Activities of Daniel BUDA related to 2022/0162(COD)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) A number of amendments are to be made to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council15. In the interests of clarity and legal certainty, that Regulation should be recast. _________________ 15 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1).
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) It is necessary to better reflect the specific nature and functioning of the provisioning of financial liabilities and of the budgetary guarantees. Certain definitions and rules on budgetary guarantees, budgetary commitments, legal commitments, payment appropriations, recipients and publication of information on recipients should therefore be adjusted and aligned. A definition of the constitution phase of the provisioning of financial liabilities should be added. Additionally, definitions should be updated to reflect in particular amendments to procurement rules and the introduction of rules on non-financial donations.
Amendment 3 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In order to allow a rapid reaction in exceptional circumstances, the Commission should be able to accept in- kind donations in a transparent manner, irrespective of their value, where such donations are made for the purposes of humanitarian aid, emergency support, civil protection or crisis management aid. In order to ensure appropriate safeguards, the Commission should only accept such donations where acceptance is in accordance with the principles of sound financial management and transparency, does not give rise to conflicts of interest and does not harm the image of the Union. The donor should not be, at the moment of acceptance, in one of the exclusion situations under the early- detection and exclusion system and should not be registered as excluded in the corresponding database.
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) Considering the importance of addressing climate and environmental challenges and in order to ensure that budget implementation contributes to the achievement of the European Green Deal30, the concept of performance as regards the budget should, for the sake of completeness, be extended to include the implementation of programmes and activities in a sustainable way, which would not hinder the achievement of the environmental objectives of climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, the sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, the transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control and the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems. _________________ 30 The European Green dDeal, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, COM/2019/640 final.
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27
Recital 27
(27) In order to enhance the protection of the Union budget against fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, double funding and other irregularities, standardised measures to collect, compare and aggregate information on the recipients of Union funding should be introduced. In particular, in order to effectively prevent, detect, investigate and correct frauds or remedy irregularities, it is necessary to be able to identify the natural persons that ultimately benefit, directly or indirectly, from Union funding and who ultimately profit from the misuse of EU funding. The electronic recording and storage of data on the recipients of Union funding, including their beneficial owners as defined in Article 3, point (6), of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council32 and the regular making of those data available in a single integrated IT system for data-mining and risk-scoring provided by the Commission, should facilitate risk assessment for the purposes of selection, award, financial management, monitoring, investigation, control and audit and contribute to effective prevention, detection, correction and follow-up of fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, double funding and other irregularities. It should be noted that the electronic storage of data and access to an integrated IT system would increase transparency at EU level, as well as public confidence in the way in which EU funds are being spent. The Commission should be responsible for the development, management and supervision of the single integrated IT system for data-mining and risk-scoring. The Commission, the Member States, the persons or entities implementing the budget, the European Anti-Fraud Office (‘OLAF’) and other Union investigative and control bodies should have the necessary access to those data within the exercise of their respective competences. The rules related to the recording, storage, transfer and processing of data should comply with applicable data protection rulerules on the protection of data, know-how and trade secrets. _________________ 32 Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing (OJ L 141 5.6.2015, p. 73).
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 103
Recital 103
(103) In order to enhance the protection of the Union financial interests the early- detection and exclusion system should be reinforced. It is important to avoid that a person or entity in an exclusion situation is able to apply to, or to be selected for implementing funds, or to receive such funds under a programme in direct or indirect shared management. Where there is a final judgment or a final administrative decision, the authorising officer responsible should be able to exclude a person or entity, provided that the latter is in an exclusion situation and deemed as not reliable by having engaged in certain serious misconducts referred to in Article 139(1). In the absence of a final judgment or a final administrative decision, the authorising officer responsible should be able to exclude, on the basis of a preliminary classification in law made by the panel referred to in Article 146, having regard to facts and findings established in the context of audits or investigations carried out by European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF), European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO), the European Court of Auditors (ECA) or any other check, audit or control performed under the responsibility of the authorising officer. Such exclusion should be registered in the early-detection and exclusion system database established under Article 138(1). Member States’ authorities should take it into account by rejecting such persons or entities from being selected to implement Union funds or from receiving such funds. Payment applications from Member States under shared management, including expenditure related to a person or entity that has been excluded, should not be reimbursed. Where funds are disbursed to Member States under performance-based frameworks, specific rules shall apply, as set out in sector-specific legislation.
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 150
Recital 150
(150) In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of Russian aggression against on Ukraine, it is appropriate to modify the definition of crisis, which applies in particular to the common provisions and to procurement in the field of external actions and covers public and animal health, food safety emergencies and global health threats. In order to allow the flexibility needed to ensure a rapid response to unforeseen circumstances of extreme urgency resulting from a crisis, the contracting authority should be allowed to apply simplified procurement rules, such as use of negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice applicable to crisis situations and acceptance of evidence on exclusion and selection criteria from the presumed successful tenderer after the award decision but in any case before the signature of the contract. The contracting authority should also have flexibility to exceptionally modify a contract or a framework contract, beyond the thresholds referred to in Article 176(3), without a procurement procedure in order to respond to a crisis. A declaration of crisis should be required in line with the relevant internal rules prior to having recourse to such simplified rules, except for procurement in the field of external action where such declaration is not required. In addition, the authorising officers responsible should justify case-by- case the extreme urgency resulting from the declared crisis.
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 158
Recital 158
(158) In line with the objectives of the Communication on the European Green Deal, progress towards implementation of greening aspects should be ensured by including, when relevant, for the calls for tenders, green selection or award criteria, which will incentivise the economic operators to offer more sustainable options. It must be remembered that that cohesion policy is an important tool in combating climate change and supporting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 248
Recital 248
(248) In order to provide a clear and transparent legal framework for the Union institutions to donate services, supplies or works, non- financial donations should be included as a new budget implementation instrument. This instrument should not be confused with the general framework of support provided by the Union to third countries which is of a broader nature but can include non-financial donations. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Russian military aggression against Ukraine, such an instrument should provide a stable legal basis in particular for future crisis and emergency situations and ensure that the Union institutions have the appropriate budget support tools to help Member States, other persons and entities when support is most needed. That instrument should be implemented under direct management. Related provisions, such as definitions, suspension, termination and reduction, and evaluation committee should be adjusted accordingly.
Amendment 19 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 256
Recital 256
(256) Some modifications regarding the transmission to the Commission of data on recipients for the purposes of publication, and regarding the electronic recording and storage of data on recipients and the use of the single integrated IT system for data- mining and risk-scoring to access and analyse those data should apply only to programmes adopted under and financed from the post-2027 multiannual financial framework in order to ensure a smooth transition by allowing sufficient time for the necessary adaption of electronic data systems and of relevant agreements, as well as the provision of guidance and training for national, regional and local authorities.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 22 – point b
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 22 – point b
(b) a situation caused by natural disasters, man-made crisis such as wars and other conflicts or extraordinary circumstances having comparable effects related, inter alia, to climate change, migratory flows causing instability in certain regions, public and animal health, food safety emergencies and global health threats such as pandemics, environmental degradation, privation of access to energy and natural resources or extreme poverty;
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. The establishment and implementation of the budget shall also comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget and rules to combat corruption and mismanagement.
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 36 – paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1
Article 36 – paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1
The single integrated IT system for data- mining and risk-scoring shall be designed to facilitate risk assessment for the purposes of selection, award, financial management, monitoring, investigation, control and audit and contribute to effective prevention, detection, correction and follow-up of fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, double funding and other irregularities in order to protect EU financial interests.
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 36 – paragraph 7 – subparagraph 2
Article 36 – paragraph 7 – subparagraph 2
The use of and access to the data processed by the single integrated IT system for data- mining and risk-scoring shall comply with applicable data protection rules and rules on the protection of know-how and commercial interests and shall be limited to the Commission or an executive agency as referred to in Article 69, the Member States implementing the budget pursuant to Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (b), the Member States that receive and implement Union funds pursuant to budget implementation under Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (a), the persons or entities implementing the budget pursuant to Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (c), OLAF, the Court of Auditors, EPPO and other Union investigative and control bodies, within the exercise of their respective competences.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 63 – paragraph 5 – point b
Article 63 – paragraph 5 – point b
(b) an annual summary of the final audit reports and of controls carried outcontrol report by the audit authority of the Member State setting out the principal audit findings and conclusions, including an analysis of the nature and extentcircumstances of errors and weaknesses identified in systems, as well as corrective action taken or planned.
Amendment 35 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 168 – paragraph 5 – point b
Article 168 – paragraph 5 – point b
(b) the procedures involving a call for expression of interest for contracts with a value below the thresholds referred to in Article 179(1) and Article 182 (1), to preselect candidates to be invited to submit tenders in response to future restricted invitations to tender, or to collect a list of vendors to be invited to submit requests to participate or submit tenders;
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 212 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
Article 212 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
The Commission shall remain responsible for ensuring that the implementation framework for financial instruments and budgetary guarantees complies with the principle of sound financial management and supports the attainment of defined and time-bound policy objectives, measurable in terms of outputs and/or results. The Commission shall ensure that Union funds are used in an efficient, transparent and appropriate manner, keeping administrative and financial burdens to a minimum, in particular for local and regional authorities. The Commission shall be accountable for the implementation of financial instruments and budgetary guarantees without prejudice to the entrusted entities’ legal and contractual responsibility in accordance with the applicable law and Article 130.
Amendment 37 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – Part 2 – point 34 – point 34.2 – paragraph 2
Annex I – Part 2 – point 34 – point 34.2 – paragraph 2
Where the total value of all the contracts to be awarded is equal to or greater than the thresholds referred to in Article 179(1) and pursuant to Article 182(1), Article 167(1) and Articles 168 and 169 shall apply to each of the contracts.