12 Amendments of Emmanuel MAUREL related to 2020/2133(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that within the EU institutions different legislative measures aimed at preventing conflicts of interest contain varying definitions of the term ‘conflict of interest’; believes therefore that the term should be understood to mean a conflict between the public duty and private interests of a public official, in which the public official has private- capacity interests which could improperly influence the performance of their official duties and responsibilities; notes, howevconsider,s that a definition of this kind has an evolving nature and that full transparency does not necessarily guarantee the absence of any conflict of interest, nor does it guarantee public trustpplying the highest transparency standards is the best way to restore citizens’ trust in EU institutions;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that trust in the European institutions and their democratic legitimacy have been profoundly altered by the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 despite the rejection by referendum in France and in the Netherlands of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in 2005;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Further notes the low level of trust in the EU institutions, with only half of the EU citizens expressing trust for the EU institutions according to the Eurobarometer survey carried out by the European Commission in 2019;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes therefore that the Committee on Legal Affairs in cooperation with the independent ethics body should be given sufficient time to evaluate possible conflicts of interest; further believes that it should be provided with sufficient resources, tools and skills to cross-check and locate necessary information;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that for proper expertise to be acquired, the futureindependent ethics body should have a permanent, independent and collegiate structure, and that its composition could be based either on specific institutional positions, such as that of the President of the Court of Justice, orand on the nomination of experts by each EU institution and relevant bodies such as the European Ombudsman, the OLAF, the European Court of Auditors, and on the participation of civil society organisations specialised in ethics, transparency and independence in public policy making;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Stresses that the composition of the independent ethics body should respect gender parity;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines however that the assessment of the independence of Commissioner-designates remains a political and institutional competence of the European Parliament; Recommends therefore that, while fully keeping its competence on the matter, the Committee on Legal Affairs decide on the existence of a conflict of interest after having received apublic, non-binding, precise and motivated recommendations by such an independent expert advisory body; Considers that the Committee on Legal Affairs should ultimately hold a debate and vote on the recommendations issued by the independent ethics body; Stresses that this decision of the Committee on Legal Affairs should be publicly motivated and taken by roll-call vote;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8 e. Stresses that it is of utmost importance that the independent ethics body is given the possibility to start investigations on its own initiative;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 g (new)
Paragraph 8 g (new)
8 g. Stresses that the independent ethics body should be accessible to legitimate external stakeholders; Recommends the creation of a mechanism to allow for the submission of concerns by external stakeholders including individuals and civil society organizations;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 h (new)
Paragraph 8 h (new)
8 h. Recommends the adoption of a specific complaint mechanism for designated civil society organizations, as well as the obligation for the independent ethics body to examine these submissions without delay and motivate any decision taken in their regard;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 i (new)
Paragraph 8 i (new)
8 i. Stresses that the combat against fraud, corruption, maladministration or misuse of public funds are distinct, although sometimes related, to the control of ethical issues in the EU institutions; Consequently underlines that the creation of an independent ethics body must not lead to the undue suppression or restriction of other existing bodies that supervise the good administration of the European Union;