32 Amendments of Tiziana BEGHIN related to 2015/2287(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
– whereas full transparency underpins citizens' trust in EU institutions, contributes to developing an understanding of the rights deriving from the legal system of the Union and awareness and knowledge of the EU decision-making process, including the correct implementation of administrative and legislative procedures,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)
Citation 9 b (new)
– whereas the right of access to documents is a fundamental right, protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Treaties and implemented by Regulation 1049/2001, with the aim, in particular, of ensuring that this right can be exercised as easily as possible and of promoting good administrative practices regarding access to documents by ensuring democratic scrutiny of the activities of the institutions and ensuring that they comply with the rules enshrined in the Treaties,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that the actions of the institutions and EU policies have to be based on participatory democracy, thus ensuring compliance with the principles of full transparency, sharing, and informing citizens accurately and in good time and where possible on direct democracy, ensuring that decisions are taken as openly and as close to the citizens as possible, and thus in compliance with the principles of full transparency, sharing, and informing citizens accurately and in good time; when citizens’ participation in the decision-making process takes the form of public consultations, the institutions must take account of the outcome of those consultations;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that it is the duty of the institutions to carry on a continuing open, transparent dialogue with citizens, associations representing them and civil society, so as to enable citizens themselves to bring scrutiny directly to bearand effectively to bear on the legitimacy and effectiveness of governance, on measures taken and on the different stages of decision-taking –, and to allowing them to become more activeclosely and directly involved in the decision- making process – and on the legitimacy and effectiveness of governance and measures taken;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that transparency and full access to documents held by the institutions have to be the rule, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, and that, as has already been laid down by the precedents consistently set by the EU Court of Justice, exceptions to that rule have to be properly interpreted, taking into account that there is ane overriding public interest in disclosure and in the requirements of democracy, the closer involvement of citizens in the decision- making process, the legitimacy of governance, efficiency and accountability to citizens;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that in order to bring about a legitimate, accountable democratic political system complying with the rule of law, citizens must have the right to know about, and scrutinise,: – the actions of their representatives, once the latter have been elected or appointed to a public office; – the decision-making process, (including any documents circulated, individuals involved, votes cast, etc.); – the way in which public money is apportioned and spent, and the ensuing outcomes;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the fact that it is still difficult for citizens to gain access to information held by EU institutions, the reason being that there is no effective citizen-oriented interinstitutional policy geared to facilitating access to documents for citizens and based on complete and genuine transparency, communication, and direct democracy; urges the institutions to take a proactive attitude by disclosing as many of their documents as possible in as simple and accessible a way as possible for the public, having documents translated into all of the EU official languages, and establishing proper, simple and inexpensive information access arrangements, including digitally and electronically, allowing for the needs of people with disabilities;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Urges all the institutions, pending its desired revision, to apply Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 in the proper manner; calls in particular on the Council, in particularcluding its preparatory bodies, to revise its rules, with a view to ensuring that all discussions, documents, and information are made public, and to produce transcripts of its public meetings; calls for Parliament to publish transcripts of, as well as the papers for and information on, meetings of its working groups, including coordinators’ meetings; calls also for meetings of the so-called Eurogroup to be placed on a formal footing so that transcripts of, as well as the papers for and all other information on, those meetings may be published in keeping with the public interest in transparency, which must take precedence over any exceptions intended to safeguard the decision-making process;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that, as a result of the entry into force of the TEU and the TFEU, the right of access to documents covers all EU institutions, bodies, and agencies; believes, therefore, that the substance of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 should be updated as a matter of urgency and its substance amended in the light of the Treaty provisions and the relevant case law of the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights; believes, in particular, that it is essential to broaden the regulation's scope to include all the European institutions it currently does not cover, such as the European Council, the European Central Bank, the Court of Justice and all the EU bodies and agencies;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Treaty of Lisbon has done away with the reference to safeguarding the efficiency of legislative decision- taking; believes therefore that this exception, which still appears in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, is no longer admissible as it is incompatible with the new constitutional setup;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s inquiry into the transparency of the legislative process, with a particular focus on ‘trilogues’, the established practice by which most EU legislation is adopted; urges the Ombudsman to make full use of her powers of investigation under the Treaties, with a view to enhancing the transparency of legislative and non- legislative work within the EU;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points out that the use of trilogues is not consistent with the legislative procedure laid down in the Treaty and that conciliation committees may be used only at third reading as a last resort, in cases where Parliament and the Council are unable to reach agreement on a Commission legislative proposal;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the institutions involved to amend their own rules of procedure so as to ensure in future that negotiations will be transparent and, to that end, to allow meetings to be held in public and webstreamed and to arrange for agendas, minutes, and the main issues discussed to be published;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the Commission’s intention of proposing an interinstitutional agreement establishing a mandatory interinstitutional register of interest group representatives operating within the institutions and calls for that matter to be given the highest priority; calls for that register to contain detailed information showing who is lobbying on behalf of whom, for what purpose and with what resources and funding; stresses that the register system should apply across the board and that the register should therefore be established and governed by a specific regulation, as an interinstitutional agreement is not the right legal instrument to use for this purpose;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Also calls on Parliament and the Council to follow the Commission practice, as established by the decision of 25 November 2014, by publishing information about contacts between lobbyists and Members of Parliament, their office staff, and their advisers, and between lobbyists and Member State representatives working at the Council; believes also that uniform, effective penalties should be laid down in order to deal with any abuses;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on all the institutions to publish information about the contacts of interest group representatives with their officials, including those of non-managerial level;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Points out that, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and in order to guarantee full democratic and transparent parliamentary control, access should likewise be granted to documents produced when powers are delegated (delegated acts), since these make up a substantial portion of European legislation, for which reason adequate and transparent parliamentary and democratic control ought to be fully guaranteed; in this context, particularly deplores the lack of transparency of the European supervisory authorities (EBA, EIOPA, ESMA) because of the lack of involvement of the co-legislators; considers it disappointing that no single register of delegated actsall second-level legislation has yet been established and calls on the Commission to set one up without delay;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that international agreements have binding force and an impact on EU legislation and points to the need for negotiations to be transparent throughout the entire process, implying that the institutions should be obliged to publish the negotiating brief conferred on the Commission simultaneously with its approval and before the negotiations begin; considers it regrettable that negotiations are secret and citizens have no access to information, but only to documents communicated to the press, thus giving rise to speculation and misconceptions about the negotiations; maintains that the public should be given access to all of the parties’ relevant negotiating documents, including documents on which the parties have already reached agreement, with the exception of those which are to be classified, with a clear justification on a case-by-case basis, in keeping with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Points out to the Commission that it is required under Article 207 TFEU to inform Parliament fully and immediately at every stage while negotiations are taking place, and calls on the Council to consult Parliament before drafting the negotiating brief;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls for all documents relating to non-legislative procedures, such as binding measures, measures relating to internal organisation, administrative or budget documents or documents of a political nature (such as conclusions, recommendations or resolutions), to be rendered readily, and if possible directly, accessible in accordance with the principle of proper administration;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Deplores the lack of transparency regarding infringement procedurletters of formal notice and infringement procedures against Member States; calls in particular for documents sent by the Commission to Member States in connection with such procedures, and the related replies, to be made accessible to the public; calls furthermore for information on the execution of judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union to be published proactively;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Believes that full data transparency and accessibility are essential to prevent and combat any abuse and fraud; in this context, calls on the Commission to make it compulsory to publish particulars of all recipients of money from the Structural Funds, including subcontractors;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 25 – subparagraph 1 (new)
EU institutions and financial bodies
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 25 – point 1 (new)
(1) Notes that in a change to its policy on transparency the ECB now publishes the minutes of meetings of the ECB Governing Council, but regrets that the ECB is still lagging far behind the world’s other central banks in this regard; awaits the implementation of further major measures to improve the transparency of its communication channels;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point 2 (new)
Paragraph 25 – point 2 (new)
(2) Believes that considerable progress can still be made through publication of the minutes of Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) meetings; hopes furthermore that in the future all documents concerning decisions taken in the Asset Quality Review process will be made public to guarantee a level playing field across the EU; hopes too that transparency requirements will also be applied to the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) due to start on 1 January 2016;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point 3 (new)
Paragraph 25 – point 3 (new)
(3) Is disappointed with the transparency policy applied by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); recalls that the ECB’s new transparency policy allows it to establish confidentiality procedures in order to keep secret internal investigations into irregularities such as corruption, infiltration by organised criminal groups or maladministration; calls for a prompt review of their transparency policies and asks in particular that the EIB make public information on its beneficiaries and on the subcontractors who benefit from its funding;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point 4 (new)
Paragraph 25 – point 4 (new)
(4) Is critical of the lack of transparency within some institutions that have taken crucial economic decisions affecting EU citizens, such as the Eurogroup and the Ecofin Council configuration; emphasises the urgency of making these meetings public and transparent, and calls for the relevant institutions to release the documents concerned; is critical of the mismanagement of the ‘Greek crisis’ and calls attention to the fact that the Troika operated outside the limits laid down in the Treaties; is critical too of the failure to publish documentation on decisions relating to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM); asks that the Troika’s modus operandi be assessed to clarify the responsibilities attributable to the institutions involved and ensure democratic legitimacy in the adoption and implementation of the rescue programmes;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 26 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Selection of staff for the EU institutions, agencies and other bodies
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point 1 (new)
Paragraph 26 – point 1 (new)
(1) Regrets that the procedures for selecting EU institution staff are not fully transparent and calls in particular for the Staff Regulations to be revised, particularly with reference to ‘Annex III - Competitions’;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point 2 (new)
Paragraph 26 – point 2 (new)
(2) Considers that competitions for entry to the European civil service ought to be entirely based on criteria of openness and transparency in order to combat corruption and conflicts of interest;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point 3 (new)
Paragraph 26 – point 3 (new)
(3) Considers it essential that the EU agencies apply a common policy on conflicts of interest; notes that in some cases the policy applied to date includes provisions concerning publication of the CVs and declarations of interests of the Director and of senior management; observes with concern however that the obligation to publish CVs and declarations of interest does not apply to experts; calls on the agencies to extend this obligation to experts;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point 4 (new)
Paragraph 26 – point 4 (new)
(4) Is disappointed by the lack of transparency in the appointment of EFSI managers; calls for transparency in appointment procedures and for information on CVs and declarations of interests to be made public;