Activities of Luke Ming FLANAGAN related to 2020/2142(DEC)
Shadow reports (2)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019, Section II – European Council and Council
SECOND REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019, Section II – European Council and Council
Amendments (12)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. Whereas by improving transparency and accountability are key elements in the context of the discharge procedure, th in order to guarantee democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions vis further strengthened;-à-vis Union citizens
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Regrets that for more than ten years the Council has refused to cooperate in the framework of the discharge procedure, forcing Parliament to refuse discharge;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Regrets, as an overall remark, that chapter 9 ‘Administration’ of the Annual Report of the Court has a rather limited scope and conclusions, even if Heading 5 'Administration' of the Multiannual Financial Framework is considered low risk; requests that the audit work for that chapter be more focused on issues of high relevance or even critical importance for the Council;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Reminds the longstanding request to separate the budget of the European Council and the Council into one budget for each of the two institutions for transparency reasons and to improve accountability for both institutions;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises a slight reduction in the carry-over rate, amounting to 9,8 %, from 2019 to 2020 (as compared to a carry-over of 10,7 % from 2018 to 2019 and 11,5 % from 2017 to 2018); reminds the Council of the need to strengthen its efforts to avoid budget over-estimates, reminding that carry-overs are exceptions to the principle of annuality and should reflect actual needs;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Regrets that reporting by the Council on measures taken to improve legislative transparency remains less than completely satisfactory and reiterates its call on the Council to step up its transparency efforts by, inter alia, publishing Council working documents in a machine-readable format, by recording and publishing Member States’ positions and making available more trilogue documents; strongly regrets that the Council has not joined the transparency register scheme and calls on the Council to refuse meetings with unregistered lobbies;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. recalls Parliament's resolution of 17 December 2020 on the need for a dedicated Council configuration on gender equality, requesting ministers and secretaries of state in charge of gender equality to have a dedicated institutional forum to ensure stronger integration of gender equality into Union strategies and policy processes, a coordination of all related policies, as well as the harmonisation of the protection of women’s rights and gender equality in the Union via an intersectional approach; underlines that this specific configuration would represent a key element in unblocking the negotiations on the main files related to gender equality;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Recalls that, as an institution giving recommendations on the discharge procedure, the Council should do so in a more timely manner and with respect for the other Union institutions;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Points out that Parliament is the only institution directly elected by Union citizens and that its role in the discharge procedure is directly connected with citizens' rights to be informed on how public money is spent;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Emphasises Parliament's prerogative to grant discharge pursuant to Articles 316, 317 and 319 TFEU, in line with current interpretation and practice, namely to grant discharge in respect of each separate heading of the budget in order to maintain transparency and democratic accountability towards Union taxpayers; recalls that Parliament exercises its prerogatives in the discharge procedures towards all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and regrets that the Council is the only one refusing to engage in loyal cooperation in respect of the respective prerogatives and roles;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that the lack of cooperation of the European Council and the Council with the discharge authority not only sends a negative signal to the citizens of the Union; but also expresses a lack of respect for Parliament's role as guarantor of the transparency and democratic accountability of the Union budget;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)