Activities of Marco VALLI related to 2018/2167(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017, Section I – European Parliament PDF (270 KB) DOC (124 KB)
Amendments (16)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. GPostpones the decision on grantsing its President discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Parliament for the financial year 2017;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. NotesDeplores the fact that Parliament's final appropriations for 2017 totalled EUR 1 909 590 000, or 19,25 % of heading V of the Multiannual Financial Framework9 set aside for the 2017 administrative expenditure of the Union institutions as a whole, representing a 3,9 %n increase of no less than 3.9% over the 2016 budget (EUR 1 838 613 983); deplores the fact that Parliament's budget has increased steadily year on year during the current parliamentary term, reaching a total of no less than EUR 1 999 144 000 for the financial year 2019; calls, therefore, for Parliament to set as the main objective for its own budget that of curbing its own costs as much as possible and seeking significant savings, in order to send out a message of solidarity with EU citizens; _________________ 9 Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020.
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls for a reduction of at least 15% in Members' monthly salaries, daily allowances and emoluments, including the general expenditure allowance, with a view to sending out a message of solidarity with EU citizens; calls on the Bureau to review the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members in order to achieve as many savings as possible in the area of Members’ allowances;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes note of the specific findings concerning Parliament contained in the annual report of the Court for 2017; notesdeplores the fact that the Court found, of the eight Parliament transactions examined, weaknesses in no fewer than three related to procurement procedure, namely compliance with contract selection criteria, full compliance with the framework contract, and the criterion to select a travel agency, and in one related to the reimbursement of expenses of political groups;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 – introductory part
Paragraph 30 – introductory part
30. Still strongly regrets that, according to the Courtestimates drawn up, the costs of the geographic dispersion of Parliament amount to EUR 11vary between EUR 114 million and EUR 204 million per year; takes note ofdeplores the additional costs linked to Parliament’s 12 journeys per year to Strasburg, in the form of Members' travel expenses, which can be broken down as follows for 2017:
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Stresses that, additionally, the cost of the Thalys charter train was no less than EUR 3 668 532 in 2017;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Strongly underlines that this additional expenditure goes against the principle of sound financial management and against the principle of budgetary discipline; acknowledges that a single seat can only be achieved by a unanimous Treaty change; calls upon Council and the Commission to initiate such a Treaty change without further delay;, and takes the view that this Treaty change will benefit European taxpayers, both financially and as regards the quality of the work done by MEPs; calls, therefore, for practical steps to be taken quickly to establish a single seat for Parliament, in order to prevent any further waste of public money; deplores the fact that over a single parliamentary term the costs generated by Parliament's geographic dispersion can amount to as much as EUR 1 billion, and voices opposition to the multiannual building projects intended to increase the office space available to Members in both Strasbourg and Brussels;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Emphasises that the annual environmental impact of the geographic dispersion of Parliament's activities amounts to between 11 000 and 19 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions; emphasises that this dispersion is damaging Parliament's image among EU citizens, and calls for a road map of measures designed to establish a single seat for Parliament to be drawn up quickly;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Takes the view that Parliament's Drivers' Service should be used by Members exclusively for journeys to Parliament's premises from the airport/station or vice versa (primary journeys), and that Parliament minivans and minibuses should be used for this purpose; emphasises that in Belgium MPs can use trains free of charge, and calls, therefore, for a similar arrangement to be introduced as a replacement for Parliament's Drivers' Service, with a view to achieving the maximum savings possible; deplores the fact that in 2017 57.63% of the journeys undertaken by Parliament's Drivers' Service in Brussels and 67.62% of those it undertook in Strasbourg were secondary journeys;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56 a (new)
Paragraph 56 a (new)
56a. Deplores the fact that over the last five years, from 2014 to 2018 inclusive, the cost to Parliament of renting its buildings was more than EUR 160 million, and more than EUR 37 million for the financial year 2017 alone; calls, therefore, for the leases to be renegotiated with a view to achieving the largest possible savings;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. NotesDeplores the fact that in 2017, EUR 75 000 were committed to the pilot installation of innovative furnishing and office equipment models for Members; notes alsodeplores, further, the fact that the refurbishment of Members’ offices and corridors in the Louise Weiss building, which was the only Parliament’s building undergoing works in 2016 and 2017, totalled EUR 1 157 975 (compared to no less than EUR 1 157 975, a substantial increase over the previous year (EUR 840 260 in 2016);
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
Paragraph 68
68. Takes note of the Bureau’s decision with regard to the General Expenditure Allowance to apply the agreed modifications only after the 2019 elections; calls for Members to be fully accountable for their spending under this allowance;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71
Paragraph 71
71. Points out that this raises concerns aboutNotes the possible exhaustion of the fund, and thatcalls on Parliament is guaranteeing the payment ofnot to pay pension rights when and if this fund is unot able to meet its obligations; emphasises the importance of finding a solution which does not impose a further financial burden on European taxpayers;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71 a (new)
Paragraph 71 a (new)
71a. Takes the view that Decision 2005/684/EC on the Statute for Members needs to be revised, in order to amend Article 14 and bring the pension entitlements of Members of the European Parliament into line with the social security systems for ordinary citizens of individual Member States, as regards both the calculation of the amount and the age- and contribution-related requirements which entitle them to a pension; calls, further, for a recalculation of the pensions paid out from the EU budget to former Members who accrued such an entitlement prior to, and following, the entry into force of the current Statute for Members;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 94 a (new)
Paragraph 94 a (new)
94a. Calls for all expenditure relating to European political parties and political foundations to be discontinued, and stresses the fact that the latter should become totally reliant on own resources and cease to be financially dependent on Parliament's budget; maintains that only complete reliance on own resources would eliminate the risk to Parliament's budget in connection with the need to recover amounts erroneously or fraudulently spent;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 94 b (new)
Paragraph 94 b (new)
94b. Deplores the fact that the cost of meetings and other activities of former Members (Article 440) and for meetings and other activities of the European Parliamentary Association (Article 442) amounted to EUR 420 000 in the financial year 2017, and emphasises that groups of this kind should be totally reliant on their own resources and no longer be financially dependent on Parliament's budget;