Activities of Ramona STRUGARIU related to 2020/2125(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2019 (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2019
Amendments (12)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Article 41(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states that “every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union”;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B (new)
Recital B (new)
Bb. whereas Article 43 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights states that “any citizen of the Union and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State has the right to refer to the European Ombudsman cases of maladministration in the activities of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role”;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas it is essential that European citizens have enough information to be able to follow EU policy and law making, and participate meaningfully in the European democratic processes; whereas people’s trust in public administrations is enhanced when they can see that institutions are working for the public good and maintain high ethical standards;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the institution of the European Ombudsman; whereas since its opening, the Office has dealt with 57000 complaints leading to over 7300 inquiries; whereas the continuous efforts of the Office and its staff towards respecting and upholding transparency, ethics and accountability in the EU administration should be duly recognized and commended;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas in 2019 the European Ombudsman opened 458 inquiries, of which 2 were opened on its own-initiative, while closing 560 inquiries (552 complaint-based and 8 own-initiative); whereas the greater part of the inquiries concerned once again the Commission (274 inquiries or 59,7 %), the next largest number concerned the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) (44 inquiries or 9,6 %), the EU agencies (33 inquiries or 7,2 %) and the rest were distributed as follows: Parliament (21 inquiries or 4,6 %), the European External Action Service (EEAS) (17 inquiries or 3,7 %), the European Investment Bank (7 inquiries or 1,5 %), and other institutions (54 inquiries or 11,8 %);
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ApprovWelcomes the annual report for 2019 presented by the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the Commission has committed itself to implementing many of the European Ombudsman’s proposals on the issue of ‘revolving doors’, and endorses the recommendation to take a firmer approach; deems it essential, in the light of the publication of the NGO Corporate Europe Observatory’s recent report1a revealing that 99% of transfer requests into the private sector were approved by the European Commission, with a rejection rate of only 0,62%, to strengthen oversight and ensure proper respect of ethical rules on this issue; emphasizes that such transfers cannot be taken lightly, as they could lead to conflicts of interest when former public officials take up a job with a firm to lobby on policies they previously legislated or worked on; recalls that ethical rules are not a mere formality and should be adhered to by all institutions; _________________ 1a https://corporateeurope.org/en/2020/10/fa cebook-friends-lobby-consultants
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Acknowledges the raise in the number of people helped by the European Ombudsman Office compared to 2018 (19619, up from 17996), as well as the efforts to find practical solutions to citizens' problems, either through advice given through the interactive guide on the website, replying to requests for information or handling of new complaints (2201 such complaints in 2019); points out the need to ensure the Office has the necessary budgetary and personnel resources so that it continues to help adequately and efficiently the European citizens;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Notes that the number of complaints falling outside the Ombudsman mandate has remained relatively stable (1330 cases in 2019, compared to 1300 cases in 2018); takes the view that better and coordinated communication at the level of all EU institutions as to the competencies of the European Ombudsman could help reduce the number of complains falling outside its mandate and streamline the response to citizens’ problems;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Welcomes that, on average, the length of inquiry of cases closed by the European Ombudsman in 2019 was less than 7 months; notes, however, that for some cases it can take up to 18 months before they are closed; calls on all EU institutions to improve their cooperation with the office of the Ombudsman in the interest of the European citizens who expect swift answers to their problems;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; suggests that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; suggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen who come under strong pressure from their governments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, including LGBTI rights; stresses that the Network could also contribute to the edification of a culture of good administration at the level of the Member States by enhancing cooperation and raising the awareness of the national ombudsmen to the importance of defending the rights of citizens; points out that resources allocated to the Network should be strengthened;