as non-assigned revenue35 ; calls on the Commission to make the necessary arrangements with the relevant national authorities to allow these sums to enter the EU budget;

71. Understands that the Commission has yet to provide data on the recoveries to the benefit of the Union budget following the EPPO activities reported to the Commission, as provided by Article 103(2) of the EPPO Regulation, and that this matter is included in the mission letter of the Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration; observes that the freezing of assets is essential to combat crime affecting the EU budget, and that it takes some time for freezing to be converted to actual confiscations and recoveries; highlights that the amount confiscated is not expected to return by default to the Union’s budget; notes that, in line with Article 38 of the EPPO Regulation, the potential revenue resulting from seizure and confiscation measures taken by EDPs in Member States should flow back into the EU budget and could be accounted for in the EU budget as non-assigned revenue35 ; calls on the Commission to make the necessary arrangements with the relevant national authorities to allow these sums to enter the EU budget;

_________________

35 Opinion on General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025 – all sections (2024/0176(BUD) – 25.7.2024.

Or. en

Amendment 143

Gilles Boyer, Olivier Chastel, Michal Wiezik, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 72

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

72. Points out that data on effective recoveries following OLAF financial recommendations are not published in the OLAF Annual Report or in any other official report from the Commission; regrets that only aggregated data are made available and they refer to 2 299 financial recommendations issued by OLAF between 2012 and 2023 for an overall amount of about EUR 9 billion; remarks that the analysis of the available figures suggests considerable room for improvement; observes that a large gap exists between the amounts recommended for recovery by OLAF, the amount established as recoverable by the Commission’s services and the amount eventually effectively recovered; is concerned by the low recovery rates for undue expenditure (for activities implemented under shared and indirect management modes the rate is 34 % and 11 %, respectively, and for recovery under direct management only 18 %); calls on the Commission to provide data with adequate granularity on recovery and to assess the reasons behind the recovery gap;

72. Points out that data on effective recoveries following OLAF financial recommendations are not published in the OLAF Annual Report or in any other official report from the Commission; regrets that only aggregated data are made available and they refer to 2 299 financial recommendations issued by OLAF between 2012 and 2023 for an overall amount of about EUR 9 billion; remarks that the analysis of the available figures suggests considerable room for improvement; observes that a large gap exists between the amounts recommended for recovery by OLAF, the amount established as recoverable by the Commission’s services and the amount eventually effectively recovered; is concerned by the low recovery rates for undue expenditure (for activities implemented under shared and indirect management modes the rate is 34 % and 11 %, respectively, and for recovery under direct management only 22 %); calls on the Commission to provide data with adequate granularity on recovery and to assess the reasons behind the recovery gap; stresses the need for OLAF and the Commission to agree upon, and apply consistenly, common evaluation criteria which ensure greater convergence and clarity, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of financial recovery assessment.

Or. en

Amendment 144

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 72

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 145

Andrey Kovatchev, Sunčana Glavak

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 72 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

72 a. Calls for a mandatory forensic verification process for all digital evidence submitted in financial fraud cases, ensuring the authenticity of documents, audio, and video material used in investigations; highlights the increasing risk of manipulated evidence due to AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media;

Or. en

Amendment 146

Caterina Chinnici

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 76

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

76. Welcomes the participation of Sweden and Poland in the EPPO, announced in 2024; insists that Member States that are not yet participating must do so without delay and calls on the Commission to incentivise participation in the EPPO through positive measures;

76. Welcomes the participation of Sweden and Poland in the EPPO, decided in 2024, as well as the objective of the new Irish Government to join the EPPO; insists that Member States that are not yet participating must do so without delay and calls on the Commission to incentivise participation in the EPPO through positive measures;

Or. en

Amendment 147

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 77 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

77 a. Stresses the importance of dedicating efforts to fraud prevention, which as the first step in the anti-fraud cycle has the potential to ensure that fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and other misuse of funds do not occur in the first place; encourages Member States to take a proactive approach in protecting the financial interests of the Union and to implement effective measures in areas including risk assessment, communication and information sharing, and training of staff;

Or. en

Amendment 148

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 77 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

77 b. Underlines the role played by public authorities in fostering a zero-tolerance culture against fraud; expects, in this regard, that national authorities, including governments, in all Member States unequivocally condemn fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and any other misuse of public funds, making clear to criminals that their actions will not be tolerated and will lead to serious consequences;

Or. en

Amendment 149

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 78

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

78. Maintains that National Anti-Fraud Strategies (NAFS) are the most effective tool for coordination between the various national, regional and sectoral authorities and the many local entities entrusted with the tasks into which the anti-fraud cycle is organised; notes that, in 2023, 21 out of 27 Member States reported having an antifraud strategy; observes that out of 21, only 10 Member States had a full national anti-fraud strategy36 and regrets that six Member States do not have any anti-fraud strategy at all; strongly regrets this highly unsatisfactory situation;

78. Maintains that National Anti-Fraud Strategies (NAFS) are the most effective tool for coordination between the various national, regional and sectoral authorities and the many local entities entrusted with the tasks into which the anti-fraud cycle is organised; notes that, in 2023, 21 out of 27 Member States reported having an antifraud strategy; observes that out of 21, only 10 Member States had a full national anti-fraud strategy36 while 11 Member States had other types of anti-fraud strategies in place, targeting specific or multiple sectors; recognises that the approach taken by Member States in their anti-fraud strategies today varies widely; regrets that six Member States do not have any anti-fraud strategy at all; strongly regrets this highly unsatisfactory situation;

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36 Out of these 10 NAFS, one does not cover all the stages of the anti-fraud cycle, one does not have a multiannual perspective and two need to be updated.

Or. en

Amendment 150

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 78

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

_________________

36 Out of these 10 NAFS, one does not cover all the stages of the anti-fraud cycle, one does not have a multiannual perspective and two need to be updated.

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Amendment 151

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 81

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

81. Reiterates that whistleblowers play a key role in boosting fraud detection, investigation and prosecution; understands that, by the end of 2023, 24 Member States had adopted national legislation to transpose the Whistleblower Directive and declared their transposition complete; regrets, however, that in March 2023, after analysis of the national measures adopted, the Commission was obliged to refer six Member States to the CJEU for their failure to transpose the Directive and failure to notify transposition measures, asking the Court to impose financial sanctions; is concerned by the further infringement proceedings37 ongoing against six other Member States; calls on the Commission to intensify the monitoring of national transposition measures and report to Parliament accordingly; stresses that Parliament itself must also urgently ensure the proper transposition of the Directive, as confirmed by the European Court of Justice ruling of 11 September 2024, which found that Parliament’s existing framework fails to provide balanced and effective protection against retaliation; calls on Parliament to immediately adopt robust rules in line with the Directive to safeguard whistle-blowers within its own institution;

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37 COM(2024)0269 of 3 July 2024.

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Amendment 152

Daniel Freund

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 81 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

81 a. Calls for the establishment of an EU Whistleblower Protection Fund to provide financial and legal support to individuals who expose fraud affecting the Union’s financial interests; stresses that whistleblowers play a key role in boosting fraud detection, investigation, and prosecution, and that adequate protection mechanisms must be in place; Urges the Commission and the Member States to ensure full and swift transposition of the Whistleblower Directive, including within the European Parliament’s own institutional framework;

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Amendment 153

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 81 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

81 a. Underlines the central role played by media and investigative journalism in the fight against fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and other misuse of public funds; considers that safeguarding the media from political pressure and influence is essential to protecting the media’s independence and its role as a watchdog of democracy and the sound management of public funds;

Or. en

Amendment 154

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 84

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

84. Welcomes the Commission’s reaction to its call to increase the monitoring of, and control over, the funds under the Global Europe, Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument for assistance to non-EU countries, as well as via the joint communication with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy38 ; appreciates the Commission’s continuous efforts to ensure that anti-corruption measures are mainstreamed into EU external action instruments;reiterates its recommendation to suspend budgetary support and de-commit funds to non-EU countries, including candidate countries, where the authorities clearly fail to take genuine action against widespread corruption, without compromising support for the civil population; emphasises that respect for and commitment to promoting EU values is an essential precondition for all partners aspiring to join the Union; reiterates that accession to the EU is a merit-based process whereby each applicant is assessed on its own merits and fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria; considers that when applying the revised enlargement methodology, particular focus should be placed on fundamental reforms, and fair and rigorous conditionality should be applied as well as reversibility in case of setbacks; considers that appropriate tools must be used to ensure that candidate countries show concrete and sustainable compliance with the rule of law, democratic principles and fundamental rights, both before and after joining the Union;

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38 JOIN(2023)0012 of 3 May 2023.

Or. en

Amendment 155

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 84 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

84 a. Underlines that the EU is the biggest provider of external assistance to the Palestinians amounting to indicatively €1.36 billion for 2021-2024 and that on 18 November 2024, the European Union disbursed further short-term emergency financial support to the PA in total of €110 million in grants through the PEGASE mechanism to pay salaries and pensions of the civil servants in the West Bank6a and to ensure the provision of essential services and condemns that this money has been used to pay the salaries of civil servants who teach and produce antisemitic and violent educational materials; calls that EU funding for the reconstruction of Gaza should only commence once all hostages taken by Hamas have been released; calls for this funding to be shared between trusted partners with no connections to terrorist organisations; strongly denounces the violation of EU values in educational materials used and drafted by the PA and UNRWA that helped enable 7 Oct attack; urges the Commission to take immediate action to ensure that the PA and UNRWA remove all educational materials and content that do not comply with UNESCO standards, particularly those that promote antisemitism, incite violence, spread hate speech, or glorify terrorism7a in line with the UN report recommendations on UNRWA’s neutrality violations;

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6a https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/european-commission-and-palestinian-authority-agree-emergency-financial-support-and-principles-2024-07-19_en

7a 7a Dalal al-Mughrabi, the perpetrator of the 1978 Coastal Road massacre, is celebrated in a detailed 10-page Arabic reading comprehension which exalts her and the terror act as “heroism” while the massacre is referred to as “immortal” in the “hearts and minds” of Palestinians. Fifth-graders are invited to follow in her footsteps and view her as a role model(Vol. 2, Grade 5, 2023, pp. 51–61) Dying is described as better than living in a chapter glorifying Palestinian martyrs. Those who seek to live fruitful, peaceful lives instead of taking the path of martyrs are criticized. “Drinking the cup of bitterness with glory is much sweeter than a pleasant long life accompanied by humiliation. (Arabic Language, Vol. 1, Grade 5, 2020, p. 15) A reading exercise with the letter “h” (hāʾ, ه (for first-graders includes the word shahid (martyr) at the center with other words such as hujum (attack) and harab (run away)(1 Our Beautiful Language, Vol. 2, Grade 1, 2023, p. 5) Jihad “for the liberation of Palestine” is presented as a “private obligation for every Muslim” in a subsection discussing practices and duties obligated by Sharia law. In the 2019 and 2018 editions, the passage stated that jihad for Allah was only a private obligation for every Muslim, and only in 2020 this was specified to liberating Palestine.(Islamic Education, Vol. 1, Grade 10, 2023, p. 72) Palestinian girls are encouraged to kill, be killed, and send their children to die in a chapter that discusses the role of women in combat at the time of the inception of Islam including: the first woman who was martyred in the name of Islam; a woman who stabbed a Jew to death who “was justly an example of a brave Muslim woman in defense of the Muslims”; and a woman who praises Allah after her four children died in the battlefield while performing jihad.(Islamic Education, Vol. 2, Grade 5, 2023, pp. 74–79);

Or. en

Amendment 156

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 84 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

84 b. Underliens with great concern that more than 70 Palestinian Authority schools were named after terrorists and Nazi collaborators and honouring Martyrs and Martyrdom; notes with deep concern that a school funded by Belgium was renamed in 2017 after the terrorist murderer Dalal Mughrabi3a;

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3a https://www.jns.org/belgium-suspends-all-support-for-pa-education-for-naming-schools-after-terrorists

Or. en

Amendment 157

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 84 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

84 c. Underlinest that UNWRA is the only UN refugee agency that is solely devoted to one refugee group, the Palestinians, and that provides governmental services like education and healthcare to its beneficiaries, in contrast to the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency for the rest of the world, which provides only emergency relief; underlines that officials from 14 EU MS signed a letter accusing UNRWA of being compromised by Hamas terrorists after it was revelead that the Israeli-British hostage recently released by Hamas had been held in UNWRA facilities2a;

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2a https://nypost.com/2025/02/03/world-news/eu-leaders-call-for-unrwa-to-disband-after-israeli-british-hostage-says-hamas-held-her-in-their-facilities/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=pasteboard_app

Or. en

Amendment 158

Cristian Terheş

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 84 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

84 d. Emphasizes with serious concern that the Palestinian Authority provided payments to each of the 734 terrorists released under the current agreement during their time in prison, once again demonstrating that, unfortunately, EU funds are being used to finance terrorism10a.

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10a https://x.com/palwatch/status/1886015755495305228?s=48

Or. en

Amendment 159

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85. Observes that Ukraine will continue to require substantial support in the next MFF and, in the perspective of a sustainable peace agreement, Ukraine will need support for post-war reconstruction, including for central government services and reforms; considers that the three pillars of the Ukraine facility could be reshaped accordingly and that reconstruction should align with pre-accession requirements; calls on the Commission to put appropriate measures in place, including by performing more thorough checks, to ensure that EU funds sent to Ukraine and to neighbouring countries are adequately monitored and controlled and end up benefiting those most in need;

85. Observes that in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the country will continue to require substantial support in the current and next MFF and, in the perspective of a fair and sustainable peace agreement, Ukraine will need support for post-war reconstruction, including for central government services and reforms; considers that the three pillars of the Ukraine facility could be reshaped accordingly and that reconstruction should align with pre-accession requirements; emphasises close coordination and cooperation with the Ukraine coordination mechanism established by the G7; calls on the EU and all Member States to increase their support to Ukraine, while putting appropriate measures in place to protect the financial interests of the EU through the prevention, detection and correction of fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and irregularities in the use of Union funds , including by performing more thorough checks, to ensure that EU funds sent to Ukraine and to neighbouring countries are adequately monitored and controlled and end up benefiting those most in need;

Or. en

Amendment 160

Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85. Observes that it may prove necessary to continue supporting Ukraine in the next MFF and, in the perspective of a sustainable peace agreement, Ukraine will need support for post-war reconstruction, including for central government services and reforms; considers that the three pillars of the Ukraine facility could be reshaped accordingly and that reconstruction should align with pre-accession requirements; calls on the Commission to put appropriate measures in place, including by performing more thorough checks, to ensure that EU funds sent to Ukraine and to neighbouring countries are adequately monitored and controlled and end up benefiting those most in need;

Or. en

Amendment 161

Julien Sanchez, Virginie Joron

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85a. Expresses its deepest concern at the revelations in the European press concerning the allocation of funding for the Erasmus+ programme to the University of Gaziantep in Turkey, whose management has publicly expressed its support for Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas, an organisation classified as terrorist by the European Union; considers that such funding constitutes an unacceptable breach of the principles and values of the European Union and calls into question the effectiveness of the Commission’s control mechanisms in the allocation of EU funds; notes that the EUR 250 000 in funding granted to this university were suspended following the revelation of this scandal; deeply regrets that this situation has occurred and calls on the Commission to publish an exhaustive list of the funding received by this university since its integration into the Erasmus+ programme, as well as the total amounts committed; calls for an in-depth investigation into the use of these EU funds and the award criteria, and for strict and immediate measures to be put in place to prevent any future funding to institutions promoting radical Islamism, discrimination against women or any form of terrorist propaganda; calls on the Commission to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms and to make access to Erasmus+ funding conditional on strict respect for the EU’s democratic values and fundamental rights;

Or. fr

Amendment 162

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 a. Welcomes the progress made by Ukraine in advancing reforms related to judicial independence, accountability, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering, despite the difficult conditions caused by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression; recognises that these efforts are reflected in Ukraine’s commendable 12-position rise in the 2023 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index; encourages Ukraine to continue on the path of reforms, including those related to the independence of the judiciary, anti-corruption, and the influence of oligarchs in politics, the economy and society more broadly;

Or. en

Amendment 163

Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 a. Notes with concern the peak in fraudulent irregularities of EUR 19 million, mainly due to an irregularity found in Turkey; calls on the Commission to end pre-accession assistance to Turkey and to not include this country in IPA IV under the new MFF, but redirect to Ukraine;

Or. en

Amendment 164

Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 a. Underlines, that Ukraine received an unprecedented support from the EU in year 2022 and 2023 amounting up to 25,2 billion EUR, the EU’s financial interests and the protection of the funds should be ensured and guaranteed the same way as within the European Union;

Or. en

Amendment 165

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 b. Welcomes the work done by OLAF and EPPO in protecting the financial interests of the Union and supporting Ukraine on its path to membership; welcomes that in 2023 OLAF provided training for Ukrainian anti-fraud authorities on identifying and dealing with fraud and corruption, and was capable of carrying out some investigations in Ukraine into potential fraud involving EU funds; welcomes the signature of the working arrangement between the EPPO and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in 2023, which will facilitate cooperation in the investigation of corruption cases;

Or. en

Amendment 166

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 b. Calls on the Commission for more scrutiny and control on how the support to Ukraine is being used and find more ways to ensure, that the EU’s financial interests are well protected despite the funds being disbursed in exceptionally high risk environment and uncertainty posed by the war;

Or. en

Amendment 167

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 c. Welcomes that while, in 2023, Ukraine continued to defend itself from Russia’s war of aggression, the Union strengthened its sanctions against Russia and Belarus; welcomes the introduction of specific sanctions to protect EU funding, including banning the participation of Russian nationals and entities in public procurement contracts in the EU, restrictions on EU funding to Russian publicly owned or controlled entities, and banning the provision of services to trusts with a Russian connection; recognises that despite existing measures, individuals and entities subject to the sanctions against Russia are still likely to find ways to circumvent the EU funding sanctions and use EU funds for their own purposes; calls, therefore, on the EU and Member States to maintain, reinforce and extend the sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus;

Or. en

Amendment 168

Tamás Deutsch, Julien Sanchez, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 c. Reminds the Commission of the recommendations of the Court of Auditors, that it is crucial to stipulate stricter conditions for Commission support, as well as to improve the monitoring and public reporting system based on clear and specific objectives, pre-defined targets and indicators, in particular where fighting corruption in Ukraine is concerned, by focusing on the EU’s contributions;

Or. en

Amendment 169

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 d. Recognises that Member States and their relevant competent authorities are responsible for the effective implementation and enforcement of EU sanctions, as well as identifying breaches and imposing appropriate penalties; underlines the role played by customs authorities and the importance of their close cooperation in strengthening the uniform enforcement of sanctions; welcomes, in this regard, the Baltic Customs Initiative;

Or. en

Amendment 170

Tamás Deutsch

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 85 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

85 d. Emphasises the recommendations of the Court of Auditors, that it is crucial to stipulate stricter conditions in Ukraine when providing institutional support for judicial, law enforcement and prosecutorial institutions, emphasise criteria for integrity and commitment to reform,

Or. en

Amendment 171

Tomáš Zdechovský

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 86

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

86. Stresses that suspension of budgetary support in non-EU countries, including candidate countries, is an appropriate measure in the event of failure to take genuine action against widespread corruption; expects priority to be given to the fight against corruption in pre-accession negotiations, with capacity building via the establishment of specialised anti-corruption bodies; asks the Commission to ensure, also in cases where funding is suspended, assistance for the civil population, where possible, through alternative channels;

Or. en

Amendment 172

Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 86 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

86 a. Underlines the importance of cooperation with international organisations in combating fraud; regrets the lack of cooperation by some international organisations in providing the European Court of Auditors with complete, unlimited and timely access to documents necessary to carry out its tasks; notes that the Commission has stepped up communication with international organisations and calls on it to further intensify efforts to ensure access to all requested documentation;

Or. en