Activities of Ramona STRUGARIU related to 2021/2140(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) for the financial year 2020
Opinions (1)
OPINION on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) for the financial year 2020
Amendments (14)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2020 / Postpones its decision on granting the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2020;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Regrets the fact that the budget implementation was less than planned; calls on the Agency, together with the Commission, to improve alignment of budgetary planning with the timing of the related legal acts; acknowledges that the Agency made steps to improve the situation;
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a decision 2
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large- Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) for the financial year 2020 / Postpones the closure of the accounts of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) for the financial year 2020;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Stresses that the Agency offers an important contribution to a safer Union by ensuring the highest levels of information security and data protection for the information entrusted to it, providing high-quality services and helping to align Member States’ technological capabilities with their needs; draws attention to the need to take all the necessary measures to avoid any risk to the information processed; notes that the Agency's capacity to both improve existing and develop new information systems was enhanced by its new mandate which entered into force in December 2018; welcomes the continued efforts made by the Agency to adapt to that new mandate in 2020;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. RegretNotes that budget-monitoring efforts during the financial year 2020 resulted in a budget implementation rate of 75,61 % which, although it represents an increase of 31,10 % compared to 2019, it is still well below the target; notes, furthermore, that the payment appropriations execution rate was 96,24 %, representing an increase of 3,96 % compared to 2019;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the Court issued a qualified audit opinion with respect to the legality and regularity of the payments underlying the accounts of the Agency for the 2020; notes the Court’s explanation that the qualified opinion was issued in relation to two payments that were considered not compliant to the provisions of framework contracts, amounting in total to EUR 10 405 074 in 2020, representing 4,1 % of the total payment appropriations available in 2020; takes note of the Agency’s reply that the largest irregular payment was connected to an administrative omission specific contract regarding the acquisition of software different from the software offered by the contractor in the tender for the associated framework contract, and that it was a purely administrative matter that the Agency did not amend the respective framework contract in time; notes the Agency’s explanation that the need to change one of the auxiliary software products used in the operation of the shared biometric matching System (sBMS) was of a pure operational nature, with the purpose of reducing the duplication of training and support efforts, ultimately reducing the overall operational costs for the Agency; underlines that following the issuance of the Court’s observation, the Agency responded promptly, signing an amendment to the framework contract in order to rectify the initial omission; points out that shortcomings in dedicated administrative positions may have a negative impact on the functioning of the procurement procedures within the Agency; invites the Commission and the Agency to engage in an active dialogue on improving the Agency’s establishment plan, especially with respect to the level at which posts are allocated;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. NotWelcomes the signature of the TEF, the largest tender ever signed by the Agency; notes that the Agency presents the TEF as a significant innovation to the operational sourcing model of the Agency that is expected to generate important gains in the vendor and contract management process, including better value for money, economies of scale and faster procurement processes, while also reducing the Agency’s dependence on a relatively small number of vendors; welcomes the innovative approach, encourages the Agency to continue with that approach and calls on the Agency to inform the discharge authority of whether the gains are materialising and on how the risks, inherent to the innovative approach, are being managed by the Agency;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Court found that the Agency signed a specific contract for software that was different from the software offered by the contractor in its tender for the associated framework contract; notes that the Agency did not modify the framework contract; notes that, according to the Court’s observation, acquiring a different product that is not included in the price offer, at a different price than the product originally offered, is a deviation from the framework contract; notes the Court’s conclusion that the specific contract is non-compliant with the framework contract as is the associated payment of EUR 10 399 834; notes that the Agency acknowledges the Court’s observations and states that it has taken measures to strengthen the alignunderlines that following the issuance of the Court's observation, the Agency responded promptly, signing an amendment tof the evolution of the Agency’s IT architecture wiframework contract in order to rectify the its contractual frameworknitial omission; notes that the Agency states that the non- compliance did not result in any prejudice to the financial interests of the Agency or the Union as it considers that the expenditure was justified; regrets that the Agency did not follow the appropriate procedures, especially given the substantial amount concerned; notes the extensive considerations that the Agency’s executive director presented in a hearing with Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control on 29 November 2021, stating that the decision to acquire the software in question was a conscious decision of the Agency’s management that presented cost- saving opportunitiewith the purpose of reducing the duplication of training and support efforts, ultimately reducing the overall operational costs for the Agency; emphasises that, even though cost-saving opportunities can be assumed, the applicable procurement rules must be followed at all times to ensure that the Union taxpayer gets full value for money through transparent and competitive procurement procedures; calls on the Agency to make sure that procurement rules are respected at all times;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Points out that shortage of dedicated administrative positions may have a negative impact on the functioning of the procurement procedures within the Agency; invites the Commission and the Agency to engage in an active dialogue about improving the Agency’s establishment plan, especially about the level at which posts are allocated;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that challenged the Agency’s business continuity and the availability of the existing large-scale IT systems and the implementation of the new systems entrusted to it; notes that the Agency managed to reduce the negative impact by taking mitigating measureswelcomes that despite these challenges, the Agency ensured the uninterrupted availability of the existing large-scale IT systems (SIS, VIS and Eurodac) and made further progress with respect to the implementation of EES, ETIAS and the interoperability package; notes with appreciation that the mitigating measures taken by the Agency allowed it to reduce the negative impact of the pandemic;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes with appreciation that the Agency drafted, negotiated and signed bilateral cooperation plans with the European Asylum Support Office (now the European Union Agency for Asylum), the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA); notes that the Agency also continued its cooperation with other partner agencies, for example with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) on training activities, with the European Border and Coastguard Agency on SIS, the Entry/Exit System (EES), the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and interoperability, with CEPOL on the Visa Information System (VIS), the Supplementary Information Request at the National Entries (SIRENE), SIS, EES, ETIAS and interoperability; and with the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) on the European Asylum Dactyloscopy database (Eurodac) and SIS;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes the progress made regarding the Court’s observations and Parliament's discharge reports from previous years; recalls that four remaining observations are still ongoing, one of them not being under the control of the Agency;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Welcomes the launch of a new approach towards the procurement of engineering services, expected to generate efficiency gains in the years to come;