Preparatory phase in Parliament
2014/2159(INI) Report on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2013
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading 2015/01/15
Legal Basis RoP 052
Next event: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading 2015/01/15
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | PETI | WAŁĘSA Jarosław (EPP) | MIZZI Marlene (S&D), MARIAS Notis (ECR), BECERRA BASTERRECHEA Beatriz (ALDE), VALLINA Ángela (GUE/NGL), REDA Julia (Verts/ALE), EVI Eleonora (EFD) |
Legal Basis RoP 052
Subjects
Activites
-
2015/01/15
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
| 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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History
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2014-11-28Show (3) Changes | Timetravel
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2014-11-26Show (5) Changes
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