44 Amendments of Petri SARVAMAA related to 2016/2152(DEC)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the annual report of the internal auditor contains findings based on specific audit work but does not by itself; aims at improving budgetary and financial management but not to provide a comprehensive picture of the Parliament’s budgetary and financial management; notes, similarly, that the Court’s report only represents the results of a small sample (16 transactions) in respect of Parliament’s transactions;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Understands that in general the low level of error in respect of the administrative expenditure may justifyaccount for the relatively little attention paid by the Court to Parliament’s transactions;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out, however, that the reputational risk in the case of the Parliament’s budgetary and financial management is relatively high, especially against the background of the Members of Parliament (MEPs) being the representatives of the citizens in the Union and hence any irregularities do not only damage the administration’s reputation, but also undermine the credibility of the MEPs as aneven if the error rate is remarkably low, the reputational risk is relatively high, given that such financial and budgetary errors might impact negatively on the standing of the institution;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that against this background, the work undertaken by the Parliament and in particular by CONT in the context of the discharge procedure is of particular importance, as it offers the soleoffers an opportunity to consider more thoroughly the accounts of the Parliament’s administration;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes furthermore note of the specific findings concerning Parliament contained in the annual report of the Court for 2015; notes that the Court found that in one out of the sixteen Parliament transactions examined, related to a political group, the Court found weaknesses in controls of the authoriszation and settlement of expenditure made in 2014 but cleared in 2015, and in the related procurement procedures; these involved only one out of 16 Parliament transactions that were examined concerning one or other of the political groups and these weaknesses were cleared in 2015;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes that this reduces considerably cash payments and introduces mandatory electronic transfers therefore reducing the risks of theft and reputation for the Parliament while still providing for considerable flexibility; takes note ofsupports the Bureau’s intention to evaluate the revised system after one year of implementation;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8
Subheading 8
Transparency register and conflict of interest
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Welcomes that thee increasing attention of the media and the public at large fortowards the Parliament and its administration is increasing, but is concerned that; notes that some journalists findclaim to see it difficult to obtain the specific information they are looking for, as is evident, for example, in the court case introduced on 13 November 2016 by journalists from all Union countries, following the refusal by the Parliament to disclose records about MEP's allowance; points out that transparency of the Parliament and its administration is essential for the legitimacy of the institution in the eyes of the European citizens;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. CallInvites in this regard on the bureau to publish on the Parliament’s website the relevant documents submitted to it by the secretary- general, as soon as they become available, unless the nature of the information contained therein makes this impossible, for example, for the protection of personal data;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Believes that MEPs ought to be able to use the Parliament’s website to provide their constituencies with maximumthe greatest possible transparency on their activities and therefore calls upon the secretary- general to develop a system in which MEPs can indicate how they want their personal webpages to be organised; refers, in this respect, to the wish of certain MEPs to have their diaries and, in particular, their meetings with interest representatives, included on these webpages, and urges the secretary-general to make this possible without further delays, as already requested in Parliament’s 2014 discharge resolution;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls onInvites the bureau to make it possible forexamine the administrative burden and financial costs of facilitating, for those individual MEPs who wish to do so, the opportunity to have their accounts relating to the general expenditure allowance audited by the Parliament’s administration in a manner that is both efficient and effective (for example, by taking samples or by concentrating on expenditures over a certain financial threshold) and to publish the results on their personal webpages on the Parliament’s website; alternatively, to earmark a percentage of the general expenditure allowance for MEPs to hire an external audit;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Similarly, calls oninvites the Ssecretary- general to make it possible forexamine the possibility, for those individual MEPs who wish to do so, that payments of all other allowances are also published on their personal webpages on the Parliament’s website;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Calls onInvites the secretary-general to ensure thatalso to examine the possibility to make a general overview of the accounts of the political groups are easily accessible on the Parliament’s website in a format that allows for quick and easy searches;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Similarly, cCalls on the secretary- general to ensure on Parliament’s website full disclosure of the underlying documentssufficient information regarding the decision on the recognition of the European political parties and European political foundations and the determination of the final funding amount;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Welcomes the introduction of a special form for rapporteurs towhere they can indicate which interest representatives had influenced their reports (legislative footprint);
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Reiterates its call for a report by Parliament’s administration on the use of the Parliament’s premises by interest representatives and other external organisations, whilst paying special attention to the MEP-industry fora;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – introductory part
Paragraph 42 – introductory part
42. Is concerned thatConsiders whether the current code of conduct for MEPs does not offers sufficient safeguards in order to efficiently avoid conflicts of interests and expresses the need forinvites the bureau to examine the possibility of the establishment of a working group on the strengtheningmodernization of the code of conduct in respect of, inter alia, the following issues:;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – indent 1
Paragraph 42 – indent 1
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – indent 2
Paragraph 42 – indent 2
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – indent 3
Paragraph 42 – indent 3
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – indent 4
Paragraph 42 – indent 4
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Reiterates, in this regard, its call in the 2014 discharge where it was noted that the Parliament website remained relatively user-unfriendly, difficult to navigate and had not yet incorporated the most recent technological developments with the result that it was difficult to find relevant information quickly; it was also pointed out that, given the importance of communication with European citizens, the website did not contribute to improving the image of the Parliament with the public at large;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 b (new)
Paragraph 44 b (new)
44b. Calls on DG COM to introduce a more efficient and user-friendly website that incorporates a more efficient website search engine, one that will heighten the profile of the Parliament with the general public and respond more directly to the needs and interests of citizens; notes that merely mediocre results have been obtained despite the expenditure of large resources;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Is, however, not convinced of the effectiveness ofCalls for closer attention to be given to Parliament’s communication strategy in respect of those who are not automatically interested in Parliament’s activitiesthe institution or are even sceptical about its functioning; invites the Secretary-General to develop a new strategy to reach also these citizens and to concentrate in that respect less on “sending messages” than on, facilitating access to information and onadequately addressing unjustified prejudices against the Parliament;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Notes with concern the on-going discussions on the nature of temporary exhibitions; and is not convinced of the fact that deciding onsks if the contents of exhibitions in the House of European History belongs to Parliament’s core business, let alone the managementshould not be let alone to the competent bodies of a museum;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Welcomes the fact that the number of femalgender balance of the directors-general roseimproved from 18,2 % in 2014 (2 out of 11) to 33,3 % in 2015 (4 out of 12), but notes with concern that the number of female/ 81,8 % in 2014 to 33,3 % / 66,7 % in 2015, but notes that the gender balance of directors fell from 34 % / 66 % in 2014 to 31,1 % / 68,9 % in 2015. Notes that the percentage of femalegender balance in heads of unit continued to risimprove from 30 % / 70 % at the end of 2014 to 31,2 % / 68,8 % at the end of 2015. Emphasises that imbalances for managerial posts therefore persist and that an equal opportunities programme for these posts remains of utmost importance;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65
Paragraph 65
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67
Paragraph 67
67. Points out that in cases of harassment or whistle-blowing APAs are in a particularly vulnerable position, as their contracts are based on mutual trust between the MEP and the assistant; if this trust is lacking, that in itself is reason for terminating the contract; furthermore, if the MEP has to resign because of reputational damage as a consequence of harassment or other irregularities, this normally means that the contracts of all his/her assistants will also be terminated; calls therefore for the immediate strengthening of the representation of APAs in the advisory committee on harassment, as already requested in the context of the 2014 discharge, and financial compensatory measures, for example, by paying the APAs concerned up to their salaries until the end of the term of Parliament, if their to ensure sufficient unemployment benefits in cases where the APAs' contracts awere dissolved and the unemployment benefits do not offer full compensation of lost incomedue to harassment issues;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 a (new)
Paragraph 73 a (new)
73a. Points out that, despite previous calls for improvement, the service offered by the Parliament's travel agency remains unsatisfactory as prices are relatively high, the agency has failed to negotiate agreements with the major airlines with regard to cheaper prices and more flexibility when making travel arrangements;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 b (new)
Paragraph 73 b (new)
73b. Calls on the agency to actively seek to provide lower prices whatever the airline in question is; requests that the agency introduces a feedback process (user satisfaction surveys) with a view to identifying areas in which further progress might be made;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76 a (new)
Paragraph 76 a (new)
76a. Recalls Paragraph 112 of last year's discharge report (P8_TA- PROV(2016)0150) that calls for an assessment of the current situation of the pension fund; regrets that such an assessment has not yet been delivered;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81
Paragraph 81
81. Encourages the secretary-general to consider engageing with non- governmental organizations, such as OpenBudgets.eu in order to promote transparency and accountability in the domain of Parliament’s financial management;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86
Paragraph 86
86. Finds it unacceptableworth investigating if thate printers have to be placed in the offices of staff members and in particular of APAs, leadin the offices of all parliamentary staff members are producing to dangerous levels of emissions of particles; calls for measures taken byon DG ITEC and Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics (DG INLO) to createonsider possibilities for printers to be located strategically, but outside the offices;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 a (new)
Paragraph 90 a (new)
90a. Expresses its satisfaction with the progress that has already been achieved in the modernisation process of DG INTE, notably with respect to the enhanced availability of interpreters, the moderate increase in the number of hours interpreters spend delivering interpretation and the improved distribution of interpreter workloads; notes that the calculation method with regard to statistics has been clarified and that all annual leave and sick leave have now been excluded from the calculation of the average number of hours spent by interpreters in the booth;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 93
Paragraph 93
93. Is concerned about the problematiclack of results of the social dialogue between DG INTE and the representatives of interpreters concerning the adoption of new working conditions, which started in January 2014 and whereby until now no agreement could be reached; calls on the secretary general to initiate a mediation between the parties involved to improve the mutual understanding of the positions and to find solutions that are agreeable to all; both in line with the interest of the Parliament and offer an adequate level of social protection for staff;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 93 a (new)
Paragraph 93 a (new)
93a. Request information from the secretary-general regarding the measures that have been taken since the adoption of the resolution on the discharge on the budget 2014 to achieve more resource efficiency and effectiveness of meeting organisation by streamlining conference management in Parliament;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 101
Paragraph 101
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 107
Paragraph 107
107. Emphasises nevertheless thatConsiders it worth examining if the current system of internal and external controls is clearly insufficient tohas deficiencies in avoiding major irregularities; takes note of the declarations of the external accountant, EY, that its audits are aimed at obtaining a reasonable assurance that the annual accounts are free of material misstatements and that the entity has complied with in scope of rules and regulations, and that they include examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the opinion; also notes, however, that the examinations do not include investigations of possible fraudulent statements and documents; that,, and therefore, the audits provide only for a superficialomewhat limited insight in the dealings of European political parties and foundationsfinancial activities examined;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 108
Paragraph 108
108. Is particularly worried about the lack ofNotes the scarce human resources (effectively 2 FTEs) in DG FINS devoted to checking the accounts of European political parties and foundations and expresses the view that considering the high reputational risk involved, more resources shcould be devoted to this activity;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 109
Paragraph 109
109. Calls on the bureau to, in so far as the principle of consfider in future not only the note from the secretary-general ontiality allows it, to facilitate access to the underlying documents contained in the final reports of European political parties and foundations, but to receive automatically the underlying documents and, in particular the accounts and the audits undertaken;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 111
Paragraph 111
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 112
Paragraph 112