19 Amendments of Joachim KUHS related to 2023/2130(DEC)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the prompt actions taken by Parliament on the events in December 2022; welcomes the contribution of DG PRES to the 14-point action plan proposed by the President and its efforts in implementing the new rules on integrity and transparency; regrets that the 14-point action plan does not include a transparency requirement in particular regarding decisions adopted by the Bureau itself; echoes the "Closing Note on the Strategic Initiative on improving the European Parliament’s Ethics and Transparency Framework" by European Ombudsman and therefore calls to make available the minutes of the Bureau meetings of significant public interest; further welcomes the efforts by Parliament’s political authorities to enhance transparency, integrity and accountability at Parliament; calls on the administration to track the budgetary and financial impact of these measures;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the prompt actions taken by Parliament on the events in December 2022, known as Qatargate, involving several political leaders and a number of NGOs financed by the Union; welcomes the contribution of DG PRES to the 14- point action plan proposed by the President and its efforts in implementing the new rules on integrity and transparency; further welcomes the efforts by Parliament’s political authorities to enhance transparency, integrity and accountability at Parliament; calls on the administration to track the budgetary and financial impact of these measures;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Stresses the need for a thorough pre-check as part of registration in the transparency register to disclose all funding sources; notes that funding from Union funds must be traceable from the direct recipient to the final beneficiary when funds are passed on in a chain; calls for a revision of the guidelines for registration in the transparency register to disclose all incoming and outgoing funds, including the transfer of funds from one NGO and stakeholder to another; underlines that NGOs receiving money from third parties, whose registration in the transparency register is not required, need to disclose the source of their funding by specifying the same information as all regular registrants; regrets that most members of the committee responsible refused to require NGOs to comply with anti-money laundering rules;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Recalls that the so-called Qatargate scandal has exposed civil society organisations as enablers of corruption and foreign interference in European Parliamentarism; regrets that NGOs and civil society organisations remain exempt from most anti-money laundering transparency and reporting requirements; underlines that the European Court of Auditors Special report No 35/2018 warns that NGOs are prone to be used for money laundering purposes; calls therefore for establishing a definition of NGO at EU, and to bring NGOs under the scope of the EU anti- money laundering framework, in order to be able to be listed in the transparency register;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Recalls that the Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM) is a multi-site Directorate-General, with staff located in Brussels, Strasbourg and the Liaison Offices in each of the 27 Member States, as well as in London, Washington D.C. (until 1 November 2022 when the two EPLOs were transferred to the new Directorate-General for Parliamentary Democracy Partnerships), and the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches (France), it calls for a solid evaluation of the results achieved by these centres, recalling the major financial effort from the EU budget to purchase and upgrade the property in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Notes that DG COMM’s final appropriations amounted to EUR 121 235 650 in 2022, representing 5,6 % of Parliament’s budget; highlights that, of that amount, a total of EUR 121 146 177 was committed; welcomes the high use of appropriations; regrets that these funds are used for communications driven by politics rather than democracy and for invitations to journalists, the effectiveness of which has yet to be proven;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Finds excessive the participation of DG COMM and of other European Institutions in tender1a of " Inter- institutional Framework Contract for the Provision of Services Linked to Media Strategy, Planning and Buying, Including Associated Services " amounting to 132,820,000.00 EUR; _________________ 1a https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/cft/cft- display.html?cftId=12411
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Takes note that, in 2022, DG COMM finished most of its preparatory work ahead of the 2024 European elections; notes that, in 2022, Parliament’s Bureau approved the communication strategy for the 2024 elections; notes that a pan-European call for proposals was launched in mid-2022 and resulted in the award of 19 grants, financing capacity building actions and/or citizen-engagement activities in support of the European elections; notes in this context a tender2a of 2,650,000.00 EUR launched by the DG COMM aiming to project, publish and disseminate the European Parliament Composition during the 2024 Election Night; _________________ 2a https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/cft/cft- display.html?cftId=13133
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Notes that Europa Experiences are positive actions thatseek to promote the work of the Union and that explain Union policies to citizens; notes with satisfaction the increased number of visits to Europa Experiences over the last two years; notes that thousands of visitors per month enjoy Europa Experiences every year; takes note that despite the ongoing inflation crisis in 2022, two new Europa Experience facilities (Paris and Rome) were opened, which allowed the Liaison Offices to benefit from different outreach opportunities and to expand their networks; notes that at the end of 2022, over 80% of the Europa Experience roll-out objectives had been met;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Finds unnecessary a provision of expertise and acquisition services for building up the House of European History Collection amounting to 4,000,000.00 EUR under the tender COMM/DG/AWD/2022/2803a; _________________ 3a https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/cft/cft- display.html?cftId=9804
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Acknowledges that Parliament’s ‘BRegrets the European Parliament’s inconsistent and costly building Sstrategy beyond 2019’ provides a coherent framework for decisions and contributes to consolidating Parliament’s real estate portfolio while adapting facilities to the evolution of meeting patterns, going local and closer to citizens through the gradual roll-out of Europa Experience Centres, enhancing security for Parliament’s buildings, and achieving the interconnection of its central buildings; notes that the majority of the policies and actions referred to in the current Building Strategy are either completed or well under waysince 2019, such as the excessively high cost of purchasing the Scholl building – which cost EUR 74.9 million but was originally estimated at between EUR 42 million and EUR 65 million – and the mess surrounding the abandoned plan to buy the Osmose building in Strasbourg, which is in the end being rented at prices five times lower than market rates;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. AcknowledgesQuestion thate Parliament’s ‘Building Strategy beyond 2019’ provides a coherent framework for decisions andthat contributes to consolidating Parliament’s real estate portfolio while adapting facilities to the evolution of meeting patterns, going local and closer to citizens through the gradual roll-out of Europa Experience Centres,it is worth noting that the European Commission building policy wants to halve the number of buildings it manages in Brussels by 2030, regret the gradual roll-out of Europa Experience Centres of which a cost-benefit analysis is requested; takes note of the enhancing security for Parliament’s buildings, and achieving the interconnection of its central buildings; notes that the majority of the policies and actions referred to in the current Building Strategy are either completed or well under way, pointing out that have been a major cost to the taxpayer;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 a (new)
Paragraph 61 a (new)
61a. Reminds that 3 European Parliament Seats together with Liaison offices, Europa Experiences, Houses of Europe, Parkings and warehouses cost almost 30 million EUR in rent only;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71
Paragraph 71
71. Acknowledges that the different measures put in place by the administration following the relevant Bureau decisions of May and October 2022 resulted in a significant energy consumption reduction amounting to savings of EUR 10.5 million from May 2022 until October 2023; notes disparities between buildings with thermostats set at 26 °C, as in some parts of the Spinelli building, and those with 16 °C zones elsewhere (e.g. Zweig building), both in Brussels and Strasbourg; regrets that this problem is mainly due to a lack of centralised adjustment, forcing staff to bring extra heaters into the office; notes that this poses a number of risks in terms of electrical safety in particular, which are thus risks that affect the European Parliament;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73
Paragraph 73
73. Takes note of the Bureau minutes of the additional meeting of 6 July 2022 where the Bureau took note and endorsed the results of the International Architectural Design Competition for the Renewal of the SPAAK building; regrets that further work to reinforce the European Parliament’s buildings has to be carried out in the near future, endlessly wasting money in return for questionable effectiveness; notes that 5 laureates were endorsed by the Bureau; notes that no other decision was taken during 2022 on this topic and there were thus no financial consequences;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75 a (new)
Paragraph 75 a (new)
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82
Paragraph 82
82. Notes that DG LINC’s final appropriations amounted to EUR 79 569 347 in 2022 representing 3.7 % of Parliament’s budget; highlights that, of that amount, a total of EUR 79 282 501 was committed; welcomes the high use of appropriationsreminds that in 2022 the Conference on the Future of Europe did not lead to expected results, which proves that the Bureau's Decision of April 2021 to commit EUR 10 644 359 to COFE was erroneous and not economically wise;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 102
Paragraph 102
102. Notes that following the increased use of portable devices in 2022, DG ITEC issued a global study to plan improvements to the Wi-Fi network in Parliament buildings; notes that, in 2022, the SPAAK building in Brussels was reinforced with the deployment of 351 additional antennas; acknowledges the efforts made to improve the Wi-Fi network in Parliament buildings; calls for further enhancement of the mobile network in Parliament buildings in Strasbourg, in order to improve mobile phone reception and at least guarantee basic activities, also calls for parliamentary devices to give access to the now essential virtual meeting applications;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 128 a (new)
Paragraph 128 a (new)