2020/2146(DEC) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes with satisfaction that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’), in its annual report for 2019, observed that no significant weaknesses had been identified in respect of the audited topics relating to human resources and procurement for the Committee of the Regions (the ‘Committee’);

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Acknowledges that the situation in terms of gender balance in middle and senior management positions has remained relatively stable since 2018 with 35 % of these positions being filled by women; acknowledges that a new equal opportunity strategy containing concrete objectives to be reached by 2025 is being adopted and should enter in force in 2020; calls upon the Committee to present an outline of its adoption and its planned impact;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Acknowledg~~Notes that the situation in terms of gender balance in middle and senior management positions has ~~remained relatively stable~~not improved since 2018 with 35 % of these positions being filled by women; acknowledges that a new equal opportunity strategy containing concrete objectives to be reached by 2025 is being adopted and should enter in force in 2020; calls on the Committee to report back to the discharge authority on its implementation and first results on an annual basis;

Amendment 12 #

Alin MITUȚA, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Encourages the Committee to continue its efforts to achieve gender balance at all hierarchal levels and welcomes actions such as the mandatory presence of both genders on selection panels, the active encouragement of female applicants for all managerial positions, specific training sessions for female staff who wish to prepare for a managerial career and more flexible working arrangements, including the possibility for part time work and telework; notes the range of incentives put in place by the Committee such as the formal recognition of management responsibilities below head of unit level and the creation of an informal Network for gender balance in management launched with the support of the administration;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Encourages the Committee to continue its efforts to achieve gender balance at all hierarchal levels and welcomes actions such as the mandatory presence of both genders on selection panels, the active encouragement of female applicants for all managerial positions, specific training sessions for female staff who wish to prepare for a managerial career and more flexible working arrangements, including the possibility for part time work and telework; calls on the Committee to continue enhancing the geographical balance of its staff in order to establish a proper representation of nationals from all Member States, including at management level;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Notes the attention paid to achieving a geographical balance in the Committee’s staff; notes that all Union nationalities were represented in 2019, with the exception of Luxembourg; encourages the Committee to enhance its communication efforts in the Member States that are under-represented;

Amendment 15 #

Ádám KÓSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Welcomes the appointment of an equal opportunities officer centrally working in the HR directorate, as well as the 'equal opportunities roadshows', asks the Committee to report on the concrete achievements of the new strategy, the results of the actions taken with regard to improving diversity and making the Committee a more inclusive workplace for persons with disabilities;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Acknowledges that the new equal opportunity strategy focuses also on disability and diversity; notes the trainings regarding unconscious bias for managers and HR staff involved in selection procedures; asks the Committee to report to the budgetary authority on the specific objectives, actions and indicators within the strategy;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Appreciates the Committee’s focus on developing and upholding high-quality health and well-being services based on prevention and early intervention through close cooperation between the HR services concerned, and awareness-raising programmes among staff and managers; welcomes the training sessions held with managers at both junior, middle and senior level on the topic of absence management and successful integration of colleagues after long-term absence; notes that ten cases of burnout were registered in 2019; notes that the Committee’s Social Service provides assistance during the illness period and upon return to work; asks the Committee to include burnout detection in its health and well-being services;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Appreciates the Committee’s focus on developing and upholding high-quality health and well-being services based on prevention and early intervention through close cooperation between the HR services concerned, and awareness-raising programmes among staff and managers; welcomes the training sessions held with managers at both junior, middle and senior level on the topic of absence management and successful integration of colleagues after long-term absence; welcomes the increased flexitime and teleworking arrangements to improve the work-life balance of staff, as well as the continuation of the stress and burnout prevention programme;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that the Committee uses contract staff mainly to provide appropriate support in the form of replacements for mid to long term absences and for specific projects in different directorates with the objective of providing additional support to members of the Committee; reminds, however, that the use of contract staff also entails considerable loss of knowledge and expertise for the Committee at the end of their contracts and thus encourages the Committee to keep on negotiating the enlargement of its establishment plan;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~States with satisfaction~~Welcomes that based on its audit work, the Court concluded that the payments as a whole for the year ended 31 December 2019, the administrative and other expenditure of the Committee were free from material error and that the examined supervisory and control systems were effective;

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that the Committee uses contract staff mainly to provide appropriate support in the form of replacements for mid to long term absences and for specific projects in different directorates with the objective of providing additional support to members of the Committee; notes that in 2019, as the consequence of the cooperation between the Committee and Parliament, the number of long-term contract staff decreased in the Directorate for Translation compared to the years 2013-2017;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that the Committee needs to upgrade its security control systems and ensure a safe work place for its members and staff, which require additional specialised resources and that the ratio of resources dedicated to both physical security and IT support per member of staff is very low in comparison to other European institutions.; encourages the Committee to continue preparing new project to boost cybersecurity;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Underlines that an external evaluation of the communication strategy of the Committee was carried out in accordance with the standards applied by all other Union institutions using a shared framework contract; notes that the ~~overall~~ quality of the Committee’s communication ~~mostly~~did not always meets audience needs ~~and~~but is overall effective as key stakeholders have a positive perception of the Committee;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Underlines that an external evaluation of the communication strategy of the Committee was carried out in accordance with the standards applied by all other Union institutions using a shared framework contract; notes that the overall quality of the Committee’s communication mostly meets audience needs and is effective as key stakeholders have a positive perception of the Committee; invites the Committee to improve digital communication with the public and to enhance the visibility of its studies for stakeholders and for Union citizens;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Asks the Committee to continue its efforts to improve the visibility of the studies it produces; underlines that, in addition to online publication, there is a need for pro-active promotion of studies towards all stakeholders; encourages the Committee to reach out to Parliament to enhance cooperation, for instance through the organisation of joint meetings and events;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Requests the Committee to report on how it ~~plans to~~will implement ~~efficiently~~ the recommendations of the evaluation report; notes that the biggest successes of the Committee’s communication are the citizens' dialogues with the Commission and the Committee’s own local dialogues, the flagship events ‘EuroPCom’ (European conference on public communication) and the ‘European week of the regions and cities’;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Notes that the Committee is using proprietary social media network, such as Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn; encourages the Committee to establish a presence on free and open source social media networks, such as Mastodon, to achieve further transparency and broader outreach;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. ~~Is aware~~Welcomes that the bureau of the Committee adopted a digital strategy at the beginning of 2019, on the basis of the Tallinn Declaration on e-Government with its core principle of 'Digital by default', and that the implementation started following the adoption; notes that the main deliverables of the strategy are member-centric information systems to support the political work of the Committee, information systems to support paperless administrative processes and a digital workplace programme;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is aware that the bureau of the Committee adopted a digital strategy at the beginning of 2019 and that the implementation started following the adoption; notes that the main deliverables of the strategy are member-centric information systems to support the political work of the Committee, information systems to support paperless administrative processes and a digital workplace programme; invites the Committee to enhance digitalisation also through interinstitutional cooperation;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Welcomes the Committee’s active policy on open-source technology; encourages the Committee to prioritise open source technology in order to prevent vendor lock-in, retain control over its own technical systems, provide stronger safeguards for the privacy and data protection of the users, as well as increase security and transparency for the public; notes that, in 2019, 39 open source software applications were included in the inventory of software packages and that there are currently active projects taking place to implement a new digital signature portal and a management console based on open source technology;

Amendment 3 #

Luke Ming FLANAGAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Regrets, as an overall remark, that chapter 9 ‘Administration’ of the Annual Report of the Court has a rather limited scope and conclusions, even if Heading 5 'Administration' of the Multiannual Financial Framework is considered low risk; requests that the audit work for that chapter be more focused on issues of high relevance or even critical importance for the Committee

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18 b. Encourages the Committee to follow the EDPS recommendations to renegotiate the Inter-Institutional Licensing Agreement and implementation contract, signed between the Union institutions and Microsoft in 2018, with the objective of achieving digital sovereignty, avoid vendor lock-in and lack of control and ensure the protection of personal data;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Welcomes the fact that a series of measures has been implemented to ensure adequate building security standards, such as the installation of new equipment for access control and the installation of new closed-circuit television (CCTV) system; notes that the related security standards have reached the same level as the standards of Parliament and the Commission and that, moreover, first steps have been taken to buy a new visitor's management system that will be implemented in 2020;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Welcomes the fact that a series of measures has been implemented to ensure adequate building security standards, such as the installation of new equipment for access control; notes that the related security standards have reached the same level as the standards of Parliament and the Commission and that, moreover, ~~first steps have been taken to buy a~~the procurement process started for the new visitor's management system that w~~ill be implement~~as planned to be installed in 2020;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Notes the guiding principles of the Committee's building strategy which include the geographical concentration of buildings, the preference for ownership rather than lease, a sustainable building management and multi-annual planning; notes that the working group set up jointly with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) established guidelines for the attribution of office space, taking into account the situation in other Union bodies; appreciates that these parameters were presented to and discussed with staff representatives; acknowledges the Committee’s transparent and cooperative approach vis-à-vis staff representatives; notes that a total of 241 work stations are not in use and asks the Committee to explain its plans for those work stations within the current building strategy;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Recognises that the Committee together with the EESC has given instructions to remove asbestos in autumn 2020 in full respect of the necessary protection measures during the works as requested in the 2018 discharge resolution; welcomes the fact that most of the buildings of both the Committee and the EESC are ~~either~~ asbestos free ~~or, as in the case of the VMA building, asbestos-saf~~; expresses its concerns over the health of the workers and the presence of asbestos in the VMA building, although acknowledges that the Committee has received an asbestos-safe certificate;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Underlines that the Committee formulates clear key performance indicators for its different administrative areas by formulating objectives, results and the related number of human resources; asks the Committee to provide in addition to this very detailed setting a consolidated version of the major objectives and the results achieved in the next annual activity report, in which it asks the Committee to explore more reader-friendly data visualisation options for the key performance indicator tables;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Notes that a compliance and effectiveness exercise was launched in 2019 to assess to what extent the Committee complies with the 16 internal control standards; notes that the 2019 compliance exercise has shown that the overall state of implementation and effectiveness of the requirements remained satisfactory and stable as compared to 2018; notes, however, that areas for further improvement have been identified including the alignment of the Committee’s mission and organisational structure with new priorities, further digitalisation of data storage and simplification of administrative processes as well as an in-depth revamp of the existing business continuity plan arising from the experiences acquired during the current COVID-19 situation; calls on the Committee to report on the implementation of these much needed improvements in a follow-up to the 2019 discharge;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Notes that a compliance and effectiveness exercise was launched in 2019 to assess to what extent the Committee complies with the 16 internal control standards; notes that the 2019 compliance exercise has shown that the overall state of implementation and effectiveness of the requirements remained satisfactory and stable as compared to 2018; notes, however, that areas for further improvement have been identified including the alignment of the Committee’s mission and organisational structure with new priorities, administrative cooperation between the Parliament and the Committee, further digitalisation of data storage and simplification of administrative processes as well as an in-depth revamp of the existing business continuity plan arising from the experiences acquired during the current COVID-19 situation;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Notes that monitoring of the internal audit function is provided by the audit committee composed of one member per political group of the Committee’s commission of financial and administrative affairs and one high-level external advisor; observes that in 2019 the audit committee held two meetings where the 2018 annual internal report and the 2020 work programme wasere presented and members were informed about the progress achieved with regard to the state of play of ongoing audits and the open recommendations as well as the related risks; notes that 57 % of very important recommendations were closed after 6 months (target for 2019- 2020: 75%) and 100% of very important recommendations were closed after 12 months (target for 2019-2020: 100%); suggests the Committee to include a summary of the audit recommendations in its annual activity report;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Observes that the internal financial rules for the implementation of the Committee’s budget were updated on 1 January 2019 by its decision No 0014/2018 and have been implemented throughout 2019 ~~by including~~; notes with satisfaction the inclusion of the operational agents as formal actors in the financial approval workflow and ~~furthermore by~~the appoint~~ing~~ment of managers responsible for operational management as authorising officers by sub- delegation;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that the commitment execution rate for Title 1 ‘Expenditure relating to persons working with the institution’ was 99,6 % and for Title 2 ‘Buildings, furniture, equipment and miscellaneous operating expenditure’ 99,7 %; notes with satisfaction that approximately EUR 400 000 (0,4 %) were uncommitted at the end of the year and thus returned to the Union budget, which was a reductions compared to 2018 where approximately EUR 700 000 (0,7 %) were left uncommitted;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Calls on the Committee to strengthen its efforts in analysing the situation to attain a fully paperless tendering environment for all procurement procedures; notes that this would make it necessary to acquire the public procurement management tool developed by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre), alongside the development or acquisition of an improved back-office document management system; notes that the existing 'Paperless workflow from invoice to payment' procedure was extended to a number of additional units/directorates in the course of 2019 and that the Committee’s objective for the coming years is to broaden the scope of the paperless workflows also to other types of transactions taking into account available IT resources;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Welcomes the cooperation agreement of 5 February 2012 which remains in place between the Committee and Parliament and which covers political cooperation between Parliament and the Committee and administrative cooperation between Parliament, the Committee and the EESC; asks the Committee that it be informed on the outcome of the revision of this agreement; notes the agreement with the Commission from 2005 with an addendum from 2007; notes that the negotiations for a new agreement for administrative cooperation with the EESC (the existing agreement has been entered into for the period 2016-2020) were postponed due to the COVID-19-crisis which added to the complexity of the changes of mandate of the Committee in early 2020 and the EESC in autumn 2020; notes that the Committee and the EESC therefore agreed to extend the current agreement until 30 June 2021;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Asks the Committee to report back on any control mechanism to ensure an efficient management of the joint services; appreciates the importance of the administrative cooperation between the Committee and the EESC via the joint services, where some 470 staff (of which around 170 staff belong to the Committee) and more than EUR 50 million yearly (of which some EUR 22 million come from the Committee), excluding salary related expenditure, are pooled by the Committee and the EESC,; notes that together with the concerned salary related expenditure, the yearly monetary value of the joint services arrangement exceeds EUR 100 million; notes that the negotiations for a new agreement for administrative cooperation with the EESC (the existing agreement has been entered into for the period 2016- 2020) were postponed due to the COVID- 19-crisis which added to the complexity of the changes of mandate of the Committee in early 2020 and the EESC in autumn 2020; notes that the Committee and the EESC therefore agreed to extend the current agreement until 30 June 2021;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34 a. Welcomes the existing cooperation agreements between Parliament, the Committee and the European Economic and Social Committee, with a view to identifying other areas in which back- office functions could be shared; invites the Committee to identify further potential synergies and savings;

Amendment 44 #

Jeroen LENAERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Supports the Committee and the EESC in the view that in the event of an extension of the current agreement or of a new agreement with Parliament all outstanding issues such as the unbalanced situation for the Committee and the EESC, which transferred a total of 60 translators to Parliament (24 from the Committee) and in exchange obtained ~~only the use of the services of the European Parliamentary Research Service must be settled; notes with concern~~a guarantee for a sustainable working relationship with the Parliament, intensified cooperation with the parliamentary committees, involvement in the European Semester work, a reserved seat during parliamentary committee meetings, the use of the services of the European Parliamentary Research Service, joint projects and synergies on translation, opening of pathways between Parliament and the buildings of the Committees, a service level agreement including provisions of interpretation services and technical support by Parliament, regular use of Parliament buildings in Brussels as well as Parliament’s Liaison Offices in the Member States for events and activities, intensified cooperation in the area of informatics, mutual access to canteens, several cooperation mechanisms to ensure a coherent approach and create synergies in the field of information and communication and if required legal advice in technical and/or administrative matters of the Parliament’s Legal Service should be reviewed; notes that as a consequence the Committee and the EESC had to hire contract staff and outsourced their translation services which resulted in an effective budget reduction;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

Amendment 47 #

Jeroen LENAERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

35 a. Underlines the Committee's acknowledgement in its written answers to Parliament that the cooperation with Parliament in 2019 continued to build on the achievements of the previous years and revealed a satisfactory progress on several levels such as the relations between the commissions of the Committee and the committees of Parliament, new ways of cooperation including contributions to implementation reports and fact-finding missions and a successful and impactful cooperation through Parliament's Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development; stresses that the Committee has requested that the political cooperation continue to be further developed while respecting the autonomy and the specific approaches of each parliamentary committee and commission of the Committee; notes that through the cooperation with Parliament the Committee gained a guarantee for a sustainable working relationship with Parliament, intensified cooperation with the parliamentary committees, involvement in the European Semester work, a reserved seat during parliamentary committee meetings, the use of the services of the European Parliamentary Research Service, joint projects and synergies on translation, opening of pathways between Parliament and the buildings of the Committees, a service level agreement including provisions of interpretation services and technical support by Parliament, regular use of Parliament buildings in Brussels as well as of Parliament’s Liaison Offices in the Member States for events and activities, intensified cooperation in the area of informatics, mutual access to canteens, several cooperation mechanisms to ensure a coherent approach and create synergies in the field of information and communication and, if required, legal advice in technical or administrative matters from Parliament’s Legal Service;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Notes, however, that the cooperation with Parliament at the administrative level is successful; agrees with the need to further enhance political cooperation with respect to the annual and multi-annual programming, the joint declaration of Parliament, the Council and the Commission on legislative priorities and the monitoring of the annual work programme; supports the Committee’s concrete recommendations to develop a more systematic approach to the political cooperation given the importance of the Committee as the representative of regions and cities in the Union;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that the total number of staff in 2019 was 576 (compared to 538 in 2018 and 533 in 2017); notes that the number of posts in the establishment plan amounts to 491 which is considered by the Committee as insufficient; recognises the results of a workload assessment finalised in 2019 for a potential reorganisation with the objective to make further efficiency gains and create synergies; is informed that the Committee wants the Union budgetary authorities to address the issue and balance the current staff situation progressively; encourages the Committee to deepen its administrative cooperation with the EESC via JointServices to pool staff in order to develop more synergies.

Amendment 50 #

Ádám KÓSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Notes, however, that the cooperation with Parliament at the administrative level is successful; agrees with the need to further enhance political cooperation with respect to the annual and multi-annual programming, the joint declaration of Parliament, the Council and the Commission on legislative priorities and the monitoring of the annual work programme; appreciates the participation of the Committee in the Joint Committee on Equal Opportunities;

Amendment 51 #

Luke Ming FLANAGAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)

36 a. Stresses the importance of promoting the involvement of regional and local authorities in the in the shaping of Union policies via enhanced cooperation with the Commission and the co-legislators;

Amendment 52 #

Jeroen LENAERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)

37 a. Recognises and welcomes the Committee's involvement in Parliament's electoral campaign in 2019 by ensuring the mobilisation of all its internal and external networks in promoting both the "This time I'm voting" ground game and the "Choose your future" online video, as well as through the Committee's social media outreach; encourages further cooperation activities for the creation of synergies in the field of communication;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. ~~Congratula~~Notes the Committee ~~on the ongoing~~´s efforts in the framework of the environmental management system as regards the lowering of the carbon footprint and plastic, food and paper waste; agrees that the reduction of the carbon footprint is among the most important objectives for the coming years; encourages the Committee to participate in related projects with the other Union bodies and to elaborate a comprehensive plan for the Committee to implement the principles and recommendations presented in the European Green Deal, with the general objective of becoming climate neutral by 2030;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. Congratulates the Committee on the ongoing efforts in the framework of the environmental management system as regards the lowering of the carbon footprint and plastic, food and paper waste; agrees that the reduction of the carbon footprint is among the most important objectives for the coming years; calls on the Committee to pay due attention to the energy mix of its sources of electricity and encourages the procurement of electricity generated by wind, solar, bio and hydroplants; encourages the Committee to participate in related projects with the other Union bodies and to elaborate a comprehensive plan for the Committee to implement the principles and recommendations presented in the European Green Deal, with the general objective of becoming climate neutral by 2030;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Underlines that on 5 December 2019 the Committee adopted a code of conduct for its members laying down a detailed procedure in the event of alleged harassment of a member of staff by a Committee member, which is largely based on Parliament's Bureau’s Decision of 2 July 2018 on harassment complaints; ~~not~~welcomes that the code of conduct includes a number of sanctions in order to ensure its observance and that the Committee has set up an advisory board on harassment;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Underlines that on 5 December 2019 the Committee adopted a code of conduct for its members laying down a detailed procedure in the event of alleged harassment of a member of staff by a Committee member, which is largely based on Parliament's Bureau’s Decision of 2 July 2018 on harassment complaints; notes that the code of conduct includes a number of sanctions in order to ensure its observance and that the Committee has set up an advisory board on harassment; asks the Committee to present a report on the implementation of the code of conduct;

Amendment 57 #

Luke Ming FLANAGAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Welcomes the start of a dialogue with different stake-holders in order to review the current internal decision No 362/2010 of 29 November 2010 concerning psychological and sexual harassment at work on the basis of a new proposal for a changed framework to combat harassment with the aim of broadening the scope of the matter by including prevention measures and conflict resolution means, as well as reinforcing the principle of zero tolerance towards harassment, including various courses on preventing harassment; calls on the Committee to establish a new framework on harassment as soon as possible and to report back on its follow-up actions to Parliament;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)

43 a. Asks the Committee to start the procedure to join the inter-institutional agreement on the mandatory Transparency Register, which was recently reached between the Parliament, Commission and Council; recalls the importance of a high level of transparency with respect to lobby meetings that might influence members and staff in their advisory role to the Union institutions;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Recalls that the third invalidity committee unanimously confirmed that the ~~invalidity of the~~ former internal auditor~~, Mr McCoy, arose from a~~ was invalided out on occupational ~~disease,~~grounds and that, consequently, on 26 June 2019 the Committee formally endorsed this conclusion; notes that pursuant to article 78(5) of the staff regulations Mr McCoy was reimbursed in July 2019 in respect of all his contributions to the pension scheme between the date he started receiving the invalidity allowance (1 July 2007) and the day before he started receiving retirement pension (31 July 2010);

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Acknowledges the Committee’s continued efforts to reinforce its political role and to face the increased need for permanent expertise in political and administrative domains; notes the talent pool created to motivate and retain experienced staff in the Committee; notes that the first general internal competition in the history of the Committee was finalised in the first half of 2019 with a total of 40 laureates out of 113 candidate staff members;deleted

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. ~~Recalls that the invalidity committee confirmed that the invalidity of the former internal auditor,~~Appreciates the progress on the case concerning the former internal auditor, Mr McCoy, in response to the 2018 discharge, notes the work done by the rapporteur for the other institutions who opened the long-stalled dialogue; recalls that the invalidity committee confirmed that the invalidity of Mr McCoy, arose from an occupational disease, and that, consequently, on 26 June 2019 the Committee formally endorsed this conclusion; notes that pursuant to article 78(5) of the staff regulations Mr McCoy was reimbursed in July 2019 in respect of all his contributions to the pension scheme between the date he started receiving the invalidity allowance (1 July 2007) and the day before he started receiving retirement pension (31 July 2010);

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)

44 a. Reiterates what the Court stated in its Special Report 13/2019, the ethical frameworks of the audited EU institutions: scope for improvement, namely that ethical conduct in public affairs contributes to sounder financial management and increased public trust, and that any unethical behaviour by staff and members of the Union institutions and bodies attracts high levels of public interest and reduces trust in Union institutions;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45

45. Reminds that based on the 2017 discharge resolution the appointment of a Member of Parliament ~~Sophie in't Veld~~ as mediator took place and that all parties entered into a mediation process ~~lead by Sophie in't Veld~~ to bring this dispute to an end with the objective of reaching an amicable settlement; acknowledges that the Committee pursued the scheduled mediation meetings with Mr McCoy which finally resulted in a Committee’s proposal of 20 December 2020;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. aAppreciates the exchange held in the context of the 2019 discharge procedure on 10 November 2020 with the mediator, the former internal auditor and a representative of the Committee; recalls that Mr. McCoy and the Committee were invited to a meeting of Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control based on a suggestion by the EPP coordinator; underlines the importance of deescalating the situation and bringing the positions of the former internal auditor and of the Committee together; welcomes the mediator’s suggestion of a meeting between the President of the Committee and Mr McCoy as a starting point for reconciliation before any negotiations will take place;

Amendment 64 #

Alin MITUȚA, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Mikuláš PEKSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. aAppreciates the exchange held in the context of the 2019 discharge procedure on 10 November 2020 with the mediator, the former internal auditor and a representative of the Committee; underlines the importance of deescalating the situation and bringing the positions of the former internal auditor and of the Committee together; welcomes the mediator’s suggestion of a meeting between the President of the Committee and Mr McCoy as a starting point for reconciliation before any negotiations will take place;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)

46 a. Welcomes that the President and the Secretary General of the Committee made a firm commitment to reach an amicable settlement and thus conclude the case; notes that on 4 December 2020 under the auspices of Parliament’s mediator, Ms Sophie in't Veld, and the then 2019 discharge rapporteur, Cristian Ghinea, Mr McCoy and the President and the Secretary General of the Committee concluded a joint statement on the principles governing the resolution of the case in line with Parliament's demands since 2004 and that the Committee, with Mr McCoy’s consent, have published the Joint Statement on its website.

Amendment 66 #

Alin MITUȚA, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Mikuláš PEKSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 b (new)

46 b. Acknowledges that in the Joint Statement, the Committee in particular accepts without reserve the OLAF report and its conclusions and acknowledges its past mistakes and shortcomings; recognises, like Parliament, that Mr McCoy was right to take his concerns directly to Parliament and that it should have done more to comply with Parliament’s 2004 demands, including that Mr McCoy must suffer no adverse consequences as a result of having reported wrongdoing; recognises Mr McCoy as a bona fide whistle-blower as conferred politically in 2004 by Parliament and is sorry that Mr McCoy was not protected despite having offered him the protection as a whistle-blower in 2003; sincerely regrets the considerable harm the Committee has caused Mr McCoy, the way in which it treated him and its insufficient duty of care; and accepts that the case should never have been allowed to remain unresolved for more than seventeen years;

Amendment 67 #

Alin MITUȚA, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Mikuláš PEKSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 c (new)

46 c. Notes with satisfaction that the President and the Secretary-General of the Committee has presented their formal apology to Mr McCoy on these accounts and for the Committee’s mishandling of his case, that the Committee and Mr McCoy have committed to settle the financial aspects of the settlement with support from Parliament's legal service and under the political guidance of Parliament's Committe on Budgetary Control, and that the Committee has reiterated its full commitment to the rules and principles of whistle-blower protection and, more particularly to the inalienable principles of equity and fairness, has drawn the necessary conclusions from Mr McCoy’s case and has taken all necessary steps in respect of its internal governance to ensure that such a situation cannot arise again; urges all parties to reach a financial agreement as soon as possible;

Amendment 68 #

Alin MITUȚA, Olivier CHASTEL, Ramona STRUGARIU, Mikuláš PEKSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 d (new)

46 d. Acknowledges the efforts of the negotiating teams to reconcile the two parties and commends them for brokering the potential basis for a fair, just and appropriately honourable resolution to this dispute;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47

47. Welcomes the letter of 10 November 2020 sent to the chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control by the chairperson of the Committee’s committee on financial and administrative affairs confirming the readiness of the Committee’s President to meet the former internal auditor; ~~notes that the Committee’s president had a bilateral meeting with the former internal auditor on 19 November 2020 in order to p~~welcomes the follow-up meetings between the mediator, the 2019 discharge rapporteur, the former internal auditor and the Committee’s repare ~~for the next steps; welcomes the follow-up meetings between the mediator, the 2019 discharge rapporteur, the former internal auditor and~~sentatives; warmly welcomes the letter of 4 December 2019 announcing that the first phase of the procedure for an agreement was concluded with a joint statement signed by the Committee’'s representative in s and the fordmer ~~to launch the negotiations for concluding definitively the affaire~~internal auditor; encourage the parties to find an agreement to settle the financial part and reminds its disposal to support the negotiation; appreciates the efforts made by all parties, acknowledges that an important first step was taken and believes an agreement should be reached soon;

Amendment 7 #

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)

47 a. Urges all parties to conclude an agreement on a fair financial settlement as a follow-up to the joint statement without further undue delay; recognises the sincere request by the Committee to Parliament’s Legal Service for its assistance in concluding such financial settlement; calls on the Committee in case Parliament’s Legal Service will not be able to assist to obtain an independent draft proposal for a settlement from an independent private legal office with the experience needed in this field;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)

47 a. Notes that the Committee was originally established to address important issues, as about three quarters of Union legislation is implemented at local or regional level for which reason local and regional representatives needed to have a say in the development of new Union laws; further notes that its original mission was to close the widening gap between the public and the process of European integration by involving regional representation;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 b (new)

47 b. Notes that the budget of the Committee has been growing over the past years (EUR 96 100 540 in 2018, EUR 98 751 065 in 2019 and projected EUR 101 508 480 for 2020); notes the concern that these resources are not used efficiently and that the original purpose is no longer being fulfilled; underlines that unlike the budget, the number of opinions issued by the Committee has gone down (71 in 2017, 78 in 2018 and only 49 opinions in 2019), which is alarming;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 c (new)

47 c. Encourages the Committee to consider preparing a plan for reorganisation and streamlining as such processes could lead to closer cooperation with Parliament and that, by reforming the institution, its know-how could be applied in a more effective way;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 d (new)

47 d. Invites the Committee to present impact assessments of its opinions; invites the Committee to also set clear and measurable key performance indicators for the following years in order to optimalise its functioning.

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Notes that the transfer of 24 translation posts from the Committee to the Parliament was estimated to result in the yearly savings amounting to approximately EUR 2.9 million, invites the Committee to present a report on the impact of this transfer;

Amendment 9 #