11 Amendments of Angelika WINZIG related to 2020/2140(DEC)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights, with regard to the implementation of the Union budget, the importance of complying with the principle of sound financial management as enshrined in Article 317 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU); emphasises that respect for the rule of law is among the most essential preconditions for sound financial management including the efficient and effective allocation and management of European funds; strongly welcomes in that regard the adoption of Regulation 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget; welcomes that the Commission has started its work on guidelines and emphatically reminds that this Regulation is applicable from 1 January 2020; expects the Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, to ensure that the Regulation is fully applicable from the date agreed by the co-legislators and reminds that annulment of the Regulation or part of it is only possible by the CJEU;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Deplores that deficiencies in the validity and comparability of data and reporting technologies with varying degrees of digitalisation in the Member States continue to severely hamper a comprehensive overview over the distribution of EU funds and their efficient control; regrets that the detection of misuse, fraud and embezzlement of EU funds is mostly limited to incidental discoveries by the Commission and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) during their sample-based audits or investigations by OLAF;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Recalls Parliament’s call on the Commission to propose regulation for the establishment of an interoperable IT system allowing for uniform and standardised reporting in a timely manner by Member State’s authorities in the area of shared management, particularly regarding CAP and cohesion funds, for an earlier detection of systemic errors and misuse as expressed in the discharge report for the Commission for the financial year 2018;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Emphasises that such an interoperable IT system would not only allow for an earlier and more efficient detection of misuse, fraud, misappropriations, conflicts of interest, double-funding and other systemic problems but would also allow for a comprehensive overview of the true distribution of EU funds and potentially unintended concentrations in the hands of few oligarchic or even criminal ultimate beneficiaries; underlines that the lack of information about the ownership structures and beneficial owners of companies and groups of companies significantly contributes to the opaqueness of the current distribution of funds; emphasises again the crucial importance of comprehensive, reliable and comparable data for the efficient, effective and timely control of European spending and the protection of European tax-payers’ money;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Underlines the benefits such an interoperable and digital system would entail for the Member States’ authorities with regard to the control and overview of national Parliaments and governments over the allocation, management and distribution of national tax-payer’s money in the form of European funds; emphasises that the digitalisation of the European reporting, monitoring and audit is overdue and indispensable given the cross-border nature of misuse, fraud, misappropriations, conflicts of interest, double-funding and other systemic problems;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1 e. Reiterates its urgent call on the Commission to prioritise a proposal for a regulation to establish such a reporting and monitoring IT system that would provide a comprehensive overview over the true distribution of EU funds; acknowledges proposals made by the Parliament and the Commission during the negotiations about the MFF 2021- 2027, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) and the CAP; deplores the Council’s resistance and refusal to constructively engage in the negotiations for viable compromises; regrets that different rules and reporting requirements were agreed in the different legislations; urges the Commission to propose a suitable provision to be included in the Financial Regulation without undue delay;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1 f. Notes that the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES), established by Art 135 Financial Regulation should ensure effective sanctions on unreliable persons or entities, and notably the exclusion from award and procurement procedures funded under the EU budget and the imposition of financial penalties; regrets that the database only lists very few economic operators (five as per February 2021); views this as a sign that EDES is not properly implemented;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 i (new)
Paragraph 1 i (new)
1 i. Calls on the Commission to report to the discharge authority the reasons for why EDES only contains very limited entries; take the necessary action to improve the working, implementation and operability of EDES to ensure that all economic operators that fulfil the criteria of Art 136(1) (c) to (h) of the Financial Regulation are listed; calls further on the Commission to review the criteria with a view to decreasing complexity and increase applicability in practice;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 g (new)
Paragraph 1 g (new)
1 g. Recalls that the discharge report 2018 called on the Commission to provide the discharge authority with a list of the 50 largest individual recipients (natural persons as beneficial owners of a company or of several companies) per Member State as well as a list of the 50 largest recipients (natural persons and legal persons as well as natural persons as owners of companies) of Union-subsidies aggregated across all Member States; acknowledges repeated attempts by the Commission to compile such a list by requesting information from the Member States; deplores that the Commission until the date of this resolution has not been able to provide the list as requested due to a lack of complete, reliable and comparable data provided by the Member States; underlines that this illustrates and emphasises the pressing need for a digital, interoperable reporting and monitoring system for the funds under shared management;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Paragraph 1 h (new)
1 h. Reiterates its call on the Commission: - to remove any technical and legal barriers to the collection of data on company structures and beneficial ownership and establish measures to ensure a digital and interoperable, standardized collection of information on the recipients of Union funding, including on those ultimately benefitting, directly or indirectly, from Union funding and their beneficial owners; - to put in place the necessary digital systems and instruments for the compulsory use of all Member States, including but not limited to a single data- mining and risk-scoring tool allowing the Commission, OLAF and where applicable the EPPO, to access and analyse such data on the recipients of Union funding (including their beneficial owners) for the purposes of control and audit, in order to enhance the protection of the Union budget and Next Generation EU against irregularities, fraud and conflicts of interest;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 a (new)
Paragraph 61 a (new)
61 a. Regrets that complex application rules and lengthy procedures are major hurdles in particular for SMEs, start-ups and first-time applicant that lack significant resources and experience with these application procedures;