2020/2125(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Congratulates the Ombudsman on the inquiries opened in 2019 in which the following main topics could be identified: transparency in the EU institutions, transparency of lobbying activities, service culture, fundamental rights, ethical issues, citizens’ participation in EU decision-making, good management of staff issues and recruitment and sound financial management;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Notes that in 2019, 2 201 new complaints were dealt with by the Ombudsman and 1 373 requests for information were answered by the Ombudsman’s services; notes that 458 inquiries were opened, of which two on the Ombudsman’s own initiative;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19b. Notes that in 2019 the Ombudsman dealt with 1 300 complaints which did not fall within her mandate, mainly because they did not concern the activities of an EU institution or body; endorses the Ombudsman’s approach of replying to everyone seeking her assistance, explaining her mandate to them and providing advice, and redirecting them, as far as possible, to other bodies which may be able to help them, and encourages her to continue to do so;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Urges the European Ombudsman to remain vigilant and resolute in handling complaints concerning fundamental rights, including equality, non- discrimination and the right to be heard, and welcomes her inquiry into the European Asylum Support Office and her interviews with asylum seekers, and into the Commission’s handling of a complaint concerning discrimination against Roma in Italythe Commission’s persisting practices of bad administration; notes with concern that the Commission remains the predominant reason for citizens' complaints and encourages the European Ombudsman to continue investigating such cases;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Urges the European Ombudsman to remain vigilant and resolute in handling complaints concerning fundamental rights, including equality, non-discrimination and the right to be heard, and ~~welcom~~acknowledges her inquiry into the European Asylum Support Office and her interviews with asylum seekers, and into the Commission’s handling of a complaint concerning discrimination against Roma in Italy;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Recommends that the Ombudsman consider how the victims of terrorist attacks are treated differently by the judiciaries of some Member States depending on the Member State’s political identity and that of the perpetrators of the attack.

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20b. Recommends that the Ombudsman examine the conditions under which third-country nationals are granted freedom of movement within the EU following mediation by non-governmental organisations.

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20c. Recommends that the Ombudsman consider the extent to which European rules apply to financial assistance received by NGOs for their migration- related action in Greece.

Amendment 108 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that the number of inquiries concerning the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) rose from 23 in 2018 to 44 in 2019; urges the European Ombudsman to monitor closely the proper implementation of anti-discrimination measures which apply to all recruitment procedures; suggests a strategic inquiry into the methods utilised by EPSO and other agencies in order to ascertain that principles of fairness and openness are fully in place in all recruitment procedures;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Notes that the number of complaints falling outside the Ombudsman mandate has remained relatively stable (1330 cases in 2019, compared to 1300 cases in 2018); takes the view that better and coordinated communication at the level of all EU institutions as to the competencies of the European Ombudsman could help reduce the number of complains falling outside its mandate and streamline the response to citizens’ problems;

Amendment 11 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the institution of the European Ombudsman; whereas since its opening, the Office has dealt with 57000 complaints leading to over 7300 inquiries; whereas the continuous efforts of the Office and its staff towards respecting and upholding transparency, ethics and accountability in the EU administration should be duly recognized and commended;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s commitment to the right of citizens to be involved in the EU democratic process, endorses her decision to reply to all those seeking assistance in the language of their complaint, and calls on the EU public administration to make every effort to ensure that citizens are able to communicate effectively with her in the 24 official languages of the EU; welcomes the European Ombudsman’s draft guidelines on the use of languages on the websites of the EU institutions; underlines that such guidelines are of utmost importance if we are to protect the smaller official languages from being subsumed by more widely used ones; notes that as the door to the EU for most citizens, EU institution websites should exemplify the equality of all 24 official languages in the Union, which is currently not the case;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s commitment to the right of citizens to be involved in the EU democratic process, as demonstrated by her participation in the annual conference of the European Network of Ombudsmen in April 2019 on the need to strengthen citizens’ participation in the democratic process; endorses her decision to reply to all those seeking assistance in the language of their complaint~~, and~~; calls on the EU public administration to make every effort to ensure that citizens are able to communicate effectively with her in the 24 official languages of the EU; welcomes the European Ombudsman’s draft guidelines on the use of languages on the websites of the EU institutions;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s commitment to the right of citizens to be involved in the EU democratic process, endorses her decision to reply to all those seeking assistance in the language of their complaint, and calls on the EU public administration to make every effort to ensure that citizens are able to communicate effectively with her in the 24 official languages of the EU; suggests that national sign languages are also included in this process; welcomes the European Ombudsman’s draft guidelines on the use of languages on the websites of the EU institutions;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s commitment to the right of citizens to be involved in the EU democratic process, endorses her decision to reply to all those seeking assistance in the language of their complaint, and calls on the EU public administration to make every effort to ensure that citizens are able to communicate effectively with her in the 24 official languages of the EU and in national sign languages; welcomes the European Ombudsman’s draft guidelines on the use of languages on the websites of the EU institutions;

Amendment 114 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Ulrike MÜLLER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Endorses the efforts of the EU institutions to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendations (77 %) and encourages them to continue in this direction; remains concerned at the persistent rate of non-compliance (23%); is aware that the Ombudsman’s suggestions are not legally binding; urges the institutions, bodies and agencies to react promptly, effectively and responsibly to the Ombudsman’s recommendations and critical remarks;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Welcomes that, on average, the length of inquiry of cases closed by the European Ombudsman in 2019 was less than 7 months; notes, however, that for some cases it can take up to 18 months before they are closed; calls on all EU institutions to improve their cooperation with the office of the Ombudsman in the interest of the European citizens who expect swift answers to their problems;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Welcomes the redesign of the Ombudsman’s website, making it a more accessible and functional instrument for European citizens; encourages the Ombudsman to further develop the translation of her publications into the different languages of the EU;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; suggests that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; suggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen ~~who come under strong pressure from their governments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, including LGBTI rights~~;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; ~~sugges~~doubts that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; s~~uggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen who come under strong pressure from their govern~~tresses the need to further develop such instances of cooperation between the various national ombudsmen; considers proposing support to national or regional ombudsments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, including LGBTI rights, rights of people with disabilities, rights of Christians and right of indigenous people;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; suggests that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; suggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen who come under strong pressure from their governments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, ~~including LGBTI rights~~such as the right to a fair trial;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas, according to the Eurobarometer survey conducted in June 2019, 44% of citizens trust the European Union and 46% do not; whereas it is essential for the institutions to be accountable so as to increase the level of satisfaction of European citizens;

Amendment 120 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; suggests that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; suggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen who come under strong pressure from their governments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, including LGBTI rights; calls on this network to consider the role that national and regional ombudsmen should play in increasing the involvement of European citizens in the EU decision-making process;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; suggests that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; suggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen who come under strong pressure from their governments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, including LGBTI rights; stresses that the Network could also contribute to the edification of a culture of good administration at the level of the Member States by enhancing cooperation and raising the awareness of the national ombudsmen to the importance of defending the rights of citizens; points out that resources allocated to the Network should be strengthened;

Amendment 122 #

Fabienne KELLER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and information on the remit and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; suggests that this network could be more closely involved in overseeing the proper use of EU funds; suggests that it could also offer support to national or regional ombudsmen who come under strong pressure from their governments, particularly in connection with violations of fundamental rights, including LGBTI rights; calls on the European Ombudsman to organise at the seat in Strasbourg, at least annually, a meeting of the European network of European and regional ombudsmen, whose core task is to ensure respect for fundamental rights;

Amendment 123 #

Terry REINTKE, Marc ANGEL, Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Rosa D'AMATO, Mario FURORE, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Strongly welcomes the European Ombudsman’s strategic initiative on the leave rights of certain EU staff members and the best interests of the child; takes the position that the inconsistency between the European Parliament and the other institutions1a regarding leave rights upon surrogacy ignores the primacy of the overriding best interests of the child and places staff members who used surrogacy, such as infertile, same-sex or single parents, at a significant risk of discrimination; recalls the conclusions of the Ombudsman regarding the importance of protecting the best interests of the child; calls on the Parliament to engage in inter-institutional dialogue and to adopt a decision harmonising these rules with those of the Council and Commission; _________________ 1a The Commission grants 20 weeks of special leave in addition to 10 days for the birth of each new-born, as codified in its March 2020 decision (https://egalite- online.eu/wp- content/uploads/2020/03/C_2020_1559_F 1_COMMISSION_DECISION_EN_V3_ P1_1043892.pdf). The Council applies the same rule on an ad hoc basis. The Parliament mentioned that only the 10 days would be granted for each new-born to a staff member in a similar situation, because maternity leave requires the production of a medical certificate of pregnancy; the Parliament does not foresee the use of special leave for this purpose.

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Stresses that support from the Network of National and Regional Ombudsmen to national and regional ombudsmen should also respect and take into account the rules and laws of each Member States, including religion, traditions and family values; underlines that such support should not be used to explicitly or implicitly fund political agendas or to exert pressure on national government structures and their decisions;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Notes that for the year 2019, 456 inquiries were opened on the basis of complaints, with 552 inquiries closed, while only 2 own-initiative inquiries were opened and 8 were closed; according to the report, the European Ombudsman can open own initiative inquiries "either where she has identified a systemic issue that is in the public interest, or where she has received one or more complaints on an issue of systemic relevance."; urges the European Ombudsman to give a better explanation as to what encompasses the definition of "systematic issues" and of "public interest";

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23c. Encourages the European Ombudsman to look more closely into the fact that more than 60% of complaints are result of Commission activity or inactivity; further encourages the European Ombudsman to launch an own-initiative inquiry into the underlining reasons for these practices;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Council to approve the revised Statute of the European Ombudsman, so that the Office of the Ombudsman is better able to promote the highest standards of ethical behaviour in the institutions and properly mandated to perform effectively its tasks;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Urges the European Parliament to overhaul the nomination process for the election of the European Ombudsman, so that the election at the beginning of the parliamentary term can take place in a more informed, uniform, transparent and orderly manner; Specifically calls for a more detailed description of time limits for the collection of signatures and campaigning of the nominees;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Congratulates the European Ombudsman on her previous five-year strategy ‘Towards 2019’, which introduced a more strategic approach to promoting good administration; awaits the publication of the strategy for the future, which will have to take account of the unprecedented ~~situation facing~~epidemiological situation facing Europe and the unprecedented situation facing Christians in Europe;

Amendment 13 #

Fabienne KELLER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas Article 10(3) of the Treaty on European Union provides that ‘every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union’ and that ‘decisions shall be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen’;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Recalls that the seat of the European Ombudsman is in Strasbourg; calls on the Ombudsman, therefore, in the interests of transparency, to publish the events which she intends to host, stating where each event will take place;

Amendment 131 #

Fabienne KELLER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)

26b. Recalls that in its decision on the European Ombudsman’s building project, Parliament’s Committee on Budgets pointed out that ‘the Commission notes that the surface area of the rented building seems to exceed the current needs of the European Ombudsman and that there are still office spaces available in Strasbourg. The Commission therefore encourages the Ombudsman to prioritise the use of the office space available in Strasbourg and, where possible, to share the surplus office space in Brussels with another institution.’

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas Article 10(3) of the Treaty on European Union provides that ‘every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union’ and that ‘decisions shall be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen’;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

Cc. whereas Article 24 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides that ‘every citizen of the Union may apply to the Ombudsman established in accordance with Article 228’;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)

Cd. whereas Article 228 TFEU empowers the Ombudsman to conduct inquiries into maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)

Ce. whereas Article 41(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights states that ‘every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union’;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)

Cf. whereas Article 43 of the Charter provides that ‘any citizen of the Union and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State has the right to refer to the Ombudsman cases of maladministration in the activities of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role’;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)

Cg. whereas, according to the first European Ombudsman, ‘maladministration occurs when a public body fails to act in accordance with a rule or principle which is binding upon it’[1]; whereas this requires the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union not only to respect their legal obligations but also to be service-minded and to ensure that members of the public are properly treated and fully enjoy their rights; whereas the notion of good administration should be understood as an on-going continuous improvement process1a; _________________ 1aThe European Ombudsman – Annual Report 1999 (2000/C260/01), OJ C 260, 11.9.2000, p. 1.

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to Articles 15, 24, third paragraph, and 228 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)

Ch. whereas 19 619 citizens requested assistance from the Ombudsman in 2019, and 16 045 were given advice via the interactive guide on the Ombudsman’s website; whereas in 2019 the Ombudsman registered 2 201 complaints and received 1 373 requests for information;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C i (new)

Ci. whereas, of the 2 201 complaints dealt with by the Ombudsman, 879 fell within and 1 330 outside her remit;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C j (new)

Cj. whereas, out of 2 201 complaints, the Ombudsman provided advice to the complainant or passed the matter on in 862 cases, in 883 cases the complainant was informed that no additional advice could be provided, and 456 complaints gave rise to an inquiry;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C k (new)

Ck. whereas the Ombudsman opened 458 inquiries, of which 456 were complaint-based and two were own- initiative inquiries, and closed 560 inquiries (552 complaint-based and 13 own-initiative inquiries); whereas most of the inquiries concerned the Commission (274, or 59.7%), followed by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), against which there has been a strong rise in the number of inquiries opened since 2018 (44, or 9.6%), the others breaking down as follows: European agencies (33, or 7.2%), the European Parliament (21, or 4.6%), the European External Action Service (EEAS) (17, or 3.7%), the European Investment Bank (EIB) (16, or 3.3%), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) (14, or 2.8%) and other institutions (54, or 11.8%);

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C l (new)

Cl. whereas, of the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman, 26.9% concerned requests for information and access to documents, 22% the service culture, for example kindness towards citizens, languages and time limits, 19.8% the appropriate use of discretionary powers, including in infringement proceedings, and 13.2% respect for procedural rights, including the right to be heard, 13% the proper management of administrative and staff matters, 12.3% recruitment and 8.4% respect for fundamental rights;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C m (new)

Cm. whereas the length of most of the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2019 ranged between three (43.4%) and 18 months (10.2%); whereas the average length of time needed to close an inquiry was less than seven months;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C n (new)

Cn. whereas, as part of her inquiries, the European Ombudsman is entitled to submit proposals to EU institutions and bodies on how to address a problem or improve their administrative practices; whereas these proposals take the form of solutions, recommendations and suggestions;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C o (new)

Co. whereas according to the annual ‘Putting it Right?’ report, published in December 2019, which analyses the institutions’ responses to the Ombudsman’s proposals in the context of inquiries closed in 2018, the implementation rate achieved by the EU institutions in response to the Ombudsman’s proposals is 77%; whereas 11 institutions achieved an implementation rate of 100%, while the Commission, the institution which a majority of the complaints concern, achieved a rate of 70.9%;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C p (new)

Cp. whereas in her strategic work in 2019 the Ombudsman opened four new strategic inquiries: on transparency in the preparatory bodies of the Eurogroup, on the ‘revolving doors’ in the Commission, on the treatment of persons with disabilities under the EU Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme and on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the ‘activities prior to the submission’ of medicinal products with a view to their authorisation;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C q (new)

Cq. whereas in 2019 the Ombudsman opened nine strategic initiatives, including on the effectiveness of the mechanisms put in place by the Member States for dealing with complaints relating to the Structural Funds, on the transparency of the Brexit negotiations, on the transparency of EU lobbying and the EU Transparency Register, on the EU procedure for food risk assessment, on the transparency of meetings between the President of the European Council and interest representatives, on the improvement of the European Citizens’ Initiative, on the integration of children with disabilities in the European Schools and on the right to leave of EU staff members who become parents through surrogacy;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

— having regard to Article 10(3) of the Treaty on European Union,

Amendment 30 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) provides that the parties ‘recognise the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full inclusion and participation in the community’;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas in 2019 the European Ombudsman opened 458 inquiries, of which 2 were opened on its own-initiative, while closing 560 inquiries (552 complaint-based and 8 own-initiative); whereas the greater part of the inquiries concerned once again the Commission (274 inquiries or 59,7 %), the next largest number concerned the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) (44 inquiries or 9,6 %), the EU agencies (33 inquiries or 7,2 %) and the rest were distributed as follows: Parliament (21 inquiries or 4,6 %), the European External Action Service (EEAS) (17 inquiries or 3,7 %), the European Investment Bank (7 inquiries or 1,5 %), and other institutions (54 inquiries or 11,8 %);

Amendment 32 #

Ádám KÓSA, László TRÓCSÁNYI

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the proper application of European Union law and the fulfilment of the obligations arising therefrom are the responsibility of the institutions and bodies of the European Union, with regard to obligations stemming from the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union has stipulated that the principles of publicity and transparency are inherent to the EU legislative process and has given clear guidance on this issue, such as in its judgement of 22 March 2018 on case T-540/15;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

Eb. whereas the Ombudsman launched an inquiry on the decision of the European Banking Authority (EBA), announced publicly on 17 September 2019, to allow its Executive Director to become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), a lobby organisation for the financial industry; whereas the Ombudsman found maladministration as EBA failed to mitigate the risks of conflicts of interest when it approved such a job move and on the fact that EBA continued to give access to its outgoing Executive Director to confidential information;

Amendment 35 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)

Ec. whereas the Ombudsman launched an inquiry following a compliant concerning a corporate sponsorship of the Presidency of the Council of the EU; whereas the Ombudsman noted that the use of sponsorship by the Presidency entails reputational risks for the EU as a whole and recommended the Council to issue guidance to Member States on the issue of sponsorship of the Presidency in order to mitigate the reputational risks to the EU;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Approv~~Welcomes the annual report for 2019 presented by the European Ombudsman;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Approv~~Notes the annual report for 2019 presented by the European Ombudsman;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Congratulates Emily O’Reilly on her re-election as European Ombudsman ~~and on her excellent work~~; endorses her commitment to continue her efforts to ‘ensure that the EU delivers the highest standards of administration, transparency and ethics’, and to guarantee the accessibility and quality of the services that the EU provides to European citizens;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Congratulates Emily O’Reilly on her re-election as European Ombudsman and on her excellent work; endorses her commitment to continue her efforts to ‘ensure that the EU delivers the highest standards of administration, transparency and ethics’, and to guarantee the accessibility and quality of the services that the EU provides to European citizens; Reiterates that transparency is a principle complementary to the rule of law and democracy and its implementation should aim at allowing citizens to participate in the decision making process;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— Having regard to the recent European Parliament resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the territories of the Republic of Cyprus 2014/2953 (RSP), 2015/2898 (RSP), 2016/2308 (INI) and 2018/2150 (INI).

Amendment 40 #

Agnès EVREN, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that the seat of the Ombudsman is that of the European Parliament; encourages the Ombudsman, therefore, to prioritise the use of the premises available in Strasbourg;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Welcomes the good cooperation between the Ombudsman and her team and the Committee on Petitions, which makes it possible to improve the quality of European administration and the accessibility and quality of its services for European citizens;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses the paramount importance of ~~the European~~ full transparency of the EU’s decision- making processes and administ~~itu~~ration~~s maintaining the highest possible level of transparency, in order~~ ensuring a full and effective protection of citizens’ rights; underlines the need to enable citizens to take an more active and direct part in decision-making and to strengthen their trust in and feeling of proximity to the institutions by guaranteeing they can follow the decision-making process at the EU institutions in detail and have access to all related information in order to fully exercise their democratic rights;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses the importance of the European institutions maintaining the highest possible level of transparency, in order to enable citizens to take an active part in decision-making and to strengthen their trust in and feeling of proximity to the institutions, while giving them a genuine capacity to hold the institutions accountable; stresses that such transparency must include citizens’ access to documents and information necessary to understand and follow debates;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses the importance of the European institutions, and the European Commission in particular, maintaining the highest possible level of transparency, in order to enable citizens to take an active part in decision-making and to strengthen their trust in and feeling of proximity to the institutions;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses the importance of the European institutions maintaining the highest possible level of transparency and objectivity, in order to enable citizens to take an active part in decision-making and to strengthen their trust in and feeling of proximity to the institutions;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Repeats its call for a revision of the 1049/2001 which governs the regime for the public access to documents; Regrets the blockage created by the Council in that regard; Believes that the basis for resuming the negotiations should be proposal (2008/0229 (COD)), while (2011/0073(COD)) should be withdrawn by the European Commission as going below the current standards, providing a very limited definition of what constitutes a ''document'' and stresses the need to increase all efforts to maximize transparency as per the practice of the Ombudsman;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Highlights that the lack of transparency of the EU legislative process increases citizens’ distrust and weaken the legitimacy of the decision-making process as a whole;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Applaud~~Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s ambition to maintain in all circumstances a high level of vigilance regarding the upholding of the highest possible standards of transparency and ethics, including in a health crisis;

Amendment 49 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the European Ombudsman to continue promoting greater transparency in legislative discussions in the preparatory bodies of the Council of the European Union, as regards both public access to its legislative documents and its decision- making procesfull public access to documents held by the EU institutions and full transparency in legislative discussions and decision-making process at EU level, with a particular focus for the Council of the European Union, including its preparatory bodies, so that ~~its~~all deliberations can be ~~more readi~~fully understood;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas Article 41(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states that “every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union”;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the European Ombudsman to continue promoting ~~greater~~ transparency in ~~legislative discussions in the preparatory bodies of~~ the Council of the European Union, as regards ~~both~~ public access to its legislative documents and its decision- making process, so that its deliberations can be more readily understood;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Urges the European Ombudsman to continue promoting greater transparency in legislative discussions in the preparatory bodies of the Council of the European Union, as regards both public access to its legislative documents and its decision- making process, so that its deliberations can be more readily understood and are politically unbiased;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Considers the lack of transparency in interinstitutional negotiations between the co-legislators incompatible with democratic principles; reiterates its call for the publication of all trilogue documents;

Amendment 53 #

6a. Encourages the European Ombudsman to start preparing a similar report for the European Commission;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the Council to follow the European Ombudsman’s recommendations~~; calls for the systematic identification of Member State governments which set out positions in the preparatory bodie~~ and revise its confidentiality policy in order to ensure full transparency in its work, including making directly and proactively accessible to the public its legislative documents while the legislative process is ongoing; calls for the transparent and systematic identification of Member State governments' positions in the EU legislative process, including in the Council preparatory bodies, as co- legislators must be held accountable to the public for their actions;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the Council to follow the European Ombudsman’s recommendations; calls for the systematic identification of Member State governments which set out positions in the preparatory bodies; Further recalls its suggestions in the Resolution of 17 January 2019 on the Ombudsman's strategic inquiry OI/2/2017 on the transparency of legislative discussions in the preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the Council to follow the European Ombudsman’s recommendations; calls for the systematic identification of Member State governments which set out positions in the preparatory bodies and revising the Council's confidentiality policy in order to ensure the highest level of transparency in its work;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the Council to follow the European Ombudsman’s recommendations and to implement them as soon as possible; calls for the systematic identification of Member State governments which set out positions in the preparatory bodies;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes that while the Ombudsman’s decisions are not binding, her involvement has a major impact on the adherence by the EU institutions and bodies to the principle of good administration; in this regard, points out that in 2017, in 81% of cases, the institutions concerned followed the Ombudsman’s recommendations and that for eight out of 14 institutions, the rate of compliance with recommendations was 100%;

Amendment 59 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Stresses out the need for increased transparency in the Council including a full record of the meetings by President of the European Council and members of his cabinet that should be published in a structured and proactive manner; Strongly supports the recommendations of the Ombudsman towards the General Secretariat of the Council in relation to case 1946/2018/KR;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B (new)

Bb. whereas Article 43 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights states that “any citizen of the Union and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State has the right to refer to the European Ombudsman cases of maladministration in the activities of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role”;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Regrets the practice of Member States holding the Presidency of the Council to accept corporate sponsorship; believes that such a practice must be prevented in order to preserve the reputation and integrity of the Council and of the EU as a whole;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Urges Member States to be more diligent in meeting their obligation to cooperate with the Ombudsman;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes that, in keeping with the European Ombudsman’s recommendations, the Commission and the Council have maintained a high level of transparency of the legislative process throughout the negotiations on EU-UK relations, publishing more than 100 negotiating documents and making the Chief Negotiator’s timetable available to citizens, and urges them to do the same when drawing up the future free trade agreement; calls more broadly on the Commission to fulfil its obligations regarding sustainability impact assessments of all EU trade agreements;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Notes that in publicizing documents dealing with external relations of the Union, Commission should enjoy a certain level of discretion as necessary to allow mutual trust between negotiators1a but such discretion should be curtailed when rights of European citizens are at stake; _________________ 1aDecision in case 1392/2019/FP on the European Commission’s refusal to grant full access to a report on property rights in Albania

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Regrets the complete lack of initiatives for Cypriot citizens who have been driven from their homes or deprived of their rights as European citizens by the Turkish army of occupation on the island.

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Recalls that the fundamental rights of a large number of citizens of the Republic of Cyprus are being violated by the military occupation and racist regime imposed by the Turkish army of occupation within the territories of the Republic of Cyprus.

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Points out that for years transparency, and in particular access to documents, has been the main subject of complaints, and welcomes the fact that in connection with a number of inquiries the European Ombudsman has called for public access to be granted; deplores, however, the fact that the European Ombudsman’s recommendations are not always followed up and that OLAF’s report on the use of a loan granted to the German car manufacturer Volkswagen has still not been published; calls for EU legislation on access to documents (Regulation 1049/2001) to be updated in order to facilitate the European Ombudsman’s work; calls on the European Ombudsman to demand access to information to all advance purchase agreements financed through the Emergency Support Instrument;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Points out that for years transparency, and in particular access to documents, has been the main subject of complaints, and welcomes the fact that in connection with a number of inquiries the European Ombudsman has called for public access to be granted; deplores, however, the fact that the European Ombudsman’s recommendations are not always followed up and that OLAF’s report on the use of a loan granted to the German car manufacturer Volkswagen has still not been published; calls for EU legislation on access to documents (Regulation 1049/2001) to be updated in order to facilitate the European Ombudsman’s work; urges the Council to reopen its discussions on the basis of the position adopted by Parliament on 12 June 2013;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Welcomes the more ambitious approach taken to the transparency of the bodies preparing meetings of the Eurogroup, which agreed, following a request from the Ombudsman, to publish the dates and draft agendas of Eurogroup meetings earlier than before, to provide more details in the letter summarising the meetings and to include more information on the Eurogroup website concerning its activities;

Amendment 69 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA, Jana TOOM, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s repeated efforts to combat conflicts of interest, approves the publication, following an inquiry, of the minutes of meetings held between lobbyists and the President of the European Council~~, and~~; calls for the ~~conclus~~adoption of a fair and ambitious ~~interinstitutional agreemen~~legislative act on the Transparency Register~~; stresses, howev~~ in order, t~~he need to adopt in the longer term a decision establish~~o make it fully mandatory and legally-binding for all EU institutions and agencies and interest representatives, thereby ensuring a full~~y mandatory register for~~ transparency of lobbyi~~sts~~ng;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas it is essential that European citizens have enough information to be able to follow EU policy and law making, and participate meaningfully in the European democratic processes; whereas people’s trust in public administrations is enhanced when they can see that institutions are working for the public good and maintain high ethical standards;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s repeated efforts to combat conflicts of interest, approves the publication, following an inquiry, of the minutes of meetings held between lobbyists and the President of the European Council, and ~~calls~~highlights the need for the ~~conclus~~adoption of a ~~fair and ambitious interinstitutional agreement on~~legal act in order to make the Transparency Rregister~~; stresses, however, the need to adopt in the longer term a decision establishing a fully mandatory register for lobbyist~~ fully mandatory and legally-binding for all EU institutions and agencies and third parties;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Applauds the European Ombudsman’s repeated efforts to combat conflicts of interest, approves the publication, following an inquiry, of the minutes of meetings held between lobbyists and the President of the European Council, and calls for the conclusion of a fair and ambitious interinstitutional agreement on the Transparency Register; ~~stresses, however, the need to adopt in the longer term a decision establishing a~~reiterates its support for the adoption of a fully mandatory register for lobbyists; Regrets the decision of the European Commission not to fuoll~~y mandatory register for lobby~~ow the recommendations of the Ombudsman in case 1302/2017/MH and its decision not to grant access to the documents relating to the opinions of its Legal Service, concerning the Transparency regists;er

Amendment 72 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Ulrike MÜLLER, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. ~~Applaud~~Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s repeated efforts to combat conflicts of interest, approves the publication, following an inquiry, of the minutes of meetings held between lobbyists and the President of the European Council, and calls for the conclusion of a fair and ambitious interinstitutional agreement on the Transparency Register; stresses, however, the need to adopt in the longer term a decision establishing a fully mandatory register for lobbyists;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Welcomes that, following a complaint introduced in 2019 regarding the use of sponsorship during the Romanian Presidency, the European Ombudsman took a clear stance on this issue1a as the perception of outside influence may undermine the integrity of the European Union as a whole; takes note of the steps taken by the Council in order to respond to the Ombudsman’s recommendation that guidance should be provided to the Member States on the issue of sponsorship of the Presidency; encourages the Council to follow-up on the issue without delay; welcomes the decision of the German Presidency to refrain from any sponsorship and encourages other Member States to follow suit; _________________ 1a https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/de cision/en/129649

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Notes the undertaking given by the Commission, following an inquiry by the Ombudsman, to publish the agendas and minutes of meetings of the ‘advisory bodies’ which influence EU policy- making and the comments made by the participants in the previous groups, and, for any future such group, to apply the same standards of transparency as those adopted by the groups of experts;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Highlights the importance of the public access to documents containing the positions taken by Member States in decision making; Supports the findings of the Ombudsman in relation to case 2142/2018/EWM and deplores the Commission's continued refusal to grant access to the requested documents dealing with the risk assessment of pesticides on bees;

Amendment 76 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Jordi CAÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Notes that a recurring topic before the Ombudsman is the failure of the Commission to reply to correspondence or complaints brought before it within reasonable time; Highlights that such delays might be financially or otherwise detrimental to citizens; Strongly believes that the adoption of a clear timetable for handling those inquiries and the provision of clear justification for failing to adhere to it shall inspire greater confidence of citizens to the institution1b; _________________ 1bDecision in case 276/2019/MMO on how the European Commission handled an infringement complaint against the Czech Republic concerning yogurt denomination (Ref. CHAP(2017)03182)

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that the Commission has committed itself to implementing many of the European Ombudsman’s proposals on the issue of ‘revolving doors’, and endorses the recommendation to take a firmer approach; deems it essential, in the light of the publication of the NGO Corporate Europe Observatory’s recent report1a revealing that 99% of transfer requests into the private sector were approved by the European Commission, with a rejection rate of only 0,62%, to strengthen oversight and ensure proper respect of ethical rules on this issue; emphasizes that such transfers cannot be taken lightly, as they could lead to conflicts of interest when former public officials take up a job with a firm to lobby on policies they previously legislated or worked on; recalls that ethical rules are not a mere formality and should be adhered to by all institutions; _________________ 1a https://corporateeurope.org/en/2020/10/fa cebook-friends-lobby-consultants

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that the Commission has committed itself to implementing many of the European Ombudsman’s proposals on the issue of ‘revolving doors’~~, and endorses the recommendation to take a firmer approach~~; Urges the Commission to implement all recommendations and take a more robust approach including forbidding new activity when there is evidence that this would lead to a conflict with the legitimate interests of the Commission; Stresses the importance of a compliance monitoring process to ensure that rules occupational activities after leaving the service are effectively enforced and communicated to other institutions; Strongly believes that such rules should not only include high- ranking staff members;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that the Commission has committed itself to implementing many of the European Ombudsman’s proposals ~~on the issue of ‘revolving doors’, and endorse~~, such as asking a person who switches to the private sector to provide additional information about the organisation they are joining and more details about the type of professional activity they are embarking on; strongly supports the Ombudsman’s other recommendations to the Commission to take a firmer approach to the issue of ‘revolving doors’;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the European Ombudsman’s main priority is to ensure that citizens’ rights are fully upheld and that the right to good administration reflects the highest standards expected of the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union; whereas the Ombudsman plays a vital role in helping EU institutions become more open, effective and citizen-friendly with the aim of strengthening citizens’ confidence in the Union;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that the Commission has committed itself to implementing many of the European Ombudsman’s proposals on the issue of ‘revolving doors’, and endorses the recommendation to take a firmer approach; underlines the need to ensure the swift publication of the names of all EU officials involved in ‘revolving doors’ cases and to guarantee full transparency on all related information;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that the Commission has committed itself to implementing many of the European Ombudsman’s proposals on the issue of ‘revolving doors’, and endorses the recommendation to take a firmer approach; underlines, however, the persistent lack of compliance with certain recommendations by the European Ombudsman and urges the Commission to follow through with the proposed measures;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes with regret that the Ombudsman in her report has not dealt with the hearings of the Commissioners- designate in 2019. Points out that the EU public administration has many rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest and that the European Ombudsman’s task is to ensure that they are implemented, and calls for the evaluation of the declarations of interests submitted by Commissioners- designate to be carried out independently by appropriate means; Urges the Ombudsman to monitor the implementation of Parliament’s new Rules of Procedure for the hearings of the Commissioners-designate, in particular those set out in Annex VII Article 2 regarding the examination of financial interests, in the spirit of transparency and objectivity and in order to ensure that the hearings in future comply with these rules;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Points out that the EU public administration ~~has many rule~~must improve their rules and standards designed to prevent conflicts of interest and ~~that the European Ombudsman’s task is to ensure that they are~~guarantee the respect of the duty of discretion and integrity; calls on the European Ombudsman to promote the highest ethical rules and standards throughout the EU institutions, agencies and bodies ensuring that they are fully and consistently implemented~~, and~~; calls for the evaluation of the declarations of interests submitted by Commissioners-designate to be carried out independently by appropriate means; underlines the need to revise the current rules and practices in order to strengthen integrity requirements for Commissioners both during and after their mandates and that Commissioners post term of office notification periods must be increased;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Underlines the urgent need for the existing Code of Good Administrative Behaviour to be improved and upgraded by adopting a binding regulation on the matter;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Commends the Ombudsman's activities on revolving doors cases which led, inter alia, EBA to revise its policy to assess post-employment restrictions and prohibitions for staff as well as improving its procedures to suspend immediately access to confidential information for staff known to be moving to another job; calls on the Ombudsman to continue her efforts to ensure that all EU institutions and agencies introduce effective rules aimed at preventing revolving doors cases and any possible conflict of interests;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Fully endorses the European Ombudsman’s confirmation of her finding that four instances of maladministration marred the appointment process of the most senior Commission official, and applauds the new Commission’s introduction in 2019 of a specific appointment procedure for its Secretary- General, which includes the publication of a vacancy notice and the inclusion of the appointment on the agenda of the weekly meeting of Commissioners, with sufficient time for it to be given proper consideration;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Fully endorses the European Ombudsman’s confirmation of her finding that four instances of maladministration marred the appointment process of the most senior Commission official, and applauds the new Commission’s introduction in 2019 of a specific appointment procedure for its Secretary- General; reiterates its long-standing call to upgrade the current Code of Good Administrative Behaviour into a properly binding regulation for all the EU institutions, agencies and third parties;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Fully endorses the European Ombudsman’s confirmation of her finding that four instances of maladministration marred the appointment process of the most senior Commission official, and ~~applaud~~welcomes the new Commission’s introduction in 2019 of a specific appointment procedure for its Secretary- General;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Notes that, following the own- initiative inquiry undertaken by the Ombudsman, the EMA introduced measures aimed at improving the independence and objectivity of the marketing authorisation process for medicinal products and increasing transparency in areas such as clinical trials; calls on the EMA to implement the Ombudsman’s new recommendations in order to ensure its independence and impartiality and avoid any conflict of interest;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the ~~European~~ Ombudsman’s main priority is to ensure that citizens’ rights are fully upheld, in accordance with the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and that the right to good administration reflects the highest standards expected of the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union, with the exception of the activities carried out by the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Welcomes the consolidation of the Award for Good Administration, which aims to reward initiatives and projects by the EU administration that have a positive impact on the lives of European citizens; congratulates the Commission, which received the award in recognition of its strategy to reduce plastic pollution; considers that greater media coverage of this award would show European citizens that the European institutions are working to provide tangible solutions;

Amendment 91 #

15. Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s increased focus on cases concerning the Commission’s management of EU-funded projects; urges the Commission to guarantee a transparent distribution and management of funds; calls, in particular, on the Commission to ensure that resources made available through the European Structural and Investment Funds are disbursed by the Member States in accordance with the requirements laid down in the UNCRPD on independent living for persons with disabilities;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Invites the Committee on Petitions to examine cases, when Ombudsman’s proposals to the EU institutions didn’t receive positive reaction;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s role in protecting, promoting and monitoring the implementation of the UNCRPD by the EU administration, and in strengthening the EU agenda for the rights of persons with disabilities; calls on the Ombudsman to closely monitor the proposals made by the Commission concerning the new European Disability Strategy for the post- 2020 period;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s role in protecting, promoting and monitoring the implementation of the UNCRPD by the EU administration, and in strengthening the EU agenda for the rights of persons with disabilities; Considers it urgent to address lack of an appropriate legal basis to ensure that the spending of EU funds complies fully with the CRPD;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Congratulates the European Ombudsman on the strategic inquiry into the accessibility of Commission websites for persons with disabilities, and ~~applaud~~welcomes the Commission’s efforts to put her ideas into practice by providing more information in easy-to-read formats; notes however that a complex approach is needed in order to make the European institutions’ home pages accessible to persons with all kind of disabilities, including the national sign languages; suggests that disabled peoples' organisations are involved in this process;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Congratulates the Ombudsman for opening a necessary inquiry into the accessibility of online tools used by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), following a complaint by a person with a visual impairment;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls on the Commission to propose a co~~mprehensive~~herent, realistic, ambitious and long-term European Disability Strategy for the post-2020 period;

Amendment 98 #