Activities of Younous OMARJEE 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 (17)
Amendment 14 #
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 after the internal auditor has validated the action taken for their implementation; reminds that in practice the reports and findings are only accessible once all recommendations have been implemented, which means a de facto delay of several years in accessing them, and that Members, on a need-to- know basis, may only have access under the Bureau's rules for access to confidential documents; calls on the Bureau to make sure that Members have immediate and full access to the internal audit report at least in view of the discharge procedure in a more expedited way; further calls on the Bureau to make each internal audit report available to the public one year after its finalisation, once the internal auditor has validated the actions taken to implement the previous year’s recommendation; recalls further that a validation of recommendations does not require the full implementation of the all recommendations; welcomes the fact that the internal auditor reports to the Committee on Budgetary Control on the annual audit activities carried out;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Reiterates its concern that the decisions of the Bureau often fail to respect the will expressed by the Plenary in discharge resolutions and that a substantial number of concrete demands adopted by Plenary in discharge resolutions are not always well reflected in the discussions during meetings of the Bureau; reiterates the importance of the discharge procedure as set in the Financial Regulation and the Rules of Procedure and demands that resolutions affecting the functioning of Parliament be thoroughly taken into consideration and followed up in a legitimate, transparent manner; reiterates its call on the Secretary-General to make a concrete set of proposals to further improve the transparency of the Bureau’s decision- making and continues to recommend that the Committee on Budgetary Control should be systematically informed whenever a proposal arising from a discharge resolution is going to be discussed by the Bureau;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Regrets that not all the requests of Parliament’ resolution of 15 December 2022 on suspicions of corruption from Qatar and the broader need for transparency and accountability in the European institutions were not put in place: reminds the importance of setting up of an inquiry committee able to investigate cases of corruption and improper actions as well as a special committee to identify potential flaws in the Parliament’s rules on transparency, integrity and corruption and able to make proposals for reforms;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls, as a consequence of the events at the end of 2022, for the establishment of robust standards on transparency and access to institutions for entities listed in the transparency register, including NGOs; recalls that NGOs were allegedly misused as vectors of foreign interference in European Parliamentarism; reiterates, in this context, the need for comprehensive financial pre-screening of all entities before they are listed in the transparency register;
Amendment 43 #
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 chain; 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 NGOentity and stakeholder to another; underlines that NGOsany entity 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;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Reiterates that the recruitment of contractual agents is an acceptable measure when justified, but insists that core tasks should be performed by permanent staff;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Acknowledges that several Directorates-General have expressed their concerns about attracting talent and specialised profiles that are essential to carry out Parliament’s core business; notes that only services that are essential may be considered for a potential internalisation exercise; highlights that some services are carried out by external service providers due to their specific nature which does not meet the conditions for internalisation; is therefore of the opinion that is of the opinion that the internalisation of essential services such as catering and cleaning should be considered by the governing bodies and that a feasibility study on internalisation of those and other services not meeting these conditionswhere necessary should not be considered for internalisation by the governing bodiducted by the EP services;
Amendment 76 #
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; recognizes that the APAs constitute a substantial proportion of the total working personnel making them an essential component of a well-functioning Parliament; notes that following the adoption of the APA statute in 2009, their status over the years has been gradually 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 Parliamehighlights that APAs rights should be on equal footing with the staff of the European Parliament; Calls on the competent authorities of the Parliament to recognize the status of the APA Committee, on par with the Staff Committee, in terms of affording both equal prerogatives as union bodies of the European Parliament; notes the efforts made by Parliament to create a framework for providing support to APAs; calls on the Bureau of the European Parliament and the administration of the Parliament to regularly and formally consult the APA Committee on revisions and reforms that directly impact the rights of APAs; recalls that pursuant to Article 35 of the Implementing Measures for Title VII of the Conditions of Employment of other Servant’s three places of workof the European Union, the APA Committee shall act as contact point for the competent authorities of Parliament;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55a. Recalls, that APAs, regardless of their experience and qualifications are excluded from participating in the internal competitions of the European Parliament; invites the Bureau to explore the possibility to grant the same opportunities to APAs, on fair basis and according to set criteria by the relevant DGs, to allow for APAs, under yet to be determined conditions to participate in internal competitions on equal footing with the staff of the European Parliament; notes that APAs through years of experience attain a thorough understanding of the political and technical nuances associated with the exercise of MEPs’ mandate as well as the various legal procedures of the union; stresses that stronger involvement of APAs in the internal structures of the Parliament could lead to more inclusive, diverse and geographically balanced workforce; highlights the importance of knowledge retention and transfer within the European Parliament in relation to the internal working methods;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 b (new)
Paragraph 55 b (new)
55b. Notes that APAs are an essential part of the European Parliament and play an important rule in the legislative procedures of the European union; notes that APAs and staff alike, often work long overtime hours during trialogue negotiations; recalls that APAs are not compensated for over time work; calls on the Bureau of the European Parliament to explore ways to maintain work-life balance of employees in the Parliament regardless of their status or of their position; highlights, in this regard, the positive dialogue with the administration on the right to disconnect and constructive discussions on streamlined teleworking rules;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 c (new)
Paragraph 55 c (new)
55c. Notes that the cooling off period applicable to APAs is at least twice as long as the cooling off period applicable to MEPs; invites a discussion on harmonising cooling off period for employees of the European Parliament;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 d (new)
Paragraph 55 d (new)
55d. Welcomes the progress made on the revision of the rules governing the employment of accredited parliamentary assistants; welcomes the positive harmonisation that the decision brings for the staff; welcomes the agreement reached on the mutual termination of contract between APAs and MEPs; welcomes the aligning of rules on mission allowances between APAs and staff; welcomes the revision of mandatory training for APAs upon taking up of duties; welcomes the revision of maternity rules for APAs in order to improve efficient use of resources by MEPs; commends the Bureau of the European Parliament for accommodating the requests of the plenary of the European Parliament and the input from APA Committee over the recent years; encourages the EP bureau to pursue this constructive work with the APA Committee on other pending issues;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 e (new)
Paragraph 55 e (new)
55e. Notes with concern that the recent changes concerning Implementing Measures for Title VII of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union relating to the rights of APAs were adopted without the consultation of the APA committee; underlines, that pursuant to chapter 7 of the Implementing Measure the APA Committee is the designated contact point for the competent authorities of the Parliament including the DG PERS and the secretariat of the Bureau and is also the formal body representing the rights of APAs; calls on the competent authorities of the European Parliament to adhere to the rules and regulation of this house;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
Paragraph 58 a (new)
58a. Notes that since 2022 teleworking measures have evolved and the last revision was adopted by the Secretary- General on 18 December 2023, entering into force as of the 1st March 2024; welcomes the introduction of the possibility for staff to telework from abroad even if only for five days per year, while in average the other Union Institutions provide for fifteen days per year; regrets that despite the overwhelming support of the Staff Committee in favour of the maxi teleworking option, this mode was abolished; reminds the importance of a genuine social dialogue with the staff representatives on crucial matters related to the new way of working;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
72. Acknowledges that throughout 2022 DG INLO continued the implementation of Parliament’s Building Strategy Beyond 2019; notes the contribution of the purchase of the Trèves II building with regard to the implementation of this strategy and to the consolidation of Parliament’s real estate, in particular with the intention of allowing the interconnectivity of Parliament’s central buildings in Brussels; requests a timetable for the interconnection between the Trèves I and Trèves II to the main central buildings in Brussels;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 a (new)
Paragraph 72 a (new)
72a. Continues to express concerns about structural problems in the Trèves I building; underlines the urgent need for the building to be upgraded to the latest energy and environmental norms; underlines the need for urgent measures to fix the unstable heating system, the lack of air conditioning and toilets for persons with reduced mobility, the poor sound proofing, as well as the sewage problem, as requested in the last discharge resolutions;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 85 a (new)
Paragraph 85 a (new)
85a. Reiterates its long-standing request to the Secretary-General to analyse the feasibility of international sign language interpretation for all plenary debates and to implement without delay this request; believes moreover that plenary sessions retransmission in the sign languages used in each Member State would increase participation of persons with disabilities in the EU democratic process;