32 Amendments of Maria GRAPINI related to 2022/2082(DEC)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Court of Auditors stated in its audit that, in its specific assessment of the administrative and other expenditure in 2021, it did not identify any serious weaknesses in the annual activity reports of the institutions and bodies it examined as required by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046did not show material levels of error, which is consistent with the Court’s findings;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 16 September 2021 on strengthening transparency and integrity in the EU institutions by setting up an independent EU ethics body;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 b (new)
Citation 3 b (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2022 on suspicions of corruption from Qatar and the broader need for transparency and accountability in the European institutions;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas trust in Parliament’s integrity and the rule of law is paramount for the functioning of European democracy; whereas it is key to ensure that democratic processes are not captured by private and external interests and that citizens’ rights are fully respected;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that the Court of Auditors (the ‘Court’) performs a specific assessment of administrative and other expenditure as a single policy group for all Union institutions; highlights that administrative and related expenditure includes expenditure on human resources (salaries, allowances and pensions), accounting for 68% of the total, and on other categories, such as buildings, equipment, energy, communications and information technology;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes with concern that the Court’s annual report on the implementation of the budget concerning the financial year 2021 presents specific findings on Parliament, namely errors in two payments: (i) a minor over- payment for IT services caused by an incorrect application of contract terms, and (ii) one payment by Parliament to one of its political groups; is concerned that the internal procurement rules adopted by the Bureau and Parliament’s guidelines on their application allow the use of negotiated procurement procedures for high-value contracts whereas the Financial Regulation stipulates the use of open or restricted procurement procedures; notes with concern, furthermore, the Court’s finding that the political group failed to fully follow these internal rules, as it did not seek enough tenders and did not adequately document the criteria used to award the contract; highlights that the Court has previously reported shortcomings in transactions relating to procurement by political groups;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Acknowledges that, in accordance with Article 118(9) of the Financial Regulation, “the reports and findings of the internal auditor, as well as the report of the Union institution concerned, shall be accessible to the public after validation by the internal auditor of the action taken for their implementation”; calls on the internal auditor to regularly reportport as often as necessary to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the annual audit activities carried out;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Recalls that once the Plenary calls for different rules or measures to be implemented by Parliament, such proposed rules or measures should be discussed and voted on by the Bureau, pursuant to Rule 25 of and Annex V to the Rules of Procedure and Articles 6 and 166262 of the Financial Regulation; is deeply disappointed, however, that each year very concrete demands adopted by Plenary in discharge resolutions are not reflected in the discussions of the Bureau meetings despite the fact that both Bureau members and the Secretary-General are aware of the discharge resolutions and have the capacity to submit proposals under the aforementioned Rule 25; is disappointed that the Secretary-General's written replies to Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control are often limited to quoting the current rules without any dedicated discussion in the Bureau and thus, lacking a genuine effort or intention to review those rules in accordance with Parliament’s will; believes that this situation is detrimental to the exercise of democratic scrutiny which is carried out via the discharge procedure and for which Parliament should be a role model for all Union institutions and bodies;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Is concerned that in certain cases, some of the measures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in modified working conditions in specific services within Parliament which had a negative impact on staff, for example at the copy shop in Brussels where members of staff had to work in isolation for a long period of time even after the safety measures were lifted; asks Parliament’s administration to proactively re-evaluate the working conditions changed in possible similar situations;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Praises the key role of Parliament’s medical services at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic response and acknowledges the enormous workload involved, which included treatment, testing and vaccination of staff, providing psychological support and advising on mitigation measures; regretnotes the fact that the staff annual medical check-up washad to be cancelled in 2021 and, recalls that is a statutory right laid down in Article 59(6) of the Staff Regulations, and welcomes the fact that the progression of the pandemic situation has made it possible to resume it; welcomes the creation, in October 2021, of the Medical Preparedness and Crisis Management Unit (MPCMU) made up of staff from the medical services in Brussels and Luxembourg with the objective of enhancing Parliament’s response capacity for future crisis;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Stresses the major negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Parliament’s catering staff which led to worsening working conditions and even dismissals; welcomes the solidarity measures implemented from April 2020 to December 2021, namely the provision of ‘charity meals’ and a business continuity fee in the three places of work, that at least helped to safeguard 37 jobs for catering staff; welcomes the fact that there 20 new jobs have been created since the restart of all catering activities in March 2022, but regrets the fact that Parliament’s administration has not communicated how many jobs were lost during the pandemic with the pretext that it is a concession contract; is of the opinion that the internalization of essential services such as catering and cleaning should be considered by the governing bodies, as Parliament has recently done with security, drivers and IT services, and it was also made with the CPE2 crèche in Luxembourg; calls on the Secretary-General to carry out a feasibility study on the internalisation of these services and to report back to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the outcome;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. Recalls that the Bureau approved on 13 January 2020 new and more ambitious targets for gender balance at senior and middle management levels of Parliament’s administration to be achieved by 2024, namely 50% female heads of unit, 50% female directors and 40% female directors-general; recalls that a gender action plan for the years 2021-2022 aimed at facilitating the implementation of these targets, as well as comprehensively mainstreaming gender into all activities of Parliament, was subsequently developed and approved by the Bureau on 6 July 2020; welcomes the fact that 42,7% of heads of unit and 50% directors are women, while women occupying director- general positions have increased from 15,4% to 28.,% since 2021; notes that in 2021 Parliament recruited 536 women (50,3%) and 530 men (49,7%) across all categories of staff combined; notes the difficulties to achieve a satisfactory gender balance in some specific services, such as DG SAFE with 81% men and 19% women; asks the Administration for an assessment of the 2021-2022 roadmap based on the selected progress monitoring indicators in the context of the forthcoming discharge;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Recalls Parliament’s recommendation to the Commission in its resolution of 18 April 2018 ‘to review its administrative procedure for the appointment of senior officials with the objective of fully ensuring that the best candidates are selected within a framework of maximum transparency and equal opportunities, thereby also setting an example for the other European institutions’; is of the opinion that an ad hoc accelerated appointment procedure and an interview made up of only three questions to select its Secretary-Generalthat lasted less than 4 months, setting the required grade lower than that of direct subordinates and a single interview made up of only three questions to select its Secretary-General, a position that oversees over 9 000 staff members and a EUR 2 billion annual budget, falls short of what is expected of Parliament in terms of transparency, accountability and good administration, and it is profoundlyhas generated public criticism preventing it from being perceived as an open, fair and transparent procedure, which is a barrier to attracting candidates and is also damaging to the institution’s reputation; recalls furthermore its own recommendation that officials from staff representatives bodies should sit on Parliament’s senior management selection panels; calls therefore on the Secretary- General to submit a proposal to the Bureau to modify its decision of 16 May 2000 laying down the steps in the procedure for appointing senior officials, in order to include the appointment to the post of secretary-general as well as to enable staff representatives to participate as observers in the Advisory Committee, which is fully compatible with Article 3(4) of Annex III of the Staff Regulations;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Reiterates its opinion that the particular working relationship between Members and APAs can encompass a situation where both parties decide to terminate the contract by mutual agreement earlier than anticipated but without loss of trust; urges the Bureau to review the implementing measures for Title VII of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servantsconsult with Parliament’s Legal Service and DG PERS ofn the European Union (CEOS) to allowfeasibility of the contract to be terminated by mutual agreement before its expiry date and to inform the committee on budgetary control of the answer;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Recalls that Members may offer a traineeship to nationals of third countries, provided that they ensure that trainees comply with visa requirements of the country of designation; notes that third- country workers coming to Belgium for a traineeship in Brussels longer than 90 days must apply for a prior authorisation with the competent regional public service, i.e. Brussels Economy and Employment; is alarmed that Parliament’s competent service agreed with the latter that the relevant Member’s office would submit the candidate’s dossier which in practice means that an APA is appointed responsible before the public authorities, including the provision of their personal data and being legally accountable; recalls that the Parliament cannot put the APAs in a situation that could be detrimental to their rights as statutory personnel and calls on Parliament’s administration to find a different solution that will not endanger the privacy and legal security of the APAs or be a risk to the security of Parliament;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Stresses that transparency, accountability, and integrity are essential ethics principles within the Union institutions and particularly Parliament as house of the European democracy; recalls that unethical behaviours must be prevented, persecuted and condemned for significantly damage the credibility and legitimacy of the UnionParliament and the Union as a whole and constitute a serious threat to democracy and public trust; recalls the Court’s conclusions and recommendations in its special report 13/2019 on the ethnical frameworks of Union institutions, as well as Parliament’s resolution of 16 September 2021 on strengthening transparency and integrity in the Union institutions by setting up an independent Union ethics body;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62 b (new)
Paragraph 62 b (new)
62b. Regrets that the EPRS organised in June 2022 a two-day conference together with two non-governmental organisations, Fight Impunity and No Peace Without Justice, which were not registered in the Transparency Register and are today at the origin of one of the biggest corruption scandals ever suffered by Parliament; urges the Administration to put in place the means to strengthen internal rules and instruments for the prevention of conflicts of interest, such as the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) and the Public Procurement Forum (PPF), particularly with regard to events and studies commissioned by Parliament's bodies, and to make registration in the Transparency Register compulsory for external entities participating in any form;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69
Paragraph 69
69. Notes that the ‘advisory committee on harassment and its prevention at the workplace’ is composed of three members designated by the Appointing Authority (including the chair), two Staff Committee members and one expert advisor from the medical service; notes that the ‘advisory committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members’ is composed of three Quaestors (including the chair), the chair of the first committee, two APA committee members, one staff committee member (only for cases concerning a member of staff), and two expert advisors, namely from the legal and the medical services respectively; is concerned by the lack of independent experts on harassment issues in both committees, as well as the absence of the legal service in the first case; calls for a Secretary-General decisionon the Bureau to reviewing the composition of both advisory committees andin order to include the pertinent independent expertise and to stipulatinge mandatory training on harassment prevention and equal opportunities for all their membersinternal members; strongly recommends a complete review of the functioning of the advisory committees with the assistance of independent legal and harassment prevention specialists, so that Parliament is equipped with clear, effective and robust rules of procedure while focusing on adequate response times and the necessary procedural safeguards, information, counselling and protection measures for all parties as appropriate;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
72. Reiterates that APAs are in a particularly vulnerable position in whistleblowing cases due to their particularspecific employment situation; therefore calls on the Secretary-General to modify the internal rules on whistleblowing adopted on 4 December 2015 to align them to Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council2 , as well as to provide whistleblower APAs with a similarreinforced protection to that of, in the same line as for victims of harassment, in particular with regard to provisional measures during the administrative investigation and protection measures concerning anonymity, pay until the end of the contract, transfer of post and protection from retaliation; _________________ 2 Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (OJ L 305, 26.11.2019, p. 17).
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73
Paragraph 73
73. Highlights the importance of its communication strategy to engage with Union citizens through a varied multichannel series of projects and activities despite the challenges encountered in 2021; notes in Parliament social media channels an average growth in engagement rate between 2020 and 2021 of 69% and an average growth in the number of followers in 2021 of 11%; notes that, following a President decision in June 2021, visitors’ facilities were partially reopened and were able to welcome a total of 337 984 visitors until the end of the year and budgetary commitments of EUR 15 982 020 for 2021; notes that the works of the Zweig Visitor Centre continued as planned in 2021 and it was inaugurated in November 2022, and in this respect asks that consideration be given to the amount of time visitors' groups invest in moving from the Zweig building to the Spaak building, including security and identification checks, which may reduce the number of groups that can be received on a daily basis; notes that the House of European History, the Parlamentarium and the Europa Experiences remained closed or operated at reduced capacity for parts of 2021; welcomes the fact that the European Youth Event could finally be held in 2021 in a hybrid format and that it was a success with 10 000 young people taking part, although regrets a certain lack of preparation for the security checks which delayed access to Parliament's premises; notes the first editions of the LUX Audience award, with 6 000 voters, and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for journalism, which drew over 200 applications from across the Union;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 a (new)
Paragraph 86 a (new)
86a. Takes note of the changes in Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on 20 December 2020 allowing for remote voting; regrets that voting remotely in committee is currently not provided for under Parliament’s Rules of Procedure unless the President establishes the existence of extraordinary circumstances; reiterates its request, adopted at Plenary level on several occasions, to the Bureau to launch a revision of the Rules of Procedure in order to enable Members to exercise their right to vote remotely while benefiting from maternity or paternity leave, during a long term illness or in cases of force majeure, thus capitalising on the great effort and financial investment that the Parliament has made in technical solutions to allow remote voting;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 96
Paragraph 96
96. Notes with concern the Secretary- General’s decision of 22 March 2021 to abolish the Supervisory Committee for Canteens, Cafeterias and the Staff Shop (CORECA) based on the fact that since October 2020 all activities in the sector on Parliament’s premises have operated under concession contracts, which function without any direct involvement from Parliament’s budget; believes, however, that CORECA was a useful contact point between Parliament’s competent services and the Staff Committee on the food offer and the catering services, and that it would have been useful, for instance, to involve and receive feedback from the staff about the recent adaptation of the food offer in several venues and its noticeable deterioration in quality; regrets also that the Astrid Lulling Lounge no longer serves hot meals and has reduced its offer; calls, therefore, on the Secretary-General to reinstate CORECA or a similar contact point to involve staff representatives;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100
Paragraph 100
100. Observes that the evacuation system in Parliament’s buildings is largely based on security volunteers, as well as the difficulties to recruit them in buildings with less presence of administrative staff and taking into account that volunteers can also be on a teleworking mode; stresses the importance of counting on trained volunteers capable of guiding and supporting people present in Parliament’s building during evacuation simulations and real emergencies;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 a (new)
Paragraph 100 a (new)
100a. Calls on the security services controlling access to Parliament’s buildings to find a reasonable solution for external photographers who works in Parliament's premises on a daily basis and who have to carry a large amount of professional equipment through the security control every time, for example by allowing them to use the specific access for press;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 100 b (new)
Paragraph 100 b (new)
100b. Points out that at weekends the access to Parliament's buildings requires attendance to be signed on a paper register and, based on past problems with this method, strongly recommends that a more reliable and effective system be put in place;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 108
Paragraph 108
108. Understands that the core business of the service cars is the transport of Members, including the journey between Brussels and Strasbourg; points out, however, the waste of resources resulting from the fact that on average 15% of the seats available in the service fleet were not been occupied for that journey in 2021; reiterates its call on Parliament’s administration to widen the user group while making sure that Members’ seats are secured, i.e. establishing a reserve list and coherent deadlines to confirm the journey;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 113
Paragraph 113
113. Suggests the creation of a Bureau ad-hoc Working Groupjoint Task Force with Members and the relevant services of the Administration to carry out a thorough overhaul of the Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (IMMS) while striking a balance between the freedom of the exercise of the mandate, the reputational risks to Parliament and managerial ethics; strongly recommends that a comprehensive consultation of Members is carried out before the end of the current mandate to provide this Working GroupTask Force with first-hand information from experienced Members and officials on the practical application of the rules governing Parliament and the ability to identify inconsistencies, such as the fact that the Members’ attendance on Fridays is not registered in Brussels during plenary weeks or even if a Parliament’s committee official mission is carried out on Thursdays;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 115 a (new)
Paragraph 115 a (new)
115a. Notes that in 2021, when contacted in the context of a mission of Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Countries of Central America (DCAM), the travel agency could not provide a quote for flights to and from Cuba because, as a US owned company, it has to respect the US embargo against Cuba; notes that the travel agency had to outsource the search for the aforementioned flights to another agency, leading to delays in the process; recalls that Parliament’s bodies are obliged to use a quote from its travel agency in order to establish a financial statement for missions, which may be negatively impacted by restrictions concerning Cuba and other countries on which the US has imposed sanctions; demands that this issue be duly taken into account in the next tender for the selection of a new travel agency;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 116
Paragraph 116
116. Is concerned that the actuarial deficit of the Voluntary Pension Fund (VPF) on 31 December 2021 amounted to EUR 379 million (compared to EUR 371.3 million on 31 December 2020); is concerned that the complete exhaustion is expected by the end of 2024 or 2025 at the latest and that in the meantime the VPF continues to sell assets in order to meet its pension obligations, which probably means that the remaining capital is being reduced; acknowledges that Parliament is not involved in the management of the portfolio but expresses its concern regarding the articles published in the press about the investments made by the Fund and the potential reputational risk for the institution; recalls the Bureau decision of 10 December 2018 increasing the retirement age from 63 to 65 years and introducing a levy of 5% to pension payments for future pensioners with a view to improving the VPF sustainability; notes that in its judgment of 15 September 2021 in cases T-720/19 to T-725/19, Ashworth and Others v Parliament3 , the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) concluded that already acquired rights were not impacted by the contested Bureau decision of 10 December 2018 and confirmed the Bureau's competence to adopt decisions aiming at improving the sustainability of the fund provided that they respect the principle of proportionality; notes that an appeal was lodged before the CJEU against its judgment of the 15 September 2021 and that in the meantime Parliament’s Bureau willis in the process of examineing the implications for future proposals for options to improve the sustainability of the Fund while reducing Parliament`s liability; _________________ 3 Judgment of the General Court of 15 September 2021, Richard Ashworth and Others v European Parliament, T-720/19 to T-725/19, ECLI:EU:T:2021:580
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 125
Paragraph 125
125. Recalls the key role of a lively and resilient European democracy underpinned by pluralism of political parties at Union level; emphasises therefore that a level playing field has to be ensured and compliance has to be controlled in full respect of procedural rights; welcomes in this context the essential work of the Authority which independently and in close cooperation with Parliament controls compliance of European political parties and foundations with the legal framework, provides transparency to the citizens, and contributes to the integrity of Parliament elections; urges the budgetary authority to ensure that the Authority is equipped with the necessary resources, in particular human and IT resources, to continue fulfilling its existing mandate including in light of evolving threats of foreign interference, especially to protect Union values, to counter abuses of personal data for electoral purposes and to identify the origin of donations, as well as any new tasks to be provided by the legislator; underlines in this context that the European election year 2024 will be pivotal for financial and functional integrity of European democracy and create a significant surcharge of work for the Authority;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 125 a (new)
Paragraph 125 a (new)
125a. Notes in this regard that additional resources for democratic integrity have to be invested by the European Union in its entirety; recalls that the Authority is an independent body of the Union and consequently its appropriations and posts should be distinguished in a transparent manner from those of Parliament; reiterates thus its recommendation to create a separate section for the Authority in the general budget of the European Union, as expressed on its Resolution of 19 October 2022 on the EU draft general for 2023;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 125 b (new)
Paragraph 125 b (new)
125b. Welcomes the follow-up carried out by the Authority to the Ombudsman’s suggestions for improvement issued in January 2021 in the frame of its case 1094/2020/DL, namely the improvement of the website allowing to increase the amount of information offered to the viewers, the linkage to Parliament’s website, and the publication of information about the Register of European political parties and foundations;