Activities of Inés AYALA SENDER related to 2012/2214(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union agencies for the financial year 2011: performance, financial management and control PDF (242 KB) DOC (165 KB)
Amendments (55)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to the Joint Statement of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission on decentralised agencies of July 2012,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council entitled: European agencies – the way forward (COM(2008) 135 final),
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, in response to calls made, and mandates issued, by the European institutions, and as a result of the enlargement of the EU, there has been a tenfold increase in the number of agencies over the last decade, from three in 2000 to 301 in 2011,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the importance of the tasks performed by agencies, and their direct impact on the daily lives of citizens, for example relating to the quality of medicines, food safety, aviation security, or the control of outbreaks of infectious diseases; emphasises, in this context, the utmost importance of their autonomy, in particular of the regulatory agencies and those with the function of independent information collection and provision, and recalls that the main reason for establishing agencies was for the purpose of making independent technical or scientific assessments; one of the agencies’ main tasks is making independent technical or scientific assessments; points out, furthermore, that the agencies also carry out technical, operational and regulatory tasks and play an important role in implementing EU policy and raising its profile;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Praises the agencies for their efforts to improve all aspects of the management thereof; welcomes the establishment of the Union Agencies Network and the role it is to play in coordinating and achieving these good governance objectives; also welcomes the fact that the Court of Auditors has only issued a qualified opinion on the current period;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that Union institutions have drawn up a jointin July 2012, after three years of analysis and negotiations, the Commission, the Council and Parliament finally adopted the ‘Common Approach’, a poslition on the future of agenciescal agreement concerning the future and the reform of existingthe decentralised agencies; bwelieves that the joint position should be further developed in a more concrete mannercomes the conclusion of this agreement but deplores the fact that it neglected to set out either decision- making procedures in respect of the implementation of its lines of action or arrangements for European Parliament oversight of this procedure;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Commission's 'rapid adoption of a Roadmap onfor the follow-up toimplementation of the Common Approach on EU decentralised agencies' (the Roadmap) in this context and invites all involved parties to take on board the ideas expressed there, inter alia, when negotiating the new multiannual budget for the Union; deplores, however, the fact that some of the Commission’s objectives in the Roadmap are out of step with both the spirit and provisions of the Common Approach, and the fact that the Commission has unilaterally decided how to implement many of the stated guidelines; calls on Parliament to instruct its relevant committee to carry out, as a matter of urgency, an analysis and an in-depth discussion of, the Roadmap with a view to delivering an opinion on the Commission's proposals and to verifying that they are in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Common Approach;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the Court of Auditors' reports; welcomes the Court’s efforts to comply with the requests made by Parliament to conduct better audits and facilitate the discharge procedure; notes with satisfaction that the audit reports contain more detailed information than in previous years; encourages the Court of Auditors to continue this positive trend and to further develop performance audit elements, both in its annual audit reports as well as in dedicated Special Reports of the Court of Auditors; calls on the Court to facilitate debates in which both parties are heard whenever the agencies so wish, and to make its reports more informative and transparent, for instance by duly noting cases in which a given agency has uncovered a problem itself and notified the Court, and by signalling even more clearly cases in which a reservation has been issued;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. CommendWelcomes the good cooperation with the responsible committee from the side of the Union Agencies Network (“between the Union Agencies Network (“the Network”) and the responsible European Parliament committee; stresses the crucial role played by the Network”), both as a forum for coordination, information exchangethe exchange of information and good practices and agreement of common positions on issues of common interest for agencies, and encourages the strengthening as well as for improving governance and as a contact point and discussion partner for the European institutions; considers it essential, therefore, that the agencies are given the means to develop and strengthen the structure of the Network; notbelieves with satisfaction the availability and openness of the directors of the agencies contacted in the framework of the annual dischs current organisational structure, consisting of an executive director as Chair of the Board, a governmental troika, and working via functional sub-networks, to be adequate to ensure that its objectives arge procedure; proposes that the Network be supported by an external independent coordinator, for example a former Executive Director of achieved and fair and balanced representation; considers that the Network and the Commission must officially determine as soon as possible who shall be responsible for implementing the conclusiones of the agencies, when further discussing and implementing the Roadmaproadmap, and submit an operational proposal in this regard to this committee;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises the need to focus on effectiveness and transparency in the discharge exercise; and invites all involved parties – the Court of Auditors, the Council, the agencies and the Network – to approach the discharge from that position; emphasises that the focus shift towards performance should by no means hamper regularity and sound financial management;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out, in this context, the relationship between administrative weight and the output of the agencies; believes that small, for the agencies with large and costly management boards should be considered as potential merger candidates with larger agencito operate as efficiently as possible and to make the most of their resources, they must, insofar as is possible, seek synergies, exchange best practices and share services, or alternatively, be integrated into the Commission; bn the basis of geographical proximity or relieves that the agencies should seek synergies, should further exchange good practices and should share services whenever possibleance; access to services provided by the commission should also be improved, expanded and facilitated;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes with concern the cuts made to agencies in terms of both their financial and human resources; adds that, despite these cuts, the demand for their services has not fallen; stresses, therefore, the importance of safeguarding their human and financial resources and the risk that, following the overall 5% cut in the European institutions’ staffing levels, the agencies could see their workload increased owing to the Commission’s outsourcing of parts of its work; points out that, if this were to happen, it would greatly weaken the regulatory agencies, which would be made into mere executive agencies and take them away from the purposes for which they were set up; calls, therefore, on the agencies to alert the discharge authority in the event that such a situation is liable to arise;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – introductory part
Paragraph 9 – introductory part
9. Notes with concern that there are a number of problems identified in many instances by the Court of Auditors, each of which affect a number of Agencies, i.e.: Court of Auditors has again identified a number of recurrent problems in the management of most of the agencies, which are chiefly attributable to the high carryover rate and the lack of transparency or thoroughness in recruitments and, to a lesser extent, to problems concerning public procurement, contract management and conflicts of interest;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 1
Paragraph 9 – indent 1
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 2
Paragraph 9 – indent 2
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 3
Paragraph 9 – indent 3
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – indent 4
Paragraph 9 – indent 4
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes, in this context, the reply of the Network; welcomes the coordinated action of the agencies and their intention to tackle the challenges identified by the Court of Auditors and the Common Approach and the setting up of specialised sub-networks of the Network which will be involved to guarantee technical expertise; commends the identified approach aiming to share best practices and, wherever possible, draft guidelines that can be voluntarily adopted by each Athe agencyies or that can be a starting point for the Commission for further activitiesfurther activities planned by the Roadmap in the area;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Urges the Network, as well as the individual agencies, to report back to the discharge authority on the progress of the implementation of those ideas and approaches to asses whether thea chosen approach haves proved effective in resolving the outstanding issues as identified by the Court of Auditors and in the Common Approach and to report to the discharge authority on both the individual and collective actions addressing the Court of Auditors' findings, and the results thereof;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Emphasises that the Agencies have for some time been calling for greater flexibility in the rules applicable to them under the Financial Regulation; recognises that most of those rules are disproportionate and ill-suited not only to the size and objectives of the majority of Agencies, but also to their characteristics; insists that simplification of the financial and statutory rules relating to those factors would improve their efficiency, reduce their expenditure and solve many of the problems pointed out by the Court of Auditors;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reminds the agencies that the persistent problem of carryovers has yet to be addressed; takes note of the Agencies' explanations as regards the difficulty in avoiding carryovers in operational expenditure, believes, nevertheless, that in a number of cases, there remains room for improvement, in particular by means of more stringent budgetary discipline and regular overview of spendinga better management of commitment appropriations based on real needs, better internal planning and general revenue forecasting and more stringent budgetary discipline and regular overview of spending; also calls on the Agencies to assess their internal administrative procedures in order to reduce the administrative burden, especially as regards public procurement and staff recruitment procedures; believes that both the Commission and the Court of Auditors should provide effective assistance to the Agencies for this task;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses, in this context, that the hierarchy of norms is to be taken into account; believes that sound financial management should take precedence over annuality; recognises, in this context, and in that context believes that the focus should generally be on sound financial management; points out, however, that the current financial rules place the fee- earning Agencies in an unfavourable position and calls upon the Commission to take this issue into account when the next revision of the rules will take placedo not resolve the problem that arises in the case of Agencies whose funding is based on charges, and calls upon the Commission to propose a solution to this problem when the next revision of the rules takes place; points out that the Financial Regulation is not suited either to Agencies which generate surpluses and that it is essential, as part of the revision, to consider ways of resolving this, such as by creating a limited reserve fund;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. NotEmphasises withs concern at the fact that most Agencies stress that the lack of flexibility within the budget has been recognised as a weakness by certain agencies, which suggests that savings could be made if there was enough flexibility within the budget from title to title; calls upon the Commission to closely examine the situation and to come forth with proposals addressing this issue; application of financial rules creates many problems for them, and that most of the problems previously reported could be resolved through a revision of the Financial Regulation adapting this to the criteria provided for in the Common Approach: simplification of the financial rules, adjustment of the implementation deadlines and possible creation of a limited reserve fund for specific purposes; welcomes the fact that the Commission has considered such reform in its roadmap, as one of the actions to be launched in 2013;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – new heading after paragraph 15
Paragraph 15 – new heading after paragraph 15
Human resources and recruitment policy
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Points out that the Staff Regulations establish the principles underlying the staff policy adopted by the Agencies and also that there is a need for greater flexibility and simplification of the statutory rules applicable to Agencies in order to ensure they function more effectively in this respect; points out that, although Article 110 of the Staff Regulations allows some flexibility, since the final decision rests with the Commission it is vital prior agreement be reached between the Agencies and the Commission; in the event of disagreement, the Commission should present a reasoned decision to the relevant European Parliament committee;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Reminds the Agencies that in their staff policy planning they should adopt a global programming approach to human resources that tallies with their budgetary and administrative capacities, in order to ensure that staff policy is cohesive and suited to their needs; points out also that staff plans should always take into account certain basic considerations, such as gender balance and geographical balance; welcomes, in this regard, the initiatives envisaged by the Commission in its roadmap, and the fact that the specific characteristics of Agencies are now being acknowledged, in the current revision of the Staff Regulations;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Expresses its concern at the fact that the procedures for recruiting staff to the Agencies have posed a regular problem ever since the Agencies were created, while the Court of Auditors in its audits concerning the financial year 2011 detected problems or weaknesses in this area in all but two of the Agencies; is surprised that neither the Common Approach nor the roadmap provide for any action in this area;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15d. Calls on the Agencies urgently to adopt the measures needed to ensure that recruitment procedures are transparent, fair and objective; calls on the relevant services at the Commission to assist the Agencies in this task, especially with regard to the policy of transparency and its impact on selection procedures; highlights again, in this connection, the good results that continue to be achieved with the RECON tool introduced by Cedefop, and requests the other Agencies to adopt this procedure whenever possible or to develop other procedures more applicable to their own circumstances;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 e (new)
Paragraph 15 e (new)
15e. Urges the Commission to bring forward as soon as possible a proposal for a full set of measures applicable to all the EU’s institutions, including its agencies, aimed at averting and preventing harassment at work by means of mechanisms such as a confidential counselling network, periodic and continuous surveys on staff well-being and the evaluation and thorough examination of complaints, etc.
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the Court of Auditors aimed to answer two questions: firstly, were adequate policies and procedures in place, and secondly, were those policies and procedures adequately implemented; notes, furthermore, that the Court of Auditors based its work on the definition of conflict of interest as provided in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines, and that the reference network for minimum requirements was also derived from OECD guidelines; emphasises, however, that the OECD guidelines basically relate to conflicts of interests in the case of public sector employees and cannot, therefore, constitute an effective response in the case of potential conflicts of interests within the governing bodies of the Agencies, such as management boards and expert panels, etc.
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. NotesGiven that conflicts of interest can also occur between the members of the Management Board and the Agency itself, due to national or institutional interests, which endanger the proper functioning of the Agency, calls on the Commission to urgently submit to Parliament a proposal to resolve this issue; hopes that in the meantime the declarations of interests of each and every member of the management boards of the Agencies will be made public, in the interests of transparency;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Endorses the Court of Auditors' recommendation inviting all Union institutions and decentralised bodies to examine whether the recommendations of the Special Report 15/2012 are relevant and applicable to them; in any case, while acknowledging the shortcomings and weaknesses in the mechanisms for the prevention of conflicts of interest within EU institutions owing to the new and complex nature of European integration (new competences, new institutions and bodies, new Member States, etc.), it should be recognised that conflicts of interest also arise, to a varying degree, within Member States, albeit with less public impact; points out, in this connection, that as a result of current austerity policies, the slimming down of public administrations and outsourcing to the private sector has created a greater risk of conflict of interests, meaning that proactive policies are needed to bolster European public administrations;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s decision to conduct an own initiative inquiry into cases of ‘revolving door-type’ conflicts of interest in several cases recently reported at the Commission; echoes the warning issued by the Ombudsman in this connection to the effect that although effective management of conflicts of interest is a key part of good governance and sound ethical conduct, not all problems relating to governance and ethics necessarily imply a conflict of interest, meaning that conflicts of interests need to be viewed within their strict limits and training and prevention strategies promoted in respect of conflicts of interest in EU institutions.
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the Court of Auditors' recommendation for the Union legislator to consider further developing the Union regulatory framework dedicated to the management of conflict of interest situations,; notes, however, that the OECD guidelines, on which the Court of Auditors has based its work on Special Report 15/2012, while offering an international benchmark on the issue, are not fully applicable to an agency and they do not fully meet the specific needs of the decentralised agencies as a large variety of actors are involved in its work; nevertheless recognises the value of the OECD’s toolkit, and especially the checklist for gifts and benefits, etc., as well as the recommendations made concerning penalties, the need to check the completeness and content of statements of interests and the requirement to harness expertise and identify potential conflicts of interest;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Court of Auditors to conduct an assessment of the implementation at the Agencies of measures based on the recommendations in its report, and on the Network to develop proposals based on exchanges of good practice and lessons learned to enable it, in cooperation with the Commission and the Court of Auditors, to identify those Agencies, or fields in which they operate, at greatest risk of conflicts of interest; welcomes, in that context, the review of the Transparency Register for lobby groups at the EU institutions, and urges the Commission and the Agencies to implement the measures stemming from that review concerning potential conflicts of interest;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. CommendWelcomes the Commission's intention to come up with guidelines on the management of conflicts of interest, as indicated in the Roadmap, as well as any legislative proposals required; invites the Commission to bear in mind the need to maintain balance between the risks and the benefits, in particular as regards the management of conflicts of interest, on one hand, and the objective to obtain the best possible scientific advice, on the other; notes with concern that, despite the proliferation of rules, codes of conduct and ethical guidelines, conflicts of interest cannot be ruled out; this can be achieved only through the proper implementation of simple and relevant rules and through effective enforcement, as part of a general culture of honesty, integrity and transparency;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the Roadmap, and fully supportshares its objectives of achieving more balanced governance, improved efficiency and accountability and greater coherence; welcomes the anticipated actions, in particular regarding the streamlining of management boards, the efforts to find synergies between between agencies, but criticises the failure to include transparency among the objectives; takes the view that the Roadmap may be a starting point and a sound basis for discussion of the actions that need to be taken in order to implement the common approach agreed by Parliament, the Council and the Commission in July 2012; draws attention to the need for coordinated action, given the number and varied remits of the decentralised agencies, through the development of a common regulatory framework that would serve to standardise their remits and working methods; this would improve transparency and do away withe agencies,ny uncertainty as to the resposnsible merging of agencies and improving agencies' accountabilityilities, legitimacy and overall role of the agencies; calls on the Commission at all events to involve Parliament in any proposals its draws up to that effect;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Expresses concern at and its disagreement with some of the initiatives envisaged by the Commission in its Roadmap, which are not consistent with the common approach; has reservations about the Commission's intention to carry out an in-depth analysis of the functioning of the agencies, which could seriously undermine their independence; expresses concern also at the fact that in the Roadmap the Commission only refers to the discharge procedure in respect of the agencies in order to call for 'a more rigorous distinction between the responsibilities of the Commission and those of the agencies', bearing in mind that ultimate responsibility for the discharge lies with the Commission;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Welcomes the fact that one of the priorities of the common approach is to improve governance of the agencies, in particular by defining more clearly the roles of the management board and executive director, and by reviewing the remit of Commission and Parliament representatives on the boards; takes the view that this process will also help to clarify the agencies' relationship with the institutions and Member States, to establish accountability mechanisms for the agencies, and to define the Commission's degree of responsibility in respect of the agencies' activities, whilst observing the principle of agency independence;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes the Commission's predicted actions on conflicts of interest, in particular, "Guidelines for a coherent policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest for members of the Management Board and Directors, experts in scientific committees, and members of Boards of Appeal", a task for which the Commission itself has taken responsibility and has set 2013 as a target year; notes with satisfaction that this task is one of the priority actions and milestones; urges the Commission to keep to the set target year, and to report to the discharge authority on the results of this action before the end of 2013 and to attach any legislative proposals required;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Stresses the utmost importance of the agencies' independence; recalls that the agencies have legal personality and that they should be able to independently execute their mandate and regrets that this is not always the casein such a way as to make this absolutely clear; believes that the Commission's Directorates General should be seen, as partners of the agencies and notes with concern that the Commission's interventions at times cast doubtand bodies which deal directly with the agencies, should be the guarantors onf the objectivity of the agencies' decisions and performed actions, especially when high risks are involved such as disease controlthey concern issues regarded as particularly sensitive (health, security, etc.);
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Considers that the democratic accountability of the agencies should be streamlined, in particular the way that the agencies report to the discharge authority (for example, inconsistencies are still present in way of presentation of financial information, in submission of discharge follow-up (FR Art. 96.2 reports), etc); believes that the "liaison" system between Parliament and the agencies would benefit from a stronger system through structured reporting from the agencies to Parliament, as the current situation is rather fragmented and too often, contact and reporting takes place only on an ad-hoc basis,(Does not affect English version.)
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6
Subheading 6
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)
Subheading 6 a (new)
Calls on the Commission, before considering overly hasty measures along the lines of agency mergers as proposed in the Roadmap, which could have unforeseeable consequences, at a time when resources are scarce, for the sound management of and achievement of their objectives by the current agencies, all of which were established on the basis of a properly substantiated remit agreed by all the institutions, to launch a sufficient period of study, reflexion and debate involving all relevant stakeholders (Member States, the Council, the Commission, agencies and Parliament, among others); recognises and supports, however, any proposals emerging from the Network that would improve exchanges and the implementation of good practice in order to boost synergies, prevent duplication, multiply economies of scale and lead to the sharing of management resources and instruments with the Commission;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Believes that common elements between the European Police College (CEPOL) and the European Police Office (EUROPOL) should be further explored; tTaking into account the fact that in 2014, CEPOL is to leave its current premises; requests that, calls on the Commission explore a possible relocation of CEPOL to the premises of EUROPOLto urgently explore with the authorities of the United Kingdom the various options for the future location of the agency, and to present those proposale conclusions of these discussions to Parliament and the Council;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Invites the Commission, together with the European Training Foundation, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work to further explore the synergies that exist between those agencies and to report to the discharge authority on the possible deeper integration of those three agenciscope for better communication and cooperation between those three agencies in order to prevent duplication and help them achieve their respective objectives; invites those agencies and the Commission to evaluate whether closer cooperation could lead to economies of scale and optimisation of their performance;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. StressWelcomes the need to ensurefact that newly- formed agencies (e.g. the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), all founded in 2011) are now benefiting from best practices of older,the established agencies; calls on these agencies to continue with this approach in order to avoid recruitment, procurement and financial regulation problems;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Notes with concern that the applicable provisions of the Financial Regulation are not fully adapted to the financial agencies' financing scheme, as 55% to 60% of their budget is financed by contributions from Member States and the European Free Trade Association countries; believes that appropriate mechanisms need to be found to guarantee the security and financial stability of those agencies which are exposed to specific risks on account of the mixed nature of their funding; believes that the issue should also be addressed in the revision of the Financial Regulation as regardspplicable to agencies and calls on the Commission to evaluate this situation and report on this to the discharge authority;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40a. Notes with concern that few of the executive director positions in the agencies are held by women; calls on the management boards of the agencies and on the Commission, given that in most of the agencies directors are appointed by the management board on the basis of a shortlist adopted by the Commission, to uphold the principles of equality and to take account of the strategy launched by the Commission in 2010 to achieve a better gender balance in positions of responsibility; expresses concern that the common approach and the Roadmap do not count equality policies among their objectives, and calls on the Commission to devise specific proposals to address this problem;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 b (new)
Paragraph 40 b (new)
40b. Calls on the agencies’ executive directors, who have ultimate responsibility for staffing issues, to ensure gender parity among agency staff as a whole and people in positions of responsibility;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Notes with concern that in most cases, neither the coordinating Agency nor the Network can promote gender equality as regards the composition of the governing boards, asthat it is the responsibility of Members States to select their representatives on thoseagency governing boards; invites Members States to bear in mind principles of equality between women and men when appointing the representatives to the governing bodies of Agencies;ose bodies, and invites, furthermore, the Executive Directors to raise the awareness of the members of the board on this topic when the Chair and Vice-Chair are to be elected; notes with satisfaction that two of the current Troika agencies have a woman as Chair of their governing board;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Stresses the need for the Agencies, as well as the Commission, to coordinate and to share best practices and experiences in order to overcome the technical and management challenges presented by complex IT systems which have to operate on a Union-wide basis; finds it strange that the Commission charges the agencies fees for using its IT systems; is also surprised that these fees are not set in relation to objective parameters, such as the size of the agencies, given that the fees can impose a significant burden on the small agencies; calls on the Commission, if there is no alternative to charging fees, to adapt them to take account of the size and financial capacity of the agencies;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Proposes that the agencies should have the option to use the human resources or any other software of the Commission wherever possible instead of having to purchase their own expensive software;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Proposes that, as from the next financial year and in order to facilitate the work of the discharge authority for the agencies, and given the number of agencies and the increasing complexity of their work and output, Parliament should consider and issue an opinion on an agency reconfiguration that would provide the basis for the appointment of various rapporteurs, as has already happened this year with other institutions;