Activities of Dennis de JONG related to 2015/2110(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Fight against corruption and follow-up of the CRIM resolution (A8-0284/2016 - Laura Ferrara)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the fight against corruption and follow-up of the CRIM resolution PDF (490 KB) DOC (87 KB)
Amendments (41)
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights in this regard that it is urgent that the Parliament and the Council find an agreement on the Directive on the fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law (PIF Directive) with VAT included in its scope;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Takes note of the on-going discussions in the Council on the draft regulation establishing the European public prosecutor’s office (EPPO) as an essential piecein the context of the action plan;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recommends that the EU become a Urges the Commission to submit to the Parliament as soon as possible a progress report on the preparations for the EU-membership of GRECO and to provide in this report a survey of the legal challenges and possible solutions in this respect;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recommends that the EU become a member of GRECO and request participation in the Open Government Partnership;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that the European Commission has not yet published its 2nd Anti-Corruption Report, which is due to be issued in 2016;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls upon the Commission to support the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in its efforts to monitor the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, by meeting the EU's own reporting obligations as well as by co-funding UNODC's projects for technical assistance, whenever relevant;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for Member States to invest more heavily in fostering a culture of legality; onsidering that the legislative proposals for strengthening the rights of suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings as foreseen in the Stockholm Programme have almost all been dealt with, invites the Commission to come up with additional legislative initiatives, inter alia, with respect to pre-trial detention, in order to ensure the right to fair trial, as recognised in the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter on Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for the EU to apply for membership for the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO); and to fulfil its reporting obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption, to which the EU is party; requests the Commission to submit its second report on corruption in the EU as soon as possible and to include also information in respect of the European institutions themselves, which was missing it its first report, or, if the second report will not be available in the coming months, to submit a separate report on the European institutions as an addendum to its first report;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that, in order to fight corruption effectively and ensure lasting outcomes, the EU and Member States need to adopt a political strategy and a list of priorities, which may comprise not only legislative action but also a set of concrete benchmarks that Member States commit to attain in order to tackle corruption in the public and private sector and organised crime; takes the view that these targets and benchmarks should be holistic, comprising at least measures to improve transparency of public acts, access to information, public officials' asset disclosure, judicial capacity and technical assistance, whistleblower protection and mechanisms for citizen engagement in decision-making;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the 18-month programme of the EU Council for the Dutch, Slovak and Maltese Presidencies, where a comprehensive and integrated approach to organised crime will be high on the agenda. In the area of justice, there will be a focus on combating fraud against the Union’s financial interests, including work on the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, data protection, and promoting and safeguarding the rule of law and fundamental rights.
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Takes the view that the current round of EU proposals concerning the fight against organised crime should place thespecial emphasis on combating crimes of association (i.e. the fact of belonging tothe aspect of membership of a criminal organiszation), rather than simply combating so-called target crimes (i.e. crimes which such organisations are set up to commit) as aggravating circumstance or as separate criminal offence; reiterates that this round of proposals should also include the combating of money laundering among its priorities;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the establishment of a specialist Europol unit to combat organised criminal groups which operate in several sectors at the same time; takes the view that the Member States should set up a body with responsibility forsecure and effective mechanisms in the current institutional framework to ensuringe that investigations into organised crime are properly coordinated and that mutual trust among law enforcement authorities in Member States is fostered;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Refers to the emerging trend of raids of shops by organised groups of criminals who work cross-border in the European Union and calls for special attention of both Member States and Europol for this particular form of organised crime;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Regrets that the European Commission has not yet published its second Anti-Corruption Report, which is due to be issued in 2016, and re-iterates its point of view that this report should not be confined to the situation in the Member States but should also include a section on the measures against corruption taken by the European institutions themselves;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – introductory part
Paragraph 10 – introductory part
10. Calls for a basic set of rules to be drawn up concerning the definition of criminal offences and penalties in the field of organised crime and corruption, in order to improve cross-border judicial cooperation; calls, in particular, forupon the Commission to submit the following proposals:
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point a
Paragraph 10 – point a
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 10 – point d a (new)
(da) Calls for the implementation of Directive 2008/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on the protection of the environment through criminal law. Invites the Member States to fully implement this directive, punishing with effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal penalties any kind of unlawful behaviour having negative impacts on human health or the environment included: discharge, emission or introduction into air, soil or water of dangerous materials; burning of waste; illegal trade, collection and transport of hazardous waste. Invites Member States to consider waste combustion as a criminal offense punishable with criminal penalties, in the same way as those included in Directive 2008/99/EC.
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point d b (new)
Paragraph 10 – point d b (new)
(db) Invites, the EU Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL), to inform periodically the European Parliament about the actions of Member States in the implementation of Directive 2008/99/EC.
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – point d c (new)
Paragraph 10 – point d c (new)
(dc) Whereas, according to environmental protection associations and NGOs wildlife and forest crime as well as the traffic and export of radioactive materials and hazardous waste to third countries plays a serious role financing organized crime, calls for a specific legislation to fight the export of radioactive materials, hazardous waste and the illegal trade in fauna and flora
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Deplores the fact that cross-border police and judicial cooperation involves excessively lengthy, bureaucratic procedures that hamper its efficiency and jeopardise the effectiveness of the fight against organised crime, corruption and money laundering at EU level; calls on the Member States to increase the resources they devote to cross-border police and judicial cooperation, to ensure proper training and technical support, to guarantee the mutual admissibility of evidence between Member States, and to ensure that greater use is made of joint investigation teams and to employ a common system for communication and for exchanging information relevant to the fight against organised crime and corruption;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Deplores the fact that cross-border police and judicial cooperation involves excessively lengthy, bureaucratic procedures that hamper its efficiency and jeopardise the effectiveness of the fight against organised crime at EU level; calls on the Member States to increase the resources they devote to cross-border police and judicial cooperation, to guarantepromote the mutual admissibility of evidence between Member States, to ensure that greater use is made of joint investigation teams and to employ a common system for communication and for exchanging information relevant to the fight against organised crime and corruption;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses the urgency of creating a more efficient system for communication and exchanging information among judicial authorities within the EU, replacing the traditional instruments of mutual legal assistance for criminal matters, if necessary; asks the Commission to assess the need for legislative action in this field, to create a proper EU system of exchange of information among EU judicial authorities;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7
Subheading 7
Preventing organised crime and corruption from infiltrating the legal economy
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on Member States to implement public procurement monitoring instruments and to bar any undertaking which has proven links with organised crime from entering into an economic relationship with a public authority; calls on the Member States, accordingly, to introduce anti-organised crime certification for companies and calls for the relevant information to be exchanged at EU levelprovide the Commission with all necessary information to draw up a blacklist of companies which will be temporarily barred from European public procurement procedures as a consequence of their engagement in corruptive practices;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to take legislative action with the aim of simplifying bureaucratic administrative procedures and thus improving transparency and reducfighting corruption;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Regards it as essential to strengthen legislative provisions designed to guarantee greater transparency and traceability of financial flows, in particular as far as EU funds are concerned, including by means of a final audit to check that the funds have been properly used; calls upon the Commission a. to correct payments in the case of irregularities by Member States in using EU funds; b. to temporarily debar institutions and companies who have been found guilty of abuse of EU funds; And calls upon Member States to submit national declarations on their control systems;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Takes the view that the Commission should impose the highest levels of integrity in the procurement processes for implementation of EU- funded projects; recalls that monitoring results of projects in cooperation with civil society organisations and holding local authorities accountable is essential to determine whether EU funds are used appropriately and that corruption is tackled;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Urges the Commission and Member States to demand contractors to reveal their full corporate structure and beneficial owners before awarding any contracts to them so as to avoid supporting companies which engage in aggressive tax planning, tax fraud and evasion and corruption;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Emphasises the need for the EU and the Member States to take appropriate measures, including under criminal law, to monitor and eventually sanction companies based on their territory which are involved in corruption; calls on the Commission and Member States to aggregate data to formulate a public list of companies which have been convicted of corrupt practices or whose company officials are being indicted for corrupt practices in Member States; is of the opinion that such listing should prohibit those companies from participating in public procurement processes or benefit from EU funds in EU Member States in the case of conviction, and until a final court decision of exoneration; highlights the fact that 'blacklisting' can be effective in dissuading companies from engaging in corrupt activities and provides a good incentive for them to improve and reinforce their internal integrity procedures;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Condemns the increasingly widespread counterfeiting of goods, medicines and agri-food products in the EU; points out that this criminal activity, which involves distribution networks managed by transnational organised crime, has insinuated its way into the markets of the Member States; suggests that a holistic approach be taken inurges Member States to step up their co-operation in order to combating criminal organisations of this kind;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls, therefore, on the Commission to give food fraud, and counterfeiting of goods, medicines and agri-food products, the full attention it warrants and to take all necessary steps to make the prevention and combating of food fraud an integral part of EU policy;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Underlines the need to gain further insight into the scale and incidence of food fraud, and counterfeiting of goods, medicines and agri-food products in the EU; calls on the Commission and the Member States to collect data systematically on fraud and counterfeiting cases and to exchange best practices for identifying and combating these phenomenon;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Invites the Commission and Member States to consider other methods which aim to prevent and discourage food fraud, such as naming and shaming through a European register of convicted fraudulent food and medicines business operators;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)
Paragraph 20 e (new)
20e. Calls for the entire food chain in Europe, including all stages of production, processing, sales and distribution to be transparent and fully open to scrutiny by inspectors in order to ensure that fraudulent food, medicines and agri-food products can be quickly identified;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Notes that the purchase of property in EU Member States is a way to launder the proceeds of criminal activity, whereby criminals shield their ultimate beneficial ownership through foreign shell companies; urges Member States to ensure that any foreign company intending to hold a property title in its territory be held to the same standards of transparency required of companies incorporated in its jurisdiction;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Asks, furthermore, for the Union's list of uncooperative jurisdictions to be accompanied by regulatory framework for sanctions against the blacklisted jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, the possibility of reviewing and, in the last resort, suspending free trade agreements and prohibiting access to Union funds; calls for the sanctions to apply also to companies, banks, accountancy, law firms and tax advisers proven to be involved with those jurisdictions or to have facilitated tax and corporate arrangements to other companies involving legal vehicles in those jurisdictions;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Recommends that Member States strive to ensure efficient transparency, monitoring and accountability mechanisms in their use of EU funds; whereas the positive impact of the EU funds rely on processes at national and EU level to ensure transparency, effective monitoring and accountability, consideration should be given as to how to make monitoring and evaluation ongoing processes and not only ex-post processes. Believes the role of the Court of Auditors should be strengthened in that regard;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Believes qualitative and quantitative indicators should be established and be comparable in order to measure the impact of EU funds and help to assess whether those funds achieved their objectives. Quantified data should be systematically collected and published;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25d. Recognises that the discrepancies between Member States regarding protection from labour exploitation under criminal law reflect a lack of clear standards; reiterates the recommendations of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency regarding the need to strengthen the current legal framework to protect workers from exploitation, and for an EU-level consensus which states that labour exploitation is unacceptable and that all workers are entitled to effective protection.