Activities of Antoni COMÍN I OLIVERES related to 2023/2183(DEC)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh European Development Funds for the financial year 2022
Amendments (4)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
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 Goalsunjustified 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 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
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)
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 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
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;