Activities of Gilles BOYER related to 2023/2130(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, Section I – European Parliament
Amendments (21)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas there is always scope for improvement in terms of quality, efficiency and effectiveness, as well as transparency in the management of public finances; whereas thorough scrutiny is necessaryimperative to ensure that political leadership and Parliament’s administration are held accountable to Union citizens;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the Court’s annual report on the implementation of the budget concerning the financial year 2022 presents specific findings on Parliament; notes the Court’s recommendation that Parliament’s administration strengthens its guidance on the implementation of budget appropriations by the European political groups and that it keeps working to improve the internal rules and ensure compliance with procurement rules and procedures;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that, at the meeting between the committee responsible and the internal auditor held on 4 December 2023, the internal auditor presented his annual report and described the assurance audits he carried out and consulting services he provided and reported on the outcome of the current state of play, which in 2022 covered a transversal follow-up of open actions from internal audit reports, an audit of staff missions, a review of Parliament’s risk management framework, an audit of the procurement process in DG INLO, an audit of the purchase and use of security equipment and services in DG SAFE, an audit of the financing of European political parties and European political foundations – second assignment, and a periodic review of the ADENAUER 2 building project – Phase 3 (completion of East Wing);
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Acknowledges that, in accordance with Article 118(9) of the Financial Regulation, the reports and findings of the internal auditor, as well as the report of the Union institution concerned, shall be accessible to the public afters soon as the internal auditor has validated the action taken for their implementation; welcomes the fact that the internal auditor reports to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the annual audit activities carried out;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that as a consequence of a post that remained vacant throughout the year, envisaged for an information systems auditor, one planned audit in the field of IT (on cybersecurity staff awareness) could not be carried out in 2022; notes the difficulty in finding specific audit staff profiles, including in the field of IT, to perform audits as planned according to their requirements; calls the Internal Audit Service to address the issue in order to ensure the completion of the remaining audit in time for the next discharge cycle;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the prompt actions taken by Parliament on the events related with suspected corruption cases concerning Members and employees 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; 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 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Recalls that, in July 2021, Parliament, the CommissNotes that 2022 marked the first year of the full implementation andof the Council adopted anmandatory transparency register under the revised Interinstitutional Aagreement (IIA) on a mandatory transparency register, adopted in July 20212aby the Parliament, the Commission and the Council; notes that while introducing some principles to enhance a common culture of transparency, the IIA leaves the three signatories to implement the conditionality and subsequent complementary measures as they see fit; _________________ 2a Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 May 2021 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register, OJ L 207, 11.6.2021, p. 1.
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Notes that 2022 was the first year of the full implementation of the mandatory transparency register under the revised IIA adopted in 20212 and that the register is a key tool for promotRecalls the significance of this register2 as a pivotal instrument in fostering transparent and ethical interest representation at Union level because, establishing mandatory registration ias a preconditionrequisite for interest representatives to be able to carry out certainengage in specific activities with the Union institutions, including Parliament; _________________ 2 Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 May 2021 between the European Parliament, the Council of the EuropeanUnion and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register, OJ L 207, 11.6.2021, p. 1.
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the increased use of the transparency register as an information and reference tool for interest representation activities at Union level; notes the continuous improvement in the quality of information on the public database resulting from eligibility and; recalls the necessity to keep strengthening data quality checks of new applicants; welcomes the regular communication, helpdesk and awareness-raising activities undertaken by the Secretariat among stakeholders both within the institutions and outside, as well as the development of IT solutions to improve the transparency register;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls, as a consequence of the events of alleged corruption within the European Parliament that occurred at the end of 2022, for the establishment of robust standards on transparency and access to institutions for all entities listed in the transparency register, including NGOs; recalls that NGOs were allegedly used as vectors of foreign interference in European Parliamentarism; reiterates, in this context, the need for comprehensive financial pre-screening of all entities, disclosing all funding sources, before they are listed in the transparency register;
Amendment 40 #
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 chainCalls the European Commission to ensure that all Union funds are effectively traceable from the direct recipient to the final beneficiary when funds are passed on in a chain; as requested in the INI report “Transparency and accountability for NGO funded from EU Budget” adopted on the 17th of January 20243a ; 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;_________________ 3a P9_TA(2024)0036
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Notes that DG COMM’s key tasks are to collaborate with the media, to inform, explain and enhance the visibility of Parliament’s work, to increase awareness of Parliament among citizens, stakeholders and opinion leaders through the European Parliament Liaison Offices (EPLOs) located in the Member States, to foster interaction with citizens through enhanced visitor projects, events and information campaigns and its presence on social media, and to provide expertise to Members and political groups on topics such as media intelligence and public opinion monitoring; and to combat disinformation by all means, particularly in the lead-up to elections;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Notes that, on 10 March 2022, the President issued a revised decision on ‘Security measures to limit the spread of COVID-19’ which meant physical presence for several activities was restored, including re-admitting visitor groups; notwelcomes the decision to increase the paid financial contributions for travel, accommodation, meals and minor local expenses by 10 % for the sponsored visitor groups in 2022 leading to improved cost coverage; notes the decision by the Bureau to consequently reduce the annual quota of sponsored visitors per member from 110 to 100 and from 55 to 50 for election years; underlines that while this demonstrates a prudent financial management and expenditure controls, it simultaneously diminishes access to the Parliament for European citizens; highlights that the decision to carry over the unused quota from 2020 to 2022, 2023 and 2024 remained unchanged;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. WRecalls the ongoing struggle in which the European Union is involved to safeguard European values and uphold the integrity of our democratic processes; welcomes the actions undertaken on theby the Parliament in the pursuit of these objectives, fighting against disinformation and information manipulation; calls on the DG COMM to keep developing and implementing effective strategies to counter disinformation and information manipulation, especially within an electoral context ; highlights that one of the most powerful toolweapons against disinformation is positive, factual-based communication aboutregarding the Parliament’s workactivities;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
Paragraph 55
55. Acknowledges that the work of APAs is an integral part of the work of Members and therefore of Parliament; notes that following the adoption of the APA statute in 2009, their status over the years has been recognised; notes the efforts made by Parliament to create a framework for providing support to APAs; calls for due adherence to the rules in place; notes, that since then, APAs participate in official missions to Parliament’s three places of work; calls on the Parliament administration to explore the feasibility to introduce a notice period within APA's contracts in the event of a MEP's unexpected departure, whether voluntary or involuntary.
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Recalls the decision of the Secretary-General of November 2022 on the new rules for teleworking in Parliament applicable to the Parliament Secretariat; recalls that Members and political groups may also decide to apply the teleworking rules as set out in this decision; remarks that a balanced use of a hybrid working environment could beis beneficial and productive and therefore welcomes the decision to maintain teleworking possibilities; recalls also that physical presence is of crucial importance for the efficient interaction of all actors in every parliamentary process;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66
Paragraph 66
66. Welcomes Parliament’s efforts to encourage staff to use sustainable means of transport for commuting by putting an increased number of traditional and electric bicycles at their disposal free of charge and by reimbursing part of the cost of public transport tickets in exchange for limiting access to the car park;
Amendment 122 #
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; 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; takes further note of the Bureau decision of 6th July 2022, to endorse the overall strategy for the future development of the Strasbourg seat, focusing on improving hosting and accommodation capacity, optimizing the use of Parliament premises, enhancing accessibility and consolidating staff functionality;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83
Paragraph 83
83. Highlights that demand for DG LINC services started increasing considerably as from the beginning of 2022 while COVID-19 restrictions were still in place; acknowledges that this put pressure on resources as more interpreters, technical support and complex planning operations were needed due to social distancing and other restrictions; takes note that the effects of inflation had an impact on the remuneration of external conference interpreter agents; notes that the increased cost of interpretation was partially mitigated by remote interpretation of Strasbourg plenary sessions from Brussels;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
Paragraph 90
90. Notes with satisfaction that DG FINS was able to take advantage of the efficiency of its processes and the commitment of its staff to ensure continuity of the services for which it is responsible and the achievement of the objectives set in its annual work programme; notes the concerns expressed by Members about undue and often significant delays in the processing of reimbursements; welcomes that Parliament is continuously modernising its processes in order to offer Members better services by applying automation, simplification and digitisation; calls DG FINS for further speeding up of the workflows to provide more expedited procedures; notably by equipping its agents with the necessary tools and softwares to manage workloads efficiently, thereby reducing processing time;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 117
Paragraph 117
117. Welcomes the latest decisions taken by the Bureau; recalls that the problem will still need to be addressed in the future; notes that legal assessment of the latest judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union and their consequences for future Bureau decisions were also made available to the Members of the Bureau in order to allow them to take an informed decision; notes that there are ongoing appeals in the Court of Justice of the European Union and the matter will need to be addressed again after the judgments are handed down;