Awaiting committee decision
2017/2126(INI) Annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2016
Next event: Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading 2017/10/11
Lead committee dossier: PETI/8/09608
Legal Basis RoP 052
Next event: Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading 2017/10/11
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | PETI | MIZZI Marlene (S&D) | WAŁĘSA Jarosław (EPP), MARIAS Notis (ECR), NART Javier (ALDE), VALLINA Ángela (GUE/NGL), ŠOLTES Igor (Verts/ALE), EVI Eleonora (EFD), REBEGA Laurenţiu (ENF) |
Legal Basis RoP 052
Subjects
Activites
-
2017/10/11
Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading
-
2017/07/06
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 79 |
2017/2126(INI)
2017/07/19
PETI
79 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 2 a (new) – having regard to the Protocol (No 1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the role of national parliaments in the European Union,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas the relevance of these issues, in particular transparency and the access to information and documents, their role to strengthen citizens’ confidence, public trust, and the awareness that all the decisions are based and taken in light of the general interest of citizens;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas the Ombudsman started a wide strategic inquiry into how the Commission carries out the appointment and conflict of interest assessment of its special advisers, who often concurrently work for private sector clients and for the EU;
Amendment 12 #
Jb. whereas the Ombudsman inquired about the European Investment Bank's Code of Conduct for Board members, noting that it does not provide for the obligation to file a declaration of interest or a financial interest disclosure;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J c (new) Jc. whereas the Ombudsman receives yearly many complaints from individuals and organisations about the EU administration's failure to provide public access to documents;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J d (new) Jd. whereas the Ombudsman found maladministration in that the 2009-2014 Commission had failed to deal with a former Commissioner's breach of the Code of Conduct for Commissioners and had not properly investigated the compatibility of the Commissioner's private sector work contract with the EU Treaty obligations;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J e (new) Je. whereas former Commission President Mr Barroso was appointed as an adviser and non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International; whereas the Barroso case increased citizens' mistrust towards the Commission regarding its credibility and independence from private financial interests;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital ΙΑ a (new) ΙΑa. whereas the financial crisis has brought about an economic and social crisis, thus justifiably undermining the credibility of the European institutions;
Amendment 17 #
3a. Stresses the need for the European Ombudsman to investigate compliance by the Troika with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses the need to improve the social dialogue;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Stresses that trust between citizens and the institutions is of paramount importance in today's difficult economic situation;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 2 b (new) – having regard to the Protocol (No 2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Agrees that the current and unprecedented challenges facing the EU, such as
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Agrees that the current and unprecedented challenges facing the EU, such as the unemployment crisis, the migration crisis and Brexit, compel all institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union, including the Ombudsman, to work harder and with more determination in strengthening accountability and transparency at the European level;
Amendment 22 #
5a. Notes that the Ombudsman's office achieved the second highest compliance rate with its decisions and/or recommendations so far; recommends to the Ombudsman to stay alert and identify reasons for non-compliance with its recommendations and to inform the European Parliament of any recurrent non-compliance cases by the EU administration;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the decreasing number of inquiries concerning the European institutions conducted by the Ombudsman in 2016 (245 in 2016, 261 in 2015); reiterates its call on the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to respond and react
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the decreasing number of inquiries concerning the European institutions conducted by the Ombudsman in 2016 (245 in 2016, 261 in 2015);
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6.
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Notes that in 2016, most of the cases handled by the Ombudsman were closed within 12 months and the average time needed to close an inquiry was 10 months, with only 30% of cases being closed after 12 or more months; urges the Ombudsman to further improve its working methods and shorten treatment of complaints, especially for cases still open after 12 months, without compromising her work efficiency;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Notes that transparency-related inquiries again account for the greatest proportion of cases in particular concerning issues related to transparency of decision-making process, lobbying transparency, access to EU documents, followed by other problems that arise in a range of issues from violation of fundamental rights to EU contracts and grants and ethical issues;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Emphasises the essential role of transparency, good administration and institutional checks and balances in the work of the EU institutions; regrets that inquiries related to transparency and access to information and documents consistently constitute more than 20 % of all inquiries submitted to the Ombudsman and remain the top concern among European citizens over the years; calls the Council and the Commission to proactively publish information and documents to increase transparency and reduce unnecessary maladministration;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Recital b a (new) ba. whereas the quality of services offered to EU citizens and responsiveness to their needs and concerns by the EU administration is crucial in protecting citizens' rights and fundamental freedoms; whereas Article 15 TFEU states that, in order to promote good governance and ensure the participation of civil society, the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies shall conduct their work as openly as possible;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Emphasises the essential role of transparency, good administration and institutional checks and balances in the work of the EU institutions; regrets that inquiries related to transparency and access to information and documents cons
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Emphasises the essential role of transparency, good administration and institutional checks and balances in the work of the EU institutions; regrets that inquiries related to transparency and access to information and documents consistently constitute more than 20 % of all inquiries submitted to the Ombudsman and remain the
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. highlights the pivotal role of the Ombudsman to help ensuring that decision-making processes and the administration at EU level are fully transparent and impartial with the view to successfully protect citizens' rights;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Encourages the Commission’s efforts to facilitate access to documents and information, particularly with regard to the EU Pilot procedures in relation to petitions received; underlines the importance of a regular follow-up with the European Parliament by the Commission; encourages the continuation of the Ombudsman’s strategic inquiry into the Commission’s transparency in handling infringement complaints under the EU Pilot procedures, and urges the Ombudsman to be determined and vigilant in continuing to investigate the matter in 2017;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Deeply regrets the accumulated delays in connection with infringement procedure NIF 2014/4231 concerning the abuse of fixed-term contracts in the public sector in Italy in breach of Directive 1999/70/EC; calls on the Ombudsman to step up his efforts on this issue to effectively safeguard citizens' rights;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Commends the Ombudsman’s determination to achieve the highest level of transparency in the EU decision-making process; stresses the need to monitor the implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations for transparency in trilogues; reiterates, further, the need for full and enhanced transparency in trade agreements and negotiations, and calls on the Ombudsman to make continued efforts to monitor transparency in the negotiations for all EU trade agreements with third countries while keeping in mind that this transparency should not undermine the negotiating position of the EU;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Commends the Ombudsman
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. Whereas Article 15TFUE which states that in order to promote a good governance and ensure the participation of civil society, the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies shall conduct their work as openly as possible; and that any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State, shall have a right of access to documents of the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Commends the Ombudsman’s determination to achieve the highest level of transparency in the EU decision-making process; stresses the need to monitor continuously the implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations for transparency in trilogues; reiterates, further, the need for full and enhanced transparency in trade agreements and negotiations, and calls on the Ombudsman to make continued efforts to monitor transparency in the negotiations for all EU trade agreements with third countries;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Reiterates the importance of
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls for greater transparency in the EU’s economic and financial decision- making process, in particular in the area of the banking supervision performed by the European Central Bank; supports, furthermore, the Ombudsman’s recommendations to increase transparency of the European Investment Bank and the Eurogroup
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls for greater transparency in the EU
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls for greater transparency in the EU’s economic and financial decision- making process, in particular in the area of the banking supervision performed by the European Central Bank; supports, furthermore, the Ombudsman’s recommendations to increase transparency of the European Investment Bank and the Eurogroup and to strengthen their internal ethics rules; encourages the Ombudsman to monitor the implementation of the recommendations on transparency and change of ethical rules;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Calls for
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Supports the Ombudsman's recommendations for improving the current revision of the European Investment Bank Complaints Mechanism (EIB-CM); Calls on the European Ombudsman to play a more active role in exercising its scrutiny over the EIB and in particular in ensuring that the new EIB- CM remains credible and efficient respecting the principles of operational independence, transparency, accessibility, timeliness and adequate resources;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Notes that 14,5% of the closed inquiries were related to sound financial managements of EU contracts and grants, which is an important growth compared to previous years; calls on the Commission to revise its auditing procedures and improve the communication with beneficiaries in order to avoid the wrongful reclaiming of money;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Gives its full support to the 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, the Troika and the ESM, and to improve the quality of democracy in the Europe;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 b (new) Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the EU is still facing the worst economic, social and political crisis since its foundation; whereas the solutions proposed by the EU institutions are further exacerbating the economic, democratic and social crisis in the EU;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes the Ombudsman’s findings of maladministration with the Code of Conduct for Commissioners; stresses the importance of high moral and ethical standards within the EU administration
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes the Ombudsman’s findings of maladministration with the Code of Conduct for Commissioners; stresses the importance of high moral and ethical standards within the EU administration, and welcomes the Commission’s decision to extend the cooling-off period to two years for former Commissioners and three years for former Commission Presidents; supports the Ombudsman’s recommendations for further revision of the Code in accordance with the Treaty obligations by making the rules more explicit and easily implementable ensuring credibility, impartiality and lack of conflict of interest on a case by case basis; Encourages the Ombudsman to continue to oversee and assess the level of independence of the Commission's Ad Hoc Ethical Committee;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Notes the Ombudsman
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13.
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Calls on the Ombudsman to continue his work to help ensuring the timely publication of the names of all EU officials involved in revolving doors cases and to guarantee full transparency on all related information;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Supports the Ombudsman’s commitment to improve EU lobbying transparency, and calls on the Commission to fully comply with the Ombudsman’s suggestions for improving the EU Transparency Register and making it a central transparency hub for all EU institutions and agencies; underlines that in the view of achieving this purpose a clear action and coherent and effective timing should be developed;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Supports the Ombudsman’s commitment to improve EU lobbying transparency, and calls on the Commission to fully comply with the Ombudsman’s suggestions for improving the EU Transparency Register and making it a central transparency hub for all EU institutions and agencies;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Supports the Ombudsman
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Supports the Ombudsman
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Supports the Ombudsman’s commitment to improve EU lobbying transparency, and calls on the Commission to fully comply with the Ombudsman’s suggestions for improving the EU Transparency Register
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas the role of the Committee on Petitions as forum of direct communication with European citizens and where their demands, problems and necessities are received and listened;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. 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 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 b (new) 15b. Points out the need for an investigation by the European Ombudsman into the 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 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 Amendment 63 #
17. Notes the Commission’s position regarding transparency of its meetings with tobacco lobbyists and the transparency measures implemented by its Directorate- General for Health;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Welcomes the Ombudsman's practical recommendations for public officials' interaction with lobbyists; urges the Ombudsman to increase awareness about these recommendations among staff members in all EU institutions through educational training, seminars and related supportive measures and calls on all EU institutions to implement the Ombudsman's Code of Good Administrative Behaviour and the transparency measures from the UN Framework Convention for Tobacco control FCTC;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Commends the Ombudsman's strategic inquiry on access to documents relating to Council preparatory bodies, including its Committees, working parties and the COREPER, when discussing draft EU legislative acts. Encourages the Ombudsman to effectively request from the Council to improve transparency over its meetings with stakeholders and the decisions adopted, comply with access to documents requirements, and provide said access in a timely manner and without delays;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 b (new) 17b. Commends the Ombudsman's work in dealing with issues of general public interest, such as fundamental rights, safety and efficiency of medicine, the protection of environment, health and environmental risks; Calls on the Ombudsman to follow up on its proposals to the European Chemicals Agency on disincentives relating to animal testing when new cosmetic products are registered on the market and to the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) on the application of principle of force majeure and transparency of EPSO competitions;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Supports the Ombudsman’s role in shaping a proactive and transparent policy regarding the clinical trials carried out by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and in particular the Ombudsman's recommendations concerning the approval of Humira, one of the world's biggest selling drugs, which is used to treat Crohn's disease; encourages the Ombudsman to continue monitoring the EMA to ensure that it meets the highest standards of transparency and access to information on clinical trials, namely standards that are in the public interest and of value to doctors, patients and researchers;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Supports the Ombudsman’s role in shaping a proactive and transparent policy regarding the clinical trials carried out by the European Medicines Agency (EMA);
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s inquiries following complaints by persons with disabilities, and encourages her work as an active participant in the EU Framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its contribution in the implementation of the European Strategy on disability; reaffirms its full support for the full implementation of the Convention at EU level;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas in 2016 the Ombudsman opened 245 inquiries, of which 235 were complaint-based and 10 were own- initiative inquiries, while closing 291 inquiries (278 complaint-based and 13 own-initiative inquiries); whereas most inquiries concerned the Commission (58.8%), followed by the EU agencies (12.3%), the European Parliament (6.5%), EPSO (5.7 %), the EEAS (4.5 %), OLAF (0.8 %)and other institutions (11.4 %);
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20.
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on the Ombudsman to ensure that the Commission takes into account the Ombudsman’s proposals and recommendations on the future revision of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) instrument with the view to guarantee that the procedures and conditions required for the ECI are genuinely clear, simple, easily applicable and proportionate;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Recalls the Court of Justice of the European Union's rulings in that public access to documents should be the rule and that possible derogations from it should always be weighed against the principles of transparency and representative democracy, as a pre- condition of the exercise of their democratic rights; considers that a revision is needed of Regulation 1049/2001 in order to significantly facilitate the European Ombudsman's work in scrutinising the European Parliament, Council and Commission's granting of access to documents;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Calls on the Ombudsman to ensure that the Commission will help to create an infrastructure with legal advice on ECIs and to create a legal framework that protects ECI members;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recalls that whistle-blowers are crucial figures in unveiling cases of maladministration, and supports measures by the EU institutions to encourage
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recalls that whistle-blowers are crucial figures in unveiling cases of maladministration, and supports measures by the EU institutions to encourage whistle-blowing and protect whistle- blowers against retribution; reiterates its call for
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recalls that whistle-blowers are crucial figures in unveiling cases of maladministration, and
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Recalls that whistle-blowers are crucial figures in unveiling cases of maladministration, and supports measures by the EU institutions to encourage whistle-blowing and protect whistle- blowers against retribution and calls on the Ombudsman to further assess implementation of the new internal whistleblowing rules in the EU institutions; reiterates its call for a directive on whistle-blowing which sets out appropriate channels and procedures for denouncing all forms of maladministration, as well as minimum adequate guarantees and legal safeguards at all levels for the individuals involved;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23a. Is open to the idea of holding future annual conferences of the European Network of Ombudsmen in the premises of the European Parliament, having regard to the direct links between the Committee on Petitions and the European Ombudsman;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23a. Recalls that the European Network of Ombudsmen could play an important role in defending EU citizens' rights in the negotiations on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the top three concerns in the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2016 were: transparency and access to information and documents (29.6 %); good management of EU personnel issues (28.2 %); and culture of service (25.1 %); whereas other concerns include proper use of discretion including in infringement procedures, sound financial management of EU grants and contracts, respect for procedural and fundamental rights;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas the Ombudsman also cooperates with other international organisations, such as the United Nations and is part of the EU framework under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) tasked with protecting, promoting and monitoring the implementation of the Convention at the level of the EU institutions;
source: 609.318
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History
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2017-09-27Show (2) Changes | Timetravel
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2017-07-08Show (5) Changes
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