Activities of Monika HOHLMEIER related to 2021/2162(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The revision of the Financial Regulation in view of the entry into force of the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the revision of the Financial Regulation in view of the entry into force of the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework
Amendments (21)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the study on the largest 50 beneficiaries in each EU Member State of CAP and Cohesion Funds, requested by the CONT Committee, PE 679.107 - May 2021,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
— having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament B9-0318/2021 on the Financial Regulation review and EU Commission’s guidelines on public procurement for policy-related service contracts,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 c (new)
Citation 16 c (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication COM(2020)103 An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 d (new)
Citation 16 d (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication COM(2021)350 Updating the 2020 New Industry Strategy: Building a stronger Single Market for Europe's recovery,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 e (new)
Citation 16 e (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication COM(2021)219 Better Regulation: Joining forces to make better laws,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the absorption rate under the MFF 2014-2020 was too low and needs improvement, especially from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by improving and strengthening the decision-making and allocation processes, as well as principles and procedures governing the establishment, implementation and control of the EU Budget;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is of the opinion that, while a global overhaul of the rules applicable to the budget is not needed at this time, the Financial Regulation must be subject to targeted improvements and simplifications, in particular where they increase transparency and democratic scrutiny; furthermore, the revision should address challenges related to SMEs' participation in the MFF 2022-2027 package;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Is concerned that the unprecedented amounts made available under the RRF, where Member States will report to the Commission in bulk about progress on milestones, will present the European Court of Auditors with a highly complex challenge to provide assurance on the legality and regularity of the spending;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes that the EU has reacted swiftly and decisively in response to the COVID-19 crisis to support the affected Member States and to curb the socio- economic fall-out of the pandemic; notes that crisis management requires swift actions; reminds that this may never be an excuse to bypass Parliament, undermining democratic accountability; considers that this principle of democratic accountability and oversight in decision making needs to be reflected in the Financial Regulation;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for the revision of reporting requirements on the Commission’s debt management strategy, including maturity and schedule of payments, to adapt them to the increased complexity and risk for the EU budget of borrowing and lending operations;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission for further simplification in annual accounts and other financial reporting obligations in the context of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Union in order to encourage the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in SME-related programs of the MFF 2021-2027 package, including NGEU;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that it is important to know who benefits from EU funds in order to protect the financial interests of the EU and to detect fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest in particular; notes that a study commissioned by the CONT committee on the 50 largest beneficiaries of EU funds revealed that data for identifying economic operators and their beneficial owners is not easily, or not at all, accessible12 ; considers that the centralisation of the information in a single, interoperable EU database with information on direct and ultimate beneficiaries would overcome the identified fragmentation and lack of transparency; _________________ 12Study on the largest 50 beneficiaries in each EU Member State of CAP and Cohesion Funds, requested by the CONT Committee, PE 679.107 - May 2021.
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Emphasises that the Financial Regulation should include provisions that require the responsible actors to gather and keep uniform records of economic operators and beneficial owners in order to allow identification across EU programmes, regardless of who implements these programmes and of management mode (direct, indirect or shared management); considers that these requirements should be balanced to reflect strictly relevant information items; underlines that data may only be published in line with data protection requirements and the standing jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union; considers that compulsory information items collected for audit and control purposes need to include as a minimum the registration number of legal entities, national identification number for natural persons, an indication of the type of beneficiary, sub-contractors, beneficial owners, whether the beneficiary also receives State aid and contact information; underlines that the system needs to facilitate the aggregation of individual amounts concerning the same direct or ultimate beneficiary; considers that publicly accessible systems should facilitate both individual searches through a web-based tool and systemic analysis through bulk downloads;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for the use ofNotes that the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) is currently only used under direct and indirect management; considers that economic operators that are considered a risk for the EU financial interest under direct and indirect management should also be considered a risk under shared management and vice versa; calls therefore for the use of EDES to be made compulsory under shared management; further notes that EDES does not distinguish between subsidiaries of larger corporations; calls on the Commission to make this distinction and to specify in the rules for early detection and for exclusion which entity of a multi- national or multi- company corporation is registered for early detection or exclusion;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. While it is of utmost importance to know who the final beneficiaries of EU funds are in order to ensure the proper use of funds, the accessibility and simplicity of digital tendering platforms for EU funds also plays an important role; recalls that the Commission has adopted the concept of 'digital-by-design' and the 'Think Small First' principle in order to ensure sufficient participation of SMEs; encourages the Commission, in this sense, to also take these principles into account when revising the Financial Regulation in the context of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021- 2027 implementation;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes the guidance provided by the Commission on using the public procurement framework in the emergency situation related to the COVID-19 crisis; encourages the Commission to gather and evaluate the experience of contracting authorities with the public procurement framework in this regard, especially its effect on SMEs, and to reflect the lessons learned in the Financial Regulation, by identifying criteria for defining exceptional/unusual circumstances in which temporary/framed/necessary flexibility in the implementation of public procurement rules can be applied;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7 a (new)
Subheading 7 a (new)
Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Notes that there is a strong interest in proposing Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions (PPPAs) among the Members of the European Parliament and that the Commission has to apply a rigorous selection procedure to the proposals in order to match the limited financial resources available for the PPPA’s; considers that the available financial resources, and acceptance of proposals, can benefit from more flexibility between the three envelopes for PPs, PAs (first year) and PAs (second and third year);
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Criticises the length of the audit and control procedures in shared management, including the length of the consequent contradictory procedures, as foreseen under sectoral legislation; underlines that lengthy procedures increase the risk of leaks of confidential documents; considers it unbearable that the Commission insists on the confidentiality requirements vis-a-vis the EP applicable to the audit and contradictory procedure even in cases of legitimate public interest involving public figures; expects the Commission to strengthen and shorten the length of audit and control procedures in shared management along the lines of the timeline applicable under Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Considers it necessary to amend Article 2 (67) of the Financial Regulation to include the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) as “Union institution” so that discharge shall be given to the EPPO;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Notes that article 262 of the Financial Regulation requires the Union institutions and Union bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation shall report on the measures taken in response to the decision on discharge; considers that this requirement would benefit from setting a reasonable deadline for reporting on the measures taken; calls on the Commission to include 30 September of the year following the year under review in the discharge procedure as deadline in Art. 262 of the Financial Regulation;