24 Amendments of Inés AYALA SENDER related to 2011/2014(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. Whereas, according to the Integrity Watch organisation, bribes of over $1billion were paid in Afghanistan in 2009,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to consider introducing direct budget support in Afghanistan under rigorous and well- defined conditions, as it is the best instrument for building capacity in the Afghan administration; believes this could achieve sustainable, long-term-oriented results;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that the Commission should assess the capacity of the ministries of the GIRoA, and believes that budget support could start with limited amounts applied under rigorous and well-defined conditions; welcomes the example of other donor countries in introducing sectoral budget support for those Afghan ministries for which the benchmarks on accountability and transparency are met; asks the Commission to consider introducing budget support under rigorous and well-defined conditions not only at central level but also at provincial and local level, as this would increase capacity building at all governmental levels; believes that coordinated diversification of budget support for the different administrative levels would also strengthen the Commission’s position vis-à-vis those entities and make the Commission more independent of its relations with a single entity; notes that this diversification must not undermine the central government’s role and responsibility, and that it therefore requires the latter’s approval;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission, at the same time, to set rigorous and well-defined conditions for the disbursement of budget support whLinguistich are clear and measurable; takes the view that these objectives should aim to achieve results which can be evaluated by way of indicators and pre- defined benchmarks on accountability and transparency; underlines that baselines assessing future progress need to be defined from the outset; considers mechanisms to fight corruption and fraud to be of the utmost importance in this context;mendment
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission, at the same time, to set rigorous and well-defined conditions for the disbursement of budget support which are clear and measurable; takes the view that these objectives should aim to achieve results which can be evaluated by way of indicators and pre- defined benchmarks on accountability and transparency; underlines that baselines assessing future progress need to be defined from the outset; considers mechanisms to fight corruption and fraud to be of the utmost importance in this context; stresses in this connection the paramount importance of training for public servants, particularly the security forces and the police;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – introductory part
Paragraph 8 – introductory part
8. Notes the recent audit report of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) on EU funds, channelled through the United Nations Organisations in conflict-affected countries, which also covers Afghanistan; deplores the weaknesses in project management in Afghanistan identified by the ECA amongst which are:Linguistic amendment
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 3
Paragraph 8 – indent 3
– frequent delays in projects resulting from unrealistic timeframes;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 1
Paragraph 9 – indent 1
– high risk for corruption and fraud in the country as evidenced by the Kabul Bank scandal in the recent past; according to the Integrity Watch report also, of the over $ 1 billion in bribes paid by Afghanistan in 2009, one-third was used a payment for various public services (documentation, education, health), the police service being the most corrupt;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 2
Paragraph 9 – indent 2
– lack of ability on the part of most Afghan ministries to tender and manage contracts owing to a high rate of illiteracy and poorly trained staff;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 3
Paragraph 9 – indent 3
– unreliable databases of the Afghan National Police (ANP), as figures range from 111 774 to 125 218 policemen, which raises doubt as to the legality and regularity of the salaries paid to the Afghan policemen, which is the main objective of the single largest project funded by the EU, the Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA);Linguistic amendment
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 4
Paragraph 9 – indent 4
– cascades of sub-contractors which lead to delays and overhead costs adding up, and also limit the exercise of oversight over the prime contractor, as well as limiting the proportion of Afghan locals benefiting from these projects;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 6
Paragraph 9 – indent 6
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – indent 1
Paragraph 11 – indent 1
– fLinancial and operational long-term sustainability;guistic amendment
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Asks the Commission to identify the risk factors involved with regard to corruption, fraud, project sustainability, cascades of sub-contractors and other source of waste and misuse of funds; asks the Commission, furthermore, to continue to address these adequately in grant agreements and commercial contracts and to monitor closely the application of these rules;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines the crucial importance for democracy of having a Supreme Audit Institution which is financially and operationally fully independent of the executive branch and which has sufficient capacity and funding to carry out financial, compliance and performance audits in line with international audit standardsLinguistic amendment ;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is concerned about reports from various reliable and independent sources that Afghan authorities at the highest level obstruct anti-corruption investigations by Afghan prosecutors against officials such as governors;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Deplores the fact that the new draft legislation on the Control and Audit Office would still not establish full independence given that, for example, the Auditor- General and his deputy would be appointed by the executive branch instead of the legislative branch; points out that this is not compliant with the Mexico Declaration on Supreme Audit Institutions’ Independence; calls on the Commission, therefore, to insist on the establishment of full financial and operational independence of the Control and Audit Office of Afghanistan in the legislation; reminds the Commission that full independence of the Control and Audit Office should be considered an essential condition for introducing direct budget supportLinguistic amendment ;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Invites the Commission to consider the idea of carrying out control and monitoring visits jointly with the Control and Audit Office of Afghanistan; suggests in this connection intensifying mutual exchange of auditing knowledge and training skills among the responsible bodies; views this as a chance to improve mutual understanding and to build capacity;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls that under Article 287(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union the European Court of Auditors has the right, if necessary, to perform its audit on the spot in the premises of any body, office or agency which manages revenue or expenditure on behalf of the Union;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes the recent decision of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), adopted at its 2011 annual sessions (6 to 17 June 2011), to grant intergovernmental donor organisations such as the institutions of the European Union similar rights to access internal audit reports as are granted to UN Member States; believes, however, that further progress is needed in order to avoid a bureaucratic burden in providing access to internal audit reports and to improve reporting on the use of EU funds by providing information about results rather than actions; urges the Commission, furthermore, to invite other UN agencies to adopt the same policy as UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 – indent 2
Paragraph 22 – indent 2
– establishing guidance and good practice in the area of audit with a view to ultimately arriving at a single audit concept, which would mean that every euro was only audited once, by an external auditor who would cover the assurance needs of all stakeholders;Linguistic amendment
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Stresses that the peace process in Afghanistan must be centred on measures to combat corruption, given that corruption causes funding to go astray, restricts access to basic public services such as health or education and creates an enormous obstacle to the socioeconomic development of the country; furthermore corruption undermines confidence in the public sector and the government and gravely jeopardises national stability; urges the EU accordingly to devote particular attention to combating corruption in channelling aid to Afghanistan;.
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36b. Is greatly concerned at the large proportion of European and international aid going astray during the distribution process (Bank of Kabul) and notes that there are four causes for this: waste, excessive intermediary and security costs, overbilling and corruption; urges the EU accordingly to establish a data base to monitor the cost and effectiveness of all EU aid to Afghanistan, with a view to ensuring that it is used more efficiently;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Stresses that gender equality and women's rights are considered to be crucial issues, both in the Afghan Government's national development strategy and the 2007-2013 national strategy document, which refers to future gender mainstreaming;