Sittings · Document
2023 discharge: General budget of the EU - Commission
Committee on Budgetary Control
AM_Com_NonLegReport
Amendment 289
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 290
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 291
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken;
Or. en
Amendment 292
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
87. Welcomes the actions taken by the Commission to address the allegations which included the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are fully sufficient while awaiting the results of the screening of the grant agreements with all the beneficiaries to verify the accuracy of the aforementioned allegations; notes that the guidance mentions that detailed activities directed to specific members of EU institutions should not be included in grant agreements; calls on the Commission to inform the discharge authority as soon as it has finalised the conclusions of the analysis;
Or. en
Amendment 293
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by some Members of the CONT Committee, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was taken; regrets the measures adopted so far by the Commission as they imply that beneficiariesusing EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process is an illegitimate activity, whereas the very idea behind Union funding for civil society is to enable them to sustain a regular dialogue with EU institutions and ensure a diversity of views is represented in EU decision-making procedures as opposed to purely commercial interests; recalls in this regard that according to Article 11(2) TEU, Union institutions must maintain an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society organisations and representative associations; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; notes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
Or. en
Amendment 294
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds;
87. Notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the concerns raised by the discharge authority, that include the issuance of guidance for Commission services and a requirement to screen their contract portfolios to determine which agreements are not in line with the guidance; is deeply concerned about the time delay between the moment the CONT Committee made the Commission aware of the issue in February 2024 and the moment when action was finally taken; considers that the measures adopted so far by the Commission are not sufficient to mitigate the risks outlined by the discharge authority since the guidance issued by the Commission does not prevent beneficiaries to use EU funds to lobby or influence the Union legislative process; notes that the guidance mentions a non-exhaustive list of activities that can be performed by supported entities; notes that the Commission considers that these activities should not be included in grant agreements to indicate that beneficiaries are required to undertake specifically more detailed activities directed at EU Institutions and some of their representatives as that may entail a reputational risk; believes that the explicit exclusion of certain activities from grant agreements does not necessarily mean that such activities will not be performed with the support of EU funds; notes in addition that these internal guidelines are only non-binding with no clear indication as to the consequence if not followed, that these guidelines are focused mostly on outlining general approaches to avoid reputation risk
Or. en
Amendment 295
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87 a. Notes that the Commission announced new rules that the EUR 5.4 billion allocated to the LIFE programme should be exclusively used to develop and implement policies and no longer be used for lobbying activities; notes that these rules have yet to be implemented and that the definition of ‘develop and implement policies’ has not yet been defined;
Or. en
Amendment 296
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87 b. Notes that the Corporate Management Board looked into the issues regarding the contracts in CINEA and that the Corporate Management Board announced they would submit results of their findings in December 2024 but that the Budgetary Control Committee has yet to receive the report outlining the results of these findings;
Or. en
Amendment 297
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
87 c. Welcomes that in the plenary hearing on 22 January, 2025 the Commission acknowledged that some of the content of the work packages was ‘inappropriate’;
Or. en
Amendment 298
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the problematic grant agreements identified by the CONT Committee, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk, but do not address the overall issues outlined by the Parliament; notes reports in the media that several entities have been approached by the Commission to make amendments to the grant agreements that contain the specific provisions that create a reputational risk, but believes that the mere amendments of such agreements do not mitigate the risks of continued use of EU funds for lobbying activities directed at the European Parliament;
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the problematic grant agreements identified by the CONT Committee, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk, but do not address the overall issues outlined by the Parliament;
Or. en
Amendment 299
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the problematic grant agreements identified by the CONT Committee, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk, but do not address the overall issues outlined by the Parliament; notes reports in the media that several entities have been approached by the Commission to make amendments to the grant agreements that contain the specific provisions that create a reputational risk, but believes that the mere amendments of such agreements do not mitigate the risks of continued use of EU funds for lobbying activities directed at the European Parliament;
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of some grant agreements, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk; notes with concern reports in the media that several entities have been approached by the Commission to make amendments to the grant agreements;
Or. en
Amendment 300
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the problematic grant agreements identified by the CONT Committee, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk, but do not address the overall issues outlined by the Parliament; notes reports in the media that several entities have been approached by the Commission to make amendments to the grant agreements that contain the specific provisions that create a reputational risk, but believes that the mere amendments of such agreements do not mitigate the risks of continued use of EU funds for lobbying activities directed at the European Parliament;
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the grant agreements in question and concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission can only focus on mitigation of the reputational risk raised by the aforementioned allegations, while EU funding reminds fully in line with EU acquis; notes the written replies of the Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration in the framework of discharge procedure that, where needed, letters have been addressed to beneficiaries to remove from their contracts the specific provisions that might create a reputational risk; welcomes that the amendments of such agreements do not undermine the participation of representative associations and civil society in the open, transparent and regular dialogue sought by the co-legislators in Article 11 of the TUE;
Or. en
Amendment 301
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the problematic grant agreements identified by the CONT Committee, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk, but do not address the overall issues outlined by the Parliament; notes reports in the media that several entities have been approached by the Commission to make amendments to the grant agreements that contain the specific provisions that create a reputational risk, but believes that the mere amendments of such agreements do not mitigate the risks of continued use of EU funds for lobbying activities directed at the European Parliament;
88. Notes that the Commission has performed a legal analysis of the grant agreements identified by the some Members of the CONT Committee, which concluded that there was no evidence that the entities concerned had breached their contractual or code of conduct obligations; considers that the actions undertaken by the Commission are indeed focused on mitigation of the reputational risk, but do not address the overall issues outlined by some Members of the Parliament; notes reports in the media that several entities have been approached by the Commission to make amendments to the grant agreements that contain the specific provisions that create a reputational risk, and welcomes that the mere amendments of such agreements do not prevent the continued use of EU funds for lobbying activities directed at the European Parliament and other EU institution;
Or. en
Amendment 302
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 a. Notes that the evaluation process of application for grant agreements within CINEA involves a first screening by independent evaluators and that it is unclear how these evaluators themselves were screened and selected including whether checks for conflicts of interest were performed;
Or. en
Amendment 303
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 b. Notes that according to CINEA, a pre-assessment is conducted by external experts (independent evaluators) and that a final assessment is conducted by an Evaluation Committee (CINEA, DG Environment, DG Climate and DG Energy); urges DG ENV to review this evaluation process and how work packages with unacceptable content were approved and how this was not detected during the two-step evaluation process;
Or. en
Amendment 304
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 c. Points out that the contracts section also did not notice unacceptable content in the work packages when drawing up contracts between DG ENV/CINEA and the activist networks;
Or. en
Amendment 305
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 d. Notes that according to the grant agreement call for applications, eligibility criteria included being ‘independent from government authorities, political parties or commercial interests’; urges DG ENV/CINEA to verify that the entities supported in the LIFE Programme do not indeed represent commercial interests or have strong ties to political parties;
Or. en
Amendment 306
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 e. Expresses disappointment at learning that one of the eligibility criteria to receive funding from the LIFE programme is that the entity has to be active at the EU level with a structure and activities covering at least three EU Member States or countries associated to the LIFE Programme; emphasizes that this is limiting and may exclude otherwise very qualified local entities that are only active in one or two European countries, but whose projects would nevertheless have European added value; notes that such a requirement is not listed in the LIFE Regulation, but is a requirement in the grant agreement call for applications;
Or. en
Amendment 307
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 f (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 f. Notes that there is a Memorandum of Understanding between CINEA and DG ENV and that both ultimately bear responsibility for the content of contracts; observes that the memorandum of understanding is unclear in some points and could be rewritten to include clearer division of responsibilities;
Or. en
Amendment 308
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88 g (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
88 g. Notes that according to the 2022 work programme of CINEA, section “A. Human resources management, deploying recruitment”, that CINEA ‘will provide innovative, responsive, fair and consistent recruitment and selection services to departments, staff and applicants’; regrets that this fair and consistent selection service did not occur in regards to the approval of work packages containing the severe problems found by the CONT Committee which pose a severe risk to the protection of EU financial interests;
Or. en
Amendment 309
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 89
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
89. Expresses concern about the decision making structure including the evaluation board within CINEA for deciding on contracts between the Commission and NGOs; urges the Commission to change the decision-making structure of CINEA for deciding on contracts to be awarded including clear accountability, clear responsibilities and a practical structure;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 310
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 89
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
89. Expresses concern about the decision making structure including the evaluation board within CINEA for deciding on contracts between the Commission and NGOs; urges the Commission to change the decision-making structure of CINEA for deciding on contracts to be awarded including clear accountability, clear responsibilities and a practical structure;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 311
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 89
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
89. Expresses concern about the decision making structure including the evaluation board within CINEA for deciding on contracts between the Commission and NGOs; urges the Commission to change the decision-making structure of CINEA for deciding on contracts to be awarded including clear accountability, clear responsibilities and a practical structure;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 312
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 89
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
89. Expresses concern about the decision making structure including the evaluation board within CINEA for deciding on contracts between the Commission and NGOs; urges the Commission to change the decision-making structure of CINEA for deciding on contracts to be awarded including clear accountability, clear responsibilities and a practical structure;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 313
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 89
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
89. Expresses concern about the decision making structure including the evaluation board within CINEA for deciding on contracts between the Commission and NGOs; urges the Commission to change the decision-making structure of CINEA for deciding on contracts to be awarded including clear accountability, clear responsibilities and a practical structure;
89. Notes the decision making structure including the evaluation board within CINEA for deciding on contracts between the Commission and NGOs; urges the Commission to ensure the decision-making structure of CINEA for deciding on contracts to be awarded features clear accountability, clear responsibilities and a practical structure;
Or. en
Amendment 314
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90. Expresses deep concern that the content of the problematic contracts between the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and some NGOs were not uncovered by the internal audit capacity of DG ENV and also not noticed by the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 315
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90. Expresses deep concern that the content of the problematic contracts between the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and some NGOs were not uncovered by the internal audit capacity of DG ENV and also not noticed by the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 316
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90. Expresses deep concern that the content of the problematic contracts between the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and some NGOs were not uncovered by the internal audit capacity of DG ENV and also not noticed by the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 317
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90. Expresses deep concern that the content of the problematic contracts between the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and some NGOs were not uncovered by the internal audit capacity of DG ENV and also not noticed by the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 318
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90. Expresses deep concern that the content of the problematic contracts between the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and some NGOs were not uncovered by the internal audit capacity of DG ENV and also not noticed by the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission;
90. Expresses deep concern that the content of the problematic contracts between the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) and some NGOs were not uncovered by the internal audit capacity of DG ENV and also not noticed by the Internal Audit Service (IAS) of the Commission; calls for light to be shed on this failure and its root causes analysed, and for corrective measures and effective, independent checks to be put in place immediately within the Commission;
Or. fr
Amendment 319
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 a. Notes that according to the Report on Budgetary and Financial Management, CINEA had an administrative budget of 62 345 000 Euros in the year 2023 of which the LIFE programme administrative subsidy budget line consisted of 14 452 238 Euros (14 429 395 Euros from the General Budget and 22 843 Euros from EEA/EFTA contributions); further notes that 620 000 Euros were spent by CINEA on auditing for all seven programmes: Connecting Europe (CEF), Horizon Europe, the LIFE programme, the Innovation Fund (IF), the Just Transition Mechanism, the Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund; notes that it is unknown how much of this is spent on auditing of the LIFE programme;
Or. en
Amendment 320
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 b. Notes also that the audit unit of DG ENV and the Internal Audit Service of the Commission failed to notice the inappropriate content of the work packages in question;
Or. en
Amendment 321
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 c. Notes that according to the 2022 work programme of CINEA, which was approved by the Commission Decision of 18.03.2022 C (2022) 1551, CINEA conducts annual bottom-up risk management exercises, aimed at proactively identifying the main areas of concern at all organisational levels as well as respective preventive and mitigating measures to address them; regrets that these bottom-up risk management exercises failed to notice issues in the decision making structures on deciding on the content of contracts;
Or. en
Amendment 322
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 d. Notes that the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme for 2025-2027 has been proposed by the Commission and that lessons learned have not been inserted including clearer rules for which content is acceptable in work packages, clearer rules on transparency and traceability of funds spent, and clearer consequences if these rules are not followed, emphasizes that the scrutiny procedure in the ENVI Committee on this implementing act provides an opportunity for the Commission to listen to suggestions by the European Parliament and to amend the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme;
Or. en
Amendment 323
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 e. Stresses that the Budgetary Control Committee will view and scrutinize a sampling of contracts in DG HOME, DG JUST, DG AGRI and others to ascertain whether the problem of unacceptable content is systemic in contracts across Directorate Generals of the Commission or is only in the LIFE Programme of DG ENV/CINEA;
Or. en
Amendment 324
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 f (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 f. Stresses that the Budgetary Control Committee still expects to hear from the Corporate Management Board on the findings of their analysis;
Or. en
Amendment 325
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 g (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
90 g. Emphasizes that according to the Commission Decision on the Corporate Management Board from 21.11.2018, the Corporate Management Board is responsible for addressing risks in general ‘Article 2 Role of the Corporate Management Board 1. The Corporate Management Board shall in particular provide coordination, oversight, advice and strategic orientations on matters relating to: the Strategic Planning and Programming cycle and related activities (including follow-up of reservations in the Annual Activity Reports, the risk management process in general as well as the identification, assessment and management of critical risks in particular)’ as well as auditing risks ‘Article 6 Exchange of information with the Audit Progress Committee 1. The Corporate Management Board transmits consolidated information on the list of critical risks and possible additional comments to the Internal Audit Service.’; urges further action to be taken by the board;
Or. en
Amendment 326
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 91
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
91. Notes reports in the media that the President of the Commission hired a paid special adviser to deliver a report on the “Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture” who received a salary equal to a Director-General in the Commission; is concerned by the remuneration of special advisers and the discretion the Commission has in deciding their remuneration, which creates arbitrary inequalities;
91. Notes reports in the media that the President of the Commission hired a paid special adviser to deliver a report on the “Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture” who received a salary equal to a Director-General in the Commission; is concerned by the remuneration of all the special advisers and the discretion the Commission has in deciding their remuneration, which creates arbitrary inequalities;
Or. en
Amendment 327
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 91 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
91 a. Is worried about media reports of dozen of fraudulent cases investigated by EPPO in Greece, involving EU agriculture funds for pastureland not owned by the beneficiaries of the funds; is concerned that the Head of the Internal Audit department of the Greek managing authoring which centralises the distribution of agricultural funds- OPEKEPE -, among the first to point out to the irregularities, has been the object of discredit leading to the removal from her post; is particularly worried about the allegation that the fraudulent scheme was orchestrated from inside the OPEKEPE; requests the Commission to carefully monitor this kind of fraudulent scheme in Greece and to verify if the same is applied in other Member States;
Or. en
Amendment 328
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 91 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
91 a. Calls on the Court of Auditors to:
(i) conduct a detailed review of CINEA and the LIFE Programme
Or. en
Amendment 329
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point iii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iii) apply the lessons learned as regards the reduction of the administrative burden from its response to the farmers’ protests in future policy initiatives, while taking due account of the risk of abuse of funds where control measures are concerned, or risk of too much divergence between Member States when discretionary powers are used without proper oversight;
(iii) apply the lessons learned as regards the reduction of the administrative burden and the reduction of climate, environmental and agronomic ambitions from its response to the farmers’ protests in future policy initiatives, while taking due account of the risk of abuse of funds where control measures are weakened and reduced, or risk of too much divergence and lack of ambition, esp. in terms of providing and sustaining public goods, between Member States when discretionary powers are used without proper oversight;
Or. en
Amendment 330
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi a) have a clear and comprehensive strategy at Commission level as to how to better protect the financial interests of the EU and ensure that EU funds are spent for purposes acceptable to the EU taxpayer;
Or. en
Amendment 331
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi b) allocate EU funds within a program to a broad range of views and perspectives to contribute to a pluralistic and vibrant society and promote the diversity of civil society organizations and constructive engagement for a forward-looking society in order to ensure a fair distribution of EU funds to NGOs;
Or. en
Amendment 332
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi c) draw clear consequences with regards to the contracts found by the Budgetary Control Committee containing unacceptable work packages; this should include but is not limited to: amending the contracts to remove unacceptable parts of the work packages; cancelling contracts completely where the unacceptable content accounts for more than 20% of the work packages; requiring a repayment of EU funds used for the unacceptable content;
Or. en
Amendment 333
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi d) write clearer guidelines than the ones distributed internally by the Commission in 2024 which are too vague and at times confusing; urges that these clearer guidelines should contain precise instructions on what kind of content is acceptable in work packages;
Or. en
Amendment 334
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi e) maintain its role as an honest broker between institutions;
Or. en
Amendment 335
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi f (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi f) advocate for and uphold a clear separation of executive and legislative powers;
Or. en
Amendment 336
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vi g (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi g) ensure that EU funds are not used to pay activist networks to conduct internal power struggles within the Commission or between EU Institutions and that funds are not used to pay for a manipulation of legislative processes;
Or. en
Amendment 337
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the discharge authority in order to allow an assessment of the extent to which the Commission is exposed to a reputational risk of entering into agreements that call for explicit actions to lobby members of the discharge authority; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the discharge authority; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
Or. en
Amendment 338
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the discharge authority in order to allow an assessment of the extent to which the Commission is exposed to a reputational risk of entering into agreements that call for explicit actions to lobby members of the discharge authority; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements available to the discharge authority in order to allow an assessment of the extent to which the Commission may be exposed to a reputational risk;
Or. en
Amendment 339
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the discharge authority in order to allow an assessment of the extent to which the Commission is exposed to a reputational risk of entering into agreements that call for explicit actions to lobby members of the discharge authority; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the discharge authority in order to check whether there is any reputational risk; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
Or. en
Amendment 340
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point vii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vii) make the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the discharge authority in order to allow an assessment of the extent to which the Commission is exposed to a reputational risk of entering into agreements that call for explicit actions to lobby members of the discharge authority; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
(vii) make the underlying agreements or contracts and the results of the screening of grant agreements and other contracts available to the Court of Auditors and the discharge authority in order to allow an assessment of the extent to which the Commission is exposed to a reputational risk and even the risk of corruption when entering into agreements that call for explicit actions to lobby members of the discharge authority; with the necessary independent assurance on its reliability by the IAS;
Or. fr
Amendment 341
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 342
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 343
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 344
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; to provide full information by June 30th of the current year on the actions taken in this issue; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
Or. en
Amendment 345
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
(viii) Ensure that grant agreements can be suspended or terminated when beneficiaries violate the Union's financial regulations, and strengthen Commission guidance to safeguard the appropriate use of EU funding in line with democratic principles and transparency standards.
Or. en
Amendment 346
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs and other entities which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations;
Or. en
Amendment 347
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) immediately suspend or cancel grant agreements with NGOs which are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with concrete proposals for avoiding that EU funding is used to actively lobby EU Institutions, such as self-declarations; welcomes the announcements made by the new Commission in this regard;
(viii) in respect of the principle of proportionality, suspend or cancel grant agreements with beneficiaries in case the Commission ever identifies any that are in violation of the financial rules of the Union and to supplement the Commission guidance with a concrete proposalthat clarifies that NGOs receiving EU funding can actively lobby EU Institutions1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from TI and CSE
Or. en
Amendment 348
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point ix
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ix) further develop its internal guidance related to grant agreements containing specific lobbying activities;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 349
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point ix
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ix) further develop its internal guidance related to grant agreements containing specific lobbying activities;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 350
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point ix
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ix) further develop its internal guidance related to grant agreements containing specific lobbying activities;
(ix) further develop its internal guidance related to grant agreements containing specific lobbying activities and to ensure that that it is fully aligned with obligations stipulated under Article 15 TFEU and Article 11 TEU, in particular ensuring that the guidance cannot serve as a basis to arbitrary or politically motivated termination of EU funding1a
_________________
1a amendment with input from TI and CSE
Or. en
Amendment 351
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point ix
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ix) further develop its internal guidance related to grant agreements containing specific lobbying activities;
(ix) revise its guidance related to grant agreements
Or. en
Amendment 352
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point x
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(x) revise the Memorandum of Understanding between CINEA and DG ENV “Inter-institutional single framework contracts, in two lots, for the provision of support for the monitoring of LIFE projects (action grants and operating grants), communication about the LIFE programme and other related activities” to include a clearer division of responsibilities when awarding contracts;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 353
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point x
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(x) revise the Memorandum of Understanding between CINEA and DG ENV “Inter-institutional single framework contracts, in two lots, for the provision of support for the monitoring of LIFE projects (action grants and operating grants), communication about the LIFE programme and other related activities” to include a clearer division of responsibilities when awarding contracts;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 354
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point x
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(x) revise the Memorandum of Understanding between CINEA and DG ENV “Inter-institutional single framework contracts, in two lots, for the provision of support for the monitoring of LIFE projects (action grants and operating grants), communication about the LIFE programme and other related activities” to include a clearer division of responsibilities when awarding contracts;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 355
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 356
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 357
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 358
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 359
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with all beneficiaries and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag in case they identify problematic contracts immediately;
Or. en
Amendment 360
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xi) let the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
(xi) instruct the audit structure, including DG ENV unit A4, to systematically review contracts with NGOs and DG ENV/CINEA and to flag problematic contracts immediately;
Or. en
Amendment 361
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii) have the IAS systematically review contracts between the Commission and NGOs, specifically to search for problematic content within work packages;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 362
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii) have the IAS systematically review contracts between the Commission and NGOs, specifically to search for problematic content within work packages;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 363
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii) have the IAS systematically review contracts between the Commission and NGOs, specifically to search for problematic content within work packages;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 364
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii) have the IAS systematically review contracts between the Commission and NGOs, specifically to search for problematic content within work packages;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 365
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii) have the IAS systematically review contracts between the Commission and NGOs, specifically to search for problematic content within work packages;
(xii) have the IAS systematically review contracts between the Commission and grantees, specifically to search for content that is not in line with applicable financial rules within work packages;
Or. en
Amendment 366
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiii) make structural and staff changes with DG ENV, in particular to the decision-making structure in the areas of the awarding of contracts;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 367
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiii) make structural and staff changes with DG ENV, in particular to the decision-making structure in the areas of the awarding of contracts;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 368
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiii) make structural and staff changes with DG ENV, in particular to the decision-making structure in the areas of the awarding of contracts;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 369
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiii) make structural and staff changes with DG ENV, in particular to the decision-making structure in the areas of the awarding of contracts;
(xiii) identify whether it is necessary to make structural and staff changes with DG ENV, in particular to the decision-making structure in the areas of the awarding of contracts;
Or. en
Amendment 370
José Cepeda, Carla Tavares, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiv
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System (including through a clear differentiation between NGOs and NFPOs);
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System;
Or. en
Amendment 371
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiv
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System (including through a clear differentiation between NGOs and NFPOs);
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System;
Or. en
Amendment 372
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiv
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System (including through a clear differentiation between NGOs and NFPOs);
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System;
Or. en
Amendment 373
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xiv
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System (including through a clear differentiation between NGOs and NFPOs);
(xiv) adopt more precise categorisation of entities listed in the Financial Transparency System, notably as regards for profit and public entities1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from TI and CSE; the FTS categorisation already has both NGO or NFPOs as its own separate data point
Or. en
Amendment 374
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xv
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xv) consider reviewing its rules for special advisers to remove the arbitrary selection and remuneration;
(xv) review its rules for special advisers to remove the arbitrary selection and remuneration;
Or. en
Amendment 375
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi a) to conduct a thorough, non-ideological analysis of the impact of the European Green Deal's assumptions on the productive capacity of farms, the competitiveness of European agriculture, and food security, in order to assess the economic and social negative consequences of such assumptions; improve the quality of dialogue with farmers from all Member States and abandon actions that harm the interests of agricultural producers and reduce the productive potential of the European Union;
Or. en
Amendment 376
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi a) react more quickly when the Budgetary Control Committee flags severe issues to the Commission, which was not the case in the response to the problems found by members of the Budgetary Control Committee in the contracts between DG ENV/CINEA and activist networks;
Or. en
Amendment 377
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi b) investigate why the activities listed in the problematic contracts between DG ENV/CINEA and activist networks found by members of the Budgetary Control Committee were not listed in the Transparency Register;
Or. en
Amendment 378
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi c) write a report outlining how EU funds have been distributed to activist networks and NGOs; emphasizes that according to the financial regulation, EU funds are only allowed to be distributed for clearly defined and verifiable and reviewable goals;
Or. en
Amendment 379
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi d) draw clearer lines of responsibility when implementing platforms such as the Business and Biodiversity Platform to avoid Commission staff taking part in lobbying of European Parliament MEPs;
Or. en
Amendment 380
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi e) instruct CINEA to do careful screening of these independent evaluators that do initial screening of applicants for funds to check for conflicts of interest;
Or. en
Amendment 381
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi f (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi f) instruct DG ENV/CINEA to perform better checks on the content of contracts at all stages including during screening of applications and during the drawing up of contracts; notes that the problems within contracts found in DG ENVI/CINEA, particularly within the LIFE programme, went undetected until observed by members of the CONT Committee during the Commission discharge 2022 process in 2023;
Or. en
Amendment 382
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi g (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi g) call on DG ENV/CINEA to ensure that work packages and key performance indicators as listed by applicants align with the LIFE programme categories of supported activities as listed by the European Commission including: strategic nature projects, strategic integrated projects, standard action projects and procurement;
Or. en
Amendment 383
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi h (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi h) instruct the Corporate Management Board to follow Article 6 of the Commission Decision 21.11.2018 on the Corporate Management Board (Exchange of Information with the Audit Progress Committee) that outlines that the Corporate Management Board should submit consolidated information on the list of critical risks and possible additional comments to the internal audit service and urge the Corporate Management Board to do so in all relevant cases;
Or. en
Amendment 384
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi i (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi i) instruct DG ENV’s unit of contracts and audits to do more extensive and careful auditing of contracts; calls on the Commission to also instruct the Internal Audit Service, within the context of the problematic contracts found in DG ENV/CINEA, to more comprehensively audit contracts between NGOs and the Commission for inappropriate content;
Or. en
Amendment 385
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi j (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi j) ensure that the Corporate Management Board of the Commission to submit the findings of the scrutiny of the problematic contracts to the Committee on Budgetary Control of the European Parliament as soon as possible;
Or. en
Amendment 386
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi k (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi k) instruct CINEA to review the distribution of funds dedicated to auditing across the seven programmes to ensure sufficient resources are dedicated to auditing for the LIFE programme; particularly considering that only 620 000 Euros for auditing were distributed across seven programmes managed by CINEA, where audit funding deficit is present, urges CINEA to express this to the Commission hierarchy;
Or. en
Amendment 387
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi l (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi l) ensure that proposals for future LIFE Multiannual Work Programmes, including that of 2025 to 2027, have clearer guidelines as to activities eligible for funding; rules on more specific screening of applications; clearer rules as to what content is admissible in work packages; and specific requirements for transparency and traceability of the use of EU funds in this programme; including requiring applicants to be in the Transparency Register and to list their largest funders;
Or. en
Amendment 388
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi m (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi m) ensure that contracts between NGOs and the Commission, and all contracts which the Commission is supporting, have European added-value, and have requirements to ensure the transparency and traceability of funds;
Or. en
Amendment 389
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi n (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi n) instruct CINEA to include the areas of concern listed in this section of the discharge in their next risk management exercise which is conducted annually as outlined in CINEAs 2022 work program as approved of by Commission Decision 2022 1551;
Or. en
Amendment 390
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi o (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi o) instruct CINEA to also check how independent evaluators involved in the first stage of the contract decision making were selected and to introduce better mechanisms for checking for conflict of interest;
Or. en
Amendment 391
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi p (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi p) revise the Memorandum of Understanding between CINEA and DG ENV to include clearer division of labour and responsibilities;
Or. en
Amendment 392
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92 – point xvi q (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi q) work together with DG ENV/CINEA to increase visibility of projects supported by the LIFE Programme and by all programmes in general as this leads to increased transparency in the use of EU funds; urge recipients of EU funding, including funding from the LIFE programme to ‘acknowledge the origin of those funds and ensure the visibility of Union funding’ (following Chapter 5, Article 21 of the LIFE Regulation);
Or. en
Amendment 393
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 94
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
94. Notes that in 2023 a significant portion of the spending under MFF heading 4 still concerned the completion of projects remaining from the 2014-2020 MFF; notes that 18 % of AMIF national programmes for 2014-2020 remained undeclared at the end of 2023 and that the last annual accounts and the request for payment of the final balance for these funds will be provided by the Member States as part of the closure package by 31 December 2024 at the latest;
94. Notes that in 2023 a significant portion of the spending under MFF heading 4 still concerned the completion of projects remaining from the 2014-2020 MFF; notes that 18 % of AMIF national programmes for 2014-2020 remained undeclared at the end of 2023 and that the last annual accounts and the request for payment of the final balance for these funds will be provided by the Member States as part of the closure package by 31 December 2024 at the latest; insists that the funds committed over one MFF period must be used in their entirety by the end of the 7 years budgetary period; claims that, in this logic, the AMIF was 61% overbudgeted and the amounts allocated to it have not been disbursed; calls to use all unused funds of the AMIF for the deportation of illegal migrants;
Or. en
Amendment 394
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 97
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
97. Notes with concern that two reservations on the declaration of assurance were issued in DG HOME’s Annual Activity Report for 2023 and that one reservation concerns the implementation of AMIF and ISF 2014-2020 in several Member States and the other reservation concerns the implementation of Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) 2021-2027 in one Member State; welcomes the Commission’s commitment to take remedial measures for the underlying issues that necessitated the reservations;
97. Notes with concern that two reservations on the declaration of assurance were issued in DG HOME’s Annual Activity Report for 2023 and that one reservation concerns the implementation of AMIF and ISF 2014-2020 in several Member States (Non-quantifiable reservations: - Finland AMIF/ISF - Estonia AMIF/ISF - Germany ISF - Ireland ISF - Bulgaria ISF - France AMIF/ISF; Quantifiable reservation: - Iceland ISF) and the other reservation concerns the implementation of Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) 2021-2027 in one Member State (Financial reservation concerning BMVI 2021-2027 in Finland: quantification estimated on a prudential basis: 637,900.84 € with RER applied by the Commission at 5%); welcomes the Commission’s commitment to take remedial measures for the underlying issues that necessitated the reservations;
Or. en
Amendment 395
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 98 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
98 a. Stresses that there is increasing evidence that EU Home Affairs funds aimed at supporting border management, including in third countries, are contributing to fundamental rights violations1a; reminds that, according to Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, Member States and the Commission must ensure respect for fundamental rights and compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the implementation of the funds;
_________________
1a https://www.politico.eu/article/the-eu-is-helping-turkey-forcibly-deport-migrants-to-syria-and-afghanistan/#:~:text=In%20the%20wake%20of%20Europe's,escape%20Syria's%20devastating%20civil%20war
Or. en
Amendment 396
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 98 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
98 a. Demands that the EU must stop funding illegal migration, financing progressive left-wing media attacking Member States' sovereignty, promoting the spread of woke propaganda or war propaganda from the EU budget; requests in this regard that both direct or indirect support channelled through NGOs must be finished and no money should be spent on promoting the European Commission’s false political agenda;
Or. en
Amendment 397
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 99
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
deleted
Or. fr
Amendment 398
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 99
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
99. Welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
Or. en
Amendment 399
Ondřej Knotek, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 99
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
99. Welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
Or. en
Amendment 400
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 99
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
99. Notes the 2023 adoption of the new Pact on Asylum and Migration, and welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated additional funds for the full implementation of the new rules of the Pact ;
Or. en
Amendment 401
Dirk Gotink
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 99
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context and calls for quick and where possible advanced implementation in the Member States;
Or. en
Amendment 402
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 99
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
99. Welcomes the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, for which political agreement was reached in 2023, and further welcomes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and border management for 2024-2027 to address the growing challenges in migration and border management resulting from the current geopolitical context;
99. Is concerned of the sufficiency of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, agreed in 2023, and notes that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 allocated an additional EUR 2 billion to migration and related issues for 2024-2027; stresses the additional need to support financially the growing challenges in migration, border protection and overall European security resulting from the current geopolitical context;
Or. en
Amendment 403
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100. Recalls that securing the Union’s external borders is a pillar of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and to address the negative effects of the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks, notably by pro-Russian forces; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities, including physical infrastructure, buildings, equipment, systems and services required at border crossing points;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 404
Virginie Joron, Filip Turek, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100. Recalls that securing the Union’s external borders is a pillar of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and to address the negative effects of the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks, notably by pro-Russian forces; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities, including physical infrastructure, buildings, equipment, systems and services required at border crossing points;
100. Recalls that securing the Union’s external borders is a prerequisite for protecting Europeans and their interests; notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and to address the negative effects of the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks, notably by pro-Russian forces; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities, including physical infrastructure, buildings, equipment, systems and services required at border crossing points;
Or. fr
Amendment 405
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100. Recalls that securing the Union’s external borders is a pillar of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and to address the negative effects of the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks, notably by pro-Russian forces; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities, including physical infrastructure, buildings, equipment, systems and services required at border crossing points;
100. Recalls that securing the Union’s external borders is a pillar of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect local European population from imported criminality and to address the negative effects of the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks, notably by pro-Russian forces; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities, including physical infrastructure, buildings, equipment, systems and services required at border crossing points;
Or. en
Amendment 406
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100. Recalls that securing the Union’s external borders is a pillar of the Pact on Migration and Asylum; notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and to address the negative effects of the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks, notably by pro-Russian forces; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities, including physical infrastructure, buildings, equipment, systems and services required at border crossing points;
100. Notes with concern that the Commission reported that the number of irregular border crossings in the Union increased in 2023 to 380 000, compared to 330 000 in 2022; underlines the need to better protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and to address the negative effects of the fundamental rights violations of migrants at the external borders; observes that the AMIF and the BMVI can support Member States in reinforcing their border protection capabilities;
Or. en
Amendment 407
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100 a. Stresses that migration must remain a sovereign competence of the Member States and that the EU should not impose mandatory redistribution quotas or mechanisms that undermine national control over borders; strongly opposes any attempts by the European Commission to pressure Member States into accepting illegal migrants under the guise of ‘solidarity’; urges the Commission to support Member States in implementing detention and deportation policies for those who do not qualify for asylum and to enhance the EU’s cooperation with third countries for the rapid repatriation of illegal migrants;
Or. en
Amendment 408
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100 b. Calls on the Commission to immediately mobilise substantial Union funds and means to support Member States in reinforcing external borders protection capabilities and infrastructure such as walls, means of surveillance, including aerial surveillance, and equipment; proposes to cover the costs to build physical border barriers that are an essential part of a comprehensive migration policy, which should aim at preventing illegal entry, human smuggling and hybrid attacks, and detaining asylum seekers at the external borders;
Or. en
Amendment 409
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100 a. Regrets that while Hungary protects the EU's external border against illegal migration, the European Court of Justice imposed a fine on the country for not letting migrants enter Hungary before a final decision is made on their application; requests the European Commission to use part of the EUR 2 billion due for border protection for Hungary to finance the fine imposed on Hungary by the European Court of Justice;
Or. en
Amendment 410
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Filip Turek, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100a. Stresses that any development aid granted to third countries must be strictly conditional on the prior implementation of agreements under which these countries accept the return and readmission of, in particular, their criminals and offenders;
Or. fr
Amendment 411
Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
100b. Urges the Commission to stop funding NGOs that are contributing to illegal migration into European countries and facilitating human trafficking; asks that, at the very least, each Member State be allowed to opt out of their EU budgetary contributions being used to fund these NGOs;
Or. fr
Amendment 412
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 101
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
101. Notes the Court’s conclusion that the AMIF 2014-2020 was performing below expectations in terms of facilitating returns of migrants: also takes note of the fact that the Court and the Commission agree that progress in this area was particularly affected by COVID-19-related travel restrictions; further notes that in 2023 return measures were supported with EUR 29,8 million from the AMIF; looks forward to receiving consolidated information in 2025 on progress in this regard through the ex-post evaluation AMIF 2014-2020;
101. Stresses the Court’s conclusion that the AMIF 2014-2020 has failed delivering results in terms of facilitating returns of migrants; looks forward to receiving consolidated information in 2025 on progress in this regard through the ex-post evaluation AMIF 2014-2020;
Or. en
Amendment 413
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 101 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
101 a. Recognizes the protracted and non-effective actions of the European Commission in providing financial support to countries struggling to protect the external borders of the European Union against the influx of illegal immigrants, who have been exploited and directed towards the border by the Belarusian regime with the aim of destabilizing the social and political situation of the entire European Union;
Or. en
Amendment 414
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 102 – point iii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iii) take action to improve the performance of EU-funded actions in terms of effective returns and combatting irregular migration, while ensuring the full respect of the fundamental values of the Union in the process;
(iii) take action to improve the fundamental rights performance of EU-funded actions in terms of effective returns and combatting irregular migration, while ensuring the full respect of EU law and the principle of non-refoulement;
Or. en
Amendment 415
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 102 – point iii a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iii a) investigate whether and to what extent EU Home Affairs funds aimed at supporting border management have contributed to fundamental rights violations and, depending on the findings, re-assess the relevant programmes and bring them in compliance with its obligations to ensure funds are spent in line with the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights;
Or. en
Amendment 416
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 102 – point iii b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iii b) analyse possibilities to increase the efficiency of spending funds on the protection of the European Union's external borders, including those related to the participation in the costs of maintaining protection means, specialized equipment, and physical barriers at the borders, as well as taking actions aimed at providing real support to Member States burdened with the costs of preventing the smuggling of illegal immigrants;
Or. en
Amendment 417
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 102 – point iii b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iii b) ensure the full implementation of all instruments of the Asylum and Migration Pact as agreed in 2023;
Or. en
Amendment 418
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 103
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
103. Notes that in 2023 the budget for the programmes under MFF heading 5 ‘Security and Defence’ was EUR 1,4 billion (0,7 % of the Union budget spending) distributed as follows: 500 million (38,4 %) for the European Defence Fund (EDF), 300 million (19 %) for military mobility, 200 million (17,1 %) for decentralised agencies, namely the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Europol and European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), 200 million (13,1 %) for the ISF, and 200 million (12,4 %) for nuclear safety, decommissioning and other areas;
103. Notes that in 2023 the budget for the programmes under MFF heading 5 ‘Security and Defence’ was EUR 1,4 billion (0,7 % of the Union budget spending) distributed as follows: 500 million (38,4 %) for the European Defence Fund (EDF), 300 million (19 %) for military mobility, 200 million (17,1 %) for decentralised agencies, namely the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Europol and European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), 200 million (13,1 %) for the ISF, and 200 million (12,4 %) for nuclear safety, decommissioning and other areas; with regards to the geopolitical situation and global hybrid threats, calls for an increase of the heading 5 budget in the next MFF;
Or. en
Amendment 419
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 107
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
107. Recalls the highly unstable geopolitical situation in the Union’s neighbourhood giving rise to greater security and defence challenges since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; regrets that the Union's current budget for ensuring the security and defence of its citizens is not equal to the challenges to be met either in the short or the long term; notes that in 2023 EU funding in support of the defence industry came exclusively from the EDF; welcomes that submissions to the 2023 EDF calls increased by 72 % compared to the previous year; notes that under the 2023 calls, the Union committed EUR 1,15 billion for 61 defence R&D projects, benefiting 581 legal entities from 26 Member States and Norway;
107. Recalls the highly unstable geopolitical situation in the Union’s neighbourhood giving rise to greater security and defence challenges since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; notes that in 2023 EU funding in support of the defence industry came exclusively from the EDF; welcomes that submissions to the 2023 EDF calls increased by 72 % compared to the previous year; notes that under the 2023 calls, the Union committed EUR 1,15 billion for 61 defence R&D projects, benefiting 581 legal entities from 26 Member States and Norway;
Or. fr
Amendment 420
Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 107
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
107. Recalls the highly unstable geopolitical situation in the Union’s neighbourhood giving rise to greater security and defence challenges since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; regrets that the Union's current budget for ensuring the security and defence of its citizens is not equal to the challenges to be met either in the short or the long term; notes that in 2023 EU funding in support of the defence industry came exclusively from the EDF; welcomes that submissions to the 2023 EDF calls increased by 72 % compared to the previous year; notes that under the 2023 calls, the Union committed EUR 1,15 billion for 61 defence R&D projects, benefiting 581 legal entities from 26 Member States and Norway;
107. Recalls the highly unstable geopolitical situation in the Union’s neighbourhood giving rise to greater security and defence challenges, and thereby to greater investment needs in security, defence and preparedness, since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; draws attention to the regrettable fact that MFF heading 5, dedicated to security and defence, is the smallest of all MFF headings and regrets that the Union's current budget for ensuring the security and defence of its citizens is not equal to the challenges to be met either in the short or the long term; notes that in 2023 EU funding in support of the defence industry came exclusively from the EDF; recalls the role played by the EDF in supporting European technological expertise in emerging and disruptive technologies; welcomes that submissions to the 2023 EDF calls increased by 72 % compared to the previous year, demonstrating the strong and constantly growing interest of European defence industry actors and research organisations in the EDF and the high demand for funding in this sector; notes that under the 2023 calls, the Union committed EUR 1,15 billion for 61 defence R&D projects, benefiting 581 legal entities from 26 Member States and Norway; notes that on average 17 entities from eight different Member States and Norway participate in each project; underlines the importance of a level playing field in supporting cross-border defence R&D cooperation;
Or. en
Amendment 421
Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 108
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
108. Welcomes the Commission’s actions to enhance support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the defence sector, in particular appreciates that the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), which provides a diverse range of instruments tailored to support SMEs within the defence ecosystem, became fully operational in 2023, with EUR 224 million allocated to it from the EDF budget; notes that in the 2023 EDF calls, 42 % of the entities selected for funding were SMEs, an increased share compared to 2022 (38,2 %), and that 18 % of the total funding available through the EDF calls is allocated to SMEs;
108. Welcomes the Commission’s actions to enhance support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the defence sector, in particular appreciates that the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), which provides a diverse range of instruments tailored to support SMEs within the defence ecosystem, became fully operational in 2023, with EUR 224 million allocated to it from the EDF budget; appreciates, further, the role of the SME bonus under the EDF in facilitating the access of smaller actors and innovators in defence supply chains; notes that in the 2023 EDF calls, 42 % of the entities selected for funding were SMEs, an increased share compared to 2022 (38,2 %), and that 18 % of the total funding available through the EDF calls is allocated to SMEs;
Or. en
Amendment 422
Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 109
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
109. Recalls that the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) was a precursor programme of the EDF with a budget of EUR 90 million that funded 18 research projects selected following calls for proposals in the years 2017 to 2019; further recalls that the Court, in its Special Report 10/2023 ‘The Preparatory action on defence research’, has observed that the Union still lacked a long-term strategy for the projects under the EDF, particularly in terms of impact, additional research, development, manufacturing and procurement; welcomes that the Commission has accepted all of the Court’s recommendations and has confirmed that their implementation is ongoing; nevertheless, in view of the geopolitical realities the Union faces, is concerned that the full implementation of the Court’s recommendations is expected only in 2026;
109. Recalls that the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) was a precursor programme of the EDF with a budget of EUR 90 million that funded 18 research projects selected following calls for proposals in the years 2017 to 2019; further recalls that the Court, in its Special Report 10/2023 ‘The Preparatory action on defence research’, has observed that the Union still lacked a long-term strategy for the projects under the EDF, particularly in terms of impact, additional research, development, manufacturing and procurement; welcomes that the Commission has accepted all of the Court’s recommendations and has confirmed that their implementation is ongoing; welcomes, in this regard, the Commission’s adoption of a European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and legislative proposal establishing the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) as well as its commitment to build up the EDF; nevertheless, in view of the geopolitical realities the Union faces, is concerned that the full implementation of the Court’s recommendations is expected only in 2026;
Or. en
Amendment 423
Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 111
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
111. Welcomes that the implementation of ‘Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0’ is ongoing, with EUR 1,74 billion allocated for dual-use transport infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) between 2021-2027; notes that so far the Union has co-funded 95 military mobility projects in 21 Member States and that 94 of these projects are still ongoing and most of them are expected to be finalised between 2026 and 2027; further notes that the Commission considers that more action is needed to strengthen dual-use transport infrastructure corridors, including on regulatory issues such as cross-border movement permission procedures; regrets that only EUR 300 million was spent on military mobility in 2023 and is concerned that calls for proposals under the military mobility envelope faced a four-time oversubscription rate;
111. Notes that the implementation of ‘Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0’ is ongoing, with EUR 1,74 billion allocated for dual-use transport infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) between 2021-2027; notes that so far the Union has co-funded 95 military mobility projects in 21 Member States and that 94 of these projects are still ongoing and most of them are expected to be finalised between 2026 and 2027; notes with concern that following three calls for proposals organised in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the entirety of the military mobility envelope under the CEF for the current programming period has thereby already been exhausted; considers that although making the budget quickly available by frontloading amounts into the 2022 and 2023 calls responded to the need to take into account the evolution of the security situation in Europe following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, it simultaneously led to EU funding being unstable and unpredictable by leaving a gap of more than four years with no more Union funds available for military mobility calls to finance dual-use infrastructure projects until the post-2027 MFF; recalls the Court’s conclusions in its Special Report 04/2025 that the Action Plan was not built on sufficiently solid foundations and that progress towards its objective, namely ensuring swift and seamless movement of personnel, materiel and assets at short notice and on a large scale, has been variable due to design weaknesses and remaining obstacles to implementation; notes that the Commission considers that more action is needed to strengthen dual-use transport infrastructure corridors, including on regulatory issues such as cross-border movement permission procedures and calls on it to follow up the Court’s recommendations; notes the Court’s observation that the Commission had not carried out a robust assessment of the overall funding required to make its objectives and targets achievable; regrets that only EUR 300 million was spent on military mobility in 2023 and is concerned that calls for proposals under the military mobility envelope faced a four-time oversubscription rate, demonstrating the increased interest among Member States and project beneficiaries; calls on the Commission, in light of the more tangible than ever threats at the Union’s borders, to further strengthen military mobility by substantially increasing the funding available for improving dual-use transport infrastructure corridors, while prioritising EU funding to projects, which best respond to the current European threat landscape;
Or. en
Amendment 424
Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda, Csaba Molnár
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 112 – point iii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iii) further strengthen military mobility in the Union by substantially increasing the funding available to improve dual-use transport infrastructure corridors and by taking action to eliminate administrative, procedural and regulatory barriers to cross-border military movements;
(iii) further strengthen military mobility in the Union by substantially increasing the funding available to improve dual-use transport infrastructure corridors and by taking action to eliminate administrative, procedural and regulatory barriers to cross-border military movements, while prioritising funding to projects, which best respond to the current European threat landscape ;
Or. en
Amendment 425
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 118 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
118 a. Underlines that future EU enlargements should be conducted with a view to avoiding placing undue burden on cohesion policy, enlargement must in no way come at the expense of investment in the EU's current regions;
Or. en
Amendment 426
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist organisation;
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist or extremist organisation; To this end, it is legitimate and necessary to be able to clearly know and identify all the final beneficiaries of European aid in third countries.
Or. en
Amendment 427
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist organisation;
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist organisation; emphasizes the need for strict control over the distribution and use of aid to ensure the misuse of funds;
Or. en
Amendment 428
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist organisation;
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist or Islamist organisation;
Or. fr
Amendment 429
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to Hamas or any other terrorist organisation;
119. Stresses that Union aid should under no circumstances - directly or indirectly - be financing terrorism, hence it should not support any entity connected to any terrorist organisation;
Or. en
Amendment 430
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119a. Laments the fact that between 2021 and 2023, the Commission, through Erasmus+, funded various projects, totalling EUR 110 279, run by the youth arm of the Al Sharq Forum, a Turkish NGO founded by the former Director General of the Qatari media network Al Jazeera and supported and funded by the European Union, which called for homage to be paid to the 'martyr' Ismaïl Haniyeh, the Hamas leader killed on 31 July 2024 after ordering the massacre that slaughtered 1 200 people on 7 October 2023, despite the fact that the EU considers Hamas to be a terrorist organisation; similarly, and despite repeated concerns raised about the Islamic University of Gaza, the Commission has continued to provide financial support to a pro-Hamas university through the Erasmus+ programme, even after it paid tribute to the 'martyr' Ismaïl Haniyeh; the Commission is also funding in full a EUR 250 000 research project involving this university, in partnership with several European universities, meaning it is ultimately helping to finance Islamism.
Or. fr
Amendment 431
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119a. Points out that, at the hearing on 21 November 2024, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement stated that the Palestinian Authority’s EU-funded reform agenda includes ending the 'pay for slay' programme; calls on the Commission to ensure that the Palestinian Authority genuinely puts an end to it and to inform Parliament accordingly without delay;
Or. nl
Amendment 432
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119b. Deplores the fact that the Commission helped fund the Al-Sharq Forum's 'Impact Platform', an incubation programme which, among other things, helped build up the 'Femyso Academy', a training programme run by Femyso, an organisation with close links to the Muslim Brotherhood which, in 2021, ran an EU-funded campaign entitled 'Freedom is in hijab'.
Or. fr
Amendment 433
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119c. Laments the fact that, in 2023-2024, the Commission is said to have funded mobility projects for youth workers under the Erasmus+ programme, involving an NGO considered to be the European offshoot of the AKP (Erdoğan's Islamic-conservative party), owned by members of the Turkish President's inner circle. These projects are run by NGOs in several EU countries: Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Portugal. However, these NGOs have some objectives that run counter to EU principles, such as 'advocating for the recognition of Islam as an official religion' in Europe 'for the peace of society' (Union of International Democrats, UID, Dutch office), meaning that direct support is being provided for Turkish interference in Europe; similarly, the Commission is said to have granted financial support in 2023 to a list of associations with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, including 'Islamic Relief Worldwide' (IRW), which Israel deems a terrorist organisation, along with its subsidiaries, and which is known to have channelled several million euro to Hamas.
Or. fr
Amendment 434
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119d. Condemns, therefore, the prevarication of the Commission, which is knowingly helping to encourage non-EU interference in principles at odds with the European civilisation, whether in the Member States or in third countries, by financing such interference; is disappointed that the Commission does not verify the final beneficiaries of its funding, some of which have close links to terrorist movements and are able to support them directly or indirectly using EU funds.
Or. fr
Amendment 435
Dirk Gotink
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 119 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
119 a. Notes with regret that the European Commission financed the Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University, which has proven ties to terrorist organisation of Hamas; calls on the Commission to cancel all ties to this university and other universities with ties to terrorist organisations;
Or. en
Amendment 436
José Cepeda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 120
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
120. Welcomes that the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, continues working with trusted partners, such as the UN Agencies, WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; notes the answer given by the Commission1b stating that the 2024 EU funding was reimbursed upon fulfilment of the agreed conditions including, inter alia, enhancing UNRWA’s oversight and neutrality framework, conducting further staff screenings, and undergoing a ‘system audit’ to be conducted by EU appointed experts; notes that the Commission’s answer also indicates that an additional reimbursement was made in 2025 in view of the progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the EU audit and the UN Independent Review Group (IRG);
_________________
1b Parliamentary question - P-002451/2024(ASW).
Or. en
Amendment 437
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 120
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
120. Reminds that in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population UNRWA plays a crucial role and considers that all UN agencies active in the region as well as other trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations must be supported in their efforts; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of all entities receiving EU funds by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
Or. en
Amendment 438
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 120
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
120. With regards to the questionable cooperation with UNRWA, urges the Commission, when delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
Or. en
Amendment 439
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 120
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to enhance support to UNRWA as well as to all trusted partners, including local CSOs; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners1a
_________________
1a The UN Security Council affirmed in a statement from October 2024 that "no organization can replace or substitute UNRWA’s capacity and mandate to serve Palestinian refugees and civilians in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian assistance". Full text: https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15874.doc.htm
Or. en
Amendment 440
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 120
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
120. Urges the Commission, in the context of delivering support and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, to diversify trusted partners, such as the WHO, WPF, UNICEF or different Red Crescent organisations; recalls the importance for the Commission to guarantee independent controls of UNRWA by external experts, the European Court of Auditors and experienced international partners;
Or. en
Amendment 441
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 120 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
120 a. Denounces the involvement of UNRWA employees in October 7th 2023 terror attack; suggests the Commission considers diverting funds away from UNRWA to other trusted partners in Gaza and the Palestinian territories to help Palestinian civilians, given concers EU taxpayer money could be misused by terrorist organisations and terrorists; asks the Commission to to insist on rigorous controls and audits of UNRWA conducted by ECA and EU-appointed independent external experts;
Or. en
Amendment 442
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
121. Notes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office;
deleted
Or. en
Amendment 443
José Cepeda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
121. Notes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office;
121. Notes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office; notes the fulfilment of the required milestones and acknowledges the Colonna report’s conclusion that neutrality is a shared responsibility among the parties;
Or. en
Amendment 444
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
121. Notes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office;
121. Notes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 out of 13.000 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office; reminds that UNRWA has met all agreed conditions, allowing the disbursements of the entirety of the EU assistance;
Or. en
Amendment 445
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
121. Notes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office;
121. welcomes that the Commission has been working in the last months with UNRWA, to enhance the neutrality processes and control systems in the Agency, in line with findings of the investigations by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of involvement of 19 of its staff in the 7th October 2023 attack, and to monitor the application of the action plan presented by UNRWA on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group led by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Colonna to strengthen control and oversight; notes that the Commission has reassessed the EU 2024 funding decision for UNRWA and that, through an exchange of letters between Commissioner Várhelyi and UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini in April 2024, the Union reached an agreement about the EU’s conditional assistance for UNRWA, linked to a number of milestones in relation to three work streams, including the screening of UNRWA staff, an EU audit, as well as the reinforcement of the Department of Internal Investigations and Ethics office;
Or. en
Amendment 446
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
121 a. Urges to disburse in its entirety all financial commitments towards UNRWA; recalls that UNRWA is the principal humanitarian assistance structure in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as an essential service provider in the region; stresses the importance of the Southern Neighbourhood budget line in supporting political, economic and social reforms in the region taking into consideration the increasing humanitarian needs, as well as other purposes of regional cooperation in providing assistance to refugees, in particular Syrian and Palestinian refugees1a;
_________________
1a AFET opinion on the Commission discharge
Or. en
Amendment 447
José Cepeda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
121 a. Recalls that the aforementioned Commission’s reply states that UNRWA has been providing life-saving services in Gaza and across the region in line with the mandate adopted by the UN General Assembly, recalling that the European Council reaffirmed repeatedly that these services were essential and condemned any attempt to abrogate the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA or to otherwise attempt to obstruct its capacity to operate its mandate;
Or. en
Amendment 448
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
122. Stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, whose adherence has been demonstrated by the Georg Eckert Institute's report on the Palestinian Textbooks commissioned by the Commission; reminds that as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, the Paris Declaration invites Member States to pursue a series of national and local level objectives identifying overarching priorities for EU-level cooperation such as the promotion of intercultural competences and intercultural dialogue, and to enhance critical thinking and media literacy, so as to develop resistance to discrimination, indoctrination and hate speech; considers these values and principles universal to apply besides the EU; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, which revealed a complex picture where the textbooks (i) adhere to UNESCO standards and adopt criteria that are prominent in international education discourse, including a strong focus on human rights, (ii) express a narrative of resistance within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and (iii) display an antagonism towards Israel; notes that the Union does not fund the Palestinian Textbooks and that neither are they the responsibility of UNRWA, which works to delivers quality education with an emphasis on fostering a human rights culture, even in challenging times; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of educational materials to Palestinian children that incite anti-Semitism, violence or hatred , including those provided by UN organisations, whose responsibility is to be excluded, since UNRWA only uses host countries textbooks, in line with UN best practices for providing quality education in refugee conditions;
Or. en
Amendment 449
José Cepeda, Marit Maij
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report revealed a complex picture where the textbooks (i) adhere to UNESCO standards and adopt criteria that are prominent in international education discourse, including a strong focus on human rights, (ii) express a narrative of resistance within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and (iii) display an antagonism towards Israel; notes that the Union does not fund the Palestinian Textbooks and that neither are they the responsibility of UNRWA, which nevertheless reviews all issued textbooks to address any problematic content; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
Or. en
Amendment 450
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism;; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report highlights a complex picture outlining that the textbooks (i) adhere to UNESCO standards and adopt criteria that are prominent in international education discourse, including a strong focus on human rights, (ii) express a narrative of resistance within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and (iii) display an antagonism towards Israel;; ; notes that neither does the Union fund Palestinian Textbooks nor are they the responsibility of UNRWA;
Or. en
Amendment 451
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations; highlights that these conditions have been never met by the Palestinian Authority, however the European Union continue its funding support to it over the years; highlights that, in this context, the word and 'principles' of the European Union mean nothing;
Or. en
Amendment 452
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
122. Recalls the neccessity fot the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
Or. en
Amendment 453
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be provided on the condition that textbook content is aligned with UNESCO standards, as decided upon by Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
122. Calls on the Palestinian Authority to remove all educational materials and content that fail to adhere to UNESCO standards by the next school year, in particular those that contain antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance classification endorsed by the Union, incitement to violence, hate speech, and glorification of terrorism; recalls provisions of paragraph 199 of the discharge resolution of 11 April 2024 adopted by Parliament, which links the 7th of October 2023 atrocities to the inciting content from Palestinian educational materials; stresses that financial support from the Union for the Palestinian Authority in the area of education should be suspended until textbook content complies with UNESCO standards, building on the decision of Union Education Ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015, that all anti-Semitic references are deleted, and that examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed, as repeatedly requested in the resolutions accompanying the discharge decisions; recalls the Commission’s assessment of the Palestinian textbooks, as evaluated in the Georg Eckert Institute's EU-funded report, clearly highlights the persistent presence of deeply problematic content that remains a serious concern; notes that the Commission will carry out close scrutiny to ensure that no Union funds are allocated, directly or indirectly, to the drafting, teaching, or exposure of such educational materials to Palestinian children, including those provided by UN organisations;
Or. nl
Amendment 454
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122 d. Denounces UNRWA for failing to implement report recommendations 34 and 35, which call for textbook reviews with Israel and explicitly demand the banning of hate speech, incitement to violence, and antisemitic references from textbooks and locally produced supplements in UNRWA schools; requests the Commission to condition and closely scrutinise that no funds are allocated or linked, directly or indirectly, to educational materials or personnel involved in terrorism, radicalisation, and incitement;
Or. en
Amendment 455
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122 e. Condemns the cynical exploitation of humanitarian efforts by UNRWA and its complicity in the indoctrination of Palestinian children in Gaza; reaffirms the EP’s April 2024 Commission discharge resolution (par. 199), categorically associating the atrocities of 7 October 2023 to the violent and antisemitic content present in educational materials taught in UNRWA schools; reiterates and stresses grave concern over the findings of the UN’s neutrality review of UNRWA, which concluded that its educational materials contain content that constitutes a "grave violation of neutrality" and contradicts UN values;
Or. en
Amendment 456
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122 a. Condemns the PA for systematically promoting hate, antisemitism, and incitement in its education system, which has directly contributed to the radicalisation of Palestinian youth and played a role in the atrocities of 7 October 2023; condemns and expresses deep concern that EU funds continue to sustain an education system that glorifies terrorism, incites hatred against Jews and Israelis, and undermines prospects for peace and coexistence despite ongoing EU engagement and financial support;
Or. en
Amendment 457
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122 b. Stresses and reaffirms the EP’s previous adopted discharge demanding that all EU financial assistance to the PA be conditioned on the full and verifiable removal of antisemitism, hate, and incitement to violence- across all grades and subjects- from its curriculum. Until these reforms are fully implemented across all grades and subjects, EU funding must remain frozen;
Or. en
Amendment 458
Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 122 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
122 c. Calls on the Commission to make public any results of future reform and share them with the EP to ensure that any changes made are substantive and permanent, to ensure textbooks genuinely fully adhere to UNESCO standards promoting peace and tolerance;
Or. en
Amendment 459
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 123 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
123 a. Calls on the institution to take full devotion and maximise its efforts with all its available measures and assets to promote peace and to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, and to preserve peace and strengthen European security, is of the conviction that there is no military solution to the conflict and that peace is the only viable and sustainable solution;
Or. en
Amendment 460
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 123 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
123 b. Underlines, that Ukraine received an unprecedented support from the EU in year 2022 and 2023 amounting up to 25,2 billion EUR and from the Member States and the EU combined 134 billion EUR until the end of 2024, 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 461
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124. Welcomes that OLAF provides targeted anti-fraud assistance to authorities and supports the accession of Ukraine to the Union Anti-Fraud Programme; notes that the Framework Agreement for the Ukraine Facility, which entered into force in June 2024, provides for legally binding arrangements for the management, control, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and audit of funds under the Facility, as well as measures to prevent, investigate and correct irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest, and provisions on the roles of OLAF and EPPO; welcomes, in addition, that, pursuant to article 36 of the Ukraine Facility Regulation, the Commission established in June 2024 an Audit Board, with the mission of assisting the Commission in assessing the effectiveness of Ukraine’s management and control systems regarding the funds provided under the Facility and in fighting mismanagement of Union funding under the Ukraine Facility;
124. Welcomes that OLAF provides targeted anti-fraud assistance to authorities and supports the accession of Ukraine to the Union Anti-Fraud Programme; notes that the Framework Agreement for the Ukraine Facility, which entered into force in June 2024, provides for legally binding arrangements for the management, control, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and audit of funds under the Facility, as well as measures to prevent, investigate and correct irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest, and provisions on the roles of OLAF and EPPO; welcomes, in addition, that, pursuant to article 36 of the Ukraine Facility Regulation, the Commission established in June 2024 an Audit Board, with the mission of assisting the Commission in assessing the effectiveness of Ukraine’s management and control systems regarding the funds provided under the Facility and in fighting mismanagement of Union funding under the Ukraine Facility; insists that EU funds allocated to Ukraine must be fully transparent and subject to strict anti-corruption controls; urges the Commission to provide regular, detailed public reports on how EU financial assistance is spent in Ukraine, ensuring that it does not finance oligarchic networks or political elites; calls on the EU to respect the sovereignty of Member States in their diplomatic and economic relations with third countries rather than using financial instruments as a tool for political coercion;
Or. en
Amendment 462
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124. Welcomes that OLAF provides targeted anti-fraud assistance to authorities and supports the accession of Ukraine to the Union Anti-Fraud Programme; notes that the Framework Agreement for the Ukraine Facility, which entered into force in June 2024, provides for legally binding arrangements for the management, control, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and audit of funds under the Facility, as well as measures to prevent, investigate and correct irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest, and provisions on the roles of OLAF and EPPO; welcomes, in addition, that, pursuant to article 36 of the Ukraine Facility Regulation, the Commission established in June 2024 an Audit Board, with the mission of assisting the Commission in assessing the effectiveness of Ukraine’s management and control systems regarding the funds provided under the Facility and in fighting mismanagement of Union funding under the Ukraine Facility;
124. Welcomes that OLAF provides targeted anti-fraud assistance to authorities and supports the accession of Ukraine to the Union Anti-Fraud Programme; notes that the Framework Agreement for the Ukraine Facility, which entered into force in June 2024, provides for legally binding arrangements for the management, control, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and audit of funds under the Facility, as well as measures to prevent, investigate and correct irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest, and provisions on the roles of OLAF and EPPO; welcomes, in addition, that, pursuant to article 36 of the Ukraine Facility Regulation, the Commission established in June 2024 an Audit Board, with the mission of assisting the Commission in assessing the effectiveness of Ukraine’s management and control systems regarding the funds provided under the Facility and in fighting mismanagement of Union funding under the Ukraine Facility; calls on the Commission to keep the European Parliament regularly informed about the activities and findings of the Audit Board in order to ensure proper parliamentary oversight;
Or. en
Amendment 463
Tamás Deutsch, Ondřej Knotek, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 a. Reminds the Commission of the recommendations of the Court of Auditors, that it is crucial to stipulate stricter conditions in Ukraine for support, when providing institutional support for judicial, law enforcement and prosecutorial institutions, emphasise criteria for integrity and commitment to reform, as well as in particular where fighting corruption in Ukraine is concerned, by focusing on the EU’s contributions;
Or. en
Amendment 464
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 a. Calls to redeploy all external action funds under Heading 6 towards Ukraine at least until peace in Europe is restored;
Or. en
Amendment 465
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 b. 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 466
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 a. Recalls that development aid and in particular budget support aims to strengthen the partnership with the Union’s partner countries, promote sustainable development, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and consolidate peace and democracy, ultimately aiming to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs; notes that Union budget support is to be guided by the internationally agreed Busan effectiveness principles, such as ownership by partner countries, results focus, inclusiveness and accountability; highlights the fact that, because it fosters transparency and good governance, budget support also contributes to the fight against corruption and fraud; recalls that budget support must correspond to the needs of partner countries as well as the Union’s key policies; recalls that it is also necessary to measure the performance of programmes and their impact in partner countries and on civilian populations;
Or. en
Amendment 467
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 b. Calls on the Commission in line with ECA’s recommendations in its opinion 03/2024 to integrate into the new MFF legislative proposal the recommendations of the External Action Guarantee complementing the Commission's evaluation, including increased use of blending (grants) in LDCs, fragile or conflict-affected countries and engaged coordination with stakeholders such as civil society1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from Counter Balance
Or. en
Amendment 468
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 c. Is concerned about the allocation of EFSD+ under the new flexible 'Support to Investments' envelope in favour of benefiting countries where the Global Gateway investments are easier to implement at the expense of prioritising LDCs, and fragile and conflict-affected countries; calls for reporting on the volume of EFSD+ amounts allocated and contractualised in these countries and for transparency on how the quota of allocations to LDCs within country MIPs is respected within allocations of the regional MIPs1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from Counter Balance
Or. en
Amendment 469
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Erik Marquardt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 124 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
124 a. Notes with concern the recent reports on the findings of a draft audit report paid for by the Commission on the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat which allege to suspected fraud, unpaid salaries and further liabilities; notes that as reported the European Commission has contributed €3.7 million to the Secretariat in 2023 and is trying to recover €3.6 million as of March 2024; asks the Commission to ensure full transparency and accountability, grant access to the audit report and inform the members of the European Parliament on the concrete steps taken;
Or. en
Amendment 470
Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 125
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
125. Notes that to audit the regularity of transactions, the Court examined a sample of 140 transactions, representing the full range of spending from the EDFs; notes, furthermore, that this comprised 31 transactions related to the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, 87 transactions authorised by 14 EU delegations13and 19 payments approved by Commission headquarters;
125. Notes that to audit the regularity of transactions, the Court examined a sample of 140 transactions, representing the full range of spending from the EDFs; notes, furthermore, that this comprised 31 transactions related to the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa totalling EUR 5 billion, 87 transactions authorised by 14 EU delegations13 and 19 payments approved by Commission headquarters;
_________________
_________________
13 Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Fiji, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, The Gambia, Togo and Uganda.
13 Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Fiji, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, The Gambia, Togo and Uganda.
Or. fr
Amendment 471
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 126
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
126. Notes with concern that, out of the 140 transactions examined, 62 (44,3 %) contained errors, compared to 57 (40,7 %) in 2022 for the same number of transactions; stresses, moreover, that the Court quantified 52 errors (48 in 2022), on the basis of which it estimated the level of error for the financial year 2023 to be 8,9 % (7,1 % in 2022);
126. Notes with concern that, out of the 140 transactions examined, 62 (44,3 %) contained errors, compared to 57 (40,7 %) in 2022 for the same number of transactions; stresses, moreover, that the Court quantified 52 errors (48 in 2022), on the basis of which it estimated the level of error for the financial year 2023 to be 8,9 % (7,1 % in 2022), which serves as a basis for an adverse opinion of the Court on the legality and regularity of expenditure of the EDF;
Or. en
Amendment 472
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 126 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
126a. Is horrified by the chaos associated with this fund, which was endowed with EUR 5 billion to help retain people in their country of origin and curb their migration to Europe, yet the ECA report found that it may have had the opposite effect; is disappointed that the projects have failed to address the specific, enduring and urgent needs of the local people, and have given rise to double funding or disproportionate payments for projects, as in the example of the purchase of blenders for schools without electricity; deplores the lack of traceable data and the troubles that the European Court of Auditors faced when performing its audit work in the absence of final beneficiaries who could be reached or tracked down in order to check that EU-funded projects had actually been carried out; calls for the abolition of other trust funds based on the same model, since verifying the allocation of funds appears to be impossible;
Or. fr
Amendment 473
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 128 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
128 a. Notes that the budgetary implementation of the EDFs is now limited to payments on commitments made before the 31 December 2020 end date and that NDICI-Global Europe and general Union budget rules now apply; calls for strict implementation of the human rights-based approach, with human rights being at the centre of all actions, in accordance with the Commission’s toolbox on that approach;
Or. en
Amendment 474
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 130 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
130a. Deplores the fact that the Commission has entered into arrangements with the United Nations in the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement (FAFA) that limit the detection of systematic irregular expenditure and subsequent recovery *);calls on the Commission to engage with the UN in order to review those arrangements;
*) Special Report 7/2024 of the European Court of Auditors, paragraph 31.
Or. nl
Amendment 475
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 131 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
131 a. Is strongly concerned by the findings of the European court of auditors in its Special report 17/2024 “The EU trust fund for Africa Despite new approaches, support remained unfocused; Recalls that the Commission is unable to identify and report on the most efficient and effective approaches to reducing irregular migration and forced displacements in Africa according the Court; regrets that the new monitoring system aggregates information from all EUTF projects, but it suffers from issues of data accuracy; notes that the EU’s Africa trust fund is set to be phased out in 2025;
Or. en
Amendment 476
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 131 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
131 a. Recalls that 2 EUTFs were created under the EDFs, namely the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa (the ‘EUTF for Africa’) and the European Union Trust Fund Bêkou for the Central African Republic (the ‘EUTF Bêkou’); recalls Parliament’s regular stance that the Commission ensures that any trust fund established as a new development tool must always be in line with the Union’s overall strategy and development policy objectives, i.e. the reduction and, in the long term, eradication of poverty as enshrined in Article 208 TFEU;
Or. en
Amendment 477
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 131 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
131 b. Recalls that EUTF for Africa has mobilized over EUR 5 billion, with 88% of contributions (EUR 4.4 billion) coming from the European Development Fund and the EU budget; focusing on three key regions: the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa, supporting a total of 27 African countries; deplores that, despite several requests from Parliament, the process of managing and allocating these funds still lacks transparency and that the adherence of these actions to Offical Development Assistance (ODA) principles cannot be ensured; recalls that ECA reported that the monitoring and reporting system lacks accuracy;
Or. en
Amendment 478
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 131 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
131 c. Underlines that ECA’s special report 17/2024 on the EU trust fund for Africa denounces that despite an innovative approach to identifying human rights risks in a difficult environment, these risks were not comprehensively addressed; deplores that, in particular, it was found that the assessment of potential risks to human rights was not comprehensive and that human rights monitoring and reporting were not sufficiently robust; deplores that the EUTF has already encountered serious human rights violations on numerous occasions; emphasises in particular the support given to the authorities and the Libyan coast guard, which contributed to blatant violations, arbitrary detentions and failure to respect the principle of non-refoulement;
Or. en
Amendment 479
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 132 – point vi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi a) increase evidence-based targeting of geographical areas and beneficiaries, and improve the accuracy of reported achievements with a view to the ending of the EUTF and/or future development action, including through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe;
Or. en
Amendment 480
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Filip Turek, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point i a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ia) stresses that any EDF funding should be made conditional on the effective implementation of readmission and reintegration agreements;
Or. fr
Amendment 481
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point i
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(i) ensure strict monitoring and ex-ante and ex-post mechanisms of the implementation of actions to guarantee that the UNRWA works in full compliance with humanitarian principles and neutrality, including in the forthcoming EU-UNRWA joint declaration and the upcoming financing decisions for conditional EU assistance;
(i) halt funding for UNRWA;
Or. nl
Amendment 482
Pasquale Tridico, Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point i
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(i) ensure strict monitoring and ex-ante and ex-post mechanisms of the implementation of actions to guarantee that the UNRWA works in full compliance with humanitarian principles and neutrality, including in the forthcoming EU-UNRWA joint declaration and the upcoming financing decisions for conditional EU assistance;
(i) continue the monitoring of the conditions agreed for assistance and in line with the "Colonna report" to guarantee that the UNRWA works in full compliance with humanitarian principles and neutrality, as it was proved to be the case
Or. en
Amendment 483
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point i
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(i) ensure strict monitoring and ex-ante and ex-post mechanisms of the implementation of actions to guarantee that the UNRWA works in full compliance with humanitarian principles and neutrality, including in the forthcoming EU-UNRWA joint declaration and the upcoming financing decisions for conditional EU assistance;
(i) continue monitoring and working with UNRWA to ensure the implementation of agreed actions to guarantee that UNRWA works in full compliance with humanitarian principles and neutrality, including in the forthcoming EU-UNRWA joint declaration and the upcoming financing decisions for conditional EU assistance1a;
_________________
1a with input from UNRWA
Or. en
Amendment 484
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point ii a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ii a) 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 485
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point ii b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ii b) 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 486
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point ii a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iib) instantly cease funding movements or bodies with close ties to terrorist organisations, whether in Europe or in third countries;
Or. fr
Amendment 487
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 133 – point i b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(ic) request and secure the recovery of sums paid, whether directly or indirectly, to terrorist organisations;
Or. fr
Amendment 488
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 135 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
135 a. Welcomes the Commissions’ recent efforts creating another simplification package, but strongly believes the EU needs to go further and stronger measures have to be adopted in order to boost the competitiveness and to streamline regulation and the EU administration, recommends to assess how a DOGE-style (Department of Government Efficiency) reform package could be implemented and how could it benefit the efficiency of the governance of the European Union and its public administration;
Or. en
Amendment 489
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 137
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
137. Appreciates that female representation in management positions increased from 46,1 % in December 2022 to 47,8 % in December 2023, which represents good progress towards ensuring gender balance; encourages the Commission to continue to focus on ensuring and maintaining gender balance on all levels of management;
137. Appreciates that female representation in management positions increased from 46,1 % in December 2022 to 47,8 % in December 2023; encourages the Commission to continue to focus on ensuring and maintaining gender balance on all levels of management;
Or. en
Amendment 490
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 137
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
137. Appreciates that female representation in management positions increased from 46,1 % in December 2022 to 47,8 % in December 2023, which represents good progress towards ensuring gender balance; encourages the Commission to continue to focus on ensuring and maintaining gender balance on all levels of management;
137. Appreciates that female representation in management positions increased from 46,1 % in December 2022 to 47,8 % in December 2023, which represents good progress towards ensuring gender balance; encourages the Commission to continue to focus on ensuring and maintaining gender balance on all levels of management; recalls the Treaty on the European Union, that the EU and its institutions, shall promote solidarity and equality between women and men;
Or. en
Amendment 491
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 138
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
138. Notes with satisfaction that the Commission has implemented policies to enhance work-life balance and staff well-being, including the right to disconnect; at the same time commends that a new decision on the prevention and fight against harassment was adopted as important elements in ensuring that the Commission is an attractive workplace for all;
138. Notes with satisfaction that the Commission has implemented policies to enhance work-life balance and staff well-being, including the right to disconnect; at the same time commends that a new decision on the prevention and fight against harassment was adopted which establishes the position of a Chief Confidential Counsellor as key figure in the fight against harassment; stresses the need to provide this position with the appropriate resources to effectively carry out multiple challenging tasks1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from Commission Harrassment Prevention Network
Or. en
Amendment 492
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 138 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
138 a. Is extremly concerned that the former Commissioner responsible for negotiating anti-corruption framework and the rule of law procedures with Member States during the past five years is currently under criminal investigation for money laundering and other corruption-related crimes;
Or. en
Amendment 493
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 138 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
138 a. Underlines that recent allegations and ongoing investigations into a former Commissioner for Justice for financial misconduct highlight persistent vulnerabilities in the EU’s financial governance. Stresses that such cases cause severe reputational damage to the European institutions and undermine public trust. Calls on the Commission to further strengthen its internal control mechanisms, ensure rigorous enforcement of ethical standards, and enhance transparency in financial oversight to prevent potential abuses;
Or. en
Amendment 494
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 138 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
138 a. Expresses deep concern over the case of the former Director-General of DG MOVE 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 495
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 138 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
138 a. Is extremely worried that in 2023 OLAF opened an investigation on a case involving the former director General of DG MOVE who accepted freebie for himself and his family from Qatar while the Commission was negotiating the EU-Qatar free sky agreement.; requests to be informed about the conclusions of the investigations, and worries that EPPO was not involved in the procedure neither the national justice system; is particularly concerned that the Director still works in the Commission and apparently has not been punished following the findings of the investigation;
Or. en
Amendment 496
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139. Notes with satisfaction that the Commission issued updated versions of the guidelines on ethical standards for participation of the Members of the European Commission in the election campaign to the European Parliament and guidelines for the participation of Members of the Commission in election campaigns at Member State level; further commends that in March 2023, the Commission adopted much needed strengthened rules on missions and costs paid by third parties;
139. Believes that the Commission's internal rules on conflict of interest and corruption have completely failed, despite the updated versions of the guidelines on ethical standards for participation of the Members of the European Commission in the election campaign to the European Parliament and guidelines for the participation of Members of the Commission in election campaigns at Member State level; further commends that in March 2023, the Commission adopted much needed strengthened rules on missions and costs paid by third parties, after it was reveiled that the director general for transport has been accepting free business class flight tickets from a foreign country for 6 years on nine occasions;
Or. en
Amendment 497
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139 a. Expresses deep concern over the case of former Director-General for Transport, who allegedly accepted luxury travel and benefits from Qatar while negotiating the EU-Qatar aviation agreement; considers this a grave breach of ethical standards and transparency, which has severely damaged the credibility of EU institutions; demands that the Commission thoroughly review its conflict-of-interest policies and enforcement mechanisms to prevent similar cases of undue influence and potential corruption in the future;
Or. en
Amendment 498
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139 a. Regrets the fact that the European Commission has not recognized any wrongdoing first, seriously believes that the rules on conflict of interest in place have proven to be inefficient making it possible for a high ranking official to accept free flight tickets, accommodation for many years from a third country, given himself being the authorizing officer signing off on his own trips whether they represented conflict of interest;
Or. en
Amendment 499
Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139 b. Condemns the practice of no consequences that despite the clear conflict of interest and breeches of internal ethical procedures of the institution, as well as a concluded OLAF investigation report, the director general still is employed by the Commission;
Or. en
Amendment 500
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139 c. Believes that the scale of the scandals 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 501
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139 d. Strongly believes that granting the discharge for the financial year 2023 to the European Commission would send the wrong message to the other institutions, as well as to the citizens of the European Union as there are still at least three major open cases and investigations in process regarding the financial year 2023;
Or. en
Amendment 502
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139 a. Notes with concern that according to the Commission’s Investigation and Disciplinary Office (IDOC) in 2023, out of 25 formal complaints about sexual or psychological harassment, most have been dismissed without opening an administrative inquiry and only one case in either category has been recognised as harassment and sanctioned merely with a reprimand; is deeply concerned that in the past 18 years, only five cases of psychological harassment and five cases of sexual harassment have been recognized as such and fears that this points to significant institutional blind spots in the Commission, given that the institution employs up to 32,000 staff members;
Or. en
Amendment 503
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139a. In a democracy, governments are supposed to conduct ordinary business during the election campaign or before the appointment of the new executive after the elections. Is disappointed that there is no comprehensive list of the types of acts constituting ordinary business or of politically sensitive acts that commissioners cannot perform during the election campaign, or during the post-electoral transition period before the official approval of the new Commission, given that the Treaties invest Parliament with the power of political scrutiny, in addition to its legislative and budgetary functions.
Or. fr
Amendment 504
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 139 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
139b. Calls on the Commission to refrain from all spending on communication during election periods.
Or. fr
Amendment 505
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 142 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
142 a. Is concerned about the inadequate and sub-standard treatment of civil servants and MEPs with autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, COPD (obstructive pulmonary disease), long-covid, undiagnosed and rare diseases by the sickness insurance scheme of the institutions; notes that patients with these symptoms are often not reimbursed for their diagnostic tests;
Or. en
Amendment 506
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 142 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
142 a. Finds it outrageous and unacceptable, that a former Commissioner has been awarding European funds annually to non governmental organisations to lobby on the Commission's own policy agenda, namely to promote their green policies and ideology;
Or. en
Amendment 507
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 142 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
142 b. Believes that the discharge procedure should be suspended until all contracts between the Commission and NGO's are made public and a full and independent audit on all NGO funding by the Commission has been concluded;
Or. en
Amendment 508
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 142 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
142 c. Strongly condemns the recently adopted Commission Decision (2024/3080) amending the rules on registering text messages on corporate phones, promoting automatic disappearence of text messages in the entire institution sends the wrong message on transparency and accessibility of documents for the public;
Or. en
Amendment 509
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143a. Points out that the Ombudsman has criticised the Commission and its procedure for handling 'revolving door' moves by its staff (OI/1/2021/KR). The Commission blocked only 2 of the 100 cases studied during the strategic inquiry. Notes that the Ombudsman concluded: 'The Commission should apply a more robust approach in relation to revolving door moves of its most senior staff to private sector jobs, shortly after departure'. Despite this, the Commission has given former EU Commissioner and former French Finance Minister Thierry Breton (2019-2024) permission to (re)join the Bank of America's global advisory board. He will perform this role only three days per year and claims that he will be neither remunerated nor employed, raising questions as to his motives and status. He is reprising a position held previously (2013-2019); is disappointed that the procedure provides no transparency over pay or compensation;
Or. fr
Amendment 510
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143b. Calls on the Commission to forbid revolving door moves by commissioners or directors-general to non-European companies or organisations of systemic size at the end of their term of office;
Or. fr
Amendment 511
Dirk Gotink
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143 a. Calls on the Commission to prioritise permanent staff over external consultants and contractual staff, in order to guarantee high quality working conditions and to prevent knowledge and experience from being lost; calls in this regard to allow for flexibility for Directorate-Generals with a high proportion of seconded national experts in the establishment plan to convert SNE posts into temporary agent posts with the aim of ensuring better expertise retention, operational functionality and business continuity; further insists on avoiding the externalisation of tasks to consultancies when available know-how can be found in-house
Or. en
Amendment 512
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143 a. It points out that in 2023, following an own-initiative inquiry which revealed that the European Commission fails to meet legal deadlines in significant fraction of cases when individuals submit confirmatory requests to review access decisions, and calls on the European Commission to urgently address the issue of systemic delays in processing access to documents requests;
Or. en
Amendment 513
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143 a. Notes that out of the nine investigations related to the Commission concluded by OLAF in 2023, seven were closed with recommendations; calls on the Commission to provide the European Parliament with detailed information on how it has implemented OLAF’s recommendations in each instance to ensure full transparency and accountability in the follow-up to these cases;
Or. en
Amendment 514
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143 b. Is concerned that, in recent years, the Commission has increasingly outsourced impact assessments to external companies, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest, particularly when these companies have business interests in the areas they are assessing; calls on the Commission, as part of the current revision of the Vade Mecum on Public Procurement, to strengthen provisions to prevent possible conflicts of interest and to provide better guidance to staff handling public procurement procedures for policy-related service contracts1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from TI
Or. en
Amendment 515
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143c. Calls on the Commission to include one or more members of the opposition in its procedures and on its supervisory and ethics bodies to make these bodies more independent.
Or. fr
Amendment 516
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143d. Notes that the Commission does not respond within the established time frames to parliamentary questions that are not to its liking; notes that the Commission has not answered a parliamentary question submitted on 17 July on an advisor to the Commission Vice-President in charge of the environment and the Green Deal passing through a revolving door into a gas network operator.
Or. fr
Amendment 517
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143 b. It notes the unprecedented abuses by the European Commission in refusing to provide documents and text messages related to the negotiations of COVID-19 vaccine purchase contracts funded by public funds;
Or. en
Amendment 518
Virginie Joron, Julien Sanchez, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143e. Notes that the European Public Prosecutor's Office's probes into the purchase of COVID vaccines and Qatargate are taking an extremely long time;
Or. fr
Amendment 519
Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 143 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
143 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 520
Virginie Joron, Tamás Deutsch
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 144 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
144a. Laments 'woke/LGBT-related' expenses (such as the cost of removing urinals to make toilets unisex) and activism, which have no place in a school environment; is concerned by the circulation of an LGBTQIA+ charter forbidding teachers from using the words 'son', 'daughter', 'father', 'mother', insisting that history books add examples of LGBTQIA+ stories, and forcing school libraries to stock books, magazines and films tackling LGBTQIA+ themes; is concerned by the holding of an LGBT drawing competition, for which the reward is an LGBT prize; regrets the fact that external adult activists have access to certain children in this school environment and do not want their parents to be made aware of this; is concerned that 'pride clubs' are open to both adults and children;
Or. fr
Amendment 521
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 147 – point v a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(v a) urges the European Commission to act as a role model, particularly for diseases that do not fall into classical fields and rare diseases; urges the Commission to expand their technical knowledge and handling of these cases; urges the Commission to expand the catalogue of tests eligible for reimbursement to include a wider bandwidth for laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures and exams as well as treatments; urges the Commission to do this promptly;
Or. en
Amendment 522
Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 147 – point v a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(v a) ensure the rapid introduction of strong protective mechanisms for EU institutional staff on mission in EU Member States and third countries, safeguarding their rights;
Or. en
Amendment 523
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 147 – point vi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi a) increase substantially the number of staff in the office of the Chief Confidential Counsellor by at least four AD positions to ensure an effective fight against harassment1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from Commission Harrassment Prevention network
Or. en
Amendment 524
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 147 – point vi b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi b) Prepare a report analysing the reasons why the vast majority of harassment complaints (requests for assistance) in the Commission are dismissed, most of them without even opening an administrative inquiry, and recommending how such dysfunctionality of the formal procedure can be addressed1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from Commission Harrassment Prevention network
Or. en
Amendment 525
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 147 – point vi c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi c) Ensure that as of 2025, requests for assistance in harassment cases are followed up with a proper administrative inquiry by the Investigation and Disciplinary Office (IDOC) or OLAF so as to ensure that harassers are held accountable and sanctioned proportionately to their wrongdoing1a;
_________________
1a amendment with input from Commission Harrassment Prevention network
Or. en
Amendment 526
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 148
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
148. Notes that in 2023, 27 recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) were revised, and that these revisions had an impact on the pace of implementation of the existing plans, causing delays; notes that increased energy prices, high inflation and supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and, in some cases, natural disasters, contributed to the revision of the RRPs; underlines that the delays caused by the revisions of the RRPs came in addition to existing ones, as shown by the significant differences between the foreseen calendar of payments requests and the actual transmission of these requests by the Member States to the Commission; remains concerned by the risk of under-implementation and of failure to reach the milestones and targets (M&Ts) as agreed in the RRPs;
148. Notes that in 2023, 27 recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) were revised, and that these revisions had an impact on the pace of implementation of the existing plans, causing delays; notes that increased energy prices, high inflation and supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and, in some cases, natural disasters, contributed to the revision of the RRPs; underlines that the delays caused by the revisions of the RRPs came in addition to existing ones, as shown by the significant differences between the foreseen calendar of payments requests and the actual transmission of these requests by the Member States to the Commission; remains concerned by the risk of under-implementation and of failure to reach the milestones and targets (M&Ts) as agreed in the RRPs; emphasizes the need for enhanced monitoring mechanisms to ensure that delays do not disproportionately impact key green and social transition projects;
Or. en
Amendment 527
Dirk Gotink
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 148
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
148. Notes that in 2023, 27 recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) were revised, and that these revisions had an impact on the pace of implementation of the existing plans, causing delays; notes that increased energy prices, high inflation and supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and, in some cases, natural disasters, contributed to the revision of the RRPs; underlines that the delays caused by the revisions of the RRPs came in addition to existing ones, as shown by the significant differences between the foreseen calendar of payments requests and the actual transmission of these requests by the Member States to the Commission; remains concerned by the risk of under-implementation and of failure to reach the milestones and targets (M&Ts) as agreed in the RRPs;
148. Notes that in 2023, 27 recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) were revised, and that these revisions had an impact on the pace of implementation of the existing plans, causing delays; notes at the same time that the political priorities in Member States can change after elections; notes that increased energy prices, high inflation and supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and, in some cases, natural disasters, contributed to the revision of the RRPs; underlines that the delays caused by the revisions of the RRPs came in addition to existing ones, as shown by the significant differences between the foreseen calendar of payments requests and the actual transmission of these requests by the Member States to the Commission; remains concerned by the risk of under-implementation and of failure to reach the milestones and targets (M&Ts) as agreed in the RRPs;
Or. en
Amendment 528
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 148 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
148 a. Calls on the Commission to respect the equality of all Member States before the Treaties and stresses the need to ensure each and every Member State has even access to the Recovery and Resilience Facility, as currently not all Member States are treated and supported evenly from the funds, which significantly undermines the functioning of the Single Market;
Or. en
Amendment 529
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 149
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
149. Draws attention with utmost concern to the statement of the President of the Court, arguing that approximately half of the RRF disbursements had not reached the real economy, and questions if the other half may have been used either to substitute recurring budgetary expenditure or generate profit to Member States from the increased interest rates;
149. Draws attention with utmost concern to the statement of the President of the Court, arguing that approximately half of the RRF disbursements had not reached the real economy; notes that almost 2 million companies have already received monetary or in-kind support from the RRF at that more than EUR 47 billion are earmarked for that purpose until 2026; notes that in 2023, the Court only detected 3 potential cases of substitution of recurring budgetary expenditure out of 667 milestones audited; notes likewise that neither the Court nor the Commission have at any point identified any indication that Member States generated profit from RRF funding;
Or. en
Amendment 530
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 150
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that each national plan should effectively address the economic and social consequences of the pandemic, the green and digital transitions, and all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations (CSRs) adopted by the Council; welcomes the fact that, thanks to the MRR, the percentage of CSRs with progress has increased by 17 % between 2021 and 2023;
Or. en
Amendment 531
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 150
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; stresses that the effectiveness of the RRF must be assessed not only in terms of disbursement but also in its ability to generate tangible, long-term improvements in social resilience and environmental sustainability; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
Or. en
Amendment 532
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 150
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that there is no definition in the RRF regulation what the "satisfactory fulfillment of M&Ts" means; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
Or. en
Amendment 533
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 150
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
150. Recalls that the RRF is a temporary and one off recovery instrument based on performance, i.e. that payments are linked to the satisfactory fulfilment of M&Ts related to reforms and investments included in the national RRPs; recalls that each national plan should effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country- specific recommendations adopted by the Council;
Or. en
Amendment 534
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 150 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
150 a. Highlights on the serious situation regarding the implementation and absorption rates being uneven among Member States ranging between 0% and 76.6% as of 9 January 2025, acknowledging that the three biggest Member States are having the three highest absorption rates;
Or. en
Amendment 535
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 150 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
150 b. Strongly doubts whether the RRF can fulfil its mandate with the existing significant differences in absorption rates and present difficulties to access the funds, or rather will strengthen and widen the already existing imbalances and differences among Member States within the EU instead of making them more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for new challenges;
Or. en
Amendment 536
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 151
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
151. Notes that in 2023, the Commission disbursed a total of EUR 75 billion, and additional pre-financing payments of EUR 7.1 billion, which brought the total disbursements by the end of 2023 to EUR 220.8 billion, divided into EUR 141.6 billion in grants (40 % of the total EUR 357 billion for grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) envelope) and EUR 79.2 billion in loans (27 % of the total EUR 291 billion for loans under the RRF envelope);
151. Notes that in 2023, the Commission disbursed a total of EUR 75 billion, and additional pre-financing payments of EUR 7.1 billion, which brought the total disbursements by the end of 2023 to EUR 220.8 billion, divided into EUR 141.6 billion in grants (40 % of the total EUR 357 billion for grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) envelope) and EUR 79.2 billion in loans (27 % of the total EUR 291 billion for loans under the RRF envelope); mandates detailed reporting requirements on how Member States allocate funds, preventing substitution of recurring budgetary expenditures, and ensuring funds reach intended beneficiaries;
Or. en
Amendment 537
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 151 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
151 a. Recalls, that the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is a temporary and one-off instrument addressing the negative economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and later, the Russian - Ukraine war;
Or. en
Amendment 538
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 152
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
152. Notes that the Court issued a qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of the RRF expenditure in 2023; is concerned that the Court concluded that seven out of 23 RRF payments made in 2023 were affected by quantitative findings and that six of these payments were affected by material error; notes that in the Court’s opinion, except for those matters, the RRF expenditure accepted in the accounts for the year 2023 is legal and regular in all material respects; notes that the nature of the RRF spending model relies on the assessments of milestones and targets (M&Ts) to be made by the Commission, that the Court cannot check M&Ts, and thus, the latter does not provide an error rate but estimates the minimum financial impact of its findings to be above the materiality threshold;
152. Notes that the Court issued a qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of the RRF expenditure in 2023; is concerned that the Court concluded that seven out of 23 RRF payments made in 2023 were affected by quantitative findings and that six of these payments were affected by material error; notes that in the Court’s opinion, except for those matters, the RRF expenditure accepted in the accounts for the year 2023 is legal and regular in all material respects; notes that the nature of the RRF spending model relies on the assessments of milestones and targets (M&Ts) to be made by the Commission, that the Court cannot check M&Ts, and thus, the latter does not provide an error rate but estimates the minimum financial impact of its findings to be above the materiality threshold; is convinced that Member States should bear financial responsibility for errors detected in post-disbursement, ensuring accountability and reducing fraudulent claims;
Or. en
Amendment 539
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 152
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
152. Notes that the Court issued a qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of the RRF expenditure in 2023; is concerned that the Court concluded that seven out of 23 RRF payments made in 2023 were affected by quantitative findings and that six of these payments were affected by material error; notes that in the Court’s opinion, except for those matters, the RRF expenditure accepted in the accounts for the year 2023 is legal and regular in all material respects; notes that the nature of the RRF spending model relies on the assessments of milestones and targets (M&Ts) to be made by the Commission, that the Court cannot check M&Ts, and thus, the latter does not provide an error rate but estimates the minimum financial impact of its findings to be above the materiality threshold;
152. Notes that the Court issued a qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of the RRF expenditure in 2023; is concerned that the Court concluded that seven out of 23 RRF payments made in 2023 were affected by quantitative findings and that six of these payments were affected by material error; notes that in the Court’s opinion, except for those matters, the RRF expenditure accepted in the accounts for the year 2023 is legal and regular in all material respects; notes that the nature of the RRF spending model relies on the assessments of milestones and targets (M&Ts) to be made by the Commission; notes that in 2023, the Court checked 452 M&Ts included in 23 grant payments and that it does not provide an error rate due to the nature of the RRF’s spending model but estimates the minimum financial impact of its findings to be above the materiality threshold;
Or. en
Amendment 540
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 152 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
152 a. Expresses deep concern that the Court was unable to verify the actual financial impact of erroneous or ineligible RRF payments due to the inherent limitations of the milestone and target-based assessment model; calls on the Commission to develop a more transparent error-tracking methodology to prevent misallocation and inefficiency;
Or. en
Amendment 541
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 153
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
153. Notes that the Court audited 325 out of 542 milestones and 127 out of 135 targets included in 2023 payment requests for grants; regrets that the Court considers that 16 of them were affected by regularity issues (2.4 % of the total); is concerned by the fact that the Court considers that the requirements had not been satisfactorily fulfilled for seven M&Ts in six payments and that the Commission had still made the corresponding payments; notes that the Court's conclusions are based on extensive audit work and regrets that the Commission contests some of the Court's conclusions; notes that all of the RRF payments must be assessed against the framework communicated and applied by the Commission, which must take into consideration for each payment the opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee and the scrutiny by Member State experts under the comitology procedure;
153. Notes that the Court audited 325 out of 542 milestones and 127 out of 135 targets included in 2023 payment requests for grants; regrets that the Court considers that 16 of them were affected by regularity issues (2.4 % of the total); is concerned by the fact that the Court considers that the requirements had not been satisfactorily fulfilled for seven M&Ts in six payments and that the Commission had still made the corresponding payments; notes that the Court's conclusions are based on extensive audit work and regrets that the Commission contests some of the Court's conclusions; notes that all of the RRF payments must be assessed against the framework communicated and applied by the Commission, which must take into consideration for each payment the opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee and the scrutiny by Member State experts under the comitology procedure; requests the Commission to ensure that all disputed payments related to unsatisfactorily fulfilled M&Ts undergo independent external review to strengthen public trust in the process;
Or. en
Amendment 542
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 153
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
153. Notes that the Court audited 325 out of 542 milestones and 127 out of 135 targets included in 2023 payment requests for grants; regrets that the Court considers that 16 of them were affected by regularity issues (2.4 % of the total); is concerned by the fact that the Court considers that the requirements had not been satisfactorily fulfilled for seven M&Ts in six payments and that the Commission had still made the corresponding payments; notes that the Court's conclusions are based on extensive audit work and regrets that the Commission contests some of the Court's conclusions; notes that all of the RRF payments must be assessed against the framework communicated and applied by the Commission, which must take into consideration for each payment the opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee and the scrutiny by Member State experts under the comitology procedure;
153. Notes that the Court audited 325 out of 542 milestones and 127 out of 135 targets included in 2023 payment requests for grants; regrets that the Court considers that 16 of them were affected by regularity issues (2.4 % of the total); is concerned by the fact that the Court considers that the requirements had not been satisfactorily fulfilled for seven M&Ts in six payments and that the Commission had still made the corresponding payments; notes that the Court's conclusions are based on extensive audit work and regrets that the Commission contests some of the Court's conclusions; notes that all of the RRF payments must be assessed against the framework communicated and applied by the Commission, which must take into consideration for each payment the opinion of the Economic and Financial Committee and the scrutiny by Member State experts under the comitology procedure; recommends an introduction of real-time tracking systems for disbursements and expenditures to prevent misallocations under the RRF and the MFF;
Or. en
Amendment 543
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 154
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
154. Notes with particular concern that the Court has identified what it considers to be nine cases of ineligible M&Ts linked to the continuation of a pre-existing project that either started before the eligibility period, or that were a substitution of recurring national budgetary expenditure; contests the Commission’s view that the eligibility period concerns only the date of start of works on a specific project rather than beginning of the preparatory or projection phase; regrets that such a view led to measures which were planned before the RRF eligibility period being included in the RRPs, thus casting doubts on the added value of the RRPs;
154. Notes with particular concern that the Court has identified what it considers to be nine cases of ineligible M&Ts linked to the continuation of a pre-existing project that either started before the eligibility period, or that were a substitution of recurring national budgetary expenditure; contests the Commission’s view that the eligibility period concerns only the date of start of works on a specific project rather than beginning of the preparatory or projection phase; regrets that such a view led to measures which were planned before the RRF eligibility period being included in the RRPs, thus casting doubts on the added value of the RRPs; calls on the Commission to implement stricter verification mechanisms to prevent the inclusion of pre-existing projects that do not provide added value under the RRF framework;
Or. en
Amendment 544
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 154
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
154. Notes with particular concern that the Court has identified what it considers to be nine cases of ineligible M&Ts linked to the continuation of a pre-existing project that either started before the eligibility period, or that were a substitution of recurring national budgetary expenditure; contests the Commission’s view that the eligibility period concerns only the date of start of works on a specific project rather than beginning of the preparatory or projection phase; regrets that such a view led to measures which were planned before the RRF eligibility period being included in the RRPs, thus casting doubts on the added value of the RRPs;
154. Notes with particular concern that the Court has identified nine potential cases of ineligible M&Ts linked to the continuation of a pre-existing project that either started before the eligibility period, or that were a substitution of recurring national budgetary expenditure; regrets the absence of concrete indication in the RRF Regulation and notes the Commission’s interpretation that the eligibility period concerns only the date of start of works on a specific project rather than beginning of the preparatory or projection phase; regrets that such a view led to measures which were planned before the RRF eligibility period being included in the RRPs but acknowledges that any measure must respect the scope, objectives and eligibility conditions set by the RRF Regulation;
Or. en
Amendment 545
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 154 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
154 a. Warns that the inclusion of pre-existing projects and the substitution of recurring budgetary expenditures within the RRF framework undermines the additionality principle, effectively converting the instrument into a backdoor financing mechanism for Member States’ regular budgets, rather than fostering genuine post-crisis recovery and resilience; calls for an urgent review to prevent further dilution of the RRF’s purpose;
Or. en
Amendment 546
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 155 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
155a. Advocates more decisiveness on the part of both the Commission and EU Member States in order to detect irregularities in the spending of RRF funds and to recover undue payments;
Or. nl
Amendment 547
Dirk Gotink
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
157. Notes with concern the Court’s finding that NGEU borrowing may more than double by 2026 while the bulk of repayment is deferred to future MFFs; recalls that the repayment of NGEU borrowing must start before the end of 2027, if unused appropriations remain available in the budget line to cover NGEU financing costs, and be completed by 2058 at the latest; notes that the Union budget exposure at the end of 2023 is expected to rise in 2024 and 2025, mainly to RRF loans; is concerned that potential changes in market conditions might result in higher borrowing costs which, for the NGEU debt relating to grants, will have to be borne by the Union budget;
157. Notes with great concern the Court’s finding that NGEU borrowing may more than double by 2026 while the bulk of repayment is deferred to future MFFs; recalls that the repayment of NGEU borrowing must start before the end of 2027, if unused appropriations remain available in the budget line to cover NGEU financing costs, and be completed by 2058 at the latest; notes that the Union budget exposure at the end of 2023 is expected to rise in 2024 and 2025, mainly to RRF loans; is concerned that potential changes in market conditions might result in higher borrowing costs which, for the NGEU debt relating to grants, will have to be borne by the Union budget; is concerned that there is to date still no repayment plan for the NGEU common debt;
Or. en
Amendment 548
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
157. Notes with concern the Court’s finding that NGEU borrowing may more than double by 2026 while the bulk of repayment is deferred to future MFFs; recalls that the repayment of NGEU borrowing must start before the end of 2027, if unused appropriations remain available in the budget line to cover NGEU financing costs, and be completed by 2058 at the latest; notes that the Union budget exposure at the end of 2023 is expected to rise in 2024 and 2025, mainly to RRF loans; is concerned that potential changes in market conditions might result in higher borrowing costs which, for the NGEU debt relating to grants, will have to be borne by the Union budget;
157. Notes with concern the Court’s finding that NGEU borrowing may more than double by 2026 while the bulk of repayment is deferred to future MFFs; recalls that the repayment of NGEU borrowing must start before the end of 2027, if unused appropriations remain available in the budget line to cover NGEU financing costs, and be completed by 2058 at the latest; notes that the Union budget exposure at the end of 2023 is expected to rise in 2024 and 2025, mainly to RRF loans; is concerned that potential changes in market conditions might result in higher borrowing costs which, for the NGEU debt relating to grants, will have to be borne by the Union budget, reminds in this regard to the risks and inefficiencies of joint borrowing;
Or. en
Amendment 549
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 158 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
158 a. Notes the Court’s findings in Special Report 13/2024 that additional reasons for slow absorption included measures not being suited to the RRF’s timeframe and underestimation of the time needed to implement them (due to public procurement and state aid rules); as well as uncertainties on implementing rules and how they should be applied including lacking guidance on the ‘do no significant harm’ principle (DNSH) and how to ascribe to it;
Or. en
Amendment 550
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 161
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
161. Expresses strong concerns about the Court’s observation that point to persistent weaknesses in the implementation of Member States control systems as this poses a risk 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 Union’s financial interests; recalls that, according to the RRF Regulation, Member State control systems have a key role to play in ensuring that the financial interests of the Union are protected effectively; urges the Commission to take decisive and swift action whenever necessary, and to make full use of the provisions of the RRF Regulation if deficiencies persist in the control systems of Member States;
161. Expresses strong concerns about the Court’s observation that point to persistent weaknesses in the implementation of Member States control systems as this poses a risk 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 Union’s financial interests; recalls that, according to the RRF Regulation, Member State control systems have a key role to play in ensuring that the financial interests of the Union are protected effectively; urges the Commission to take decisive and swift action whenever necessary, including imposing financial corrections, and to make full use of the provisions of the RRF Regulation if deficiencies persist in the control systems of Member States;
Or. nl
Amendment 551
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
163. Notes the Commission’s observation that, according to the RRF Regulation, double funding is explicitly linked to costs and thus, there can be no double funding if the Member State has not submitted any cost estimate as part of its national plan; notes that the Commission underlines that no-cost reforms do not increase the financial envelope but are nevertheless essential criteria for the Commission's positive assessment of RRPs, as well as their full implementation for the relevant payments; points out that the Commission, shortly after the Court audit field work, acknowledged it had identified the first two potential cases of double funding;
163. Notes the Commission’s observation that, according to the RRF Regulation, double funding is explicitly linked to budgetary costs and thus, there can be no double funding if the Member State has not submitted any cost estimate linked to a specific measure as part of its national plan; notes that the Commission underlines that no-cost reforms do not increase the financial envelope but are nevertheless essential criteria for the Commission's positive assessment of RRPs, as well as their full implementation for the relevant payments; points out that the Commission, shortly after the Court audit field work, acknowledged it had identified the first two potential cases of double funding;
Or. en
Amendment 552
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 164
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
164. Insists that, as a rule, measures already included in other national plans benefiting from EU funding (e.g. cohesion, agriculture, etc.) should not be included in RRPs, even if they do not incur any costs, as their inclusion raises doubts about the added value of the RRF; underlines that due to the different model of implementation, double funding between RRF and other EU financing instruments might be more difficult to identify, and urges the Commission to remain vigilant and pro-active in identifying any potential situation of double funding;
164. Recalls that Article 9 of the RRF Regulation establishes additionality and complementarity between Union programmes and instruments funding as key principles; believes that, to respect these principles but avoid the risk of double financing, measures already included in other national plans benefiting from EU funding (e.g. cohesion, agriculture, etc.) should be carefully described in RRPs to better identify the potential risk of double founding, even if they do not incur any costs; underlines that due to the different model of implementation, double funding between RRF and other EU financing instruments might be more difficult to identify, and urges the Commission to remain vigilant and pro-active in identifying any potential situation of double funding;
Or. en
Amendment 553
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 164
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
164. Insists that, as a rule, measures already included in other national plans benefiting from EU funding (e.g. cohesion, agriculture, etc.) should not be included in RRPs, even if they do not incur any costs, as their inclusion raises doubts about the added value of the RRF; underlines that due to the different model of implementation, double funding between RRF and other EU financing instruments might be more difficult to identify, and urges the Commission to remain vigilant and pro-active in identifying any potential situation of double funding;
164. Insists that, as a rule, measures already included in other national plans benefiting from EU funding (e.g. cohesion, agriculture, etc.) should not be included in RRPs, even if they do not incur any costs; underlines that due to the different model of implementation, double funding between RRF and other EU financing instruments might be more difficult to identify, and urges the Commission to remain vigilant and pro-active in identifying any potential situation of double funding;
Or. en
Amendment 554
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 164 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
164 a. Denounces the Commission’s lack of adequate safeguards to prevent double funding of projects under both the RRF and other EU financial instruments; calls for an automated cross-checking system between RRF and cohesion Funds, Common Agricultural Policy, and other EU funding programs to detect and eliminate duplicate claims;
Or. en
Amendment 555
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
165. Expresses concern about the Court’s finding in its Review 01/2023: ‘EU financing through cohesion policy and the RRF: A comparative analysis’ that reporting of fraud involving RRF expenditure still lacks a standardised approach with strong coordination and cooperation between Member States, which are obliged to report on cases of suspected fraud not in an integrated IT system, but in the management declaration accompanying every payment request, although Member States have also reported cases outside of the management declarations; regrets that there are no clear guidelines about exactly when a case of suspected fraud should be reported, whether there is a reporting threshold, and what standard information should be reported for each case and about the remedial measures taken;
165. Expresses concern about the Court’s finding in its Review 01/2023: ‘EU financing through cohesion policy and the RRF: A comparative analysis’ that reporting of fraud involving RRF expenditure still lacks a standardised approach with strong coordination and cooperation between Member States, which are obliged to report on cases of suspected fraud not in an integrated IT system, but in the management declaration accompanying every payment request, although Member States have also reported cases outside of the management declarations; regrets that there are no clear guidelines about exactly when a case of suspected fraud should be reported, whether there is a reporting threshold, and what standard information should be reported for each case and about the remedial measures taken; furthermore supports the request made by the Court to the Commission in the same review 01/2023 to obtain sufficient assurance from the Member States on the effectiveness of national systems to prevent, detect and correct fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest,
Or. en
Amendment 556
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
165 a. Expresses concerns that in 2023 the Commission had to introduce 10 additional control milestones for 7 Members States to address the weaknesses in their control systems that were identified; reminds and support Court’s evaluation that the fact control milestones were introduced means that Member states systems were not fully functional when the plans started to be implemented posing a serious risk to the regularity of the of the RRF expenditure and the to protection of financial interests;
Or. en
Amendment 557
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
165 a. Warns that Member States' self-reported fraud cases under RRF remain significantly underreported, creating a misleading picture of financial integrity;
Or. en
Amendment 558
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
165 a. New strongly regrets the lack of transparency in reporting fraud linked to RRF funds and insists that all Member States comply with standardized reporting obligations and use the Irregularity Management System (IMS);
Or. en
Amendment 559
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 166
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
166. Urges the Commission not to approve any revision of RRPs, which may lead to a re-packaging of existing or planned reforms or investments into the RRPs; believes that this would be contrary to the principle of the RRF and would diminish its added value;
166. Urges the Commission not to approve any revision of RRPs, which may lead to a re-packaging of existing or planned reforms or investments into the RRPs if they don’t respect the conditions of the RRF Regulation;
Or. en
Amendment 560
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 166
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
166. Urges the Commission not to approve any revision of RRPs, which may lead to a re-packaging of existing or planned reforms or investments into the RRPs; believes that this would be contrary to the principle of the RRF and would diminish its added value;
166. Notes that any revision of RRPs should always aim to create added value and increse synergies; is worried that some Member States may tend to a re-packaging of existing or planned reforms or investments into the RRPs;
Or. en
Amendment 561
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 167 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
167 a. Calls on the Commission to increase the number of ex-post audits and on-the-ground inspections for RRF-funded projects, particularly in high-risk sectors such as digital infrastructure, energy where previous EU funding programs have identified significant irregularities;
Or. en
Amendment 562
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 168 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
168 a. Stresses that delays in disbursement and absorption of RRF funds not only slow down economic recovery but also create substantial risks of last-minute, low-quality spending towards the end of the RRF period; calls on the Commission to introduce stricter interim evaluations to prevent a ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ rush that could lead to waste and misallocation;
Or. en
Amendment 563
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 168 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
168 b. Notes with serious concern that Member States may strategically forego their final payment requests to avoid fulfilling politically sensitive milestones and targets, thereby evading necessary but unpopular reforms; calls on the Commission to introduce financial penalties for incomplete RRF implementation to prevent manipulation of the payment structure;
Or. en
Amendment 564
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 173
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
173. Is concerned by the Court reporting in its annual reports that by the end of 2023, the EPPO had 206 active investigations related to funds used to implement RRF measures and estimated potential damages of over EUR 1.8 billion (concerning both national and EU funding); notes that the 206 open investigations concern ten Member States, with around 75 % of these cases coming from one country; stresses that, while no investigation has yet been completed, the figures presented by the EPPO confirm that the risk of fraud is present in the RRF, and that they call into question the reliability of Member State management declarations in terms of reporting detected fraud and the remedial measures taken;
173. Is concerned by the Court reporting in its annual reports that by the end of 2023, the EPPO had 206 active investigations related to funds used to implement RRF measures and estimated potential damages of over EUR 1.8 billion (concerning both national and EU funding); notes that the 206 open investigations concern ten Member States, with around 75 % of these cases coming from one country; stresses that, while no investigation has yet been completed, the figures presented by the EPPO confirm that the risk of fraud is present in the RRF, and that they call into question the reliability of Member State management declarations in terms of reporting detected fraud and the remedial measures taken; calls for urgent reinforcement of fraud detection mechanisms, including a mandatory fraud risk assessment for all large-scale RRF projects; calls on the Commission to ensure that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has adequate resources to investigate cases of fraud related to RRF expenditure, given the increasing number of investigations and high estimated damages;
Or. en
Amendment 565
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 173
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
173. Is concerned by the Court reporting in its annual reports that by the end of 2023, the EPPO had 206 active investigations related to funds used to implement RRF measures and estimated potential damages of over EUR 1.8 billion (concerning both national and EU funding); notes that the 206 open investigations concern ten Member States, with around 75 % of these cases coming from one country; stresses that, while no investigation has yet been completed, the figures presented by the EPPO confirm that the risk of fraud is present in the RRF, and that they call into question the reliability of Member State management declarations in terms of reporting detected fraud and the remedial measures taken;
173. Is concerned by the Court reporting in its annual reports that by the end of 2023, the EPPO had 206 active investigations (233 from the EPPO Annual report) related to funds used to implement RRF measures and estimated potential damages of over EUR 1.8 billion (concerning both national and EU funding); notes that the 206 open investigations concern ten Member States, with around 75 % of these cases coming from one country, namely Italy; is worried that at the end of 2023 the member states’ management declarations had not reported a single case of detected suspected fraud, meaning that none of the EPPO open cases where reported by Member States themselves, casting doubts on MS ability to detect and fight frauds; ; stresses that, while no investigation has yet been completed, the figures presented by the EPPO confirm that the risk of fraud is present in the RRF, and that they call into question the reliability of Member State management declarations in terms of reporting detected fraud and the remedial measures taken;
Or. en
Amendment 566
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 176 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
176 a. Reminds the RRF's crucial contribution to preventing a severe economic downturn and social crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic, and its ability to provide a strong crisis response tool;
Or. en
Amendment 567
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 177
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
177. Notes that for control and audits in the RRF, Member States should put in place arrangements to prevent, detect and correct corruption, fraud and conflicts of interests, and that the Commission performs ex-post and system audits on M&Ts; stresses that some confusion persists with respect to the role of the Court, which has developed a strategy (2021-2025 Strategy) for carrying out its responsibilities for the NGEU programme and the RRF, which some Member States perceive as an unnecessary overlap and administrative burden; is concerned that the Commission, both in its mid-term evaluation of the RRF of 21 February 2024 and its RRF Annual Report of 10 October 2024, acknowledged that Member States’ authorities at all levels found the audit and control procedures to be too complex, and that Member States complained about overlapping audits by national authorities, the Commission and the Court;
177. Notes that for control and audits in the RRF, Member States should put in place arrangements to prevent, detect and correct corruption, fraud and conflicts of interests, and that the Commission performs ex-post and system audits on M&Ts; stresses that some confusion persists with respect to the role of the Court, which has developed a strategy (2021-2025 Strategy) for carrying out its responsibilities for the NGEU programme and the RRF, which some Member States perceive as an unnecessary overlap and administrative burden; is concerned that the Commission, both in its mid-term evaluation of the RRF of 21 February 2024 and its RRF Annual Report of 10 October 2024, acknowledged that Member States’ authorities at all levels found the audit and control procedures to be too complex, and that Member States complained about overlapping audits by national authorities, the Commission and the Court; fully supports the Court work on the RRF and notes with surprise that for the forst time ECA report does not only contain replies from the Commission, but also a counter-reply from the Court of Auditors. from which we notes with concerns that the Commission challenges the mandate of the Court, by commenting on the audit approach of the Court, since the Commission "challenges aspects of the audit approach" by providing views on "observations that are not in the report" and that it does not "accurately and comprehensively present the underlying elements"1a; welcomes that when called to comments on this during the ECA presentation in CONT on 10th Oct 2024, the Commission has admitted and accepted that the Court has a full audit mandate on RRF, which is one of the foundation for the Parliament discharge on the RRF funds;
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1a ECA 2023 AAR, pag 478
Or. en
Amendment 568
Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 177
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
177. Notes that for control and audits in the RRF, Member States should put in place arrangements to prevent, detect and correct corruption, fraud and conflicts of interests, and that the Commission performs ex-post and system audits on M&Ts; stresses that some confusion persists with respect to the role of the Court, which has developed a strategy (2021-2025 Strategy) for carrying out its responsibilities for the NGEU programme and the RRF, which some Member States perceive as an unnecessary overlap and administrative burden; is concerned that the Commission, both in its mid-term evaluation of the RRF of 21 February 2024 and its RRF Annual Report of 10 October 2024, acknowledged that Member States’ authorities at all levels found the audit and control procedures to be too complex, and that Member States complained about overlapping audits by national authorities, the Commission and the Court;
177. Notes that for control and audits in the RRF, Member States should put in place arrangements to prevent, detect and correct corruption, fraud and conflicts of interests, and that the Commission performs ex-post and system audits on M&Ts; stresses that some confusion persists with respect to the role of the Court, which has developed a strategy (2021-2025 Strategy) for carrying out its responsibilities for the NGEU programme and the RRF, which some Member States perceive as an unnecessary overlap and administrative burden; is concerned that the Commission, both in its mid-term evaluation of the RRF of 21 February 2024 and its RRF Annual Report of 10 October 2024, acknowledged that Member States’ authorities at all levels found the audit and control procedures to be too complex, and that Member States complained about overlapping audits by national authorities, the Commission and the Court; recommends to the Member States complaining about the necessity to cooperate with the European Court of Auditors to give up their RRF funds and exit the programme; highlights once again that control systems in multiple Member States are very weak and unreliable;
Or. en
Amendment 569
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 177
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
177. Notes that for control and audits in the RRF, Member States should put in place arrangements to prevent, detect and correct corruption, fraud and conflicts of interests, and that the Commission performs ex-post and system audits on M&Ts; stresses that some confusion persists with respect to the role of the Court, which has developed a strategy (2021-2025 Strategy) for carrying out its responsibilities for the NGEU programme and the RRF, which some Member States perceive as an unnecessary overlap and administrative burden; is concerned that the Commission, both in its mid-term evaluation of the RRF of 21 February 2024 and its RRF Annual Report of 10 October 2024, acknowledged that Member States’ authorities at all levels found the audit and control procedures to be too complex, and that Member States complained about overlapping audits by national authorities, the Commission and the Court;
177. Stresses that for control and audits in the RRF, Member States should put in place arrangements to prevent, detect and correct corruption, fraud and conflicts of interests, and that the Commission performs ex-post and system audits on M&Ts; stresses that some confusion persists with respect to the role of the Court, which has developed a strategy (2021-2025 Strategy) for carrying out its responsibilities for the NGEU programme and the RRF, which some Member States perceive as an unnecessary overlap and administrative burden; is concerned that the Commission, both in its mid-term evaluation of the RRF of 21 February 2024 and its RRF Annual Report of 10 October 2024, acknowledged that Member States’ authorities at all levels found the audit and control procedures to be too complex, and that Member States complained about overlapping audits by national authorities, the Commission and the Court;
Or. en
Amendment 570
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 177 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
177 a. Highlights that the Commission’s assessment on the fulfillment of milestones is not transparent and rather political without objective and clear standards and deadlines; reminds in this regard to the discretionary power of the Commission; regrets that as a result, it is possible to super milestones as political blackmailing tools
Or. en
Amendment 571
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 178 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
178 a. Highlights the RRF impact on the EU business and SMEs; notes that RRF has provided EUR 78 billion in direct support to SMEs, representing 12 % of total RRF expenditure, and that broader measures benefiting businesses amount to EUR 152 billion (23 % of total RRF spending); notes that EUR 2.75 million SMEs, approximately 11 % of all active SMEs in the EU, have received support through the RRF; underlines that nearly EUR 600 000 businesses have benefited from digitalization initiatives, while EUR 5.2 billion have been allocated to green transition projects, including renewable energy and hydrogen;
Or. en
Amendment 572
Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 178 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
178 a. Expresses deep concern that the RRF, while presented as a driver of the green transition, has laid way for greenwashing; Notes that several investments labelled as 'green' under the facility lack robust sustainability criteria, allowing Member States to finance projects with questionable environmental impact; Deplores the absence of a stringent taxonomy ensuring that all RRF-funded projects genuinely contribute to EU climate objectives and that the facility does not become a financial vehicle for superficial rebranding of conventional expenditures as 'green';
Or. en
Amendment 573
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 178 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
178 a. Notes that the one of the objective of the RRF is to help Member States to implement ambitious reforms and investments that make their economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and prepared for the green and digital transitions; Highlights with concerns the finding of the Court of Auditors in its Special Report 15/2024 underlining the lack of relevance, quality and comparability of data submitted by the Member States, with data insufficient to evaluate progress on climate adaptation in the Member States.
Or. en
Amendment 574
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 178 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
178 a. Encourages the Commission to introduce a 'green scoring' mechanism within the RRF framework to track the environmental impact of investments and ensure alignment with EU climate objectives;
Or. en
Amendment 575
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 178 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
178 a. Calls on the Commission to come up with objective and clear analysis on how the implementation of reforms and investments within the RRF's NRRPs affected the economies of the Member States with special regard to the GDP growth, competitiveness and poverty; believes that in order to objectively judge the real efficiency of the combination of reforms and investments, such measurements are essential;
Or. en
Amendment 576
Jonas Sjöstedt
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 178 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
178 b. Calls for a structured impact assessment for all RRF-funded projects to ensure funds lead to tangible economic, social, and environmental benefits; Warns that without clear tracking mechanisms, funds risk being absorbed into national budgets without real impact; Urges the Commission to establish a performance evaluation framework to prevent misuse;
Or. en
Amendment 577
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 179
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
179. Highlights with concern that the facilitation of cross-border projects has not worked out; deplores that, despite the inclusion in the RRPs of several measures linked to Important Projects of Common Interest (‘IPCEIs’) and cross-border measures in the REPowerEU chapters, the national governance of the Facility has not sufficiently promoted cross-border cooperation; strongly insists that EU financing should be better linked with the achievement of common Union objectives and should generate EU added value;
179. Highlights with concern that the facilitation of cross-border projects has not worked out; deplores that, despite the inclusion in the RRPs of several measures linked to Important Projects of Common Interest (‘IPCEIs’) and cross-border measures in the REPowerEU chapters, the national governance of the Facility has not sufficiently promoted cross-border cooperation; takes note of the RRF mid-term review's finding that 25-33 % of its total GDP impact resulting from spillovers between Member States; notes that NRRPs include cross border projects, particularly in energy, hydrogen, and microelectronics, strengthening the Single Market and reducing economic disparities; notes that REPowerEU has enhanced EU energy resilience, supporting interconnection expansion and renewable integration across Member States; nevertheless strongly insists that EU financing should be better linked with the achievement of common Union objectives and should generate EU added value;
Or. en
Amendment 578
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 180
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
180. Emphasises that the Commission Annual Report of 10 October 2024 on the RRF implementation acknowledged the insufficient involvement of Member States of regional and local authorities, civil society organisations, social partners, and other relevant stakeholders in the preparation and the implementation of the national RRPs; calls for their close involvement in the implementation of the national RRPs on the ground;
180. Emphasises that the Commission Annual Report of 10 October 2024 on the RRF implementation acknowledged the insufficient involvement of Member States of regional and local authorities, civil society organisations, social partners, and other relevant stakeholders in the preparation and the implementation of the national RRPs;; calls on the Commission to ensure that national authorities engage meaningfully with local communities, workers’ unions, and environmental organizations in the implementation of RRPs to maximize their social and economic impact;
Or. en
Amendment 579
Dirk Gotink
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 181 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
181 a. Is concerned that the Union's debt continues to rise, with a large share of this increase attributed to the temporary recovery instrument NGEU; is concerned that the increased debt and the associated higher interest costs will have long-term consequences on the EU's fiscal stability, potentially leading to greater financial strain and a reduced capacity to respond to future challenges or invest in key strategic areas;
Or. en
Amendment 580
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 181 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
181 a. Regrets the lack of a thematic link between milestones and targets and actual implemented projects;
Or. en
Amendment 581
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 181 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
181 b. Regrets the time delay between the creation of the national recovery plans, completion of milestones and targets, and the actual implementation of projects; notes that this frequently leads to projects no longer being as applicable or no longer as pertinent to the current situation;
Or. en
Amendment 582
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 181 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
181 c. Regrets the fact that the design of the RRF does not allow enough flexibility to respond to emerging crises in a prompt manner; for example, in the event of natural disasters, such as the fires in Greece in the summer of 2023 or the severe flooding in Spain in 2024;
Or. en
Amendment 583
Daniel Freund
on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 182
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
182. Recalls that, while Member States are not required to publish all data on final recipients, Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council14 amending the RRF Regulation requires Member States to publish information on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding under the RRF; welcomes that on 10 October 2024, the Commission published, as part of the RRF Annual Report 2024, a dedicated Annex to provide further clarity on the concept of final recipients under the RRF Regulation and the scope of the publication of data on the largest 100 final recipients; expresses concern over the interpretation of the Commission of the concept of “final recipient” under the RRF, as often they are listed only at the ministry level, and that the descriptions are vague, with many examples available in almost all lists provided by Member States; reiterates its demand that the list of 100 largest final recipients provides the factual natural person or entity that is the last in a chain of money transfers; is concerned that otherwise it will be problematic to measure the impact and guarantee visibility of the RRF funds to the citizens;
182. Recalls that, while Member States are not required to publish all data on final recipients, Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council14 amending the RRF Regulation requires Member States to publish information on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding under the RRF; welcomes that on 10 October 2024, the Commission published, as part of the RRF Annual Report 2024, a dedicated Annex to provide further clarity on the concept of final recipients under the RRF Regulation and the scope of the publication of data on the largest 100 final recipients; expresses concern over the interpretation of the Commission of the concept of “final recipient” under the RRF, as often they are listed only at the ministry level, and that the descriptions are vague, with many examples available in almost all lists provided by Member States; reiterates its demand that the list of 100 largest final recipients provides the factual natural person or entity that is the last in a chain of money transfers to be made available in a publicly accessible database to enhance accountability and enable independent oversight; ; is concerned that otherwise it will be problematic to measure the impact and guarantee visibility of the RRF funds to the citizens; stresses that, should the Commission continue to refuse to ensure full transparency, Parliament must consider all available measures to enforce compliance, including legal action, to prevent a similar interpretation from being applied to the transparency provisions in other financial regulations, including the Ukraine facility;
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14 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) 2021/1060 and (EU) 2021/1755, and Directive 2003/87/EC (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/435/oj).
14 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) 2021/1060 and (EU) 2021/1755, and Directive 2003/87/EC (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/435/oj).
Or. en
Amendment 584
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 182
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
182. Recalls that, while Member States are not required to publish all data on final recipients, Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council14 amending the RRF Regulation requires Member States to publish information on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding under the RRF; welcomes that on 10 October 2024, the Commission published, as part of the RRF Annual Report 2024, a dedicated Annex to provide further clarity on the concept of final recipients under the RRF Regulation and the scope of the publication of data on the largest 100 final recipients; expresses concern over the interpretation of the Commission of the concept of “final recipient” under the RRF, as often they are listed only at the ministry level, and that the descriptions are vague, with many examples available in almost all lists provided by Member States; reiterates its demand that the list of 100 largest final recipients provides the factual natural person or entity that is the last in a chain of money transfers; is concerned that otherwise it will be problematic to measure the impact and guarantee visibility of the RRF funds to the citizens;
182. Recalls that, while Member States are not required to publish all data on final recipients, Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council14 amending the RRF Regulation requires Member States to publish information on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding under the RRF; welcomes that on 10 October 2024, the Commission published, as part of the RRF Annual Report 2024, a dedicated Annex to provide further clarity on the concept of final recipients under the RRF Regulation and the scope of the publication of data on the largest 100 final recipients; expresses concern over the interpretation of the Commission of the concept of “final recipient” under the RRF, as often they are listed only at the ministry level, and that the descriptions are vague, with many examples available in almost all lists provided by Member States; reiterates its demand that the list of 100 largest final recipients provides the factual natural person or entity that is the last in a chain of money transfers while respecting the legal framework of EU data protection; is concerned that otherwise it will be problematic to measure the impact and guarantee visibility of the RRF funds to the citizens although in this sense also takes into account all the information published in the Scoreboard and the project map;
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14 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) 2021/1060 and (EU) 2021/1755, and Directive 2003/87/EC (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/435/oj).
14 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) 2021/1060 and (EU) 2021/1755, and Directive 2003/87/EC (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/435/oj).
Or. en
Amendment 585
Tomáš Zdechovský
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 182
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
182. Recalls that, while Member States are not required to publish all data on final recipients, Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council14 amending the RRF Regulation requires Member States to publish information on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding under the RRF; welcomes that on 10 October 2024, the Commission published, as part of the RRF Annual Report 2024, a dedicated Annex to provide further clarity on the concept of final recipients under the RRF Regulation and the scope of the publication of data on the largest 100 final recipients; expresses concern over the interpretation of the Commission of the concept of “final recipient” under the RRF, as often they are listed only at the ministry level, and that the descriptions are vague, with many examples available in almost all lists provided by Member States; reiterates its demand that the list of 100 largest final recipients provides the factual natural person or entity that is the last in a chain of money transfers; is concerned that otherwise it will be problematic to measure the impact and guarantee visibility of the RRF funds to the citizens;
182. Recalls that, while Member States are not required to publish all data on final recipients, Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council14 amending the RRF Regulation requires Member States to publish information on the 100 final recipients receiving the highest amount of funding under the RRF; welcomes that on 10 October 2024, the Commission published, as part of the RRF Annual Report 2024, a dedicated Annex to provide further clarity on the concept of final recipients under the RRF Regulation and the scope of the publication of data on the largest 100 final recipients; expresses deep concern over the interpretation of the Commission of the concept of “final recipient” under the RRF, as often they are listed only at the ministry level, and that the descriptions are vague, with many examples available in almost all lists provided by Member States; reiterates its demand that the list of 100 largest final recipients provides the factual natural person or entity that is the last in a chain of money transfers; is concerned that otherwise it will be problematic to measure the impact and guarantee visibility of the RRF funds to the citizens;
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14 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) 2021/1060 and (EU) 2021/1755, and Directive 2003/87/EC (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/435/oj).
14 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) 2021/1060 and (EU) 2021/1755, and Directive 2003/87/EC (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/435/oj).
Or. en
Amendment 586
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 182 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
182 a. Notes that not being able to ascertain final recipients of RRF funding poses a severe risk to the transparency and traceability of EU funds and thus to the protection of EU financial interests;
Or. en
Amendment 587
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 183 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
183 a. Condemns that the Commission’s assessment on the fulfilment of milestones in RRF is not transparent and rather political without objective and clear standards and deadlines; reminds in this regard to the discretionary power of the Commission; regrets that as a result, it is possible to use super milestones as political blackmailing tools;
Or. en
Amendment 588
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 186
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
186. Calls on the Commission to reject any request of revision of RRPs which would lower the overall ambition of the plan or would eliminate important structural reforms from the RRPs, and to prioritise the completion of measures related to CSRs in RRPs; further calls on the Commission to step up its technical assistance to Member States lagging behind in the RRF implementation;
186. Calls on the Commission to carefully consider the approval of any request of revision of RRPs which would lower the overall ambition of the plan or would eliminate important structural reforms from the RRPs, and to prioritise the completion of measures related to CSRs in RRPs; further calls on the Commission to step up its technical assistance to Member States lagging behind in the RRF implementation;
Or. en
Amendment 589
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 187 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
187 a. calls the Commission to grant full access to the court to the new reporting tool on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), FENIX as soon as possible
Or. en
Amendment 590
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point i
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(i) carefully balance auditing and control requirements with the administrative burden imposed on Member States and beneficiaries of future performance-based instruments;
(i) carefully balance auditing and control requirements with the administrative burden imposed on Member States and beneficiaries of future performance-based instruments, but maintaining a sufficient level of control and audit that would grant a solid protection of the Union financial interests;
Or. en
Amendment 591
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point iv a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(iv a) calls on the Comission to record and monitor systematically all irregularities and all frauds affecting RRF funds;
Or. en
Amendment 592
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point v
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(v) consistently and accurately apply the provisions related to the “final recipients”, of the RRF Regulation, by revising its Guidance on RRPs in the context of REPowerEU, and to communicate with Member States on the correct application of the definition of “final recipients”;
(v) consistently and accurately apply the provisions related to the “final recipients”, of the RRF Regulation, by revising its Guidance on RRPs in the context of REPowerEU, and to communicate with Member States on the correct application of the definition of “final recipients”; calls on the Commission to come forward with proposals requiring Member States to publish details of all final recipients;
Or. nl
Amendment 593
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point vi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vi) streamline its control on the M&Ts through the implementation of a Single Audit approach, which would allow reducing the administrative burden, the consolidation of audit responsibilities between the Commission and the Court, and the coordination of audit timelines and requirements to avoid duplication and overlapping controls and audits;
(vi) streamline its control on the M&Ts through the implementation of a Single Audit approach, which would allow reducing the administrative burden, the consolidation of audit responsibilities between the Commission and the Court, the coordination of audit timelines and requirements to avoid duplication and overlapping controls and audits, but at the same time ensuring the full protection of the Union financial interests;
Or. en
Amendment 594
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point vii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(vii) support Member States in making IT systems truly interoperable, so as to facilitate efficient data collection, reporting and exchange between various government departments/agencies to allow minimising the risks of double funding, actively cross-check between relevant databases, and communicate with Member States about their administrative capacities to ensure double funding does not occur;
(vii) support Member States in making IT systems truly interoperable, so as to facilitate efficient data collection, reporting and exchange between various government departments/agencies to allow minimising the risks of double funding, actively cross-check between relevant databases, and communicate with Member States about their administrative capacities to ensure double funding does not occur; notes in this regard, the positive examples provided by Croatia and Italy at the ECA Conference on Transparency and Traceability of EU Recovery and Resilience Funding in October 2024;
Or. en
Amendment 595
José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) work closely with Member States to ensure that M&Ts, in particular those of a structural nature or linked with CSRs, are fully and diligently implemented, and that no revision of RRPs will be approved if ambition would be lowered or important measures would be weakened; reject any revision of plans that would represent a “re-packaging” of planned or existing measures into the RRPs;
(viii) work closely with Member States to ensure that M&Ts, in particular those of a structural nature or linked with CSRs, are fully and diligently implemented, and that no revision of RRPs will be approved if ambition would be lowered or important measures would be weakened;
Or. en
Amendment 596
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point viii
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(viii) work closely with Member States to ensure that M&Ts, in particular those of a structural nature or linked with CSRs, are fully and diligently implemented, and that no revision of RRPs will be approved if ambition would be lowered or important measures would be weakened; reject any revision of plans that would represent a “re-packaging” of planned or existing measures into the RRPs;
(viii) work closely with Member States to ensure that M&Ts, in particular those of a structural nature or linked with CSRs, are fully and diligently implemented, and to carefully consider the approval of any revision of RRPs if ambition would be lowered or important measures would be weakened; carefully consider the approval of any revision of plans that would represent a “re-packaging” of planned or existing measures into the RRPs;
Or. en
Amendment 597
Olivier Chastel, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Gilles Boyer, Michal Wiezik
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point x a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(x a) Develop a methodology based on quality and comparability of data to evaluate progress on green transition and climate adaptation in the Member States making sure that measures implemented through the Facility; promote long-term solutions for climate-adaptation, and green transition
Or. en
Amendment 598
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point xii a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii a) perform, whenever a revision of the RRPs is proposed, a comprehensive analysis of new and existing measures and whether they would substitute recurring budgetary expenditure or would be in breach with other eligibility conditions of the RRPs;
Or. en
Amendment 599
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point xii b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xii b) provide training and support to member states to increase administrative capacities including training on specialised skills, knowledge and providing examples of best practices;
Or. en
Amendment 600
Pasquale Tridico
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point xvi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi) ensure that any future revision, as well as the overall implementation, of RRPs is done in close cooperation and consultation of local and regional authorities;
(xvi) ensure that any future revision, as well as the overall implementation, of RRPs is done in close cooperation and consultation of local and regional authorities, civil society organisations, social partners, and other relevant stakeholders;
Or. en
Amendment 601
Csaba Molnár, Eero Heinäluoma, José Cepeda
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point xvi
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi) ensure that any future revision, as well as the overall implementation, of RRPs is done in close cooperation and consultation of local and regional authorities;
(xvi) ensure that any future revision, as well as the overall implementation, of RRPs is done in close cooperation and consultation of local and regional authorities and civil society;
Or. en
Amendment 602
Monika Hohlmeier
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point xvi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi a) deeply consider and analyse the weaknesses present in performance-based budgeting as found both by the European Court of Auditors and by the Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament and address these weaknesses proactively when designing future new programmes including possible future performance-based programmes; ensure that lessons learned from the past and existing measures be factored into the design of new measures;
Or. en
Amendment 603
Tamás Deutsch, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 188 – point xvi a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
(xvi a) to explore and come forward with possible solutions to extend the implementation deadline of the RRF;
Or. en