Activities of Peter AGIUS
Plenary speeches (2)
Facing fake news, populism and disinformation in the EU - the importance of public broadcasting, media pluralism and independent journalism (debate)
Seven years from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: lack of progress in restoring the rule of law in Malta (debate)
Amendments (16)
Amendment 7 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas in 2023, the Ombudsman published a special report following her strategic inquiry into the time the European Commission takes to deal with requests for public access to documents; whereas the Ombudsman submitted this report to the European Parliament with a view to seeking its help in prevailing uponsupport in getting the Commission to act on herits recommendations , being of the opinion that citizens are entitled to expect better practices from an open, modern and service-minded EU administration;
Amendment 12 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas transparency is a vital part of a democratic society and an important tool in the fight against corruption; whereas EU citizens have the right to the highest level of transparency and whereas the very highest level of accessibility to public documents is essential to ensure accountability;
Amendment 25 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that public access to documents is a fundamental right of EU citizens and a cornerstone of European democracy. Technological and societal developments since the adoption of Regulation (EC) 1049/2001 call for the consideration of a consolidation of citizen’s rights to access to documents; calls on the Commission to consider a proposal for revision and urges the Council to engage in constructive negotiations with Parliament and the Commission on the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, in order to turn these three key EU institutions into to improlve models of transparency and public accountability for the whole ofin the EU;
Amendment 30 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Endorses the conclusions of the Ombudsman’s special report4 to the European Parliament concerning the time the European Commission takes to deal with requests for public access to documents and is worriconcerned about the Ombudsman’s assessment that these systemic and significant delays in the Commission’s processing of requests for public access to documents amount to maladministration; underlines how important it is that the Commission dedicate more resources to dealing with confirmatory requests under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and calls on the Commission to correct this situation as a matter of priority and to improve its practice of handling confirmatory requests; acknowledges the importance of the timely treatment of access to documents requests by all institutions; reminds the Commission of Parliament’s right to bring action against it before the Court of Justice of the European Union on the grounds of infringement of the Treaties and expects a clear and unequivocal commitment by the new College of Commissioners to remedy this situation; _________________ 4 Special Report of the European Ombudsman in her strategic inquiry concerning the time the European Commission takes to deal with requests for public access to documents (OI/2/2022/OAM).
Amendment 46 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Endorses the intention of the Ombudsman to conduct a broader inquiry into how the scope of environmental information and information related to emissions into the environment is interpreted by the Commission; cCommends the Ombudsman for emphasising that the EU has an obligation to ensure a high level of public access to environmental information and public participation in decision-making relating to the environment;
Amendment 55 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Congratulates the Ombudsman for her efforts to further contribute to the clarification of what constitutes an EU document and stresses that it is essential that the EU institutions should follow the Ombudsman’s recommendations in order to adapt their administrative practices to take into account evolving means of communication;
Amendment 58 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Appreciates the Ombudsman’s commitment to upholding fundamental rights in the EU institutions’ border management activities by launching inquiries into the actions of Frontex and the Commission in this area; notes that the Ombudsman asked for further clarification from the Commission as to how it intends to guarantee respect for human rights in the context of the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding, in an effort to ensure that the EU complies with its human rights obligations;
Amendment 70 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission’s decision to work with local and national authorities to draw up a fundamental rights impact assessment of EU-funded migration management facilities in Greece, following an own- initiative inquiry by the Ombudsman into how the Commission ensures respect for fundamental rights in these facilities;
Amendment 78 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Strongly supports the Ombudsman’s conclusions that the EU’s ethical and anticorruption rules need to be respected and strengthened by the EU institutions and that Parliament’s implementation of reforms in this area must be properly monitored and enforced at all levels; urges the Ombudsman to pay close attention to direct and indirect lobbying practices in Parliament that might increase the risk of potential conflicts of interest; invites the Ombudsman, in this context, to suggest improvements to the current Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament regarding integrity and transparency;
Amendment 79 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Strongly supports the Ombudsman’s conclusions that the EU’s ethical and anticorruption rules need to be respected and strengthened by the EU institutions and that Parliament’s implementation of reforms in this area must be properly monitored and enforced at all levels; urges the Ombudsman tohighlights the need for the Parliament to always pay close attention to direct and indirect lobbying practices in Parliament that might increase the risk of potential conflicts of interest; invites the Ombudsman, in this context, to suggest improvements to the current Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament regarding integrity and transparency;
Amendment 89 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. WelcomesTakes note of the Ombudsman’s investigations into risks of conflicts of interest in the Commission, especially in the area of the European Defence Fund (EDF); finds it problematic that the Commission is not required to make public the names of the experts it consults on EDF-related projects, and invites the Commission to reflect on how to increase transparency and public scrutiny in this sensitive policy area;
Amendment 92 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. SupportsTakes note of the Ombudsman’s call on the European Investment Bank (EIB) to improve its rules on conflicts of interest and to strengthen the oversight role of its Ethics and Compliance Committee, following the move of its vice-president to become the CEO of a national promotional bank; encourages the Ombudsman, in this regard, to continue focusing on the issue of cooling-off periods and revolving door moves by senior staff members from all EU institutions, agencies and bodies in order to ensure the highest ethical standards of transparency and public accountability;
Amendment 96 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Encourages the Commission to step up its efforts to increase transparency with regard to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and supports the Ombudsman’s call oninvites the Commission to improve its handling of requests for public access to RRF-related documents and to continue publishing preliminary assessments of Member States’ payment requests;
Amendment 103 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recalls the imperative obligation of the EU institutions to secure the services of independent and well qualified officials recruited in an open manner and with due geographical balance between nationalities and languages. Points out that the Ombudsman conducted an inquiry into how European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) carried out ‘pre-selection’ tests as part of a procedure to recruit new staff into the EU civil service, and identified issues concerning the organisation of tests which are exclusively carried out remotely; calls on EPSO to improve its recruitment procedures by ensuring that technical requirements do not disadvantage certain candidates and to provide clear information to candidates; is of the opinion that candidates should be given the option, if they so choose, to participate in these tests while physically present at a test centre, as was common practice prior to the COVID- 19 pandemic;
Amendment 111 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for the continuation of the close cooperation between the Ombudsman and the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions, which have the shared mission of bringing the EU institutions closer to citizens; expresses its great appreciation for the attention and follow-up that the Ombudsman affords to all complaints, including those falling outside the mandate of the European Ombudsman, such as citizens’ complaints about specific issues related to EU legislation, and supports the Ombudsman in advising those complainants to turn toe referral of complaints, falling out of its remit concerning implementation of EU legislation, to the European Parliament’ Petitions Committee on Petitions;
Amendment 115 #
2024/2056(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Appreciates and welcomes the efforts of the Ombudsman and her office to constantly improve their internal procedures to ensure that complainants have an optimal experience and that complaints are dealt with as efficiently as possible; encourages the Ombudsman’s efforts to further improve the visibility of its activities and welcomes the improvements to the Ombudsman’s online complaint system, which have made it more user- friendly; welcomes the Ombudsman’s multilingual website, which reflects the Ombudsman’s commitment to offer assistance in the 24 official languages of the EU;