Activities of Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ related to 2020/2142(DEC)
Shadow reports (2)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019, Section II – European Council and Council
SECOND REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019, Section II – European Council and Council
Amendments (19)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes the role of Parliament and of other institutions in the discharge procedure, as provided for by TFEU, in particular Article 319 thereof, and ofby the Financial Regulation, in particular Articles 260 to 263 thereof; underlines that Parliament's role is reinforced by a well- established and respected practice;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. NotWelcomes that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’), in its annual report for 2019, observed that no significant weaknesses had been identified in respect of the audited topics relating to human resources and procurement for the European Council and Council (the ‘Council’);
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets that the Council continues to be silent in relation to the remarks made by Parliament in its discharge resolution of 28 April 20211 in relation to the trend from previous yearsongoing since 2009; _________________ 1 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)/0166.
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets that the budget of the European Council and the Council has not been divided into two separate budgets, as recommended by Parliament in recent discharge resolutions, for reasons of transparency and to improve both expenditure efficiency and accountability for each institution;
Amendment 8 #
8. Regrets that, in spite ofNotes the Council’s improved financial management and performance system, t; regrets, however, that no report currently exists which provides a comprehensive summary of the major key performance indicators and results, thus preventing any measurement of achievements reached against objectives set;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets the lack of information on the implementation of the Council’s gender action plan and of the measures taken to ensure equal opportunities for persons with disabilities at the Council (as a workplace); calls on the Council to provide Parliament with detailed information on the proportion of persons working with disabilities, and on geographical and gender distribution, andparticularly at senior management level; calls on the Council to report on the measures taken in order to ensure equal opportunities, geographical balance, and gender equality at the Council;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets the lack of information from the Council on effective actions taken to tackle gender and geographical imbalances, including at management level, and in this regard recalls Parliament's resolution of 17 December 2020 on the need for a dedicated Council configuration on gender equality3 , requesting ministers and secretaries of state in charge of gender equality to have a dedicated institutional forum to ensure stronger integration of gender equality in Union strategies and policy processes, the coordination of all related policies, as well as the harmonisation of the protection of women’s rights and gender equality in the Union via an intersectional approach; underlines that this specific configuration would represent a key element in unblocking the negotiations on the main files related to gender equality; _________________ 3 Text adopted, P9_TA(2020)0379.
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Reminds the Council that conducting impact assessments is one of the key factors set out in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making, together with the promise of the Council to carry out impact assessments in relation to its substantial amendments to the Commission’s proposals; regrets that the Council has so far not carried out any impact assessment on one of its amendments;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Regrets the lack of information concerning Council’s actions aimed at enhancing ethical culture and points out that no initiative in this direction has been reported, to Parliament; underlines the importance of implementing good practices such as specific training, code of conduct provisions or internal guidance on integrity and ethical values, a dedicated website or frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) on ethical matters or procedures for the protection of whistleblowers; recalls the statement by the Court of Auditors in its Special Report No 13/2019 entitled ‘The ethical frameworks of the audited EU institutions: scope for improvement’ that ethical conduct “contributes to sounder financial management and increased public trust, which is indispensable if public policies are to succeed” and in particular, that “any unethical behaviour by staff and Members of the European Union (EU) institutions and bodies attracts high levels of public interest and reduces trust in the EU”;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets the lack of attention paid to the need for an ethical framework, transparency and the prevention, identification and avoidance of conflicts of interest; reiterates its deep concern over the conflicts of interests of a number of Member State representatives involved in policy and budget decision-making processes; reiterates that any actual or perceived conflict of interests jeopardises the reputation of the Council and the Union as a whole; repeats Parliament’s strong call on the Council to ensure that Member State representatives who benefit directly from Union subsidies through the businesses they own (directly or indirectly) do not participate in related policy or budgetary discussions and votes; requests the Council to provide Parliament with information on the necessary measures put in place to avoid any conflict of interests;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Regrets theat some Member States resort to corporate sponsorship to cover some of the expenses incurred by Member States to finance their Council presidencies; is highlyfinance part of the activities of their Council presidencies not covered by the Council’s budget; reiterates its deep concerned bys about the possible reputational damage that this practice might cause to the Council and the Union; urges the adoption of clear guidelines aimed at preventing situations of conflict of interest and the definition of transparent and binding rules on sponsorship; takes note of the final text of 30 June 2021 to be inserted into the Council’s Presidency Handbook as guidance to Council presidencies regarding the use of sponsorship; welcomes this positive step but regrets the lack of a common set of clear, transparent and concrete rules; calls on the Council to further elaborate this guidance and to make it mandatory for the Member States;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets the lack of action and initiatives on the part of the Council to ensure a smooth and fasteround, transparent and efficient process for the appointment of the European Prosecutors and in relation to the proposal for European Delegated Prosecutors made by Member States;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Regrets that the Council continues to fail to provide answers to Parliament's questions as well as to attend the hearings of the Secretary-Generals of the institutions;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Is aware of the key role of the Council in nominations and appointments procedures for the Union institutions and bodies, in particular the European Council, the Commission, the Court and the consultative Committees (the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committees); strongly recommends a review of these prerogatives in the view of ethical principles adopted by the Union, such as integrity and dignity; recalls the Court's statement that ethical conduct 'contributes to sounder financial management and increased public trust, which is indispensable if public policies are to succeed' and, in particular, that 'any unethical behaviour by staff and Members of the EU institutions attracts high levels of public interest and reduces trust in the EU'; considers it thus necessary to avoid the appointment as Members of Union institutions and bodies candidates who represent a reputational risk for the entire Union, such as candidates with unethical behaviour confirmed by OLAF or with legal proceedings underway against them;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that the lack of cooperation of the European Council and the Council with the discharge authority sends a negative signal to the citizens of the Unioncontravenes the principle of loyal cooperation among the institutions and sends a negative signal to the citizens of the Union with regards to the transparency and democratic accountability of the Union budget;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Reiterates its concerns about the alarming information reported by the media regarding the construction of the new Europa building; calls on the Council to thoroughly research the main contractor and the whole chain of subcontractors (up to 12 according to the media), as well as the working conditions of the workers employed, and to provide Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control with all its findings;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Reiterates the need to improve cooperation between the institutions in the framework of the discharge procedure through a Memorandum of Understanding between Parliament, the Council and the Commission in relation to the cooperation between Parliament and the Council during the annual discharge procedure; calls on the Council, to that end, to initiate interinstitutional negotiations without any further delay;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Encourages the Council to advise the presidencies properly in establishing clear and transparent rules on sponsorship; urges the Council to make progress with respect to the guidelines without delay andNotes that the Member States are expected to finance their own presidencies and regrets that they resort to corporate sponsorship to cover some of their expenses; is highly concerned about the possible reputational damage that this practice might cause to the Council and the Union; urges Council presidencies to avoid resorting to corporate sponsorship to cover expenses; asks the Council, in that regard, to envisage the budgetisation of the presidencies; calls on the Council to reflect on the currently non-binding character of the guidance;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Recalls the statements by Vice- President Věra Jourová and Commissioner Johannes Hahn in their hearings before Parliament in 2019 that they are willing to engage in this matter so as to help achieve more transparency on the implementation of the Council’s budget; considers that the negotiations could be extended to include the Commission so as to ensure that Parliament is provided with the necessary information on how the Council is implementing its budget, either directly or via the Commission.