7 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2019/2198(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that transparency and full access to documents held by the institutions must be the rule, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, and that, as already laid down in the established case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, exceptions to that rule have to be properly interpreted, taking into account the overriding public interest in terms of disclosure and in terms of the requirements of democracy, including closer involvement of citizens in the decision-making process, the legitimacy of governance, efficiency, and accountability to citizens;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the fact that Article 10(3) of the TEU grants EU citizens the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union and stipulates that decisions must be taken as openly and closely as possible to the citizen; insists that all institutions must strive to implement these principles, ensuring that the democratic political system remains accountable and legitimate while respecting the rule of law;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Regrets that it is still difficult for citizens to gain access to information held by the EU institutions due to the absence of an effective interinstitutional approach that is geared towards citizens and based on full transparency, communication and direct democracy;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls its resolution of 17 January 2019 on the Ombudsman’s strategic inquiry OI/2/2017 on the transparency of legislative discussions in the preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU and urges the Council to improve its rules and procedures as regards legislative transparency, including accessibility and classification of legislative documents; calls, specifically, on the Council to review its rules, ensuring that all debates, documents and information are made public and drawing up transcripts of its public meetings, fully reflecting the public interest in transparency, which should prevail over the need to protect the decision-making process; urges, further, the Ombudsman to make full use of her investigative powers under the Treaties to increase transparency in all activities, legislative and otherwise, within the EU;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that international agreements are binding on, and have an effect on, EU legislation, and stresses the need to ensure transparency throughout the negotiating process; therefore regrets that the negotiations are kept secret and that citizens have access to no information other than documents leaked by the press, leading to speculation and inaccurate views on the status and nature of ongoing negotiations;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the EU legislators to comply with the judgment of the General Court of 22 March 2018 (case T-540/15) on access to the documents of the trilogues and to implement it as soon as possible, thereby further strengthening the culture of transparency in the EU’s legislative work;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal to create a mandatory Transparency Register covering all EU institutions; urges the institutions to conclude the negotiations on the Commission proposal as soon as possible, rendering the work of the institutions as transparent as possible in the interest of the democratic process, while ensuring the involvement of citizens and full respect for the rule of law in the Union;