Activities of Marina ALBIOL GUZMÁN related to 2014/2159(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa) ES
Amendments (10)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the principles of transparency and integrity in lobbying published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas the most common issues in the field of transparency concern refusal of access to documents or information by the institutions, with meetings being held in camera, and lack of openness regarding the appointment EU expert panels; whereas public access to documents is one of the rights guaranteed under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q a (new)
Recital Q a (new)
Qa. whereas the European Commission is the institution concerning which the Ombudsman receives the highest number of complaints; whereas one of the investigations concluded in 2013 concerned documents relating to the UK exemption clause relating to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU; whereas, following a request by an NGO to consult the relevant documents drawn up by the Commission, the latter refused to make them public, prompting NGO to complain to the Ombudsman, who criticized the Commission for 'a very serious instance of maladministration'; whereas, following her intervention, the Commission delivered documents requested;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q b (new)
Recital Q b (new)
Qb. whereas another issue highlighting the activity of the European Ombudsman related to the Transparency Register, managed jointly by the Commission and Parliament for the provision of information regarding the interests of lobbyists in EU institutions and the amounts they invest in these activities; whereas, with regard to a complaint by an NGO to the Commission that information provided to the Register by two multinationals omitted much of the expenditure devoted to their lobbying activities, the NGO contacted the Ombudsman alleging that the Commission had not dealt properly with the complaint and had failed to provide access to all relevant documents; whereas the Ombudsman criticized the European Commission for its actions and urged it to comply fully with the principles of transparency and integrity in lobbying published by the OECD when reviewing the Register; whereas the Ombudsman called on to the Commission to undertake to disclose the names of lobbyists and other representatives of particular interests whenever the public so requested;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q c (new)
Recital Q c (new)
Qc. whereas in 2013 the Ombudsman received numerous complaints relating to conflicts of interest or 'revolving door' practices involving senior figures moving between closely related public and private sector posts; whereas the EU administration must attach the utmost importance to exemplary ethical conduct; whereas the Ombudsman accordingly published a set of public service principles and ethical standards; whereas many NGOs maintain that the Commission is failing to deal with what they describe as systemic 'revolving door' practices;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q d (new)
Recital Q d (new)
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that a large majority of inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman over the past year (64.3 %) concerned the European Commission; considers that since the Commission is the institution whose decisions are most likely to directly affect citizens, civil society organisations and businesses, it is logical that it should be the main object of complaints; notes, however, that the share of complaints concerning the Commission has risen compared to 2012 when it was 52.7%notes that the proportion of complaints concerning the Commission has increased compared to 2012, when they amounted to 52.7%; objects to the lack of transparency that the European Commission has shown and continues to show, especially with regard to major decisions manifestly affecting the daily lives of European citizens and residents;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is pleased to note that the percentage of complaints concerning the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has more than halved in 2013, from 16.8 % in 2012 to 7.1 % in 2013; is equally pleased that the percentage of complaints against the European Parliament has decreased from 5.2 % in 2012 to 4.3 % in 2013; acknowledges the work of the Ombudsman and EPSO in bringing down the number of complaints against that agency;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. NoteRegrets that the Ombudsman submitted onewas required to submit a Special Report to Parliament, the subject of which was the absence of a mechanism in the Frontex agency following the refusal of the Frontex agency to introduce a mechanism for dealing with complaints about fundamental rights infringements arising from its work in sealing off the external borders of the EU, which is a flagrant violation by Frontex of the rights of thousands of migrants and asylum- seekers; notes that the Ombudsman has opened an investigation into the massive number of deportation flights organized by Frontex in collaboration with various Member States, over 10 800 people having been deported since 2006;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Encourages the Ombudsman to deepen her relations and cooperation with the various networks, in particular the European Network of Ombudsmen and the framework under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; expresses its concern at the possible disappearance of regional ombudsmen allegedly necessitated by the cuts announced by the Spanish Government for example; warns that the removal of these ombudsmen could significantly reduce the opportunities for many European citizens to uphold their rights effectively; recalls Parliament’s call in the Committee on Petitions’ Annual Report of 2012 for the setting- up, by Parliament, of a network encompassing petitions committees in the Member States, which could be supplementary to the European Network of Ombudsmen;