Activities of Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ related to 2020/2141(DEC)
Plenary speeches (1)
2019 Discharge (debate)
Amendments (41)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes the fact that no action has been taken in response to some of the recommendations in Parliament's resolution on discharge for 2018, and that the discharge follow-up document does not provide any justification for this; asks the Secretary-General to forward this resolution to the Bureau and highlights all requests for action or decisions by the Bureau; calls on the Secretary-General to establish a plan of action and a timetable enabling the Bureau to follow up and/or to respond to the recommendations contained in Parliament’s discharge resolutions and to include the results in the annual monitoring document; stresses the importance of having more frequent discussions with the Secretary-General and the Vice-President responsible for Budget on issues concerning Parliament's budget and its implementation in Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control; reiterates the need for the Bureau to substantially improve, in a proactive manner, the transparency and accessibility of each milestone of the decision-making procedure, with particular focus on the Bureau's website;
Amendment 13 #
16. NoteRejects the fact that no action has been taken in response to some of the recommendations in Parliament's resolution on the discharge for 2018, and that the discharge follow-up document does not provide any justification for this; stresses the importance of havingdemands more frequent discussions with the Secretary-General on issues concerning Parliament's budget and its implementation in Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control; calls on the Bureau to follow up on these recommendations;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recognises the positive developments regarding gender balance and welcomes the new and more ambitious targets to be achieved by 2024; acknowledggrets the lack of gender balance of Bureau staff; Recognises the positive developments in this regard and acknowledges the new targets; recognizes the need for continuous monitoring on the topic;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Welcomes the successful completion, in 2019, of new working environments for Members in Brussels and Strasbourg; commends the fact that the refurbishment of all Members' offices in Brussels (1 personal office per Member + 2 staff offices) and in Strasbourg (1 personal office + 1 staff office) was carried out in record time and ahead of schedule, as well as coming in under the works budget amount allocated to it, and that new furniture equipment, including integrated IT solutions has been installed at a lower cost than originally foreseen; notes with satisfaction that the revised office allocation plan for Members and political groups was based on the most efficient use of available office space; fully regrets, however, that the administration finally carried out this refurbishment, on the grounds of the furniture obsolescence and during the 2019 elections period, despite the fact that Parliament explicitly stated on several occasions in plenary that such change was not necessary;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Reminds that the 2014 administrative cooperation agreement between the Parliament and the Europan Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of Regions (the 'consultative Committees') was highly unbalanced for the latter because they transferred a total of 60 translators to the Parliament and in exchange obtained only the use of the services of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS); notes with concern that as a consequence the consultative Committees had to hire contract staff and outsourced their translation services; is aware of the requests expressed by the consultative Committees in the frame of the discharge procedure for the ongoing agreement to be respected by the Parliament so they are duly compensated; supports the consultative Committees in the view that an extension or revision of the current agreement must settle all outstanding issues and specifically the imbalance; asks the three institutions to jointly report to Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control on the ongoing revision of the agreement;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Expresses its support for the way Parliament increased the visibility of the European elections by building, animating and engaging with a wide network of media, partners and volunteers who acted as opinion multipliers within their own networks; notes with concern, however, that the turnout of the 2019 European elections remained too low in certain countries; considers that a visibility campaign of the European elections and the role of Parliament in the legislative process should be permanent, with a particular focus on those countries;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes that more than 50% of Union citizens eligible to vote took part in the elections, and notes with satisfaction that it was the first time since the first direct elections in 1979 that turnout has increased; regrets, however, that the Spitzenkandidaten system for the appointment of the Commission President was not followed, unlike after the 2014 elections; observes that the system adds to the transparency and accountability of the Commission to Parliament; notes that the President of the European Commission acknowledges the need for improvement in this area in the Political Guidelines; stresses that, as stated in the Guidelines, a review of the way the leaders of the institutions are appointed and elected is needed;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33 a. Is deeply concerned about the website “EP Today” and its misleading use of Parliament’s name and the Union symbology; notes with alarm that EUvsDesinfo found out that 99% of the articles that appeared on “EP Today” were actually syndicated from other websites such as “Voice of America” or “Russia Today”; is alarmed that the follow-up investigation by EU DisinfoLab has discovered a massive 15-year influence operation successfully targeted the Union with more than 750 fake local media and more than 10 "zombie- NGOs"; is concern that this operation successfully reached and involved Members before it was identified and investigated; call on Parliament’s DG COMM to coordinate with the European External Action Service and the Commission to take action on this matter;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that ahead of and during the elections, all relevant Parliament’s stakeholders were kept up-to-date on disinformation and threats against Parliament from entities and actors seeking to undermine unity and European democracyCommends Parliament’s efforts to counter disinformation ahead of and during the elections; urges Parliament to take robust action to counter disinformation via regular information and warnings and that appropriate training and awareness-raising activities are organised for Members, staff and visitors; calls on Parliament to further strengthen the external communication of its activities;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Expresses its concerns regarding the European Data Protection Supervisor's (EDPS) investigation into Parliament’s use of a political campaigning company based in the United States of America to process personal data as part of its activities relating to the 2019 European election; notes that the investigation into Parliament’s use of NationBuilder resulted in the first ever EDPS reprimand issued to an Union institution due to a breach of Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, involving the selection and approval of sub-processors used by NationBuilder; notes, furthermore, that a second reprimand was subsequently issued by the EDPS, after Parliament failed to publish a compliant Privacy Policy for the "thistimeimvoting" website within the deadline set by the EDPS; notes with satisfaction that in both instances, Parliament acted in line with EDPS recommendations; echoes the EDPS's statements about the threat posed by online manipulation and how strong data protection rules are essential for democracy, especially in the digital age;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Notes that, at its meeting of 11 February 2019, the Bureau confirmed the continuation of Parliament’s office in London; notes that on 5 October 2020, the Bureau acknowledged the closure of the Edinburgh antenna office at the end of 2020; acknowledges that the liaison office in as well as the European Union Delegation to the United Kingdom will continue to play a crucial role for Parliament in providing services to Members on delegations to the United Kingdom and in order to further engage with citizens, civil society, government, the parliamentary environment and media in that country; regrets therefore the refusal of the United Kingdom government to recognise the full diplomatic status of the European Union ambassador to the United Kingdom;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Notes that the revised rules governing the payment of financial contributions for sponsored visitors’ groups entered into force on 1 January 2017; recalls that, in accordance with the principle of non-profit enshrined in these rules, heads of groups have an obligation to return any unused financial contribution after verification by Parliament’s services of a financial declaration; seeks greater assurance that the management of sponsored visitors’ groups is strictly in accordance with the applicable rules; reiterates its call to remove the possibility of appointing APAs as head of group and thus giving the financial responsibility of sponsored visits exclusively to a member of the group or to professionals, i.e. paying agents or travel agencies;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Is aware of the importance of the building policy, in particular the completion of final installation works at the Montoyer 63 building in Brussels, which was put in use in 2019, and the Adenauer project in Luxembourg, which is scheduled to be completed by end of June 2023; understands that, in 2019, the Committee on Budgets authorised a mopping-up transfer, amounting to EUR 31 million, for the pre-financing of the project, which excludes project management costs, financial costs, certified bodies, etc.; regrets the increased costs due to the constructions delays and notes that transactions with the construction companies (linked to the delay with the project) have been necessary to avoid further delays and costs (between 5% and 15% of the contract amount);
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Recalls that in 2020, Parliament launched an international architectural competition with two options, a comprehensive environmental renovation or reconstruction of the Spaak building; to take into account cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency as leading criteria; expects a detailed and public evaluation of the cost and energy efficiency of the selected proposal on the basis of the summary pre-project, which is to be developed by the winning architect in the course of 2021; demands that the renovation/reconstruction take into account Parliament’s current needs as described in the updated building strategy beyond 2019;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53 a. Notes that a first call for tender was launched in 2019 in order to conclude contracts for new banking facilities and ended with only one bank choosing to submit an offer for the same space the bank previously occupied; notes that a second call for tender was organised in 2020 aiming to occupy the other two baking areas and no offers were received; regrets that the ING agency remained open only for the two first months of the current parliamentary term, time to open accounts for many of the new elected Members and contracted APAs, and then closed; notes that the supermarket has also decided not to extend its concession but welcomes the fact that there will be a future food market concession located on the ground floor of the Spinelli building; asks the administration to review and make more attractive the conditions of the exploitation of commercial concessions in order to attract quality services providers;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
56. Takes note of the immediate actions, approved by the Bureau at its meeting of 22 July 2020, which included an awareness campaign, protection of valuable IT equipment, prior notification of maintenance works, and provisions of separate master keys for each floor and strict limitation of their distribution; expresses its dismay over the general tone and specific messages of the awareness campaign that seems to hold Members and staff responsible of the protection of the equipment beyond common sense rather than focus on security measures; expects Parliament to adopt long-term measures to prevent thefts including among those envisaged the introduction of different levels of access rights within Parliament’s premises, increased CCTV coverage, and further actions relating to keys’ management policy, including the possibility of installing electronic door locks taking due account of the necessary proportionality between the investments needed and the actual value of stolen items;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. ObservesNotes with satisfaction the launch of market procedures for the introduction of an automatic vehicle recognition system at all car park entrances and exits and the move to Adenauer II building;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 a (new)
Paragraph 72 a (new)
72 a. Draws attention to four important investigations conducted by the EDPS involving Parliament, namely using NationBuilder to process personal data as part of its activities relating to the 2019 European election, failing to publish a compliant privacy policy for the "thistimeimvoting" website within the deadline set by the EDPS, and the body temperature checks as well as the test- booking website in the context of the COVID-19 crisis; notes that in the two first cases Parliament acted in line with EDPS' recommendations; reminds the aforementioned preliminary review of Parliament's data protection framework; calls on the relevant services of the Administration of Parliament to drawn lessons from the mentioned investigations for the future;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. Is convinced that the attractiveness of Parliament as an employer is a key component of its success; is deeply concerned by the difficulties encountered in recruiting some nationalities and bringing certain job profiles in-house; regrets Parliament’s over-dependence on external expertise; notes that DG PERS is currently running the project ‘Attracting and retaining top talent’ that aims at improving Parliament’s policies to attract and retain talent and at contributing to the development of Parliament’s long-term strategic vision on the jobs of the future; calls on the Secretary-General to do his utmost in order to reach aimprove the diversity and geographical balance ofor Parliament’s staff, both on the total number by country and on the number of management positions and to explore all available options in order to increase the competiattractiveness of Parliament as an employer;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75
Paragraph 75
75. Is concerned by the difficulty of recruiting IT and financial specialists and staff at lower grades in Luxembourg, especially in the AST-SC category; stresses that the introduction of a correction coefficient that takes account of the higher living costs in this place of work together with recruitment at higher grades is necessary to solve this structural problem and reiterates, in this regard, its request to the Commission in the frame of the 2018 discharge procedure; stresses that a preliminary factual analysis that the Court addressed to the Secretary-General in this context shows that the selection process organised by the European Personnel Selection Office is not adapted to small-scale, targeted competitions, which are those most suited to the current recruitment needs of Union institutions; notes with satisfaction Parliament’s active involvement in an inter-institutional effort in reviewing the way competitions are currently run by European Personnel Selection Office; calls for a new selection framework to be developed for specialist competitions and the introduction of a mechanism for regularly reviewing its selection process; calls on the Secretary- General to organise specialist competitions in-house when appropriate;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78 a (new)
Paragraph 78 a (new)
78 a. Reiterates that it is essential that staff representatives are heard when the Bureau discusses general matters affecting its staff policy, and asks again the Secretary-General to take the appropriate measures to implement this key approach; reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to take further steps to ensure transparency and fairness during senior management appointment procedures; asks for the full implementation of the measures recommended in Parliament’s resolution of 18 April 2018, notably that officials from staff representative bodies sit on Parliament’s senior management selection panels; calls, furthermore, for ensuring consistency when it comes to external publications of senior management posts and diligence in the publication of these posts as and when they fall vacant;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78 a (new)
Paragraph 78 a (new)
78 a. Notes that teleworking arrangements and remote voting are now part of Parliament’s working arrangements for Members; calls on Parliament’s secretariat to continue facilitating these arrangements for Members on maternity, parental, carers, sick or special leave and explore using the arrangements in the future also, so as to allow Members to both hold meetings in their constituencies as well as with their colleagues in Brussels in what could be ‘hybrid’ weeks;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79
Paragraph 79
79. Draws attention to the 6% staff reduction target, that in 2019 required Parliament to eliminate 59 posts from its administration establishment plan; acknowledges the simultaneous increase in the number of contractual agents; is concernedCourt’ Special Report on the 2014 staff reform package12a; notes with concern the observations of the Court applicable to the Parliament; deplores the very negative impact of the 2014 reform package on a number of crucial aspects of human resources within the Union institutions; draws also attention to the 6% staff reduction target, that in 2019 required Parliament to eliminate 59 posts from its administration establishment plan; acknowledges the simultaneous increase in the number of contractual agents; warns of the serious consequences that any budgetary cut in administration or staff reduction may have in the future of the European civil service and the implementation of the Union's policies; is concerned, in particular, by the negative effects of this significant reduction on Parliament’s performance, both in the short and long term; calls for an urgent but complethe reassessment of the staffing situation; _________________ 12aCourt of Auditors’ Special Report No 15/2019: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission - Big savings but not without consequences for staff.
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79 a (new)
Paragraph 79 a (new)
79 a. Notes that the Court found that the European institutions have reduced the number of posts for officials (i.e. permanent and temporary staff), while gradually increasing the number of contract staff, resulting in a substantial increase of the proportion of contract staff in the total workforce; reiterates that profoundly regrets the lack of career prospects for contract staff in the case of Parliament's administration; invites the Secretary-General to assess the risks relating to employing growing numbers of contract staff, including the danger of creating a two-tier staffing structure within Parliament; insists that core permanent positions and tasks should be performed by permanent staff;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79 a (new)
Paragraph 79 a (new)
79 a. Highlights the fact that current rules on the termination of contract for APAs do not foresee the possibility of a termination by “mutual consent”, which would be a way to recognise the special political relation between Members and assistants, where both parties can acknowledge the mutual trust is no longer persisting, and benefit from a common solution; notes that this issue has been highlighted in several Parliament discharge reports and expects action to be taken as soon as possible;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80
Paragraph 80
80. Is worried about the number of members of staff on long-term sick leave; is concerned that some of those cases may relate to exhaustion and disturbed work-life balance; calls on the administration to be proactive towards the concerned staff, to carefully evaluate the staff workload and to ensure a balanced distribution of tasks; stresses, in that regard, the importance of a reasonable working schedule and avoiding meetings outside office hours which prevent Members and staff from keeping the work-life balance; welcomes the ‘Mind Matters’ campaign launch in 2018 by DG PERS to raise awareness and combat stigma related to mental health; urges Parliament to conduct a psychological risk assessment to detect psychological risks in the work environment and to develop targeted action plans to either eliminate them, or mitigate their negative impact; calls for reassessment of the applicable rules to enable quicker hiring of substitutes in cases of long-term sick leave;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80 a (new)
Paragraph 80 a (new)
80 a. Stresses the pressing necessity for a revision of the Bureau decision establishing the categories of committees on the ground of their legislative workload in order to also consider their budget related work; notes that the current situation has a negative particular impact on the Committee on Budgetary Control, which deals with a huge workload due to the discharge procedure but has a low legislative workload; encourages Parliament's administration to additionally reflect on innovative solutions to improve the situation;
Amendment 134 #
82. Supports the continuation of the implementation of the activities of the Action Plan on Equality and Diversity 2014-2019; insists on the importance of better gender balance at all levels, including Directors-General level; support and of the measures of the report on ‘Diversities other than gender in the Parliament’s Secretariat - state of play and roadmap’ adopted by the Bureau on 3 April 2019; celebrates in particular the creation in 2020 of two contact points within Parliament, one on LGBTI+ issues and one on racial discrimination issues, both managed by the DG PERS’ Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Unit;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83
Paragraph 83
83. Supports the launch of an awareness raising campaign in 2019 to promote a zero-tolerance policy on harassment in the workplace; recognises Parliament’s zero tolerance policy towards harassment at any and all levels including Members, staff and APAs; notes that following the 2019 elections, all Members were required to sign a declaration confirming their commitment to complying with the code of appropriate behaviour incorporated in Parliament's Rules of Procedure in January 2019; however, regretsregrets, however, that the prevention training for all staff and Members is still not compulsory; is concerned that 10 new harassment cases were opened in 2019 out of which 4 cases concerned sexual harassment;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 84
Paragraph 84
84. Is aware ofRegrets the 38 cases involving Parliament pending with European Anti- Fraud Office in 2019 ranging from the proper use of parliamentary allowances and staff conduct to the financing of European political structures; points out the fact that 14 cases were closed in 2019;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 85 b (new)
Paragraph 85 b (new)
85 b. Is of the opinion that the protection of whistleblowers is an integral element of democracy and it is crucial in preventing and deterring unlawful activities and wrongdoings; recalls that, among others, APAs are in a vulnerable position due to their contract of employment; notes with concern the Secretary-General’s acknowledgement that “whistleblowing rules are applicable to accredited parliamentary assistants but that the Parliament cannot provide employment protection” as they are dependent on their individual Member; calls on the Secretary-General to take that factor into account when APAs act as whistleblowers, and to look to extend the contract protection options granted by Parliament for APAs who are victims of harassment to APAs who act as whistleblowers;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 85 a (new)
Paragraph 85 a (new)
85 a. Reiterates its call on Parliament's administration to provide, as early as possible in the next parliamentary term, new APAs with mandatory training courses or publications including, in particular, financial and administrative matters (mission orders, medical examinations, accreditation, parking stickers, groups of visitors, exhibitions, etc.) in order to avoid systemic errors hindering the smooth running of administrative procedures that affect them; highlights, in this regard, the necessity of technical training on the work of the parliamentary committees as well as the possibility of attending language courses outside of office hours;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 b (new)
Paragraph 86 b (new)
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 a (new)
Paragraph 86 a (new)
86 a. Expresses strong concern for the working conditions of two of the external concessions contracted by Parliament, namely the cleaning and the restauration staff of Parliament, and strongly recommends that DG INLO organises an independent survey about the satisfaction with the working conditions of the staff concerned subcontracted by Parliament, in order to ensure respect and dignity at work; notes that such a survey was recommended in the previous Parliament discharge report, but that it was not followed up on; repeats this recommendation and urges the Bureau to act on this; calls for an evaluation of Parliament’s public procurement policy in light of improving transparent and predictable working conditions for all subcontracted services; calls on Parliament to report to the discharge authority on the results of such evaluation;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 c (new)
Paragraph 86 c (new)
86 c. Recalls with disappointment the dismissal of 60 employees working in Parliament’s catering services as of January 2021; notes that the dismissed staff was informed shortly before Christmas 2020 and in the middle of a pandemic; stresses that some of the dismissed staff had worked on Parliament’s premises for decades; recalls Parliament’s repeated calls on companies across the Union to retain their staff during the pandemic; urges the Secretary- General to respond without delay to a letter sent about the dismissal signed by 355 Members; asks to consider if Parliament could guarantee these workers job security by the internalisation of the catering service and directly hiring the catering personnel, following the good example of Parliament's car drivers;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 a (new)
Paragraph 86 a (new)
86 a. Is concerned about the increasing use of temporary and interim staff by the external catering company and the impact this is having on the quality of the services provided and on the amenities and quality of life and working conditions for permanent staff; condemns the recent mass redundancies occurred in the external catering company and asks Parliament's administration to find solutions within the frame of the social dialogue;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 b (new)
Paragraph 86 b (new)
86 b. Reiterates its demand for the APAs to receive the same subsistence allowance as the statutory personnel for their missions to attend the part-sessions in Strasbourg; takes note of the follow-up answer provided by the Secretary-General about the different rules concerning the reimbursement of duty travel between Parliament's three places of work that apply to the Parliament's secretariat and APAs; insists on its demand and a subsequent change of the relevant rules mentioned by the Secretary-General;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 c (new)
Paragraph 86 c (new)
86 c. Reiterates its concern about the alleged practice of Members obliging APAs to undertake missions, particularly to Strasbourg, without mission orders, mission costs or even travel costs; is of opinion that such a practice leaves room for abuse: where APAs travel without a mission order they not only have to pay for the costs by their own means, they are also not covered by workplace insurance; calls on the Secretary-General to investigate this alleged practice and to report on this by the end of the year;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 d (new)
Paragraph 86 d (new)
86 d. Reiterates its call on the Conference of Presidents and the Bureau to reconsider the possibility for APAs, under certain conditions to be determined, to accompany Members on official Parliament delegations and missions, as already requested by several Members; takes note of the estimated financial impact explained by the Secretary- General on his follow-up to the 2018 discharge but insists on the limited extension of this possibility; suggests a new discussion at the level of the Bureau and the Conference of Presidents;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 98 a (new)
Paragraph 98 a (new)
98 a. Stresses that Parliament has to honour its commitments regarding the fight against climate change, and must consequently take appropriate steps in all its buildings to make sufficient bicycle internal and external parks, where bicycles are protected against theft, vandalism and the elements, available to all staff, and at the very least offer the same arrangements currently available in staff car parks; a system whereby vignettes are used as a means of identification could also be very worthwhile in this regard;