49 Amendments of Gérard ONESTA
Amendment 5 #
2009/2006(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. In this context, takes note ofthat at its meeting on 1 April 2009, the Bureau unanimously approved the re- structuring plan for DG INLO in relation to the maintenance and management of the Parliament's buildings and the creation of specialised central services to improve the quality of budgetary control and of public procurement procedures; acknowledges that Parliament has no choice but to entrust maintenance tasks to external suppliers; underlines that the fundamental choice to be made, also from a budgetary point of view, relates to the level of property expertise a political body such as the Parliament needs to have in- house and which tasks should be entrusted to external suppliers; asks its Bureau to carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of different options before any final decision is takenso as to ensure that the maintenance tasks entrusted to external suppliers will be properly defined and their performance adequately controlled; in this context, notes that the single external report cited deals mainly with building security issues and would prefer to see further background and justifications concerning the other aspects of management and maintenance, maintenance and management issues and how they can be improved;
Amendment 7 #
2009/2006(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers essential that the medium to long-term building strategy plan is presented in good time before the first reading in the autumn in order to be able to make the budgetary decisions; cannot agree to any buildings reserve at this stage of the budget procedurasks for further information concerning the amount requested as a reserve and deletes the corresponding appropriations until such details have been given;
Amendment 12 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is also of the opinion that all means must be sought to increase the flexibility of interpretation as a crucial step to ensure good working practices and notes that, in many instances, problems and financial wastage could be avoided if there were a possibility to swap languages at short notice depending on the actual attendance at meetings rather than the planned attendance; believes that interpretation at distance should be examined, also in this context;
Amendment 16 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Also asks the political groups to slightly bring forward their tradat the requests by the politioncal budget work so that their requests can alsogroups be included at the Estimates stage in spring; is of the opinion that a very quick reaction, and decision, within a few weeks in the autumn does not meet the necessary requirements in order to consider these requests properly from a budgetary point of view;
Amendment 18 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that, as is the case for all big organisationwhere the need arises, an independent external viewpoint on how resources are used and how work is organised is sometimes necessary andbut can only be beneficial if handled correctly; while stressing that a political European institution such as itself is unique in its character, considers that, in the long term, consideration should be given to, if problems are clearly identified and objectives of the examination to be carryingied out such an external analysis of its organisation and management; believes that in 2010, some specific sector(s) could be identified and looked at in this wayare sufficiently specified, measurable and targeted;
Amendment 26 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls that this sector is of high importance for the Parliament both in terms of meeting its current and future property needs as an institution and in terms of managing in the best way possible the property which it owns; considers that events in 2008 although some are clearly not predictable highlight the need for improvements in this area although some events are clearly not predictable, taking into account the exhaustive independent external report on the maintenance of buildings;
Amendment 27 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls that this sector is of high importance for the Parliament both in terms of meeting its current and future property needs as an institution and in terms of managing in the best way possible the property which it owns; considers that events in 2008 highlight the need for improvements in this area although some events are clearly not predictable; points out the need for a reorganisation of DG INLO in view of the increased challenges the Parliament, being now the owner of the majority of the buildings it occupies, faces namely the increased surfaces to manage, the ageing of the buildings ,the environmental objectives set and the number and complexity of public procurement procedures;
Amendment 28 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. In this regard, reiterates its call to see a specific report and any possible recommendations concerning unnecessarily high maintenance costs for, renovation and purchase costs relating to EU buildings, including the Parliament's; still wishes this to be a cross-cutting effort in order to establish the root causes, whether linked to a restricted market in any way, to burdens imposed by the Financial Regulation and public tendering, or to any other relevant factor; requests confirmation that the rule requiring the blacklisting of firms that have put forward unnecessarily high costs should be enforced;
Amendment 30 #
2009/2004(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the fact that environmental goals are mentioned in the Bureau's document and, following the previous "EMAS process" and work on the "carbon footprint" , considers that 2010 will indeed provide an opportunity to continue these efforts inter alia by the forthcoming adoption of a CO2 action plan by the Bureau; points out that this will require budgetary investments both for further studies and for concrete investments;
Amendment 25 #
2008/2026(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Does not agree to an increase in expenditure for Parliament's vehicles until a decision has been taken on the purchase of less polluting cars;
Amendment 26 #
2008/2026(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Reiterates that Plenary has decided that as from the entry into force of the Members' Statute, it should no longer be possible to acquire new rights under the Voluntary Pension Scheme; points out that the implementing decisions, as decided by the Bureau, permit the acquiring of new rights only for members of the Fund that are re-elected, who will fall under a transitional arrangement and who are not entitled to a national or European pension linked to their mandate; believes, consequently, that there will be hardly any Members still eligible to acquire new rights; has decided therefore to decrease appropriations even further, entering only credits linked to the period of the current mandate;
Amendment 27 #
2008/2026(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Awaits the results of the study on the carbon footprint of the European Parliament, which should also include the question of CO2 off-setting schemes, as requested by Parliament; has decided to adapt the nomenclature of the lines affected by such an eventual future off- setting scheme; reiterates, however, that efforts need to be stepped up to reduce travel where possible;
Amendment 28 #
2008/2026(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15d. Expresses its wish that a mobility management centre, detailing public transport connections from and to the Parliament, will be available throughout Parliament's premises, as well as via the intranet, as from the start of the new mandate of Parliament, encouraging use of public transport as an alternative to car use;
Amendment 7 #
2008/2024(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Repeats its conviction that the real challenges the European Union and its citizens face in the future require a flexible approach and emphasises the need for transparency and coherence between legislative priorities and budgetary decisions; requests the Commission to provide a more detailed breakdown of the changes to the financial programming summarised in part II of the Annual Policy Strategy document , showing the budget lines involved; is surprised to see only limited change in view of the many initiatives mentioned in the APS which at first sight appear to require more resources, be it operational or in terms of staff;
Amendment 3 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes the opening of the question of the voluntary 20% share of the Parliament presented in the Bureau's document; wishes to recall that successive budgets have shown surpluses at the end of the year and, although it is true that some additional expenditures will certainly be needed for the particular demands of 2009, wishes to review all expenditure items while staying within the 20% shareby reference to real needs;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that all efforts should be made to fully assist Members to fulfil their responsibilities in this new context and that the appropriate structures and facilities must be put in place; underlines that such changes are not new to the Parliament and that growing co-decision powers have been smoothly integrated into its structures following previous treaty changes; nevertheless points out that the current increase in co-decision powers is unprecedented and that, moreover, the Parliament will also take on responsibility for the publication of legislative acts in the Official Journal;
Amendment 10 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Wishes to see an assessment of the structure and capacity of the committee secretariats in order to ensure that they are ready to step up the quantity and quality of their legislative work; is surprised at recent claims that a mere 6% of staff work on committees and invites; notes the intention of the Secretary- General to clarify this matter before 1 July 2008 and to suggest appropriate solutions in order to strengthen this core activityincrease the number of staff working in committees but awaits more precise information on the needs of the various committees, in view not only of linguistic diversity but also increased legislative responsibilities, the mission statements of the Directorates-General involved and the findings of the working party on reform ;
Amendment 17 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Draws particular attention to the importance it attaches to decentralised communication measures that also involve regional and local media; considers this the mosta cost-effective way to achieve the targeted information necessary and, furthermore, insists that Members should be ableactively participate in and influence such initiatives; sincerely hopes that the 2009 budget will reflect these concerns;
Amendment 19 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Will monitor, in this regard, the financing of three major information- related projects which are meant to be fully operational by 2009 and directed towards citizens, i.e. the visitors centre, the audiovisual centre and the web-TV project; wishes to see a realistic and prudent approach concerning the mobilisation of resources required in light of the political decisions agreed, while noting that this area has already seen substantial growth in recent years; asks to receive information on the expected or achieved added value from the investment under communication policya regular basis, assessing the results by reference to a set of performance indicators;
Amendment 20 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Also notes the proposal to earmark funds for a "House of European History" project in the Bureau's document and looks forward to receiving, in view of the limited margin of financial manoeuvre and the pressing needs relating to Parliament's core tasks, awaits a more detailed analysis concerning the financial and budgetary elements and also the results of the work of the committee of experts;
Amendment 23 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Attaches high importance to increased transparency and clarification concerning the work contracts of the assistants of Members; awaits proposals from the Secretary-General in this regardSupports the recommendations of the Conference of Presidents and the Bureau to ensure the consistent application and implementation of Parliament's internal rules on the reimbursement of parliamentary assistance expenses and to charge the Bureau working party on the Members' Statute, Assistants and Pension Fund to assess in detail and as a matter of urgency the operation of the existing rules and, given the importance of the matter, to put forward proposals for changes to the rules; recalls that Parliament has on many occasions asked for an assistants' statute and urges the Secretary-General to proceed as quickly as possible to make contact with the Commission and Council with a view to securing the possibility of a new set of rules for Members' assistants, included in an amended contract staff regime to come into effect before the next European elections;
Amendment 28 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Recognises that considerable savings have been achieved due to the advance payments made on buildings over the last ten years but, at the same time, considering the limits of the financial ceiling and the particular needs in its three places of work, feels that it may not be realistic to pursue an across-the-board acquisition policy in the longer term, allowing for the smooth absorption of expenditure relating to the Member's statute; considers that Parliament´s acquisition policy in the longer term needs to be assessed in the light of the limits of the financial ceiling and the particular needs in its three places of work; would welcome a debate on this issue following the presentation of the long-term strategy;
Amendment 29 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Insists that environmental concerns should be a key element of its policy; believes that further improvements in terms of energy efficiency are necessary, including the consideration of green energy sourceas well as a further shift to the use of green energy sources in all premises occupied by the Parliament; expects the commitments undertaken in the framework of EMAS to be honoured and awaits the action plan to reduce and offset Parliament's CO2 emissions as well as the expert report on the possible employment of photovoltaic or solar panels for energy generation on the roofs and the walls of Parliament's buildings; welcomes the new mobility point, which provides information on public transport, which should also become easily accessible on-line, and wishes to receive more information on the plans to replace the car fleet with more environmentally-friendly cars, such as hybrid cars;
Amendment 32 #
2008/2021(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Wishes to see a studyreport on the constraints, both regulatory and practical, which apparentlymay have lead to unnecessarily high maintenance costs for EU buildings, including the Parliament's; wishes the studyreport to be a cross-cutting effort in order to establish the root causes, whether linked to a restricted market in any way, burdens imposed by the Financial Regulation and public tendering, or any other relevant factor; believes that Parliament needs more in-house expertise for this purpose, and could thus achieve savings in the building budget; Or. nen
Amendment 89 #
2007/2124(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 24 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Rule 24 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. The Conference of Presidents shall be the authority responsible for holding structured consultation with European civil society on the major topics on the European political agenda. The Bureau shall name a Vice-President who shall be entrusted with the implementation of such consultation. He or she shall report back regularly to the Conference of Presidents on his or her activities in this regard.
Amendment 137 #
2007/2124(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 97 a (new)
Rule 97 a (new)
Article 97a Citizen participation Following a decision by the Conference of Presidents pursuant to Rule 24(4a), Parliament may hold public debates, open to participation by interested citizens, on subjects of general European interest.
Amendment 1 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regard to the opinion of the legal service,
Amendment 2 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas lobbying in the European Parliament has grown remarkably as the competencies of the Parliament have expanded, and lobbying the European institutions generally is growing constantly in terms of the amount of lobbying and the development of the sector,
Amendment 3 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas lobbying is not only aimed at influencing policy and legislative decisions, but also at the allocation of Community funds and the monitoring and enforcement of legislation,
Amendment 7 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas Parliament has had its own register for lobbyists1 from as long ago as 1996, as well as a Code of Conduct2 which obligesincludes a commitment for lobbyists to act according to high ethical standards,
Amendment 22 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Strongly recommends that all lobby documentation provided to MEPs during a procedure be sent by the lobbyists concerned to a central contact point within Parliament that will make them available on Parliament's website in a easy-to-use database;
Amendment 24 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Invites its Quaestors to draw up a plan on how tond submit for Parliament's approval a plan for improveing the implementation and control of Parliaments' rules whereby a Member must declare any support which he or she receives, whether financial or in terms of staff or materials12; ;
Amendment 28 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for clarity on Intergroups, i.e. a list of registered and non-registered Intergroups on Parliament's website,s' website, with detailed information on membership and external funding including declarations of the financial interest of their respective chairs;
Amendment 32 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls upon the Parliament to publish on its website a comprehensive and complete list of all lobby events hosted by Members of Parliament, including at least the agenda and names of sponsors;
Amendment 40 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises that all actors falling within that definition and frequently influencing the European institutions should be considered as lobbyists and treated in the same way: professional lobbyists, companies' in- house lobbyists, NGO's, think-thanks, trade associations, trade unions and employers' organisations and lawyers when their purpose is to influence policy rather than case-law, profit-making and non-profit organisations and lawyers;
Amendment 44 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Believes that a credible and effective registration and reporting system in all EU institutions, including financial disclosure as well as transparency for all documents sent to Members of the institutions, must be mandatory for all lobbyists and must be linked to a common code of ethical behaviour;
Amendment 49 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Proposes that a joint working group of officials be set up as soon as possiblebe set up swiftly, with representatives from both Parliament and the Commission to consider the implicationsenable the development of a common register;
Amendment 56 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 62 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes the Commission's draft Code of Conduct for Interest Representatives; rReminds the Commission that Parliament has already had such a Code for over 10 years and asks the Commission to negotiate with Parliament for the establishment of a common Code; considers however that the system should be improved and sanctions strengthened; is of the opinion that any code should ensure rigorous monitoring of lobbyists and provide for the withdrawal of nominative passes and the creation of a public blacklist of unethical lobbyists;
Amendment 66 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 74 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. NoteSupports the Commission's decision to ask for financial disclosure by interest representatives joining the register to apply to the following: – the turnover of professional consultancies and law firms attributable to lobbying the EU institutions, as well as the relative weight of their major clients; – an estimate of the co; is of the opinion that for all entities lobbying the EU institutions, the register must provide information on: – the issues they are lobbying on; – the names of the lobbyists employed; – annual income, with specified sources of income; – the total budget spent on lobbying activities, broken down by lobbying issue. For firms that provide lobbying services to clients, the register musts aslsociated with direct lobbying of the EU institutions incurred by in- provide information on: – the names of the clients on whouse lobbyists and trade associations; – the overall budget and breakdown of the main sources of funding of NGOs and think-tankbehalf they are lobbying; – the issues and budget broken down by client; – the names of lobbyists working for different clients;
Amendment 79 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Insists that the decision to ask for financial disclosure by interest representatives should apply only over a minimal threshold of financial turnover; emphasises that sufficiently detailed financial disclosure is a key benchmark of a credible EU transparency initiative and recalls that, in addition to financial figures, details of the names of the persons acting as lobbyists are also required;
Amendment 80 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. A detailed disclosure system should set bandwidths of EUR 10,000 as maximum ranges for financial reporting, with a minimum threshold of EUR 5,000 to qualify for registration at all;
Amendment 85 #
2007/2115(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 21 #
2006/2209(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 191 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Rule 191 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Where a petition is signed by several natural or legal persons, the signatories shall designate a representative who shall be regarded as the petitioner for the purposes of the implementation of the provisions that follow. Where no such designation has occurred the first signatory or another appropriate person shall be regarded as the petitioner. If unable to act, the petitioner may be replaced by another signatory to the petition. [Modification of'Amendment 1 in the draft report]
Amendment 23 #
2006/2209(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 192 – paragraph 4
Rule 192 – paragraph 4
4. With a view to preparing its opinions, the committee may request the Commission to submit documents, to supply information The committee may request assistance from the Commission, notably through information on the application of Community law or compliance therewith, as well as by supplying any information or documents relevandt to grant it access to its facilities.the petition. Representatives of the Commission shall be invited to attend meetings of the committee. [Modification of Amendment 15 in the draft report]
Amendment 24 #
2006/2209(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 191 – paragraph 5
Rule 191 – paragraph 5
5. Petitions entered in the register shall be forwarded by the President to the committee responsible, which shall first ascertain whether the petitions registered fall within the spestablish the admissibility or otherwise of the petitions in accordance with Article 194 of the EC Treaty. If the committee responsible fails to reach a consensus on the admissibility of a petition, it shall be declared admissible at the re of activities of the European Union.quest of at least one third of the members of the committee. [Modification of Amendment 4 in the draft report]
Amendment 27 #
2006/2209(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 191 – paragraph 6
Rule 191 – paragraph 6
6. Petitions declared inadmissible by the committee shall be filed; the petitioner shall be informed of the decision and the reasons therefor. Where possible, alternative means of possible redress may be recommended. [Modification of Amendment 5 in the draft report]
Amendment 31 #
2006/2209(REG)
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 193 a (new)
Rule 193 a (new)
Rule 193 a Citizens' initiative When Parliament is informed that the Commission has been invited to submit a proposal for a legal act under Article 11(4) of the EU Treaty, the Committee on Petitions shall ascertain whether this is likely to affect its work and, if need be, shall inform those petitioners who have addressed a petition on related subjects. [Modification of Amendement 18 in the draft report]