20 Amendments of Sylvie GUILLAUME related to 2021/2167(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas Article 15 of the TFEU states that ‘in order to promote good governance and ensure the participation of civil society, the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies shall conduct their work as openly as possible’ and that ‘any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State, shall have a right of access to documents of the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies’; whereas ensuring that high- quality services are provided to EU citizens and that the EU administration is responsive to their needs and concerns is crucial in protecting citizens' rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas Article 41(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights states that ‘every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union’;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas Article 43 of the Charter states that ‘any citizen of the Union and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State has the right to refer to the European Ombudsman cases of maladministration in the activities of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role’;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Ombudsman receives a large number of complaints from individuals and organisations about the EU administration every year, and whereas the top three concerns in the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2020 were transparency, accountability (access to information and documents) (25 %), culture of service (24 %) and proper use of discretionary powers, including in infringement procedures (17 %); whereas other concerns include ethical issues, respect for fundamental rights, sound financial management, whistleblowing, respect for procedural rights, recruitment and good management of EU personnel issues;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas the main priority of the European Ombudsman is to ensure that citizens’ rights are fully respected and the right to good administration of EU institutions, bodies, offices or agencies reflects the highest standards;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S a (new)
Recital S a (new)
S a. whereas the Ombudsman launched an inquiry on how the Commission ensures that Hungary and Portugal’s use of ESI funds for care facilities for persons with disabilities is in line with the legal obligations stemming from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the ESI funds Regulation and the UNCRPD
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomApproves the annual report for 2020 presented by the European Ombudsman, and commends its excellent presentation on the most important facts and figures concerning the Ombudsman’s work in 2020;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point a (new)
Paragraph 4 – point a (new)
(a) Emphasises the essential role of transparency, good administration and institutional checks and balances in the work of the EU institutions;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point a (new)
Paragraph 5 – point a (new)
(a) Stresses that trust between citizens and the institutions is of paramount importance, especially in the context of the COVID-19 crisis;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Commends the Ombudsman’s determination to achieve the highest level of transparency in the EU decision- making process; stresses the need to monitor the implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations for transparency in trilogues; Reiterates its call for the publication of all trilogue documents in order to uphold citizens’ democratic rights, as full transparency at all stages of the legislative process, including in the informal negotiations between the three main EU institutions, is crucial to enabling citizens to hold their elected representatives and governments accountable;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 – point a (new)
Paragraph 18 – point a (new)
(a) Calls on the Ombudsman to continue her work to ensure the timely publication of the names of all EU officials involved in ‘revolving door’ cases and to guarantee full transparency with regard to all related information;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point a (new)
Paragraph 19 – point a (new)
(a) Welcomes the Ombudsman’s inquiries following complaints by persons with disabilities, and encourages her work as an active participant in the EU Framework for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – point a (new)
Paragraph 20 – point a (new)
(a) Urges the Commission to investigate the use of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI funds), which were allocated for the construction of institutional care facilities for persons with disabilities in Hungary and Portugal;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – point b (new)
Paragraph 20 – point b (new)
(b) stresses that ESI related funds have been allocated to promote the rights of persons with disabilities to live independently and to be included in the community; stresses that it is essential to monitor the allocated EU funds, which should be used to support deinstitutionalisation in Member States;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – point c (new)
Paragraph 20 – point c (new)
(c) Stresses that while Member States’ obligations as regards the principle of non-discrimination, including giving particular attention to accessibility to persons with disabilities throughout the preparation and implementation of projects should be respected;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – point d (new)
Paragraph 20 – point d (new)
(d) Emphasises the Ombudsman’s inquiry on how the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) deals with alleged breaches of fundamental rights, in particular on their transparency and effectiveness of their complaint mechanism and the role and the independence of their Fundamental Rights Officer; calls on the Ombudsman to follow up with the Commission’s future actions on how its established monitoring mechanism will control the effectiveness of border management operations that are funded by the EU;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point a (new)
Paragraph 21 – point a (new)
(a) Commends Ombudsman’s activities on digital platforms raising awareness to EU citizens about her work; notes that the fastest-growing channel in 2020 was Instagram, where the audience grew by71% during the year (1 068 new followers); on LinkedIn, the number of followers increased by 34% (+ 1 237), while on Twitter, where the Ombudsman has the largest audience, the number of followers reached 29 200 in December 2020,which represents an 11% increase (+ 2 870);
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Stresses the importance of the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO) and annual meetings hosted with national and regional ombudsmen through the European Network of Ombudsmen to further raise awareness of what the Ombudsman’s Office can do for European citizens;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22 b. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s actions during the pandemic to keep regular contact with her fellow national colleagues from the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO) and to organise and host webinars throughout 2020 on topics such as implications of the pandemic, sharing experiences and promoting best practices in the crisis response, and on the impact of Artificial Intelligence;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
Paragraph 22 c (new)
22 c. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s initiative on fast track procedure related to access to documents cases, aiming to have a decision on the requested documents within 40 working days; notes that in 2020 the average time to handle public access complaints is one third what is was before2018 when this procedure was introduced;