14 Amendments of Agnès EVREN related to 2022/2141(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
— having regard to the report on engaging with citizens: the right to petition, the right to refer to the European Ombudsman and the European Citizens’ Initiative,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the top three concerns in the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2021 were transparency and accountability (access to information and documents) (29 %), culture of service (26 %) and proper use of discretionary powers (including in infringement procedures) (18 %); whereas other concerns include respect for procedural rights, respect for fundamental rights, good management of personnel issues, sound financial management, public participation in EU decision-making, ethical issues, and whistleblowing in relation to the EU administration;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the CJEU has ruled several times that openness in the legislative process is precisely what contributes to conferring greater legitimacy on the institutions in the eyes of EU citizens and increasing their confidence in them by allowing divergences between various points of view to be openly debated; whereas the CJEU has stipulated that it is in fact a lack of information and debate which is capable of giving rise to doubts in the minds of citizens, not only as regards the lawfulness of an isolated act, but also as regards the legitimacy of the decision- making process as a whole3; whereas, however, transparency can sometimes affect political negotiations and may lead to an increase in informal meetings, with a counter-productive effect on the objective being pursued; _________________ 3 Judgments of the Court of Justice of 1 July 2008, Sweden and Turco v Council, C-39/05 P and C-52/05 P, ECLI:EU:C:2008:374, paragraph 59, and of 22 March 2018, Emilio De Capitani v European Parliament, T-540/15, ECLI:EU:T:2018:167, paragraph 78.
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas improving citizens’ participation and ensuring transparency at EU level are key to bridging the perceived gap between the EU and citizens and representative organisations, with a view to overcoming citizens’ low trust and confidence levels in EU institutions and to achieve a real multilevel democracy; whereas the Ombudsman plays a key role in bridging this gap;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the CJEU, when referring to giving the public the widest possible right of access to EU documents, has stated that openness in that respect contributes to strengthening democracy by allowing citizens to scrutinise all the information which has formed the basis of a legislative act; whereas the CJEU has argued that the possibility for citizens to find out the considerations underpinning legislative action is a precondition for the effective exercise of their democratic rights5; _________________ 5 Judgments of the Court of Justice in cases C-39/05 P and C-52/05 P, ECLI:EU:C:2008:374, paragraph 46; and T-540/15, EU:T:2018:167, paragraph 80; of 17 October 2013, Council v Access Info Europe, C-280/11 P, ECLI:EU:C:2013:671, paragraph 33; and of 15 September 2016, Herbert Smith Freehills v Council, T-710/14, ECLI EU:T:2016:494, paragraph 35.
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Appreciates the excellent relations between Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly and the Committee on Petitions in 2021; appreciates the strong collaboration between the two bodies as an important tool in increasing the democratic accountability of the EU institutions; recalls that relations with the European Ombudsman are one of the responsibilities that the European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure confer on the Committee on Petitions; appreciates the common interest reflected in several resolutions based on the Ombudsman’s inquiries, particularly in relation to the transparency and accountability of the EU administration in the context of COVID-19;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls that the European Ombudsman is empowered to make recommendations, proposals for solutions and suggestions for improvement with a view to resolving a problem relating to various cases of maladministration; notes that where a complaint falls outside the Ombudsman’s mandate, the Ombudsman may advise the complainant to refer it to another authority or to the Committee on Petitions; notes that in 2021 the European Ombudsman received 1 437 complaints that fell outside her mandate;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Strongly believes that citizens’ access to all documents of the European institutions is the basis of a participatory democracy; welcomes the Ombudsman’s efforts to improve public participation in and the legitimacy of the EU decision- making process; points out that the right to refer a matter to the Ombudsman increases citizens’ engagement with and trust in the EU institutions, as it promotes transparency and the good administration of the EU institutions and bodies;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that one of the ways to improve citizens’ perception of the EU is by making it more understandable and transparent to them; calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to guarantee fullthe best possible transparency; deeply regrets that despite the several calls by the Parliament and by the Ombudsman, the Council’s current work is still marred by a lack of transparency;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates its call for the EU institutions to ensure that informal trilogues are made more transparent, by holding the meetings in public; reiterates its call also to publish documentation including calendars, agendas, minutes, documents examined, amendments, decisions taken, information on Member State delegations and their positions and minutes, in a standardised and easily accessible online environment, by default and without prejudice to the exemptions listed in Article 4(1) of the Transparency Regulation;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points out that, following an inquiry into Frontex’s complaints mechanism, in which the Ombudsman drew attention to the agency’s delays in fulfilling its new obligations under the mechanism itself and those of the Fundamental Rights Officer, the Ombudsman has opened an own-initiative inquiry into how Frontex complies with its fundamental rights obligations and ensures accountability in relation to its enhanced responsibility; highlights that this inquiry seeks to clarify matters related to the accountability of Frontex’s joint operations, to activities related to returns of migrants and to migration support in screening at EU external borders; notes that Frontex presented, in June 2022, an action plan for the implementation of the four recommendations issued by the Ombudsman on 17 January 2022;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises the importance of the adoption of an updated statute for the Ombudsman’s Office in June 2021; recalls that the new statute codifies many of the Office’s working practices over recent years; welcomes the fact that the revised statute provides a strengthened legal framework for the Office and introduces new safeguards that further guarantee its independence; strongly believes that the Office of the Ombudsman must be awarded an increased budget to provide it with the necessary resources to effectively handle the overall workload and ensure it is able to continue to work competently at the service of European citizereiterates that Article 17 of the Statute governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties stipulates that the seat of the Ombudsman shall be that of the European Parliament, as determined in point (a) of the sole article of Protocol No 6 on the location of the seats of the institutions;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Encourages the Ombudsman to continue her work in favour of citizens with disabilities and to ensure that they can fully enjoy their rights of referral to the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Encourages the Ombudsman to continue her collaboration with national ombudsmen through the ENO; believes it necessary to step up interactions and exchanges of best practices with and between national and regional ombudsmen and the European Ombudsman to ensure that citizens are better informed about their rights and have better guidance when making complaints; calls on this network to consider the role that national and regional ombudsmen could play in increasing the involvement of EU citizens in the EU decision-making process;