10 Amendments of Derk Jan EPPINK related to 2012/2168(DEC)
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants its President discharge in respect of the implementation of the European Parliament budget for the financial year 2011; / Postpones its decision on granting its President discharge in respect of the implementation of the European Parliament budget for the financial year 2011;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Bureau to schedule as a specific agenda item a discussion of the discharge report in May or June, shortly after its adoption by plenary;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Reiterates its proposal that the Bureau should circulate more 'White Papers' on policy items of general interest to all Members so they can be thoroughly discussed within political groups prior to a final decision being taken;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39 a. Notes that 192 members of staff report to the Directors General without going through a Director; asks the Secretary-General to review this situation to ensure that 'cabinets' for Directors- General are not being created unofficially; asks the Secretary-General to include in the review an assessment of the grades, powers and responsibilities of these staff;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Takes note of the fact that the contract with the current travel agency expires on 31 December 2013 and that the preparations of a new call for tenders have started; regrets that, while the possibility of a financial audit was provided for in the contract, this is not the case for an audit of the structure and performance of the travel agency; insists that a future contract should include the possibility of intermediary and final financial and performance audits; as requested by the Committee on Budgetary Control, welcomes the fact that the administration will also have recourse to external expertise when establishing tender documentation and throughout the selection procedure, thereby ensuring that Parliament chooses the best solution, resulting in major simplifications and cost- savings; stresses that the new contract should take into account the best quality/price ratio and the best value for money with competitive prices; reiterates its proposal for exploring the possibility of having two travel agencies operating within Parliament, in direct competition, and whether this might provide a cost- neutral way of increasing efficiency and achieving best value for money;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Regrets that the audience of Europarl TV, although greater in 2011 as compared with 2010*2, continues to be very low in the case of direct individual users (excluding viewers through partnership agreements with regional TVs) despite the considerable financing that it still received in 2011, amounting to some EUR 8 000 000 (item 3 2 4 6); regrets furthernotes that in its resolution on the discharge 2010 Parliament called "on the Secretary-General to present proposals to its competent committee for the closure of the operation"; regrets that the Bureau decided to ignore Parliament's decision; notes with grave concern that no cost- benefit evaluation of Europarl TV has being made, despite the fact that this was requested by Parliament in its resolution on the discharge 2010; welcomes, however, the decision of the Bureau of 12 December 2012 to implement a set of reforms in order to achieve significant savings; 1 2 en Direct visits per month on the website: 2010: 30 000; 2011: 39 559. Direct visits per month on the website: 2010: 30 000; 2011: 39 559. made, despite the fact that this was requested by Parliament in its resolution on the discharge 2010; insists that a cost- benefit evaluation should be initiated immediately, explicitly considering the possibility of shutting the project down in its entirety;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Is concerned at the increased cost of the Lux Prize in 2011*1; calls for a more cost- efficient management of this prize and therefore suggests the Internal Auditor might consider reviewing its administration to achieve this goal;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Notes that a business plan for the House of European History in Brussels was approved by the Bureau on 26 September 2011 and that the Commission has declared its willingness to participate in the running costs of the project and will communicate to Parliament before the end of the summer 2013 the terms of such contribution; ; deplores the decision to persist with this project, which is not only highly controversial and costly but also superfluous in light of the success of the visitor's centre; notes that pushing ahead with current plans will likely enforce negative public perceptions of Parliament, as it will be seen to be a costly and unnecessary vanity project in these times of financial difficulty; requests that all construction and associated works should be immediately halted, while the possibility of abandoning plans for a House of European History altogether is reconsidered by Parliament;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Insists that the time has finally come to end all subsidies to the catering service, as it is no longer tenable that officials and staff pay anything other than market prices; expects to this end that catering services will be required to be self- sufficient; reiterates its suggestion that the possibility be explored for the existence of two or more service providers, in direct competition, so as to encourage increased quality of service and best value for money;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Points out that any property and buildings strategy must also take account of the rising costs of maintaining the buildings purchased; suggests that the current buildings strategy should be urgently re-examined, with a view to halting all expansion;