2014/2159(INI) Annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2013
Lead committee dossier:
Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | PETI |
WAŁĘSA Jarosław ( PPE)
|
MIZZI Marlene ( S&D),
MARIAS Notis ( ECR),
BECERRA BASTERRECHEA Beatriz ( ALDE),
REDA Julia ( Verts/ALE),
EVI Eleonora ( EFDD)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 232-p1-a2, RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 232-p1-a2, RoP 54Subjects
Events
2015/04/13
EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2015/01/15
EP - Results of vote in Parliament
Documents
2015/01/15
EP - Debate in Parliament
2015/01/15
EP - Decision by Parliament
Details
The European Parliament adopted by 572 votes to 21, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman 2013.
Parliament recalled that the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU empowers the European Ombudsman to receive complaints concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role.
Number of complaints received: Parliament noted that 23 245 citizens called on the Ombudsman’s services for help in 2013 and that 2 420 requests were registered as complaints (2 442 in 2012).
In 2013, the Ombudsman:
took action on 2 354 complaints received; opened 350 inquiries (465 in 2012), of which 9 were own-initiative inquiries; closed 461 inquiries (390 in 2012), of which 441 were complaints-based and 20 were own-initiative inquiries on requests for information and access to documents (25.6%), the Commission as guardian of the Treaties (19.1%), institutional and policy matters (17.6%), administration and the Staff Regulations (16.5%), competitions and selection procedures (14.8%), award of tenders or grants (9.5%), and execution of contracts (7.4%).
Parliament deplored the fact that the annual report 2013 does not contain the exact figures on the percentage of complaints that fell within or outside the Ombudsman’s mandate and called for such data to be included.
It noted that in 2013, the Member State with the largest number of complaints was Spain (416), followed by Germany (269), Poland (248) and Belgium (153). It noted that as regards inquiries opened per Member State Belgium (53) takes the lead, followed by Germany (40), Italy (39), and Spain (34).
Maladministration on the part of the European Commission : Parliament noted that a large majority of inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman over the past year (64.3%) concerned the European Commission . It recognised that the Commission is the institution whose decisions are most likely to directly affect citizens, civil society organisations and businesses. It understands that the Commission is therefore the main object of public scrutiny.
Parliament is concerned however, that the share of complaints concerning the Commission has risen compared to 2012 when it was 52.7%. It encouraged the Ombudsman to examine the reasons for this increase in order to help improve the Commission’s administration and thus increase the credibility of the EU institutions as a whole. It called on the new Commission to take rapid action to improve its performance with the objective of reducing the number of complaints against it. Plenary considered that the involvement of the Commission in opaque entities such as the Troika does not tend to promote transparency and accountability within the Union, nor does it respect the principle of subsidiarity .
Objectives of the European Ombudsman : Parliament recalled that Emily O’Reilly was elected European Ombudsman by the European Parliament at its plenary session of 3 July 2013 and took her oath on 30 September 2013. It approved the annual report for 2013 presented by the European Ombudsman and congratulated Emily O’Reilly on her first annual report as Ombudsman and her approach in terms of keeping up positive working relations and cooperation with Parliament.
It gave its full support to the new Ombudsman’s stated ultimate goal, which is to help strengthen the structures and institutions of accountability and transparency at European level . It commended this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make her institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible.
More resources to the Parliament’s Petition’s Committee : Parliament noted that in 2013 the Ombudsman referred 51 complaints to the Committee. It considered that, given the parallel and sometimes complementary work that the Committee on Petitions does in ensuring that EU legislation is duly implemented at every level of administration, more resources should be devoted to this committee, by analogy with those of the European Ombudsman.
Transparency, main area of investigation : Parliament noted that transparency-related issues once again topped the Ombudsman’s list of inquiries closed (64.3%), representing an increase on 2012 (52.7%). It noted that the other key topics in complaints were ethical issues, citizens’ participation in EU decision-making, EU-funded projects, fundamental rights, and culture of service. It agreed with the Ombudsman that transparency is a cornerstone of an advanced democracy.
EU Agencies : Parliament noted with concern that the percentage of complaints concerning EU agencies has almost doubled, from 12.5% in 2012 to 24% in 2013. It suggested that the Ombudsman indicate whether this increase was the result of greater public awareness of complaints procedures or was caused by other factors, such as possible non-compliance of EU agencies with the Ombudsman’s recommendations from previous years.
EPSO-EP : Parliament is pleased to note that the percentage of complaints concerning the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) more than halved in 2013, down from 16.8% in 2012 to 7.1% in 2013. It also welcomed that the percentage of complaints against the European Parliament has decreased from 5.2% in 2012 to 4.3% in 2013.
Good administration and recommendations : Parliament noted that in 2013, the Ombudsman published a new version of the European Code of Good Administrative Behaviour and called on all the institutions to fully respect and implement this code. It noted that overall compliance with the Ombudsman’s recommendations stood at 80% in 2012, slightly down from 82% in 2011. It supported the Ombudsman in her ambition to improve the compliance rate and urged the Commission, in particular, to make all efforts to improve its compliance rate.
As regards the 20% non-compliance rate, Members urged the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union to respond and react within a reasonable time frame to the critical remarks of the Ombudsman.
FRONTEX : Parliament noted that the Ombudsman submitted one Special Report to Parliament, the subject of which was the absence of a mechanism in the Frontex agency for dealing with complaints about fundamental rights infringements arising from its work. It is confident that this Special Report will be the subject of a report to be drawn up by its Committee on Petitions in cooperation with its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
TTIP : Members welcomed a number of important investigations which the Ombudsman has launched, such as the inquiries concerning transparency in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. They welcomed the decision of the Council of the European Union to publish the EU negotiating directives for the ongoing negotiations on the TTIP and the decision of the Commission to publish more EU negotiating texts and to allow broader access to other documents in the context of the TTIP negotiations.
Parliament considered that the fact of closely monitoring transparency in the TTIP negotiations has strengthened the role of the Ombudsman as guardian of EU transparency. It endorsed the Ombudsman’s call for a transparent policy approach and an information campaign on TTIP, to be adopted by the European institutions.
Members also called on the Parliament to follow up on the outcomes of the consultation on TTIP transparency, inter alia by considering petitions received on this issue, in particular in view of the potential impact of TTIP and other trade negotiations on the lives of European citizens.
Revolving door practices: Parliament highlighted that in 2013 the Ombudsman received numerous complaints relating to conflicts of interest or ‘revolving door’ practices involving senior figures moving between closely related public and private sector posts. The EU administration must attach the utmost importance to exemplary ethical conduct . The Ombudsman accordingly published a set of public service principles and ethical standards. The resolution stated that many NGOs maintain that the Commission is failing to deal with what they describe as systemic ’revolving door’ practices.
Parliament welcomed a number of important investigations which the Ombudsman has launched, such as the inquiries concerning:
the lack of transparency in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, whistleblowing in the EU institutions, lack of transparency in Commission expert groups, ‘revolving door’ and conflict of interest cases, fundamental rights in cohesion policy.
Parliament looks forward to the findings of these inquiries.
Documents
2015/01/15
EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2014/12/09
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details
The Committee on Petitions adopted the own-initiative report by Jarosław Leszek WAŁĘSA (EPP, PL) on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman 2013.
Members recalled that the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU empowers the European Ombudsman to receive complaints concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role.
Number of complaints received : Members noted that 23 245 citizens called on the Ombudsman’s services for help in 2013 and that 2 420 requests were registered as complaints (2 442 in 2012).
In 2013, the Ombudsman:
took action on 2 354 complaints received; opened 350 inquiries (465 in 2012), of which 9 were own-initiative inquiries; closed 461 inquiries (390 in 2012), of which 441 were complaints-based and 20 were own-initiative inquiries on requests for information and access to documents (25.6%), the Commission as guardian of the Treaties (19.1%), institutional and policy matters (17.6%), administration and the Staff Regulations (16.5%), competitions and selection procedures (14.8%), award of tenders or grants (9.5%), and execution of contracts (7.4%).
Members deplored the fact that the annual report 2013 does not contain the exact figures on the percentage of complaints that fell within or outside the Ombudsman’s mandate and called for such data to be included.
Members noted that in 2013, the Member State with the largest number of complaints was Spain (416), followed by Germany (269), Poland (248) and Belgium (153). They noted that as regards inquiries opened per Member State Belgium (53) takes the lead, followed by Germany (40), Italy (39), and Spain (34).
Maladministration : Members noted that 80% (40 cases) of inquiries where maladministration was found were closed with critical remarks addressed to the institution concerned and 18% (9 cases) were closed with draft recommendations, which were either fully or partially accepted by the institution. In this case, the Commission is the institution whose decisions are most likely to directly affect citizens, civil society organisations and businesses .
Objectives of the European Ombudsman : Members recalled that Emily O’Reilly was elected European Ombudsman by the European Parliament at its plenary session of 3 July 2013 and took her oath on 30 September 2013. They approved the annual report for 2013 presented by the European Ombudsman and congratulated Emily O’Reilly on her first annual report as Ombudsman and her approach in terms of keeping up positive working relations and cooperation with Parliament.
They gave its full support to the new Ombudsman’s stated ultimate goal, which is to help strengthen the structures and institutions of accountability and transparency at European level . They commended this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make her institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible.
Transparency, main area of investigation : Members noted that transparency-related issues once again topped the Ombudsman’s list of inquiries closed (64.3%), representing an increase on 2012 (52.7%). They noted that the other key topics in complaints were ethical issues, citizens’ participation in EU decision-making, EU-funded projects, fundamental rights, and culture of service. They agreed with the Ombudsman that transparency is a cornerstone of an advanced democracy.
EU Agencies : Members noted with concern that the percentage of complaints concerning EU agencies has almost doubled, from 12.5% in 2012 to 24% in 2013. They suggested that the Ombudsman indicate whether this increase was the result of greater public awareness of complaints procedures or was caused by other factors, such as possible non-compliance of EU agencies with the Ombudsman’s recommendations from previous years.
EPSO-EP : Members are pleased to note that the percentage of complaints concerning the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) more than halved in 2013, down from 16.8 % in 2012 to 7.1 % in 2013. They also welcomed that the percentage of complaints against the European Parliament has decreased from 5.2 % in 2012 to 4.3 % in 2013.
Good administration and recommendations : Members noted that in 2013, the Ombudsman published a new version of the European Code of Good Administrative Behaviour and called on all the institutions to fully respect and implement this code. They noted that overall compliance with the Ombudsman’s recommendations stood at 80% in 2012, slightly down from 82% in 2011. They supported the Ombudsman in her ambition to improve the compliance rate and urged the Commission, in particular, to make all efforts to improve its compliance rate.
As regards the 20% non-compliance rate, Members urged the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union to respond and react within a reasonable time frame to the critical remarks of the Ombudsman.
FRONTEX : Members noted that the Ombudsman submitted one Special Report to Parliament, the subject of which was the absence of a mechanism in the Frontex agency for dealing with complaints about fundamental rights infringements arising from its work. They are confident that this Special Report will be the subject of a report to be drawn up by its Committee on Petitions in cooperation with its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
TTIP : Members welcomed a number of important investigations which the Ombudsman has launched, such as the inquiries concerning transparency in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. They welcomed the decision of the Council of the European Union to publish the EU negotiating directives for the ongoing negotiations on the TTIP and the decision of the Commission to publish more EU negotiating texts and to allow broader access to other documents in the context of the TTIP negotiations.
They considered that the fact of closely monitoring transparency in the TTIP negotiations has strengthened the role of the Ombudsman as guardian of EU transparency. They endorsed the Ombudsman’s call for a transparent policy approach and an information campaign on TTIP, to be adopted by the European institutions.
Lastly, Members called on the Parliament to follow up on the outcomes of the consultation on TTIP transparency, inter alia by considering petitions received on this issue, in particular in view of the potential impact of TTIP and other trade negotiations on the lives of European citizens.
Documents
2014/12/02
EP - Vote in committee
2014/11/24
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2014/11/13
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2014/10/29
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2014/09/24
EP - WAŁĘSA Jarosław (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in PETI
Documents
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2015)132
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T8-0009/2015
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A8-0058/2014
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE541.608
- Committee draft report: PE539.677
- Committee draft report: PE539.677
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE541.608
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2015)132
Activities
- Notis MARIAS
Plenary Speeches (3)
- Jarosław WAŁĘSA
Plenary Speeches (3)
- Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Soledad CABEZÓN RUIZ
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Alain CADEC
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Nicola CAPUTO
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Alberto CIRIO
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Pál CSÁKY
Plenary Speeches (2)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) HU
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) HU
- Marlene MIZZI
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Liadh NÍ RIADA
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Tibor SZANYI
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Ángela VALLINA
Plenary Speeches (2)
- Louis ALIOT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lucy ANDERSON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marina ALBIOL GUZMÁN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Janice ATKINSON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jonathan ARNOTT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Inés AYALA SENDER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Heinz K. BECKER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) DE
- Hugues BAYET
Plenary Speeches (1)
- José BLANCO LÓPEZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Steeve BRIOIS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) FR
- Gianluca BUONANNO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Nessa CHILDERS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Therese COMODINI CACHIA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Javier COUSO PERMUY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Michel DANTIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Rachida DATI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Bill ETHERIDGE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate)
- Georgios EPITIDEIOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Edouard FERRAND
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) FR
- Lorenzo FONTANA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Francisco de Paula GAMBUS MILLET
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lidia Joanna GERINGER DE OEDENBERG
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) PL
- Ingeborg GRÄSSLE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) DE
- Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Antanas GUOGA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marian HARKIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Pablo IGLESIAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Danuta JAZŁOWIECKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marc JOULAUD
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ivan JAKOVČIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Philippe JUVIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Georgios KATROUGKALOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Afzal KHAN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Barbara KUDRYCKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) PL
- Jérôme LAVRILLEUX
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Giovanni LA VIA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Vladimír MAŇKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Ivana MALETIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Andrejs MAMIKINS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jiří MAŠTÁLKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Barbara MATERA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- David MARTIN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Jean-Luc MÉLENCHON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Miroslav MIKOLÁŠIK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Sophie MONTEL
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Krisztina MORVAI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) HU
- Alessia Maria MOSCA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- József NAGY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Péter NIEDERMÜLLER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) HU
- Rolandas PAKSAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Florian PHILIPPOT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Andrej PLENKOVIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Salvatore Domenico POGLIESE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Franck PROUST
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Teresa RODRIGUEZ-RUBIO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Robert ROCHEFORT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Fernando RUAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Matteo SALVINI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Maria Lidia SENRA RODRÍGUEZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Siôn SIMON
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Davor ŠKRLEC
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Csaba SÓGOR
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate)
- Davor Ivo STIER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Richard SULÍK
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Eleftherios SYNADINOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Traian UNGUREANU
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Kazimierz Michał UJAZDOWSKI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) PL
- Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate)
- Elena VALENCIANO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Marco VALLI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Derek VAUGHAN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Miguel VIEGAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Cecilia WIKSTRÖM
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2016/11/22 Ombudsman's annual report 2013 (debate) SV
- Janusz ZEMKE
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Inês Cristina ZUBER
Plenary Speeches (1)
Votes
A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Am 5 #
2015/01/15 Outcome: -: 489, +: 151, 0: 31
GUE/NGL
NIA8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Am 6 #
2015/01/15 Outcome: -: 435, +: 206, 0: 30
A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Am 7 #
2015/01/15 Outcome: -: 441, +: 208, 0: 23
A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Am 8 #
2015/01/15 Outcome: -: 453, +: 194, 0: 23
A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Am 11 #
2015/01/15 Outcome: -: 542, +: 107, 0: 21
A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Am 4 #
2015/01/15 Outcome: -: 489, +: 157, 0: 25
A8-0058/2014 - Jarosław Wałęsa - Résolution #
2015/01/15 Outcome: +: 572, 0: 82, -: 21
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 66 |
2014/2159(INI)
2014/11/12
PETI
66 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) - having regard to the principles of transparency and integrity in lobbying published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas the European Ombudsman's work should try to raise public confidence in the European Union which has justifiably fallen to historically low levels due also to the continuation of austerity policies and their consequences on the lives of European citizens, notably in the Member States in the south of Europe;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas the most common issues in the field of transparency concern refusal of access to documents or information by the institutions, with meetings being held in camera, and lack of openness regarding the appointment EU expert panels; whereas public access to documents is one of the rights guaranteed under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital N N. whereas the annual report for 2013 does not contain exact figures on the percentage of complaints which fell either within or outside the Ombudsman’s mandate; whereas it would be vital to include concrete numbers in all annual reports, so that comparisons between years can be made and trends and tendencies regarding the (in)admissibility of complaints can be easily discerned; whereas according to the report, of a typical 100 complaints received 68 fall outside the Ombudsman’s mandate and are either transferred to national or regional ombudsmen, forwarded to Parliament’s Committee on Petitions, or referred to other complaint-handling bodies such as the European Commission, SOLVIT, Your Europa Advice or the European Consumer Centres; whereas a follow-up procedure and information on complaints transferred to other institutions or bodies are needed to ensure that citizens' affairs are handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable timeframe;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital O O. whereas of a typical 100 complaints received only 32 fall within the Ombudsman
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P P. whereas 80 % (40 cases) of inquiries where maladministration was found were closed with critical remarks addressed to the institution concerned and 18 % (9 cases) were closed with draft recommendations, which were either fully or partially accepted by the institution; whereas in one case (2 %) the Ombudsman drafted a Special Report entitled ‘Special Report of the European Ombudsman in own-initiative inquiry OI/5/2012/BEH- MHZ concerning Frontex’; whereas the amount of Special Reports submitted by the EU Ombudsman averages one a year;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) Pa. whereas this Special Report submitted to the Parliament was motivated by a partially negative response given by the concerned agency concerning the obligations of FRONTEX in regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, in particular the absence of an appeals mechanism for asylum-seekers;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital P a (new) Pa. whereas a Special Report is the last resort of the European Ombudsman to deal with cases of maladministration by institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union; whereas the European Ombudsman should further explore her political powers and develop new instruments and mechanisms at her disposal;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q Q. whereas compliance with the Ombudsman’s proposals in 2012 was
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q a (new) Qa. whereas the European Commission is the institution concerning which the Ombudsman receives the highest number of complaints; whereas one of the investigations concluded in 2013 concerned documents relating to the UK exemption clause relating to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU; whereas, following a request by an NGO to consult the relevant documents drawn up by the Commission, the latter refused to make them public, prompting NGO to complain to the Ombudsman, who criticized the Commission for 'a very serious instance of maladministration'; whereas, following her intervention, the Commission delivered documents requested;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q b (new) Qb. whereas another issue highlighting the activity of the European Ombudsman related to the Transparency Register, managed jointly by the Commission and Parliament for the provision of information regarding the interests of lobbyists in EU institutions and the amounts they invest in these activities; whereas, with regard to a complaint by an NGO to the Commission that information provided to the Register by two multinationals omitted much of the expenditure devoted to their lobbying activities, the NGO contacted the Ombudsman alleging that the Commission had not dealt properly with the complaint and had failed to provide access to all relevant documents; whereas the Ombudsman criticized the European Commission for its actions and urged it to comply fully with the principles of transparency and integrity in lobbying published by the OECD when reviewing the Register; whereas the Ombudsman called on to the Commission to undertake to disclose the names of lobbyists and other representatives of particular interests whenever the public so requested;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas Article 24 of the TFEU lays down the principle that every citizens of the Union may apply to the Ombudsman established in accordance with article 228;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q c (new) Qc. whereas in 2013 the Ombudsman received numerous complaints relating to conflicts of interest or 'revolving door' practices involving senior figures moving between closely related public and private sector posts; whereas the EU administration must attach the utmost importance to exemplary ethical conduct; whereas the Ombudsman accordingly published a set of public service principles and ethical standards; whereas many NGOs maintain that the Commission is failing to deal with what they describe as systemic 'revolving door' practices;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Q d (new) Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S S. whereas the Ombudsman’s budget in 2013 was EUR 9 731 371 and whereas the Ombudsman’s establishment plan contains 67 posts; whereas maintaining sufficient budget and human resources is essential to ensure the efficiency of the European Ombudsman´s services and rapid responses to citizens' complaints;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital S a (new) Sa. whereas Ms O'Reilly has been the first woman elected for the position of European Ombudsman;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Approves the annual report for 2013 presented by the European Ombudsman and congratulates Emily O’Reilly on her first annual report as Ombudsman and welcomes her approach to keep up the positive working relations and cooperation with the Parliament , in particular with its Committee on Petitions; acknowledges that 2013 was a transition year and that the annual report for a large part covers the work of Professor Nikiforos Diamandouros, the outgoing European Ombudsman, and pays tribute to his legacy;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Gives its full support to the new Ombudsman’s stated ultimate goal, which is to help strengthen the structures and institutions of accountability and transparency at the European level, including the Eurogroup and the Troika, and to improve the quality of democracy in the European Union;·
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Gives its full support to the new Ombudsman’s stated ultimate goal, which is to help strengthen the structures and institutions of accountability and transparency at the European level, in order to promote good administration for every EU citizen and resident, and to improve the quality of democracy in the European Union;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Gives its full support to the new Ombudsman’s stated ultimate goal, which is to help strengthen the structures and institutions of accountability and transparency at the European level, and to improve the quality of democracy in the European Union; reiterates the crucial role of the European Ombudsman in addressing citizens' concerns and helping bridge the wide gap between them and the EU institutions;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 – point 1 (new) (1) Stresses the need to improve the social dialogue;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Notes that the digitalisation of the Ombudsman's services may lead to the exclusion of certain citizens who do not have access or cannot use the internet; calls on the European Ombudsman to pay special attention to the needs of citizens who cannot take full advantage of the benefits of the Ombudsman's online services, so that every citizen is ensured equal access and thus can make full use of the European Ombudsman's services;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas article 228 TFEU empowers the European Ombudsman to receive complaints concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union in its judicial role;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make the Ombudsman institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible; encourages interested parties to read the in-depth investigations part entitled: Good administration in practice:
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make the Ombudsman institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible; encourages interested parties to read the in-depth investigations part entitled: Good administration in practice: the European Ombudsman’s decisions in 2013, and to take to heart the Ombudsman’s considerations and recommendations;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make the Ombudsman institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible; encourages interested parties to read the in-depth investigations part entitled: Good administration in practice: the European Ombudsman’s decisions in 2013, and to take to heart the Ombudsman’s considerations and recommendations;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make the Ombudsman institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible; encourages interested parties to read the in-depth investigations part entitled: Good administration in practice: the European Ombudsman’s decisions in 2013, and to take to heart the Ombudsman’s considerations and recommendations;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make the Ombudsman institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible; encourages interested parties to read the in-depth investigations part entitled: Good administration in practice: the European Ombudsman’s decisions in 2013, and to take to heart the Ombudsman’s considerations and recommendations;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, which was adopted to reflect her desire to make the Ombudsman institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible; encourages interested parties to read the in-depth investigations part entitled: Good administration in practice: the European Ombudsman’s decisions in
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Considers that transparency, openness, access to information, respect for the rights of citizens and high ethical standards are essential for building and maintaining trust between citizens and residents, and the institutions; agrees with the Ombudsman that transparency makes it possible to scrutinise the activities of public authorities, evaluate their performance and call them to account; agrees equally that openness and public access to documents form an essential part of the system of institutional checks and balances; acknowledges the right of citizens to privacy and to protection of their personal data;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Considers that transparency, openness, access to information, respect for the rights of citizens and high ethical standards are essential for building and maintaining
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Considers that transparency, openness, access to information, respect for the rights of citizens and high ethical standards are essential for building and maintaining trust between citizens and the institutions; agrees with the Ombudsman that transparency is a cornerstone of an advanced democracy, in the sense that it makes it possible to scrutinise the activities of public authorities, evaluate their performance and call them to account; agrees equally that openness and public access to documents form an essential part of the system of institutional checks and balances; acknowledges the right of citizens to privacy and to protection of their personal data;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 – point 1 (new) (1) Stresses that trust between citizens and the institutions is of paramount importance in today's difficult economic situation;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Recital Β a (new) Βα. whereas the financial crisis has brought about an economic and social crisis, thus undermining the credibility of the European institutions;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9.
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 – point 1 (new) (1) Stresses the need for the European Ombudsman to investigate compliance by the Troika with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes with concern that a large majority of inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman over
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes that a large majority of inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman over the past year (64.3 %) concerned the European Commission;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes that a large majority of inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman over the past year (64.3 %) concerned the European Commission; considers that since the Commission is the institution whose decisions are most likely to directly affect citizens, civil society organisations and businesses, it is logical that it should be the main object of complaints; notes, however, that the share of complaints concerning the Commission has risen compared to 2012 when it was 52.7%; considers that the involvement of the Commission in opaque entities such as the Troika does not go in the sense of promoting transparency and accountability within the Union, and neither respecting the principle of subsidiarity;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Notes that a large majority of inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman over the past year (64.3 %) concerned the European Commission; considers that since the Commission is the institution whose decisions are most likely to directly affect citizens, civil society organisations and businesses, it is logical that it should be the main object of complaints; notes, however, that the share of complaints concerning the Commission has risen compared to 2012 when it was 52.7%; calls on the new Commission to quickly take steps and improve the current situation by reducing the number of complaints against the Commission
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Notes with concern that the percentage of complaints concerning EU agencies has almost doubled, from 12.5% in 2012 to 24% in 2013; suggests that the Ombudsman indicate whether this increase
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Is pleased to note that the percentage of complaints concerning the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has more than halved in 2013, from 16.8 % in 2012 to 7.1 % in 2013; is equally pleased that the percentage of complaints against the European Parliament has decreased from 5.2 % in 2012 to 4.3 % in 2013;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Supports the Ombudsman in her efforts to further reduce the response time frame for processing complaints, nevertheless 27% of inquiries were closed after more than 18 months; Encourages all EU institutions, bodies and agencies to improve their performance by deepening their commitment to good administration and to the principles of a culture of service to citizens, calls on them to assist the Ombudsman by speedily responding to her inquiries and working together with her to
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Encourages all EU institutions, bodies and agencies to improve their performance by deepening their commitment to good administration and to the principles of a culture of service to citizens, calls on them to assist and work more closely with the Ombudsman by speedily responding to her inquiries
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas this definition does not limit maladministration to cases where the rule or principle that is being violated is legally binding; whereas the principles of good administration go further than the law
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 – point 1 (new) (1) Stresses the need for the European Ombudsman to investigate the conflict of interest between the Commission's role in the Troika and its responsibility as guardian of the Treaties and the acquis communautaire;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 – point 2 (new) (2) Notes the need for an investigation by the European Ombudsman into the possible conflict of interest between the current role of the ECB as a 'technical advisor' in the Troika, its position as a creditor of the four EU Member States that adopted the Memorandum and its mandate under the Treaty on European Union and Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Notes that overall compliance with the Ombudsman’s recommendations stood at 80 % in 2012, slightly down from 82 % in 2011;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Notes that the Ombudsman found maladministration in 10.8 % of the inquiries closed in 2013 and that in 80 % of these cases she addressed critical remarks to the institution concerned; notes that in only 18 % of maladministration cases the Ombudsman
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Notes that the Ombudsman found maladministration in 10.8 % of the inquiries closed in 2013 and that in 80 % of these cases she addressed critical remarks to the institution concerned; notes that in 18 % of maladministration cases the Ombudsman’s draft recommendations were fully or partly accepted by the institution; regrets that in 82% of the cases of maladministration the Ombudsman's recommendations were not followed;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Insists that the Ombudsman's recommendations be regarded by the Commission and the Member States as binding and that where, in exceptional cases, they are not properly implemented or followed up, a detailed justification for this be given by the Commission and/or the Member States;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17.
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Commits itself to finally draft an own-initiative report on the Special Report on FRONTEX submitted by the Ombudsman in November 2013, following the usual practice in previous reports of this nature, which lies in the spirit of the rule 220(2);
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Encourages the Ombudsman to deepen her relations and cooperation with the various networks, in particular the European Network of Ombudsmen and the framework under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; expresses its concern at the possible disappearance of regional ombudsmen allegedly necessitated by the cuts announced by the Spanish Government for example; warns that the removal of these ombudsmen could significantly reduce the opportunities for many European citizens to uphold their rights effectively; recalls Parliament’s call in the Committee on Petitions’ Annual Report of 2012 for the setting- up, by Parliament, of a network encompassing petitions committees in the Member States, which could be supplementary to the European Network of Ombudsmen;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Stresses the importance of social media as a channel for communication and encourages the Ombudsman offices to make greater use of them in order to raise public awareness on the Ombudsman's activities and promote the rights of EU citizens;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the notion of good administration should be broadened to better administration, understood as an on-going continuous improvement process;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Recalls that its Committee on Petitions is a full member of both networks mentioned above; notes that in 2013 the Ombudsman referred 51 complaints to the Committee; considers that given the parallel and sometimes complementary work that the Committee on Petitions does in ensuring that EU legislation is duly implemented at every level of administration, more resources should be devoted to this committee, in analogy of those of the EU Ombudsman;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Regrets the fact that Italy does neither have a national Ombudsman nor a national Committee on Petitions; calls on Member States which do not yet have a national Ombudsman, at present Italy and Germany, to appoint one; asks the Ombudsman in that respect to take the necessary action in order to meet the expectations of all EU citizens.
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Urges the Ombudsman to continue her efforts to improve communication channels and build upon the work done in the framework of the European Year of Citizens 2013 and to improve information towards the European citizens so that they are properly informed on the Ombudsman's services and sphere of responsibility;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20b. Reiterates the importance of the European Citizens' Initiative as a new tool for enabling citizens' direct involvement in the decision-making process in preparing European legislation; regrets the fact that two-thirds of Europeans still feel that their voice does not count in the EU[1] and supports the creation of a ''Citizens' Initiative Centre" to provide a one-stop-shop for support and information on the existing mechanism; [1] European Commission, Eurobarometer 373: Europeans' engagement in Participatory Democracy, March 2013.
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Welcomes a number of important investigations which the Ombudsman has launched, such as the inquiries concerning transparency in the TTIP negotiations, whistleblowing in the EU institutions, transparency in Commission expert groups, ‘revolving door’ cases, fundamental rights in cohesion policy, and the European Citizens’ Initiative; looks forward to the findings of these inquiries; considers that closely observing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations would strengthen the role of the Ombudsman as guardian of EU transparency; commits to follow up particularly on the outcomes of the consultation on TTIP transparency which are drawn to the attention of the Parliament;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Suggests that a discussion be held at the appropriate inter-institutional level to reflect on whether the title for the Ombudsman post should continue to be 'Ombudsman' regardless of the gender of the person in charge, whether it should be renamed to 'Ombudswoman' in case of a female, or whether a more gender-neutral term such as 'Ombudsperson' should be adopted;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 a (new) 21a. Welcomes the decision of the Council of the European Union to publish the EU negotiating directives of the on-going TTIP negotiations; urges the European Ombudsman to call for a proactive transparent policy approach and information campaign to be adopted by the European institutions given the potential impact which the TTIP and other trade negotiations will have on the lives of the European citizens;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the main priority of the European Ombudsman is to ensure that citizens' rights are fully respected and the right to good administration reflects the highest standards as is expected by the EU institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union; whereas the European Ombudsman has a vital role in helping the EU institutions to become more open, effective and citizen-friendly with the aim of strengthening citizens' confidence in the EU;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas 23 245 citizens called on the Ombudsman’s services for help in 2013; whereas with respect to the above, 19 418 citizens received advice through the interactive guide on the Ombudsman’s website while 1 407 requests were for information; whereas 2 420 requests were registered as complaints (2 442 in 2012); whereas
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas it is important that the Ombudsman provides more detailed information on the complaints format, so that comparisons can be made throughout the years between complaints received in electronic format via the European Ombudsman´s interactive website and complaints received offline;
source: 541.608
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