2023/2183(DEC) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Stresses the exceptionally dire food security situation in ACP countries, those funds need to be complemented with appropriate measures enhancing local productivity empowering small scale farmers in developing countries and supporting school meals as a vital tool to address food insecurity;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Notes that the ECA and the European Commission (DG INTPA) employ different methodology when estimating the error rate and that ECA estimates the level of error for EDF payment transactions to be 7.1 % with about half of it due to excess clearance (i.e. expenditure not incurred is included in the accounts); notes that the Commission methodology reflects a corrective capacity after all ex-ante and ex-post controls have been implemented but expects the Commission to take seriously the ECA recommendations in order to avoid errors related to excess clearings; welcomes, in this regard, the DG INTPA declared review of its control strategy and reinforcing EU Delegations’ internal control systems;

Amendment 13 #

Ilan DE BASSO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Udo BULLMANN, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Recognises the work of the Commission in ensuring the correct implementation of the EDF funds, notes that the Court of Auditors considers the EDFs’ accounts for 2022 to have been handled in accordance with applicable rules; notes with concern that the level of error in transactions, estimated by the Court of Auditors, grew from 4,6 % to 7,1 % between 2021 and 2022;

Amendment 14 #

Ilan DE BASSO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Udo BULLMANN, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Highlights the fact that the legitimacy and effectiveness of EU development cooperation hinges on the correct implementation of activities and their proper funding; is concerned about the limited progress on the implementation of the recommendations by the Court of Auditors; calls on the Commission to further improve controls in order to decrease the amount of transactional errors and to fully implement the recommendations of the Court of Auditors;

Amendment 2 #

Dominique BILDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the implementation of the European Development Funds (EDFs) concerns countries that are facing aggravating impacts of climate change and are weakened by the consequence of the COVID pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as rising debt, particularly as a result of certain projects being carried out by Chinese entities with regard to certain vulnerable countries; insists, therefore, that the remaining projects under the EDFs should focus on advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on certain priorities, including food security and job creation;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the implementation of the European Development Funds (EDFs) concerns countries that are facing aggravating impacts of climate change and are weakened by the consequence of the COVID pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as rising debt; insists, therefore, that the remaining projects under the EDFs should focus on advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals reiterates that security, mutually beneficial partnerships and international cooperation are fundamental conditions for the world to make progress on the SDGs towards 2030 and beyond ;

Amendment 4 #

Ilan DE BASSO, Carlos ZORRINHO, Udo BULLMANN, Karsten LUCKE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the implementation of the European Development Funds (EDFs) concerns countries that are facing aggravating impacts of climate change and are weakened by the consequence of the COVID pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, as well as rising debt, generating growing inequality and increasing poverty levels; insists, therefore, that the remaining projects under the EDFs should focus on advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Amendment 5 #

Erik MARQUARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

Amendment 6 #

Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights the role of local implementing partners and the need to ensure their support and capacity building; notes that with the phasing out of EDF projects, local know-how on dealing with EU funds should be maintained, with a view to using them for projects under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe instrument; points out that the significant diversity of needs and specific circumstances among the ACP group of countries and overseas countries and territories covered by the EDF calls for an individual and tailored approach;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights the role of local implementing partners and the need to ensure their support and capacity building; notes that with the phasing out of EDF projects, local know-how on dealing with EU funds should be maintained, with a view to using them for projects under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe instrument underlines that EU projects should be subject to evaluation, monitoring and reporting in order to determine their effectiveness and avoid unintended negative impacts; ;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Calls for stronger coordination between the Commission and the EEAS and EU delegations to facilitate discussions and cooperation with relevant local actors, including faith-based organisations on the ground in order to identify the projects that best meet development effectiveness objectives;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Notes that local, non- governmental actors, including faith- based organisations are well placed partners to deliver EU assistance people in need notably in remote areas, highlight that strengthened EU engagement with these organisations could accelerate efficiency of development cooperation;

source: 757.874

2024/01/18 DEVE 6 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the implementation of the European Development Funds (EDFs) concerns countries that are facing aggravating impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity and are weakened by the consequence of the COVID pandemic, Russia’s ~~war in Ukraine, as well as rising debt; insists, therefore, that the remaining projects under the EDFs should focus on advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals~~unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, as well as rising debt, new and forgotten humanitarian crises and conflicts, generating growing inequality and poverty; insists, therefore, that the remaining projects under the EDFs should focus on advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; reiterates that security, mutually beneficial partnerships and international cooperation are fundamental conditions for the world to make progress on the SDGs towards 2030 and beyond;

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the Council’s decision1 which allocated EUR 600 million from de- committed projects under the 10th and 11th EDFs for the purpose of financing actions addressing the food security crisis and economic shock in ACP countries following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; encourages the Member States to follow the same approach of re- allocating any de-committed EDF to address the most urgent needs in the ACP countries. ; stresses that in view of the exceptionally dire food security situation in ACP countries, those funds need to be complemented with appropriate measures to empower small scale farmers as well as support agroeocological practices and sustainable fisheries methods as they enhance local productivity, food security and allow food sovereignty of local communities, making them less dependent on the fluctuations in the global food and agriculture market; stresses that supporting school meals can be a vital tool to address food insecurity; __________________ 1 Council Decision EU 2022/1223

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the Council’s decision1 which allocated EUR 600 million from de- committed projects under the 10th and 11th EDFs for the purpose of financing actions addressing the food security crisis and economic shock in ACP countries following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; encourages the Member States to follow the same approach of re- allocating any de-committed EDF to address the most urgent needs in the ACP countries. ; stresses that in view of the exceptionally dire food security situation in ACP countries, those funds need to be complemented with appropriate measures to empower small scale farmers as well as support agroeocological practices and sustainable fisheries methods as they enhance local productivity, food security and allow food sovereignty of local communities, making them less dependent on the fluctuations in the global food and agriculture market; stresses that supporting school meals can be a vital tool to address food insecurity; __________________ 1 Council Decision EU 2022/1223

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Recognises the work of the Commission in ensuring the correct implementation of the EDF funds, notes that the Court of Auditors considers the EDFs’ accounts for 2022 to have been handled in accordance with applicable rules; notes that the ECA and the European Commission (DG INTPA) employ different methodology when estimating the error rate and that ECA estimates the level of error for EDF payment transactions to be 7.1 % with about half of it due to excess clearance (i.e. when expenditure not incurred is included in the accounts); further notes that the level of error in transactions, estimated by the Court of Auditors, grew from 4,6 % to 7,1 % between 2021 and 2022; underlines that the Commission methodology reflects a corrective capacity after all ex-ante and ex-post controls have been implemented; highlights the fact that the legitimacy and effectiveness of EU development cooperation hinges on the correct implementation of activities and their proper funding; calls on the Commission to further improve controls in order to decrease the amount of transactional errors and to fully implement the recommendations of the Court of Auditors in particular to avoid errors related to excess clearings; welcomes, in this regard, the DG INTPA declared review of its control strategy and reinforcing EU Delegations’ internal control systems.

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Recognises the work of the Commission in ensuring the correct implementation of the EDF funds, notes that the Court of Auditors considers the EDFs’ accounts for 2022 to have been handled in accordance with applicable rules; notes that the ECA and the European Commission (DG INTPA) employ different methodology when estimating the error rate and that ECA estimates the level of error for EDF payment transactions to be 7.1 % with about half of it due to excess clearance (i.e. when expenditure not incurred is included in the accounts); further notes that the level of error in transactions, estimated by the Court of Auditors, grew from 4,6 % to 7,1 % between 2021 and 2022; underlines that the Commission methodology reflects a corrective capacity after all ex-ante and ex-post controls have been implemented; highlights the fact that the legitimacy and effectiveness of EU development cooperation hinges on the correct implementation of activities and their proper funding; calls on the Commission to further improve controls in order to decrease the amount of transactional errors and to fully implement the recommendations of the Court of Auditors in particular to avoid errors related to excess clearings; welcomes, in this regard, the DG INTPA declared review of its control strategy and reinforcing EU Delegations’ internal control systems.

source: 758.142

2024/02/09 CONT 40 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. Whereas according NDICI Regulation, NDICI funds must comply with the criteria for Official Development Assistance (ODA) established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); whereas amid growing concerns over the integrity of ODA when it is used to address donor countries’ domestic migration concerns rather than development objectives benefiting the recipient country, the OECD recently published criteria for assessing the ODA eligibility of migration activities, identified risk categories among migration actions in terms of undermining ODA integrity (return and reintegration programmes, countering irregular migration, border management and the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and rendering financing conditional on migration control outcome)1a; _________________ 1a https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing- sustainable-development/development- finance-standards/migration-oda.htm

Amendment 10 #

16. Reiterates its concern over the many possible reasons for the succession of adverse opinions of the Court on the legality and regularity of expenditure due to the fact that the expenditure accepted in the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022 is materially affected by error; notes at the same time that the context in which the implementation of the EDF takes place is risky, complex and fast-evolving, with a remarkable diversity in terms of geographical dispersion, implementing entities and partner countries and of assistance delivery methods;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Notes the Commission’s reply that a single EU Delegation accounted for approximately 30% of the total error and that without such Delegation the level of error would have been approximately 4,7% instead of 7,1%; notes the actions taken by the Commission to address the weaknesses identified in this Delegation and to avoid similar problems in other Delegations;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Notes with concern that by typology of errors the estimated level of errors in the financial year 2022 related to expenditure not incurred was 51 % (14,9% in 2021), to ineligible expenditure was 24 % (38,6% in 2021), to serious failure to respect public procurement rules was 16 % (14,6% in 2021), to absence of essential supporting documents was 7% (23,3% in 2021) and related to other types of errors was 2% (8,6 % in 2021); ~~highlights~~notes the Commission’s reply that most errors ~~such as~~ that could have been avoided are relevant to excess clearing (expenditure not incurred ~~is mostly~~), which is due to deinsufficien~~cies in the EU delegations’ control system~~t financial reporting provided by implementing partners in indirect management and does not affect the implementation of the projects;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Takes note of the Commission’s reply that in 2022 approximately 50% of the summed errors are due to excess clearing, a practice where expenditure not incurred is included in the accounts as expenditure incurred, and are therefore temporary, since they will no longer exist after the final clearings; notes furthermore the actions taken by the Commission to allow for easier identification of incurred expenditure and calls on the Commission to refer to the discharge authority on the effects of these actions;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19 b. Notes that in 2022 DG INTPA’s ex-ante controls have prevented the payment of a total amount of EUR 167.94 million of ineligible expenditure, representing 2.91% of the total invoiced amount and above the benchmark set by DG INTPA for this indicator (2%) and above the result of 2021 (2.62%); encourages the Commission to further improve the control systems;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Is concerned that Benin´s EDF national authorising officer awarded a contract to a consultancy company to strengthen civil society involvement in the country, in serious breach of the public procurement rules; notes with concern that according to the Commission, the Evaluation Committee used its “discretionary power” to apply a calculation method which was not sufficiently documented in the procedure; recalls that the Qatargate scandal has revealed the role of non-profit organisations and civil society in corruption; recalls that European Court of Auditors Special Report No 35/2018 warns that the Commission does not have sufficiently detailed information on how the money is spent on civil society organisations, recalls the report of the Budgetary Control Committee A9- 0446/2023 on the transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisatnotes the remedial actions taken by the Commission concerning the internal control systems of the concerned EU delegation, such as clarification of the relevant rules, a review of similar clearings and a supervision missions; calls on the Court to produce a special report on EU funds being funnelled into civil society organisations, and to propel the Evaluation Committee and its discretionary powers concerning public procurement procedures, as well as any contacts and ties between the Evaluation Committee, including its members, and civil society organisations and other non- governmental organisationsnotes that the level of error in the EU delegation in Benin accounted for approximately 30 % of the total error and that if it were not included, the total error would have been approximately 4,7 % instead of 7,1 %;

Amendment 17 #

Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Is concerned that Benin´s EDF national authorising officer awarded a contract to a consultancy company to strengthen civil society involvement in the country, in serious breach of the public procurement rules; notes with concern that according to the Commission, the Evaluation Committee used its “discretionary power” to apply a calculation method which was not sufficiently documented in the procedure; recalls that in the Qatargate scandal has revealed the role of non-profit organisations and civil society in corruption; recalls that European Court of Auditors Special Report No 35/2018 warns that the Commission does not have sufficiently detailed information on how the money is spent on civil society organisations,non- governmental organisations were misused by corrupt actors to influence the decision making process within the EU; recalls the report of the Budgetary Control Committee A9- 0446/2023 on the transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations; ~~calls on the Court to produce a special report on EU funds being funnelled into civil society organis~~reminds that NGOs are submitted to the same level of control and investigations, a~~nd to propel~~ s any other E~~valuation Committee and its discretionary power~~U recipient of funds concverning ~~public procurement proced~~all expenditures, ~~as well as any contacts and ties between the Evaluation Committee, including its members, and civil society organisations and other non- governmental organisations~~within the respective mandate of both OLAF and EPPO;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Is concerned that Benin´s EDF national authorising officer awarded a contract to a consultancy company to strengthen civil society involvement in the country, in serious breach of the public procurement rules; notes with concern that according to the Commission, the Evaluation Committee used its “discretionary power” to apply a calculation method which was not sufficiently documented in the procedure; recalls that the Qatargate scandal has revealed the role of non-profit organisations and civil society in corruption; recalls that European Court of Auditors Special Report No 35/2018 warns that the Commission does not have sufficiently detailed information on how the money is spent on civil society organisations, recalls the report of the Budgetary Control Committee A9- 0446/2023 on the transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations; calls on the Court to produce a special report on EU funds being funnelled into civil society organisations, and to propel the Evaluation Committee and its discretionary powers concerning public procurement procedures, as well as any contacts and ties between the Evaluation Committee, including its members, and civil society organisations and other non- governmental organisations;

Amendment 19 #

20. Is concerned that Benin´s EDF national authorising officer awarded a contract to a consultancy company to strengthen civil society involvement in the country, in serious breach of the public procurement rules; notes with concern that according to the Commission, the Evaluation Committee used its “discretionary power” to apply a calculation method which was not sufficiently documented in the procedure; recalls that the Qatargate scandal has revealed the role of non-profit organisations and civil society in corruption; recalls that transparency and accountability are essential for NGOs, which are called upon to act in full compliance with EU financial rules and values, especially in the management of European funds; stresses that NGOs should be supported in their control and monitoring systems, especially those operating in third countries, in order to strengthen their transparency to stop corrupt circles and avoid being subject to fraud; recalls that European Court of Auditors Special Report No 35/2018 warns that the Commission does not have sufficiently detailed information on how the money is spent on civil society organisations, recalls the report of the Budgetary Control Committee A9- 0446/2023 on the transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations; calls on the Court to produce a special report on EU funds being funnelled into civil society organisations, and to propel the Evaluation Committee and its discretionary powers concerning public procurement procedures, as well as any contacts and ties between the Evaluation Committee, including its members, and civil society organisations and other non-governmental organisations;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas development cooperation is evolving from a more traditional donor- recipient model towards a stronger emphasis on mutual interests, covering not only social sectors but also sustainable investment, trade, and the development of high value-added economic sectors, and on international partnerships to tackle global challenges; whereas according the TFEU “Union development cooperation policy shall have as its primary objective the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty”;

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Is concerned by the recent reports1a that under NDICI the EU prioritises migration programs and actions that the OECD considers a particular risk to the integrity of ODA, such as migration and border management as well as return, over labour migration or regular pathways. Calls the Commission to conduct appropriate ex ante assessments to determine the possible human rights implications and risks of actions, including impact assessments for actions and measures that are expected to have a significant impact on migrants and refugee’ s human rights, in line of the NDICI Regulation; calls the Commission to provide the Parliament with an equal level and detail of information regarding NDICI migration spending and related assessments reports as provided to the Council; calls on the Court to produce a special report on the ODA eligibility of NDICI funded migration projects; _________________ 1a https://policy- practice.oxfam.org/resources/from- development-to-deterrence-migration- spending-under-the-eu-neighbourhood- de-621536/ https://euromedrights.org/publication/the- human-cost-of-artificial-intelligence-and- surveillance-technology-in-migration/

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Notes that, in 2022, 333 Recovery Orders were issued by the Commission on 293 contracts for a total amount of EUR 62.92 million;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Notes ~~with concern that~~the Court’s observation that in 2022 the Commission and its implementing partners committed more errors in transactions relating to programme estimates and grants and to contribution and delegation agreements with beneficiary countries, international organisations and member state agencies than they did with other forms of support (such as those covering works, supply and service contracts); notes, in addition, that out of the 99 transactions of this type examined by the Court, 46 contained quantifiable errors, which accounted for 86 % of the estimated level of error; takes note that DG INTPA is currently reviewing its control strategy, including reporting requirements, and exploring potential remedial measures; asks the Commission to inform the discharge authority about its revised control strategy;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Notes ~~with concern~~ that the Commission and its implementing partners committed more errors in transactions relating to programme estimates and grants and to contribution and delegation agreements with beneficiary countries, international organisations and member state agencies; notes, in addition that out of the 99 transactions of this type examined by the Court, 46 contained quantifiable errors, which accounted for 86 % of the estimated level of error;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Notes that, according to the Court’s report, in 23 cases of quantifiable error and five cases of non-quantifiable error the Commission had sufficient information to prevent, or to detect and correct the error before accepting the expenditure; notes, moreover, that, according to the Court’s assessment, had the Commission made proper use of all the information at its disposal, the estimated level of error would have been 5,5 percentage points lower, compared to 2,4 percentage points lower in 2021; notes the Commission’s reply that most errors that could have been avoided are due to insufficient financial reporting provided by implementing partners in indirect management; takes note of the Commission’s commitment to review its control strategy, including reporting requirements and calls on the Commission to refer on the remedial measures taken;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Notes that, according to the Court’s report, 22 transactions containing quantifiable errors, contributing 2,3 percentage points to the estimated level of error, were subject to an audit or expenditure verification; notes, furthermore, that DG INTPA’s control system is based on ex ante checks, and that the information provided in the audit/verification reports describing the work actually done did not allow the Court to assess whether the errors could have been detected and corrected during these ex ante checks, as the reports do not cover 100% of the reported expenditure, nor do they give sufficient detail to confirm whether the items where the Court identified errors had been part of the ex- ante checks; notes in this regard that the Commission is regularly updating the terms of reference for the expenditure verifications, in order to increase the completeness and clarity of reporting; calls on the Commission to refer to the discharge authority about the improvements achieved;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Is concerned that, as in previous years, some international organisations provided only limited access to documents (e.g., in read-only format), which hindered the planning, execution and quality control of ECA audit and led to delays; notes that control issues were discussed with UN entities and the World Bank on several occasions, including in the context of joint technical reference group meetings and the EU-UN FAFA working group, and that Joint Technical Groups were set up to discuss regularly audit and control issues; notes furthermore that the Commission is working with the concerned International Organisations and has intensified communication with them on ECA’s access to documents; encourages the Commission to increase these efforts;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Stresses that, according to Court’s assessment, the RER study does not constitute an assurance engagement or an audit and is based on the RER methodology and manual provided by DG INTPA; ~~stresses, furthermore,~~notes that DG INTPA clarifies that the RER study is meant to be a key indicator for the estimated financial impact of residual errors, i.e. it measures the good functioning of the internal control system and thus, demonstrates the Commission’s corrective capacity; stresses that, as in previous years, the Court has found limitations in the study; notes that the Court, by reviewing the calculation method used in the 2022 RER study, considered that the RER was underestimated and that the Court’s calculation yielded an RER of 1,35 % ; notes, furthermore, the Court’s opinion, as in previous years, that the RER methodology allows the contractor to rely entirely on the results of DG INTPA´s management checks, and that placing reliance on the work of other auditors is contrary to the purpose of an RER study;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Notes that, from 2018, DG INTPA significantly reduced the scope of reservations (i.e., the share of expenditure covered by them) in the annual activity reports (AARs) and that, similarly, the 2022 AAR does not include any reservations; notes that the Court finds the lack of reservations in the 2022 AAR unjustified and considers that it results partly from the limitations of the RER study; takes note of the Commission’s reply that the absence of reservations is justified by the correct implementation of the RER methodology and instructions by its central services;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Notes that DG INTPA’s 2022 Action Plan addressing identified control weaknesses and high risks include the improvement of the follow up of ECA/RER findings and that new versions of the RER manual and methodology were adopted in September 2022 to address issues raised in the previous Court’s observations; takes note of the Commission’s reply that the amended rules avoid overreliance on previous control work, as it is now required that instances of reliance on prior control work should be monitored in the light of historical averages; notes furthermore that the Commission has fully implemented ECA’s recommendation from 2020 annual report to establish obligations for the RER study contractor to report to the Commission any suspected fraud against the EU budget during its work; regrets, however, that the Commission does not accept the recommendation, included in the 2022 Court’s annual report, to improve the RER methodology and verify its proper application as it sees no necessity to change the methodology used for the RER study for the extrapolation of high-value items;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Notes that the Council Decision 2022/1223 for the reuse of EUR 600 million was taken to address the food security crisis and economic shock in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; believes that in view of the exceptionally dire food security situation in ACP countries, those funds need to be complemented with appropriate measures to enhance food autonomy of local communities;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Notes that, since 2014, DG INTPA has developed and implemented its own anti-fraud strategy on the basis of the methodology provided by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)~~; regret~~ and that the strategy has been updated three times since its entry into force; notes that DG INTPA decided to postpone the mid- term assessment of its anti-fraud strategy (initially planned in 2022) due to several ongoing auditing and updating exercises led by the IAS, ECA and OLAF; notes, moreover, that DG INTPA implemented 90% of the accompanying action plan, and that all actions have been implemented within the deadlines announced, apart from exploring with OLAF the possibility of circulating anonymised examples of fraud cases within the Commission internal network, which was implemented in 2023;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Notes that DG INTPA also contributed to the Commission anti-fraud strategy and followed up to OLAF’s financial recommendations issued in 2018- 2022 resulting in the closure of only 24% of financial recommendations and the follow-up of 76% of financial recommendations; ~~not~~welcomes, moreover, the results achieved during 2022, such as the entry into force of new internal guidelines on the handling of fraud-related information, reinforced appointing system of DG INTPA’s anti-fraud network, launch of external awareness actions towards DG INTPA's implementing partners and beneficiaries , continued update of all internal webpages, manuals and databases, and annual note to all staff on professional ethics standards, fraud prevention and detection, and rules for disclosure of information;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Notes that in 2022, the ~~two~~ largest budget support recipients were Morocco and Tunisia; recalls that Tunisia denied entry to an official delegation of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in September 2023 and has been the first country torecipients of EDF payments were Mozambique, Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, while the sectors with the highest funding were government and civil society, agriculture, evner do so; recalls that Morocco is at the centre of the Qatargate scandal and that a senior member of the Moroccan royal family features prominently in the Pandora Papers; urges therefore for the EDF support to these countries to be substantially lowered until all concerns regarding human rights abuses, corruption and tax evasion have been properly addressedgy and social infrastructures and services; notes that the implementation of the EDF concerns countries that are facing aggravating impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity and are weakened by rising debt, new and forgotten humanitarian crises and conflicts, generating growing inequality and poverty;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Notes that in 2022 the two largest budget support recipients were Morocco and Tunisia; recalls that Tunisia denied entry to an official delegation of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in September 2023 and has been the first country to ever do so; recalls that Morocco is at the centre of the Qatargate scandal and that a senior member of the Moroccan royal family features prominently in the Pandora Papers; ~~urges therefore for the EDF support to these countries to be substantially lowered until all concerns regarding~~calls for the EDF to be conditional when there is evidence of human rights ~~abuse~~violations, corruption ~~and~~or tax evasion ~~have been properly addressed~~;

Amendment 34 #

Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Notes that in 2022 the two largest budget support recipients were Morocco and Tunisia; recalls that Tunisia denied entry to an official delegation of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in September 2023 and has been the first country to ever do so; recalls that Morocco is at the centre of the Qatargate scandal and that a senior member of the Moroccan royal family features prominently in the Pandora Papers; ~~urges therefore for the~~calls for the delivery of EDF support to these countries to be ~~substantially lowered until all concerns regarding human rights abuses, corruption and tax evasion have been properly addressed~~checked against human rights abuses, corruption and tax evasion, with the final goal to protect the final beneficiaries;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)

41 a. Calls on the Commission for the EDF funding to the United Republic of Tanzania be suspended in view of serious human rights violations and non-respect of the right to free, prior and informed consent of the Maasai communities in the Ngorongoro conservation area, evicted from their lands since the summer of 2022. This suspension must stay effective as long as a guarantee has been given by the Tanzanian government and the EU delegation has been authorized to enter and inspect the situation first hand1a ; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/RC-9-2023-0511_FR.html

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)

41 b. Calls for an immediate suspension of the EDF funding to the Republic of Congo in view of serious the human rights violations suffered by the Baka communities, particularly in the Odzala Kakoua national park, largely financed by the ECOFAC6 program; recalls that the ECOFAC6 program is co-financed by the European Union (11th EDF) amounting 80.5 million EUR1a ; _________________ 1a https://www.survivalinternational.org/cam paigns/green-genocide https://www.ecofac6.eu/fr

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Notes that the Commission and its partner institutions (including development financial institutions and development agencies) actively engage with local private sector organisations to discuss challenges and opportunities to increase access to finance through financial instruments such as blended finance operations, and that policy dialogue is held in partnerships with partner countries through the European Union Delegations and National Investment Forums; stresses the importance of private sector mobilisation for closing the development financing gap and achieving the SDGs;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)

46 a. Welcomes the Global Gateway strategy as a concerted EU response to global challenges; is of the opinion that in times of new geostrategic challenges, EU foreign and security policy and development cooperation actors must coordinate better in order to increase the EU’s presence and visibility worldwide by means of hard and soft infrastructure investment that creates national value in partner countries through cooperation with the private sector and development financing institutions, in line with the SDGs;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)

46 a. Recalls that global crises have generated and expanded inequalities both within and between countries, undermining social cohesion and, in this context, welcomes the development of an Inequality Marker (I-Marker) to create a sound reporting and benchmarking system on the contribution of all interventions to reducing inequalities;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Notes that in 2022, the implementation of the EDF contributed to improvements in water and sanitation, access to electricity, access to legal aid, food security and nutrition, environmental protection, climate change mitigation strategies and natural ecosystems, health, education, and entrepreneurship/employability;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 b (new)

46 b. Stresses the importance of Team Europe approach for the effectiveness and visibility of EU’s assistance and welcomes the initiative of the Commission to deepen coordination with Member States and make the most of their existing expertise in partner countries ensuring a stronger Europe in the word;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Welcomes the consolidation in 2022 of the Team Europe approach resulting in increased information flow and exchange with Member States and European financial institutions for a better coordination and more effective management of the EDF with other national, EU or partners resources; takes note of the regional Team Europe Initiatives (TEI) on the Western Mediterranean migration route, where its management group includes representatives from both DG NEAR and DG INTPA ensuring coherence of action and optimal use of financial resources;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Regret~~Notes however that according to the Court’s report the DG INTPA’s KPI on reducing old pre-financing does not take into consideration the number of years for which each pre-financing transaction has remained open, therefore the Court considers that achievement of this KPI did not reflect the difficulties it had encountered in clearing older pre-financing transactions, some of which had been open for up to 12 years; notes the Commission’s reply that as to the ageing of open invoices and pre-financings that have remained uncleared for up to 12 years, the majority of these old pre-financings are linked to litigation cases~~, and that~~; calls on the Commission ~~has already put in place annual controls and is using a Portfolio Dashboard allowing staff to moni~~to continue to report to the European Parliament on these litigation cases, as already done subsequent tor these European transactions, which was updated in October 2023; calls on the Commission to provide a detailed report to the European Parliament and the Court specifically addressing these litigation cases, including an explanation concerning their origParliament’s recommendation n° 2015/PAR/04631a; notes furthermore that, in order to reduce the old pre-financing and to address the ageing of invoices, the Commission has already put in place annual controls, with 93% of the EDF payments made in due time in 2022, is using a Portfolio Management Dashboard (updated in October 2023) allowing staff to monitor the ageing of pre-financinsg and context, as well as a plan how to reduce and minimise litigation cases in the future; regrets that the Court did not probe the litigation cases and calls upon the Court to do so in its next audit report; to follow up on long overdue invoices, and is taking additional actions, including ad hoc campaigns, seminars and guidelines; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/ 129482/2017-10-10- Draft%20EP%20Detailed%20replies%20 FINAL.PDF

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Regrets however that according to the Court’s report the DG INTPA’s KPI on reducing old pre-financing does not take into consideration the number of years for which each pre-financing transaction has remained open, therefore the Court considers that achievement of this KPI did not reflect the difficulties it had encountered in clearing older pre-financing transactions, some of which had been open for up to 12 years; notes the Commission’s reply that as to the ageing of open invoices and pre-financings that have remained uncleared for up to 12 years, the majority of these old pre-financings are linked to litigation cases, and that the Commission has already put in place annual controls and is using a Portfolio Dashboard allowing staff to monitor these open transactions, which was updated in October 2023; calls on the Commission to provide a detailed report to the European Parliament and the Court specifically addressing these litigation cases, including an explanation concerning their origins and context, as well as a plan how to reduce and minimise litigation cases in the future; regrets that the Court did not probe the litigation cases and calls upon the Court to do so in its next audit report;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that the budget of the 9th EDF (2000-2007) was only EUR 13.8 billion, and that the10th EDF (2008-2013) nearly doubled to EUR 22.7 billion, and that the 11th EDF provides a ~~staggering~~high amount of EUR 30.5 billion, of which EUR 29.1 billion has been allocated to the ACP countries and EUR 0.4 billion to the OCTs, with EUR 1 billion for administrative costs;

Amendment 9 #