Activities of Ramona STRUGARIU related to 2020/2222(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the evaluation of preventive measures for avoiding corruption, irregular spending and misuse of EU and national funds in case of emergency funds and crisis-related spending areas
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the evaluation of preventive measures for avoiding corruption, irregular spending and misuse of EU and national funds in case of emergency funds and crisis-related spending areas
Amendments (29)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges that the need to respond swiftly and effectively to a crisis often has a direct impact on the balance between the different powers of the state and recognises that governments and local authorities may be forced to adopt emergency measures with less public consultation than would generally be expected; recalls attention to thehowever that great importance ofshould be given upholding an effective system of checks and balances for all actions taken in response to an emergency;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is of the opinion thatUnderlines that during the response to the current COVID-19 crisis may have, there has been an increased the risk and instances of corruption; believeof corruption, confirmed by high-level prominent cases in some Member States; highlights that the response to the COVID- 19 crisis is also a reminder thatmust abide by the highest standards of openness, transparency, accountability and law enforcement, ares essential components of democratic governance;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Recalls the importance of preventive measures for mitigating risks associated to corruption in developing strategies and mechanisms of public procurement; calls on the Commission and Member State authorities to enhance existing and develop new dedicated mechanisms for special and crisis situations, with a particular focus on preventive measures; highlights that in this regard, the importance of enhancing the use of risk mitigating tools such as ARACHNE for both EU and national funds; reiterates its calls on the Commission to make the use of ARACHNE mandatory for EU funding;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that corruption in general undermines the functioning of the state and public authorities at all levels and is one of the key enablers of organised crime; emphasises that effective anti-corruption frameworks and transparency and integrity in the exercise of state power can strengthen legal systems and trust in public authorities and democratic processes; calls on all Member States to update or develop their national anti-corruption strategies, with dedicated sections to spending public money in times of crisis;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the incorrect management of public funds and ineffective responses to a crisis may intensify growing distrust in government; believes that the public has the right to be informed and to be provided with up-to- date, transparent and reliable information and data during crises; regrets that during the Covid-19 pandemic, several Member States adopted measures that hampered public access to documents; underlines that in this context, media professionals experienced important difficulties and unmotivated denials, as well as pressure and threats concerning access to public documents; recalls the role of the free press as a key component of a functional democracy and stresses the importance of protection mechanisms at national and European level in order to preserve and strengthen a free media; recalls that timely public access to documents in a machine-readable format is a key component to ensuring transparency and scrutiny of public spending;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges that the recent crises have confirmed the need to be able to mobilise investment and frontload financial support as from the very first years of recovery; is aware that in times of crisis resources have to be made available within tight deadlines and in rapidly changing circumstances; remarks that a significant amount of additional resources to be spent in a short amount of time increases the pressure on control systems; stresses, nevertheless, that rapid deployment of funds and swift adoption of legislative acts need to be complemented by adequate administrative measures; points out that the pressure to provide relief and the urge to use the resources in the shortest time possible could result in increased risk of corruption, fraud and other irregularities, and that such a situation requires efficient preventive measures and control management processes; reiterates that all procurement procedures must abide by the highest standards of openness, transparency and accountability; calls on the Commission and Member States to develop sections with targeted measures dedicated within to spending public money in terms of crisis, within their respective anti-corruption strategies;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is of the opinion that such crises provide an opportunity and a need to strengthen anti-corruption and integrity policies, and therefore improve overall governance; believes, in this respect, that the COVID-19 crisis willshould sharpen our focus on governance in the years ahead as a result of the increased efforts to tackle the pandemic’s devastating effects and costs for people and economies; draws attention to the important role of preventive measures in anticipating and effectively responding to corruption risks under crisis situations;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the critical role of civil society organisations in fighting corruption; emphasises that the success of any emergency response greatly depends on the active participation of all actors in society; believes that the current COVID- 19 crisis has highlighted the importance of maintaining a robust system of citizen participation in public decision-making; regrets that, during the COVID-19 crisis, several Member States adopted emergency legislation imposing restrictive measures on the activities of the civil society, beyond the proportionate necessities called for by the situation; urges Member States to develop comprehensive crisis management plans in order to prepare for future similar situations and to include safeguards for the civil society's role of public watchdog;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Underlines the essential role of the EPPO within the EU framework for preventing and fighting corruption; calls on remaining non-participating Member States to collaborate and eventually join the EPPO; highlights that Member States can benefit from valuable expertise by actively collaborating with the EPPO; recalls the need of ensuring proper human and budgetary resources for the proper functioning of the Office;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Highlights that the respect for the rule of law and a fully independent judiciary are essential for preventing and fighting corruption and that upholding them is crucial in periods of crisis; underlines that for their efficient operation, Member States should do a comprehensive evaluation of the equipment and human resources needs of law enforcement authorities, taking into account the rapid evolution and diversification of irregular and illegal paths; recalls the importance of effective information flows and enhanced communication between the different relevant national authorities, as well as at European level; calls on the Member States to take the necessary measures for providing law enforcement with the necessary IT tools and resources for enhancing their cooperation in preventing and fighting corruption;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Acknowledges the current role and future potential of using artificial intelligence and big data in fighting corruption and the misuse of public funds; points out that all publicly available information and data should be easily accessible; highlights that this information and data must be processed in a proper way to ensurecompliance with the norms concerning data protection and the right to privacy of citizenindividuals;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Regrets that during the Covid-19 pandemic, several Member States adopted measures that hampered public access to documents; underlines that in this context, media professionals experienced important difficulties and unmotivated denials, as well as pressure and threats concerning access to public documents; recalls the role of the free press as a key component of a functional democracy and stresses the importance of protection mechanisms at national and European level in order to preserve and strengthen a free media; recalls that timely public access to documents in a machine- readable format is a key component to ensuring transparency and scrutiny of public spending;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States to follow the recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)Reminds that the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) issued several recommendations concerning the use of public money in crisis situations, in the context pf the COVID-19 pandemic; calls on the Member States to follow all of the GRECO recommendations and welcomes the possibility of the EU joining GRECO as a full member.
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes that it is important to keep citizens engaged in the fight against corruption and fully protected from negative personal consequences; calls on the Commission to provide the right platforms for engagement; highlights the vital role of civil society organisations in fighting corruption; underlines that a robust system of citizen participation in public decision making is key to a successful response in emergency situations; regrets that, during the COVID-19 crisis, several Member States have adopted emergency legislation imposing restrictive measures on the activities of the civil society, beyond the proportionate necessities called for by the situation; urges Member States to develop comprehensive crisis management plans in order to prepare for future similar situations and to include safeguards for the civil society's role of public watchdog;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that in the midst of an economic, security or health-related crisis, governments have a tendency to relax contracting procedures; stresses the fact that the EU Public Procurement Directive already allows for much quicker and less administratively burdensome procedures and that Member States’ governments should not manage these procedures outside of the legal requirements; highlights that any necessary relaxation of procedures during crisis situations should be complemented by close scrutiny applied through reliable ex-post mechanisms;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the coordinated and decisive action at EU level resulting in the adoption of a wide package of initiatives, NextGenerationEU, targeting the consequences of the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic for citizens’ health and businesses across the EU; highlights however that the unprecedented increase in EU funds spending may increase the associated corruption risks; calls on the Commission and Member States to adapt the resources available to authorities within the national and European anti- corruption frameworks and to assess the use of complementary measures in enhancing their response to the increased risks associated;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Is of the opinion that more transparency, coupled with technology and data science, could also help to identify and reduce corruption; in this sense, calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the available tools, such as the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES), Arachne and the Irregularities Management System (IMS) to effectively and efficiently identify the problematic economic operators and the private individuals (or natural persons) linked to them in both direct and indirect management; encouragesreiterates its call on the Commission to make the use of ARACHNE mandatory for all EU funding; calls on the Member States to timely exchange information both among themselves and with the Commission and to cooperate more closely with a view to improving data collection and enhancing the effectiveness of controls; highlights the added benefits that information sharing can bring to effectively fight corruption; calls on the Commission and Member States to improve the interoperability of their respective relevant data bases and enhance cooperation in fighting corruption, especially under crisis situations;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Regrets the fact that OLAF does not have full access to the Arachne Risk Scoring Tool; calls on the Commission to take the necessary action in order to ensure the effective access of OLAF to the relevant data from the ARACHNE tool;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to evaluate the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to look at how corruption affected the outcome and whether integrity was upheld or undermined, and to report back to Parliament on the main findings; recommends that the Commission specifically assess this aspect in its upcoming annual rule of law reports;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Finds it lamentableRegrets that the Commission makes extensive use of the redaction tool to cover parts of the APA contracts; insists, notwithstanding the sensitivity of the information, that such details are important in improving accountability and the global response to the virus; notes that the Commission applies Article 38(3)(d) of the Financial Regulation, referring to the case where disclosure of data risks harming the commercial interests of the recipients, and calls for proportionality of effective scrutiny and full accountability of the use of the resources with the public interest;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Believes that if relevant data on public procurement were to be made publicly available for analysis, freely and easily accessible, in an open and standardised format, together with data on court convictions and on company registries, this could significantly foster the prevention and detection of potential cases of corruption; is of the opinion, therefore, that relevant information concerning all public procurement contracts (using public money) should be publicly available, published on a dedicated website and with the minimum of redaction, in full compliance with data protection legislation;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Objects vehemently, moreover, toRegrets the fact that, despite several attempts to get a clear overview, the Committees on Budgets and on Budgetary Control are not given access to relevant data on the EU funds spent under the ESI to finance the Advance Purchase Agreements (APA) contracts, amounting to around EUR 2.5 billion for six APA contracts;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Urges the Commission to put in place a solid and transparent EU public procurement framework, when funds from the EU budget are fully or partially involved, that would allow for full and unlimitedcomprehensive scrutiny by Parliament, especially concerning major economic, security or health crisis-related spending areas;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Welcomes the operationalisation of the EPPO; underlines the essential role of the EPPO within the EU framework for preventing and fighting corruption; calls on remaining non-participating Member States to collaborate and eventually join the EPPO; highlights that Member States can benefit from valuable expertise by actively collaborating with the EPPO; recalls the need of ensuring proper human and budgetary resources for the proper functioning of the Office;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. WUnderlines that the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) has made comprehensive recommendations to Member States with respect to the use of public money in crisis and emergency situations; calls on all Member States to fully implement these recommendations, enhancing transparency and accountability; welcomes, in this regard, the possibility for the EU to join GRECO as a full member;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Highlights the benefits that digital land registers bring to transparency of ownership, to preventing and fighting corruption; welcomes the Commission initiatives to implement such programmes across the EU; calls on the national authorities to collaborate with the Commission towards an extensive implementation of these programmes;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Takes the view that a centralised procurement administrationountry by country EU-wide public procurement data base to which contractors and contracting authorities are obliged to systematically report highly detailed project data and progress (in a standardised format) should be created, in order to facilitate data collection and treatment on an EU level;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Encourages the Member States to make good use of EU funding and programmes, and, with the help of; calls on national authorities to collaborate with OLAF, towards training staff to understandwith respect to the different fraud types, trends, threats and risks, corruption and other illegal activities affecting the EU’s financial interests;