Activities of Dennis de JONG related to 2018/2171(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017, Section V – Court of Auditors PDF (172 KB) DOC (67 KB)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the launch of the online portal ‘Public Audit in the European Union’ containing information on the work and role of the 29 Union Supreme Audit Institutions and the Member States; calls on the Court to publish short activity reports on the online portal, containing concrete data on the analyses performed by the Court and the Supreme Audit Institutions and the concrete results, including cost-benefits analyses and the amounts recovered;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Deplores that since 2012 the Court failed to publish any special report on the management of conflict of interest in selected Union agencies; urges the Court to publish annual special report on the management of conflict of interest in Union agencies working with industries, namely the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Chemicals Agency (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA); notes that for Union agencies working with industries the risk of conflict of interest is higher than in other Union agencies;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the audit risk in the area of administrative expenditure is low and that error rate estimates have been below the level of materiality for several years; notes that the Court therefore considers that the number of transactions tested is sufficient to reach conclusions for its audit; regrets, however, that the scope of considerations iwhile it acknowledges that the audit risk for administrative expenditure is low, it regrets that the Court's analysis of the progress made by Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee in comparison with the 2014 recommendations for 'Administration' is to a large extent devoid of meaning, given Cthapter 10 of the annual repot the Court's on ‘Administration’ allows for only a very limited review of weaknesses inaudit for 2017 did not include the examination of administrative expenditure in eachfor these institutions; calls on the Court to follow- up these recommendations soon;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the factNotes that, according to the Financial Regulation, the Court shall ensure that special reports are drawn up and adopted within an appropriate period of time which shall, in general, not exceed 13 months; notes that in 2017 it took an average of 14,6 months from the commencement of an audit task to adoption of the special report; notes that this was the shortest ave while also the year before the 13-month target timefragme duration since the start of the 2013-2017 period; regrets, however,for producing special reports was not met; regrets that only eight of the special reports (29 %) published during the year2017 complied with the 13 months target timeframe set out in the Financial Regulation; calls on the Court to continue improving its performance in this regard, while not compromising the quality of the special reports and the targeted nature of its recommendations;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the achievements of the Court in terms ofCourt's strategy for communication, 'Get clear messages across to our audience', and the communication activities aimed at increasing its visibility and media impact, including an increase of its outreach on social media; welcomes the use of extensive social media analytics to better understand to what extent target groups are reached and whether media campaigns have been successful; encourages the Court to continue striving for the best use of various communication channels to raise awareness of its work among citizens;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the detailed review of the use of official cars by members of the Court and the Secretary General broken down by user, distance travelled and cost paid, provided by the Court in the framework of the discharge procedure 2017; observes that different regimes apply to journeys covered by a mission order and other journeys undertaken in the course of performance of official duties, up to a limit for reimbursement of 10 000 km per year; notes, moreover, that for all other journeys, members and the Secretary-General shall bear any other related cost; notes with concern that 17 % of all utilisation of official vehicles are for non-professional use; calls on the Court to put in place measures to prevent and avoid abuse for journeys under the category 'Other journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties'; notes with concern that drivers tasked with driving members on official missions and protocol journeys are also employed in various administrative tasks, as declared by the Court in the framework of the discharge procedure 2017; calls on the Court to carry out a detailed analysis of the journeys under the category 'Other journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties' and to ensure that members having used official vehicles for non-professional use to pay back to the Court by 30 June 2019 any amounts reimbursed for those travels undertaken in 2017;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the fact that Decision 81-2016, which decreased the annual limit for reimbursement for journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties from 15 000 to 10 000 km, resulted in savings of approximately 15%; is concerned, however, that the current regime still results in a disproportionate burden in terms of administration and documentation; calls on the Court to make further simplifications while improving the reliability of the system for settlements; suggests that members of the Court are paid a monthly allowance, calculated in proportion to the list price of their respective official vehicle, instead of the current system which is based on travelled distance;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes that the Court obtained certification under the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS); welcomes the Court’s measures to improve its waste management, increase its energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint and encourages it to continue with its efforts in this direction; welcomes the remarkable reduction in energy costs;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes that the reduction of 5 % in staff numbers over the period 2013-2017 has been achieved in compliance with the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management7 with an overall contribution of 45 posts; notes that the Court cut one post more than the target for the period 2013-2017; notes that the number of contractual agents increased from 59 to 73 over the same period, which is mainly due to the reinforcement of security measures at the Court premises; notes that the Court streamlined procedures by using IT tools and digitalisation and by outsourcing various tasks to the Pay Master Office of the Commission in order to implement staff reduction objectives; _________________ 7 OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1 OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. WNotes that no case of harassment was reported, investigated or concluded during 2017; welcomes the fact that the Court takes various measures to raise awareness regarding harassment in the working environment, including training for newcomers; notes with appreciation that procedures and penalties are envisaged to follow-up on complaints against members of staff as well as against members of the Court; encourages the Court to closely monitor the effectiveness of its policy in this regard, to continue raising awareness about harassment in the workplace and to foster a culture of zero tolerance towards harassment;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that there were no cases of whistle-blowing in 2017; notes that the Legal Service of the Court acts as a disclosure, advice and referral body for internal and external whistle-blowers; notes, furthermore, that a network of ethics advisors is in place to advise on the provision of information in cases of serious irregularities, as specified in the Court’s rules of procedures; calls on the Court to ensure that all members of staff are properly informed of their rights, for example during induction procedures for new staff; underlines that every member of staff are obliged to report on irregularities, both fraudulent and non- fraudulent, to the Legal Service of the Court; calls on the Court to protect the identity of members of staff reporting irregularities as to enable proper investigations; calls on the Court to ensure that all members of staff are properly informed of their rights, for example during induction procedures for new staff; welcomes the Court's opinion published in October 2018, following the Commission’s proposed Directive on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law as published on 23 April 2018; underlines the importance of awarenessraising and training of staff as means of fostering a positive and trusting environment in which whistleblowing is an accepted part of the corporate culture;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. RegDeplorets that members of the Court can be absent from the Court without justification and without having to request leave for one or more days; notes the absence of specific rules to control of the members’ absences; calls on the Court to establish procedures for keeping a register of members’ annual leave as to ensure that all leave taken by members is effectively recorded; stresses that the current practice strongly undermines the trust of Union citizens and institutions in the good faith of the Court;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Recalls that, in accordance with Article 285 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, members of the Court shall be completely independent in the performance of their duties and shall act solely in the Union’s general interest; is concerned by the current self-declaratory nature of compliance with this criteria and urges the Court to develop stronger controls on the external activities of members to ensuurges the members of the Court to submit declarations of interest instead of declarations of the absence of conflict of interests; stresses that it is not for the members of staff to declare themselves out of conflict of interest; reiterates that a neutral body should assess the existence of conflict of interest; deplores that they complete declarations of interests and attest to the absence Court, as the institution in charge of identifying and combating conflicts of interest in other Union institutions, is failing to implement itself a strong and reliable policy ofn conflicts of interest;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Urges the Court, in relation to the period 2011-2017, to complete a comprehensive audit of mission expenses by members of the Court in order to identify potential irregularities and to recover the amounts affected by such irregularities; furthermore, calls on the Court to provide a list with the missions undertaken, including, for each mission, the dates, the full cost and a cost-benefit analysis;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that the United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the European Union will not have a major impact on the structure and human resources of the Court; welcomes the fact that the Court has decided to follow a case-by-case approach to deciding on the extension of contracts for British temporary and contract agents and not to dismiss them on the sole ground that they are no longer nationals of a Member State; calls on the Court to swiftly develop a coherent strategy to provide certainty for the persons concerned; notes, moreover, that the member of the Court from the United Kindom will not be in service as of 1 April 2019 and that the budgetary impact of his departure, eight months earlier than the termination of the mandate, will amount to about EUR 108 000.