Activities of Ingeborg GRÄSSLE related to 2015/2319(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on control of the Register and composition of the Commission’s expert groups PDF (387 KB) DOC (60 KB)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on Control of the Register and composition of the Commission’s expert groups
Amendments (10)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas its Committee on Budgets, in light of the lack of transparency and the imbalanced composition of a large number of expert groups (EGs), and seeing the need to make sure that the composition of EGs strikes the right balance in terms of expertise and of views represented, adopted budgetary reserves in 2011 and 2014 and formulated demands for their reform;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas a recent study it commissioned1 has identified a widespread lack of transparency and an at times imbalance in EGd composition of EGs; __________________ 1 Policy Department D Budgetary Affairs, Composition of the Commission`s expert groups and the status of the register of expert groups, 2015.
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that despite the progress that resulted from the 2011 budgetary reserve, the Commission has so far failed to alter the horizontal rules for EGs and their practices in a way that would meet Parliament’s requests for transparency, and that the number of EGs in which there is an imbalance has increased since 2013from 69 in 2013 (corresponding to 8% of all EGs) to 72 in 2015 (9% of all EGs);
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Points out, in this context, and with regard to par. 34-45 of the Ombudsman's aforementioned opinion, that, although the Comission has not yet formally defined its concept of 'balance', the latter is not to be understood as the result of an arithmetic exercise, but rather as the result of efforts to ensure that the members of an EG, together, possess the necessary technical expertise and breadth of perspectives to deliver on the mandate of the EG in question; finds that the concept of balance should, therefore, be understood as tied to the specific mandate of each single EG; considers that the criteria to assess whether an EG is balanced should include the tasks of the group, the technical expertise required, the stakeholders who would be most likely affected by the matter, the organisation of groups of stakeholders, and the appropriate ratio of economic and non- economic interests;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Welcomes the Commission's public announcement that the revised framework for EGs will take up a number of Parliament's and the Ombudsman's suggestions, such as mandatory open calls for application, an improved register, mandatory registration in the Transparency Register for stakeholder representatives, a definition, for each EG, of the profiles needed to ensure a balanced composition, as well as mandatory declarations on conflicts of interest, which will be put on the register;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Urges the Commission to implement, moreover, the Ombudsman's recommendations on transparency, namely, that the agendas, background documents and minutes of EG meetings should be published, unless, in exceptional cases and with the Commission's consent, a majority of members decides otherwise, and that the published minutes should be as meaningful as possible and set out the positions expressed by the members;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. UrgInvites the Commission to adopt a more proactive approach toexplore, in collaboration with the legislator and with civil society, ways to facilitate and encourage the participation of under- represented groups, in EGs, and to tackle existing information asymmetries, and to develop, in dialogue with these groups, a special allowance system for that purpose;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Requests, therefore, the Commission to applyexplore ways to facilitate and encourage the participation of under- represented organisations or social groups in expert groups, by assessing, inter alia, its provisions for reimbursement of expenses generously, in order, including possible ways to cover outlays for any such ‘alternative costs’’;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to make enough resources available for theensure – building on existing positive examples – a systematic implementation of improved horizontal rules by means of a central oversight of the implementation of these horizontal rules, and not to delegate this to the individual Directorates-General;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to devote, in particular, sufficient resources to the activities relating totake all necessary steps to ensure that the Register, so that it will be kept up to date and does not contain any factual errors;