11 Amendments of Ingeborg GRÄSSLE related to 2011/2201(DEC)
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Regrets that despite the considerable budgetary means foreseen for the European schools, the latter continue to fail fulfilling their main task which is to provide for sufficient places in the required languages and in the vicinity of officials' places of work and residence but instead have enlarged their activities to other fields of education
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)
Paragraph 34 b (new)
34b. Recognises that an essential problem lies within the decision-making and financing structures of the Convention on the European Schools; demands therefore the Commission to explore with the Member States until 1 October 2012 a revision of this Convention; in the meantime, calls on the Commission to push for more efforts to achieve the aforementioned targets, by way of more appropriate use of the budgetary means provided;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls on the Commission to clarify its relocation plans, the costs this will entail, how much office space will become available and how much will be added, and the number of staff in each Directorate-General who will be affected.
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)
Paragraph 34 b (new)
34b. Points out that in 2010, during the procedure to approve flexitime and compensatory leave as a voluntary benefit, the Commission approved around 90 000 additional days of leave for its staff, which is the equivalent of some 445 posts – even though Article 56 of the Staff Regulations states that overtime worked by AD5/AST5 staff shall not be compensated; asks for clarification of the total cost to the taxpayer of compensatory leave.
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Notes with great concern the Commission’s interim report on the progress made by Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism; is concerned at the continuing parlous state of the Bulgarian legal system; notes that 27 criminal proceedings are under way against 28 judges; asks for clarification regarding a series of cases of alleged fraud in connection with EU funds in Bulgaria in which the public prosecutor’s office suspended the investigations, even though the investigations into similar cases based on the same facts continued in another Member State; is astonished that, in all cases of fraud involving EU funds which were brought before the courts, criminal prosecution was replaced by administrative fines, and that an important case of fraud involving EU funds has been delayed in appeal in court for over 18 months; deplores, furthermore, the disregard of the Commission’s recommendation in not authorising the National Commission for the Identification and Forfeiture of Criminal Assets (CEPACA) to undertake pro-active asset verification of senior officials and politicians; is concerned that the unified, prompt, systematic publication of substantiated judgments is not the norm in Bulgaria; calls on the Commission to put pressure on the Bulgarian government to increase its efforts to reform and to implement the Commission’s recommendations as soon as possible; calls on the Commission in this context to disclose how much funding has been allocated to supporting Bulgaria’s efforts to reform and to assess the extent to which the payments have achieved the promised results; expects to see serious improvements over the coming year, with the establishment of a task force and a series of measures drawn up by the Commission in cooperation with the Bulgarian government for re- establishing the integrity of Bulgaria’s legal system;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41b. Notes with concern the Commission’s interim report on the progress made by Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism; is, however, pleased to note the positive upward trend in the record of the National Integrity Agency (ANI) in pursuing cases of unjust enrichment and identifying conflicts of interest; notes that the ANI’s funding was increased with EU money; is, however, concerned that there is no uniform follow-up to ANI cases and that the follow-up is often delayed; is also concerned at the results of an analysis of court judgments in cases of high-level corruption, which shows that 60% of sentences are suspended and the sentences are often the minimum provided by law; is surprised at the unsatisfactory practice in relation to the prompt publication of substantiated judgments, which encourages the risk of statute- barring in some cases of high-level corruption as a result of protracted substantiation caused by the long-delayed possibility of redress; calls for a thorough, detailed analysis by the Commission, in cooperation with the Romanian government, of the legitimate use of European funding in Romania; calls on the Commission to disclose how much funding has been allocated to supporting Romania’s efforts to achieve judicial reform and to assess the extent to which the payments have achieved the promised results; expects to see further improvements within the coming year; calls on the Commission to increase pressure on the Romanian government to implement the Commission’s recommendations; expects the Commission to call on the Romanian government, without fail, to ensure that the Romanian government’s efforts to develop a consistent jurisprudence in public procurement trials are increased; calls on the Commission steadfastly and determinedly to insist vis-à-vis the Romanian government that the Commission’s recommendations are complied with and a clearer, more comprehensive implementation plan to prepare for implementation of the provisions of the Penal Code and the Code of Penal Procedure is drawn up; expects increased efforts with regard to the confiscation of assets resulting from criminal activities in Romania; also expects a series of measures from the Commission, in cooperation with the Romanian government, for improving the integrity of the Romanian legal system;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106 a (new)
Paragraph 106 a (new)
106a. Calls for a detailed report from the Commission on the total cost of advertising for EU enlargement (spots in cinemas, on television, the Internet and other media), a breakdown of costs by the individual media and the countries in which the spots appeared, and detailed information on the implementing companies, from production to broadcasting; also expects a report on all other advertising activities of the Commission concerned with enlargement, together with a correspondingly detailed report and breakdown of costs;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106 a (new)
Paragraph 106 a (new)
106a. Recalls the earthquake in Haiti and its disastrous consequences; deplores the difficulties noted in combining humanitarian aid and development aid (linking relief, rehabilitation and development); considers that the Commission should limit its humanitarian aid and direct its efforts and funding to rehabilitation and development;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106 b (new)
Paragraph 106 b (new)
106b. Deplores the insufficient coordination between the Union Delegation and the ECHO representation; supports a reinforced coordination between all Union actors; urges therefore the Commission to ensure better coherence and complementarity between humanitarian aid and development aid both at a policy level and in practice;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106 c (new)
Paragraph 106 c (new)
106c Deplores the lack of sustainability of projects and stresses that projects should principally aim at creating employment and sustainable growth which would allow the Haitian State to increase its own revenues in order to depend less on foreign assistance; requests therefore the Commission to provide Parliament with a list of projects which have been carried out during the last 15 years in Haiti with a detailed assessment of their current situation in order to see how sustainable they are since;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106 d (new)
Paragraph 106 d (new)
106d. Points to the lack of visibility of the Union aid in Haiti; takes the view that in order to enhance visibility not only the flag, but also the name of the European Union should appear in PR documents rather than only that of the Commission or of DG ECHO, which are much less identifiable to average Haitian citizens;