2020/2194(DEC) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the fact that the Court of Auditors (the ʽCourtʼ) has declared that, overall, the audit of the annual accounts of the agencies for the year ended 31 December 2019 and the revenue and payments underlying them confirmed the positive results reported in previous years, and the fact that the Court has certified the legality and regularity of the annual accounts of all JHA agencies and the revenue underlying these accounts for the year which ended on 31 December 2019;

Amendment 10 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS, Tomas TOBÉ, Andrzej HALICKI, Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the Court did not address ‘emphasis on the matter’ with regard to JHA agencies, with the exception of FRONTEX, for which the Court drew attention to the level of error related to equipment expenditure in the context of grant agreements with cooperating countries; notes the Court’s observation that the Agency has taken steps to improve ex-ante verifications, and has re- introduced ex-post verifications on reimbursements in 2019, in line with recommendations made in previous years; expresses its concern about the serious ~~and repeated~~ allegations of FRONTEX's involvement in the pushback~~s and~~ of migrants and allegations of violations of fundamental rights;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the Court did not address ‘emphasis on the matter’ with regard to JHA agencies, with the exception of FRONTEX, for which the Court drew attention to the level of error related to equipment expenditure in the context of grant agreements with cooperating countries; expresses its concern about the serious and repeated allegations of FRONTEX's involvement in pushbacks and violations of fundamental rights and about the lack of adequate staff and resources for the Fundamental Rights officer (FRO) and the Fundamental Rights Monitors in order to comply with their duty to monitor the Agency’s compliance with fundamental rights;

Amendment 12 #

Clare DALY

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 13 #

Jadwiga WIŚNIEWSKA, Joachim Stanisław BRUDZIŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that public procurement continues to be the main area prone to error in relation to all Union decentralised agencies; calls therefore on the affected JHA agencies, i.e. Europol, CEPOL to improve their public procurement procedures with a view to ensure full compliance with applicable rules and as a result, theo achieve~~ment of the most economically advantageous purchases~~ the appropriate balance between the three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental, while respecting the principles of transparency, proportionality, equal treatment and non- discrimination and eu-LISA to improve the recruitment procedure.; recalls that public procurement is a milestone for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals;

Amendment 14 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Moritz KÖRNER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Fabienne KELLER, Jan-Christoph OETJEN, Malik AZMANI, Ramona STRUGARIU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Not~~Underlines that public procurement continues to be the main area prone to error in relation to all Union decentralised agencies; calls therefore on the affected JHA agencies, i.e. Europol, CEPOL to improve their public procurement procedures with a view to compliance with applicable rules and as a result, the achievement of the most economically advantageous purchases, while respecting the principles of transparency, proportionality, equal treatment and non- discrimination and eu-LISA to improve the recruitment procedure.

Amendment 15 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS, Tomas TOBÉ, Andrzej HALICKI, Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 16 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Moritz KÖRNER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Fabienne KELLER, Jan-Christoph OETJEN, Malik AZMANI, Ramona STRUGARIU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the importance to increase the digitalisation of the agencies in terms of internal operation and management but also in order to speed up the digitalisation of procedures; stresses the need for the agencies to continue to be proactive in this regard in order to avoid a digital gap between the agencies at all costs; draws attention, however, to the need to take all the necessary security measures to avoid any risk to the online security of the information processed.

Amendment 17 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS, Tomas TOBÉ, Andrzej HALICKI, Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Takes note that the Court did not audit the 2019 accounts of the European Public Prosecutor's Office ('EPPO'), since the EU body was not yet financially autonomous; expects the Court to present an audit of the accounts of the EPPO for the accounting year 2020.

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Reminds that the Union agencies are playing an increasingly important part in the Union, but their role in serving Union citizens effectively needs to be evaluated more carefully;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Urges all JHA agencies to take measures to ensure full compliance with Union transparency rules as well as with fundamental rights and data protection standards;

Amendment 2 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS, Tomas TOBÉ, Andrzej HALICKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Expresses its overall satisfaction with the work of the eight decentralised agencies (CEPOL, EASO, EMCDDA, eu- LISA, Eurojust, Europol, FRA, Frontex) falling within its remit and of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), which carry out operational, analytical or managerial tasks and thereby support the Union institutions as well as Member States in implementing policies in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) and the way their budgets are implemented; reiterates the need to ensure adequate financial support for JHA agencies to deliver the tasks assigned to them in full transparency and to fulfil their mandates in full compliance with fundamental rights;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Underlines the importance to ensure an adequate gender balance in all agencies' governing bodies;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Welcomes the fact that the Court has declared that in most cases agencies have taken corrective actions to address previous years' audit observations and calls on the JHA agencies to continue their efforts to follow up on the Court's observations;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Calls on all JHA agencies to ensure a gender balanced distribution on all levels of staff and report to the discharge authority on implemented measures and progress; invites the Court to systematically inform about it in its future reports;

Amendment 23 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Moritz KÖRNER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Fabienne KELLER, Jan-Christoph OETJEN, Malik AZMANI, Ramona STRUGARIU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Calls on the agencies to continue to develop synergies, increase cooperation and exchange of good practices with other European agencies with a view to improving efficiency (human resources, building management, IT services and security).

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Calls on all JHA agencies to promote and ensure diversity in its recruitment policy; urges all JHA agencies to develop internal policies and practice to ensure inclusiveness and diversity, and prevent any type of discrimination; invites the Court to systematically inform about it in its future reports;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Urges all JHA agencies to implement a clear anti-harassment policy to prevent and firmly condemn any such behaviour within the organisation;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Calls on all JHA agencies to take into account sustainability in their overall business processes in order to improve the agencies’ environmental performance, and to report to the discharge authority on implemented measures and progress;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Recalls the important role of JHA agencies in supporting and advising Member States in the fields of security, justice and fundamental rights; reiterates the need to ensure the provision of adequate financial support for JHA agencies in order to fulfil their mandates in a fully transparent manner and in full compliance with fundamental rights;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the Court found that the payments underlying the accounts were legal and regular for all agencies except for EASO, for which a qualified opinion was issued due to irregularities in regard to public procurement procedures and related payments; is disappointed that the legality and regularity of payments only slowly improved in 2019; regrets that, once again, there were irregular payments, representing 14,6 % of the value of all payments made by EASO in 2019; Aacknowledges that the Executive Director is taking action to improve the management of EASO and is demonstrating a strong commitment to addressing as a matter of priority the organisational flaws within EASO; welcomes the improvements made by the new management, as recognised also by the Court; urges EASO to maintain this commitment and to report back to the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on a regular basis;

Amendment 5 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the Court found that the payments underlying the accounts were legal and regular for all agencies except for EASO, for which a qualified opinion was issued due to irregularities in regard to public procurement procedures and related payments; is disappointed that the legality and regularity of payments only slowly improved in 2019; regrets that, once again, there were irregular payments, representing 14,6 % of the value of all payments made by EASO in 2019; ~~Acknowledg~~welcomes that the Executive Director, who was appointed in June 2019, is taking action to improve the management of EASO and implementing corrective measures, as also highlighted by the Court;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the Court found that the payments underlying the accounts were legal and regular for all agencies except for EASO, for which a qualified opinion was issued due to irregularities in regard to public procurement procedures and related payments; ~~is disappointed that the legality and regularity of payments only slowly improved in 2019;~~ regrets that, once again, there were irregular payments, representing 14,6 % of the value of all payments made by EASO in 2019; Anotes that corrective actions were implemented by the EASO in 2019 to address the irregularities; acknowledges that the Executive Director is taking action to improve the management of EASO;

Amendment 7 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Sophia IN 'T VELD, Moritz KÖRNER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Michal ŠIMEČKA, Fabienne KELLER, Jan-Christoph OETJEN, Malik AZMANI, Ramona STRUGARIU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Not~~Stresses that the Court found that the payments underlying the accounts were legal and regular for all agencies except for EASO, for which a qualified opinion was issued due to irregularities in regard to public procurement procedures and related payments; is disappointed that the legality and regularity of payments only slowly improved in 2019; regrets that, once again, there were irregular payments, representing 14,6 % of the value of all payments made by EASO in 2019; Acknowledges that the Executive Director is taking action to improve the management of EASO;

Amendment 8 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS, Tomas TOBÉ, Andrzej HALICKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Notes the inherent difficulty that the agencies face when required to submit their Single Programming Document while the relevant legal instruments are still under negotiation by the co- legislators, thereby leading to a situation where budget lines are made available before their corresponding legal instruments are adopted; calls on the Commission to improve its communication with the agencies to better streamline the expected timelines for the adoption of legislation and corresponding budget lines; notes the Court’s Recommendation that agencies should be allocated resources in a more flexible manner while stressing the importance of due reporting, transparency and auditing;

Amendment 9 #

Roberta METSOLA, Paulo RANGEL, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Lena DÜPONT, Axel VOSS, Tomas TOBÉ, Andrzej HALICKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Welcomes the high level of cooperation in the area of migration that concerns the JHA agencies, particularly at the hotspots; notes with approval the regular meetings conducted amongst CEPOL, EASO, Frontex, EMCDDA, eu- LISA, Eurojust, Europol, FRA, DG HOME and DG JUST of the Commission in the framework of the JHA Agencies’ Network, also aided by the EU Policy Cycle/ EMPACT framework; highlights the Court’s observation that JHA Agencies, particularly Europol, Eurojust and Frontex, are fully integrated in the external dimension of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice and are amongst the internationally most active agencies;

source: 663.240

2021/01/21 EMPL 28 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights the important role that Union agencies play in helping Union institutions to design and implement policies, especially by carrying out specific technical, scientific and managerial tasks; ~~expresses its satisfaction with~~welcomes the importance and the high quality work performed by CEDEFOP, Eurofound, EU-OSHA and ETF, the agencies working in the area of employment, social affairs and inclusion; highlights the need of ensuring adequate human and financial resources allowing them to continue implementing their work programmes with a very high activity completion rate;

Amendment 10 #

Romana TOMC, Radan KANEV, Miriam LEXMANN, Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes and encourages the cooperation among the agencies within and beyond the framework of the EU Agencies Network (EUAN), which constitutes an important inter-agency cooperation platform to ensure efficient communication between the agencies and relevant stakeholders; appreciates and further encourages the close cooperation among the agencies under the remit of the EMPL Committee in order to improve synergies, ensure further complementarity and the sharing of resources;

Amendment 11 #

Dominique BILDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that the agency’s publications are produced almost exclusively in English and deplores the fact that its work is not translated to make it accessible to the European public in their national languages; calls for its budget to be made contingent upon a language clause to foster greater transparency by ensuring its work may be understood in each person's language;

Amendment 12 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Acknowledges that the four agencies have held specific meetings together to align their performance indicator methodologies as a follow-up to the Commission’s recommendation received in 2019 based on the 2017 four- agency evaluation (recommendation 5 of SWD(2019) 159);

Amendment 13 #

Marc BOTENGA, Leila CHAIBI, Özlem DEMIREL, Konstantinos ARVANITIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the EUAN to develop a general policy to not replace permanent staff by more expensive external consultants;

Amendment 14 #

Dominique BILDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 15 #

Marc BOTENGA, Leila CHAIBI, Özlem DEMIREL, Konstantinos ARVANITIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 16 #

Marc BOTENGA, Leila CHAIBI, Özlem DEMIREL, Konstantinos ARVANITIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the yearly exchange of views regarding the annual work programmes and the multiannual strategies of the agencies in the committees responsible is instrumental in ensuring that the programmes and strategies are aligned to the actual political priorities, especially in the context of the implementation of the principles enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights; recalls that the agencies are the most qualified at assessing the use of resources and play a crucial role in supporting the right sustainable projects in line with the European Green Deal; calls on the Commission to ensure funding supporting the Union agencies in securing the social dialogue; notes that the Union agencies have a crucial role in securing social dialogue with the Union institutions;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Encourages the Union agencies to consider adopting a fundamental rights strategy, including a reference to fundamental rights in a code of conduct that could define the duties of their staff and training for staff; setting up mechanisms ensuring that any violation of fundamental rights be detected and reported, and that risks of such violations be swiftly brought to the attention of the main bodies of the agency concerned; establishing, whenever relevant, the position of a fundamental rights officer, reporting directly to the management board to ensure a certain degree of independence vis-á-vis other staff, in order to ensure that threats to fundamental rights are immediately addressed, and that a constant upgrading of the fundamental rights policy within the organisation takes place; developing a regular dialogue with civil society organisations and relevant international organisations on fundamental rights issues; making compliance with fundamental rights a central component of the terms of reference of the collaboration of the agency concerned with external actors, including in particular members of national administrations with whom they interact at operational level;

Amendment 18 #

Romana TOMC, Radan KANEV, Miriam LEXMANN, Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that, similarly to previous years, most of the observations the Court has made in its Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2019 concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures, mostly concerning sound financial management and regularity; encourages the Union agencies to further improve their public procurement procedures, ensuring full compliance with the applicable rules and best value for money procurements;

Amendment 19 #

Dragoş PÎSLARU, Samira RAFAELA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Radka MAXOVÁ, Sylvie BRUNET, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE, Ilana CICUREL, Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that, similarly to previous years, most of the observations the Court has made in its Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2019 concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures; urges the Union agencies to improve their public procurement procedures with a view to compliance with applicable rules and as a result, the achievement of the most economically advantageous purchases, while respecting the principles of transparency, proportionality, equal treatment and non-discrimination;

Amendment 2 #

Romana TOMC, Radan KANEV, Miriam LEXMANN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

Amendment 20 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that, similarly to previous years, most of the observations the Court has made in its Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2019 concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures; encourages the Union agencies to further improve their public procurement procedures, ensuring full compliance with the applicable rules, the principles of transparency, proportionality, equal treatment and non- discrimination and best value for money procurements;

Amendment 21 #

Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that, similarly to previous years, most of the observations the Court has made in its Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2019 concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures; considers that ensuring the proper conduct of public procurement procedures is vital to guaranteeing the transparent and efficient use of EU funds;

Amendment 22 #

Romana TOMC, Radan KANEV, Miriam LEXMANN, Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that, similarly to previous years, most of the observations the Court has made in its Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2019 concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures; encourages the Union agencies to ensure sustainable public procurement that does not support tax fraud and unfair competition;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Expresses its concern over the very high level of carry-overs in some agencies, which could indicate various weaknesses, including weak budgetary planning, which is in contradiction to the budgetary principle of annuality;

Amendment 24 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes with concern that in 2019 only 34%1a of members of the highest decision-making bodies of all Union agencies were women and asks in this regard that the Union agencies in the future present data on gender balance for all categories of management staff; encourages the Union agencies in this regard to address the work-life balance of their staff and gender balance in management; __________________ 1ahttps://eige.europa.eu/gender- statistics/dgs/browse/wmidm/wmidm_adm

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Recalls that the European Labour Authority (ELA) was created in March 2018 and started its operation in October 2019; highlights the importance of making the ELA fully operational without undue delay in order to improve the application and enforcement of Union law relating to labour mobility and social security coordination so as to ensure fair mobility and the effective cross-border enforcement of workers’ rights; stresses the need of ensuring sufficient financial resources in this regard;

Amendment 26 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Highlights that transparency and citizens' awareness of the existence of the Union agencies are essential for their democratic accountability;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Points out that ELA will help ensure that Union rules on labour mobility and social security coordination are enforced effectively and fairly, will assist national authorities in cooperating to enforce these rules, and make it easier for citizens and businesses to benefit from the internal market; is of the opinion that, although the four agencies (EUROFOUND, CEDEFOP, ETF and EU-OSHA) are predominantly research- centred, they could usefully support and contribute to the work of ELA;

Amendment 28 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Recalls that gender balance must be ensured within the Union agencies in accordance with the basic regulations establishing them;

Amendment 3 #

Marc BOTENGA, Leila CHAIBI, Özlem DEMIREL, Konstantinos ARVANITIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights the important role that Union agencies play in helping Union institutions to design and implement policies, especially by carrying out specific technical, scientific and managerial tasks; expresses its satisfaction with the high quality work performed by the agencies working in the area of employment, social affairs and inclusion; underlines in this regard the need to equip the Union agencies at a level commensurate to the assigned tasks, with a sufficient number of in-house staff, employed in a stable manner and having sufficient material resources, ensuring their pre-eminence over private contractors; reiterates that the proper functioning of the executive agencies also requires a high-quality social dialogue, closely involving the local staff committees;

Amendment 4 #

Lucia ĎURIŠ NICHOLSONOVÁ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Takes note of the observation made by the European Court of Auditors (‘the Court’) that the Commission not always considers the alternative options when setting up a new agency, including to carry out the tasks itself, to adjust the mission of an existing agency or intergovernmental cooperation; in this regard calls for the better evaluation of possible options and sufficient assessment over time once an agency is operational;

Amendment 5 #

Dragoş PÎSLARU, Samira RAFAELA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Radka MAXOVÁ, Sylvie BRUNET, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE, Ilana CICUREL, Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Notes that for the first time the Court has also issued an overall assessment of the conditions put in place by the Union to enable the agencies to deliver their policies for the public good and has found that there is a need for more networking and cooperation as well as more flexibility in the set-up, functioning and possible winding-up of agencies while acknowledging the diverse governance structures, mandates, tasks and challenges of the agencies; further notes the recommendations of the Court to the Commission and the agencies to ensure the relevance, coherence and flexibility of the set-up of agencies, allocate resources in a more flexible manner, improve governance, accountability and reporting on performance and strengthen the role of agencies as centres of expertise and networking;

Amendment 6 #

Marc BOTENGA, Leila CHAIBI, Özlem DEMIREL, Konstantinos ARVANITIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Highlights that transparency and citizens' awareness of the existence of the Union agencies are essential for their democratic accountability; considers that the usability and ease of use of agencies’ resources and data are of paramount importance; calls therefore for an assessment of how data and resources are currently presented and made available and of the degree to which citizens find them easy to identify, recognise and use;

Amendment 7 #

Alicia HOMS GINEL, Estrella DURÁ FERRANDIS, Agnes JONGERIUS, Milan BRGLEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Lina GÁLVEZ, Gabriele BISCHOFF

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes and encourages ~~the~~an ever closer cooperation among the agencies in the area of employment, social affairs and inclusion to ensure synergies, complementarity and sharing resources within and beyond the framework of the EU Agencies Network (EUAN), which constitutes an important inter-agency cooperation platform to ensure efficient communication between the agencies and relevant stakeholders; stresses the importance and added value of each agency in their field of expertise and their autonomy;

Amendment 8 #

Dragoş PÎSLARU, Samira RAFAELA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Radka MAXOVÁ, Sylvie BRUNET, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE, Ilana CICUREL, Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes and encourages the cooperation among the agencies within and beyond the framework of the EU Agencies Network (EUAN), which constitutes an important inter-agency cooperation platform to identify and promote possible efficiency gains, to add value and to ensure efficient communication between the agencies and relevant stakeholders; appreciates and encourages the close collaboration among the agencies under the remit of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs in order to ensure synergies, complementarity and sharing resources;

Amendment 9 #

Marc BOTENGA, Leila CHAIBI, Özlem DEMIREL, Konstantinos ARVANITIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes and encourages the cooperation among the agencies within and beyond the framework of the EU Agencies Network (EUAN), which constitutes an important inter-agency cooperation platform to ensure efficient communication between the agencies and relevant stakeholders, allowing to build synergies and to exchange ideas and best practices and aiming to achieve more balanced governance, and greater coherence between them; stresses the necessity of improving cooperation between the agencies and Union institutions, avoiding the externalisation of services that can be provided by them;

source: 663.084

2021/03/04 CONT 66 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Arnaud DANJEAN

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. Whereas Union agencies should focus on missions with clear European added value and their organisation should be optimised to avoid overlaps in the best interests of the Union taxpayer;

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Takes note of the main observations of the Court, in particular the fact agencies deal with topical societal subjects and have an high potential for future development as well as an high grade of expertise;

Amendment 11 #

Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ, Romana TOMC, Ádám KÓSA, Andrey NOVAKOV, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8 c. Agrees with the Court that despite the fact agencies carry out important tasks in all spheres of our daily life, there is clear difficulty in building trust with individual citizens; in this regards highlights the issue of accountability, transparency and even effectiveness, in addition to the lack of public knowledge since agencies remain largely unknown to citizens and only negative incidents appear in media;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Notes the Court’s finding in its report ~~on the~~ 'Future of EU Agencies' that agencies measure performance through key performance indicators (KPIs) and that the Commission in 2015 issued guidelines for directors of agencies on KPIs; notes with regret that the indicators used in practice mainly relate to the implementation of an agency’s annual work programme, budget and its human resources management, and that they do not usually allow for than Agency's overall performance assessment of results or of the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness in discharging its mandate; calls on the agencies to work together to improve the use of KPIs with the aim of ensuring a stronger focus on performance in the discharge procedure, in addition to compliance; calls on the agencies to continue developing indicators, which will measure their contribution to the policy implementation of Union policies; urges the agencies to regularly review and update those indicators;

Amendment 13 #

Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ, Romana TOMC, Andrey NOVAKOV, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Notes the Court’s finding in its report on the Ffuture of EU Union agencies that agencies measure performance through key performance indicators (KPIs) and that the Commission in 2015 issued guidelines for directors of agencies on KPIs; notes with regret that the indicators used in practice mainly relate to the implementation of an agency’s annual work programme, budget and its human resources management, and that they do not usually allow for the assessment of results or of the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness in discharging its mandate; ~~calls on~~urges the agencies to ~~work together to improve~~improve joint cooperation and efforts in definition and the use of KPIs with the aim of ensuring a stronger focus on performance in the discharge procedure, in addition to compliance;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Recalls that the Common Approach states that every Union Agency should be evaluated every five years and that the Commission should be responsible for organising evaluation and for every second evaluation the sunset clause should be applied; notes with regret that the founding regulations of several agencies have not yet been aligned with the Common Approach; notes the Court’s finding in its report on the Future of EU agencies that the founding regulations of 13 agencies were recast between 2015 and 2019, but only five proposals were accompanied by an impact assessment; calls on the Commission to regularly conduct independent evaluation of the performance of the agencies to identify synergies and possible changes, including mergers;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Notes that the Court, while trying to identify the conditions to allow agencies to achieve their objectives, highlights the need for more financial and policy flexibility as well as a more structural and coherent governance model where performance information focus on outputs rather than on their contribution to policy implementation;

Amendment 16 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Highlights the conclusion of the Court’s Special Report 'Future of EU Agencies' that information on performance of Union agencies is scarce; urges agencies to strengthen performance accountability; expects all Union agencies to cooperate as optimally as possible with the Commission and the Court in the provision of performance information;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. insists on better combating overlapping subjects and areas of competence between the different agencies;

Amendment 18 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10 b. Calls on the agencies to continue to develop their synergies, increase cooperation and exchange of good practices with other Union agencies with a view to improve efficiency (human resources, building management, IT services and security);

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10 b. 12. Points to the positive example given by ECDC on the cooperation with other Union agencies, including through the European Union Agencies Network (the 'Network'); encourages the agencies to cooperate and exchange best practices where possible, including e.g. on teleworking;

Amendment 2 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the progress made by the agencies in their efforts to respond to the requests and recommendations expressed within the previous annual discharge procedure;

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10 c. Recalls the importance to increase the digitalisation of the agencies in terms of internal operation and management but also in order to speed up the digitalisation of procedures; stresses the need for the Agency to continue to be proactive in this regard in order to avoid a digital gap between the agencies at all costs; draws attention, however, to the need to take all the necessary security measures to avoid any risk to the online security of the information processed;

Amendment 21 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10 d. Believes that it would be necessary to strengthen the role of the agencies as centers of expertise and network;

Amendment 22 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)

10 e. Believes that clear rules should be put in place concerning the evolution and termination of agencies' missions;

Amendment 23 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 f (new)

10 f. Believes that an impact assessment should be carried out for each agency and that a review clause on the interest of the agency should be added systematically;

Amendment 24 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that the 32 decentralised agencies employed a total of 7 880 members of staff, comprising officials, temporary agents, contract agents and seconded national experts, in 2019 (compared to 7 626 in 2018), representing an important increase of 3,33 % compared with the previous year;

Amendment 25 #

Sándor RÓNAI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Notes that in 2019, at the level of senior management, an even gender balance was reported by three agencies, a good balance was achieved by ten agencies, but that there was no gender balance in 16 agencies (four of them featured male-only representation and one of them only female representation); calls on the agencies to increase their efforts towards better gender balance among management staff;

Amendment 26 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Lara WOLTERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Notes further that in terms of geneder balance in management boards in 2019, there was no agency with an even gender balance, a good balance existed in seven agencies, and there was no gender balance in 14 management boards; asks the Member States and the relevant organisations that participate in management boards to take into account the importance of ensuring gender balance when nominating their members to an Agency’s management board;

Amendment 27 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Lara WOLTERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11 c. Notes further that, as regards overall staff, eight agencies have an even gender balance, 19 agencies have a good gender balance and three agencies have no gender balance; calls on the agencies to continue to strive for a good gender balance in the future;

Amendment 28 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Lara WOLTERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)

11 d. Notes with concern that in 2019 only 34 % of members of the highest decision-making bodies of all Union agencies were women and recalls that gender balance must be ensured within the Union agencies in accordance with the basic regulations establishing them; asks, therefore, that the Union agencies collect and present data on gender balance for all categories of management staff (from the lowest to the highest level) to gather the basic data on which the Union agencies are encouraged to address the gender imbalance in management and pursue gender mainstreaming in all fields;

Amendment 29 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Tsvetelina PENKOVA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes that the geographical balance of staff of Union agencies follows the population of the Member States as a percentage of the EU27 slightly more closely than the geographical balance of staff of the Commission; notes an underrepresentation for eight Member States, an over representation for seventeen Member States and an approximate balance for two Member States; regrets the lack of policies across agencies to improve diversity among its staff; calls on agencies, as well as the European Union Agencies Network (the 'Network'), to put forward plans to achieve this goal;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Emphasises that the agencies have significant influence on policy- and decision-making, and programme preparation and implementation in areas of vital importance to Union citizens’ daily lives, such as health, safety, security, freedom and justice; reiterates the importance of agencies in addressing specific policy needs and to reinforce European cooperation; notes that the agencies can also act as frontrunners to solve crisis situations or long-term societal challenges;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Expresses its concern that in the vast majority of agencies there is a lack of gender balance in the overall management staff; deplores that gender equality is completely absent in the 2021- 2027 Strategy for the European Union Agencies Network (the 'Network'); calls on the agencies and the Network to integrate gender equality in their strategies and to align the ambition of agencies with the aim of the Commission to reach gender balance of 50% at all levels of its management by the end of 2024;

Amendment 31 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Notes that the agencies reported an average of 8,42 days of sick leave per member of staff per year; ~~note~~regrets that there is at present no reliable data available to give an overview of sick leave caused by burnout, mainly because several agencies reported that they could not provide the relevant information due to medical confidentiality;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Underlines the important effect of turnover within the staff of the Union agencies, calls for the implementation of human and social policies to remedy it;

Amendment 33 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Notes with regret that some of the agencies are facing the challenge of insufficient staff, especially when new tasks are allocated without matching personnel for their implementation, and that the discharge authority is particularly concerned about the difficulties that some agencies experience in hiring qualified staff at specific grades, a fact which hinders the overall performance of the agencies and necessitates the employment of external actors; notes in this regard recommendations 1 and 2 of the Court in its report on the Future of EU Agencies (Special Report 22/2020~~5 )~~ 1a)as regards the increased need for flexibility, and encourages the Network and the Commission to work together on the implementation of these recommendations; notes further in this regard that the Court’s Special Report on the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) (Special Report 23/2020 ) highlights the fact that the current selection process makes Union institutions look for r more flexible selection procedures to fulfil their immediate recruitment needs; ~~further not~~emphasises the Union institutions’ need for more specialised personnel, which in the case of agencies is essential given their specific mandates; calls on the Commission, and in particular on EPSO, to better facilitate the agencies in this regard and to adapt its recruitment policies in a way that would attract best qualified and specialised staff; asks the Commission and EPSO to show a degree of flexibility in adapting the job offers to the particular conditions, to ensure efficient recruitment; highlights the importance of improving Union’s selection procedures and job attractiveness; stresses that understaffing of agencies poses serious risk of negative impact on the performance, as well as on staff’s wellbeing and turnover; _________________ 51a OJ C 358, 26.10.2020, p. 6

Amendment 34 #

Ádám KÓSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Welcomes the Union agencies' efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive work environment and culture by taking actions in favour of people with disabilities, asks the institution to assess the possibilities of further strengthening and integrating the principles of equal opportunities in recruitment, training, career development, working conditions as well as to raise staff awareness of these aspects; and on the possible reasonable improvements and modifications of the institutions' buildings (access, adequate office equipment) for people with reduced mobility or other disabilities;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Notes that the agencies reported a total number of six former Members of European Parliament (MEPs), former Commissioners or former high-level officials that performed paid duties for an agency and that it concerned four former MEPs, one former Commissioner and one former high-level official; notes that these persons received indemnities and reimbursements for costs made;

Amendment 36 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Encourages the agencies to pursue the development of a long term Human Resources policy framework which addresses the work-life balance, the lifelong guidance and career development, the gender balance, the teleworking, the geographical balance and the recruitment and integration of people with disabilities;

Amendment 37 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Regrets that some Member States have requested and succeeded in having an agency on their territory, without providing facilities for their installation and without taking measures to increase the attractiveness of staff recruitment;

Amendment 38 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Is concerned about the large size of some agency boards of directors deemed too big by the Court and therefore making it difficult to take decisions and generating considerable administrative costs;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Notes that the Court identified weaknesses in agencies’ recruitment procedures concerning the management of potential conflicts of interests (one agency), the application of the principle of equal treatment and/or transparency (three agencies), and keeping a proper audit trail of the procedure (one agency); deplores that there were cases (in at least three agencies) of panel members in significant conflict of interest with relation to the ongoing selection procedure; stresses that undeclared conflicts of interest can hinder selection procedures, causing substantial delays and loss of funds, as well as reputational damages to the agencies;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes with satisfaction that, according to the annual report of the Court of Auditors (the 'Court') on Union agencies for the financial year 2019 (the 'Court’s report'), the Court issued an unqualified audit opinion on the reliability of the accounts of all agencies; notes in addition that the Court issued an unqualified opinion on the legality and regularity of the revenue underlying the accounts for all agencies; observes that the Court issued an unqualified opinion on the legality and regularity of the payments underlying the accounts for all agencies, except for the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) for which a qualified opinion was issued;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Notes that the Ombudsman found two instances of maladministration in case 2168/2019/KR on the European Banking Authority’s decision to approve the request from its Executive Director to become CEO of a financial lobby group; welcomes the recommendations made by the Ombudsman in this case, notably to invoke the option of forbidding its senior staff from taking up certain positions after the end of their term-of-office where necessary, to set out criteria for when it will forbid such moves in the future and to put in place internal procedures to cut access to confidential information with immediate effect in case staff moves to another employment; calls on all agencies to implement these recommendations asa matter of priority;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Welcomes the more detailed and structured information provided on the gender balance in the agencies;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16 b. Remains unsatisfied with the gender balance among overall staff, senior management and management boards in most of the agencies; calls on the agencies, as well as the Member States and relevant organisations when it comes to appointing their representatives in the management boards, to increase their efforts to improve gender balance at all levels;

Amendment 43 #

16 b. Stresses the importance of a staff well-being policy; stresses that agencies should provide for decent, high quality working conditions for all staff;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16 c. Expresses concern that some agencies relied strongly and over extended periods of time on interim workers; deplores the fact that in some cases the interim workers were paid less than agency staff employed on the same position; notes with concern that there were compliance issues identified in procurement and signature of contracts and framework agreements with recruitment of interim workers; calls on the agencies to diligently comply with the rules of procedure; reiterates calls to improve planning measures and selection procedures across the agencies;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)

16 d. Recognises the steps towards establishing of the harassment-free environment taken by the agencies, such as the additional training for the staff and the management as well as the introduction of the confidential councillors; encourages the agencies which have not yet introduced such steps to do so and agencies which have received harassment related complains to treat these as a priority;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with concern that the Court made 82 observations addressing areas for improvement in 29 agencies; notes that most observations concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures and that this was also the case in 2018; notes that these shortcomings mostly concern sound financial management and regularity; urges the agencies to implement recommendations and eliminate shortcomings; reiterates calls on the Commission to improve its efforts to implement clear and unified budgetary measures and procedures in agencies to tackle the identified issues reoccurring in majority of the agencies;

Amendment 47 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Highlights the conclusion of the Court’s report 'Future of EU Agencies' that the vast majority of agencies still do not publish sustainability reports; calls on agencies to introduce sustainability reporting, which would include the social aspects of procurement, and to align its reporting with the OECD work on Public Procurement and Responsible Business Conduct and the upcoming Union legislation on corporate due diligence; believes that by incorporating responsible business standards in its procurement and purchasing policies, agencies can safeguard the public interest and ensure the accountability of public spending;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Welcomes the increased use of e- procurement tools by Union agencies; notes that the most common e-PRIOR modules used by agencies are e-tendering, e-submission and e-invoicing; calls on the Network of Procurement Officers (NAPO) to accelerate the provision of the Public Procurement Management Tool (PPMT) of JRC to agencies;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. ~~Notes with concern~~Deplores that it remains the case that not all aAgencies have published on their websites the CVs and declarations of interest for members of the management boards, executive leadership and seconded experts; regrets the fact that some agencies still publish self-declarations of absence of conflicts of interests; ~~highlight~~stresses that it is not up to the board members or executives to declare themselves to have an absence of conflicts of interests; reiterates its calls for a unified model of declarations of interest to be implemented by all agencies; urges all agencies to review and improve their transparency; stresses the importance of establishing an independent ethics body to assess conflict of interest and revolving door situations throughout the institutions, agencies and other bodies of the Union; urges the Member States to ensure that all seconded experts and senior management publish their respective declarations of interest and CVs on the respective agency websites;

Amendment 5 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Tsvetelina PENKOVA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Takes note of the main areas of observation of the Court, which focus on: - public procurement management which remains the most error prone area; - recruitment procedures and conflicts of interest for staff leaving a Union Agency and joining the private sector which need to be managed better by agencies; - budgetary management where the Court identified several weaknesses;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Notes with concern that it remains the case that not all agencies have published on their websites the CVs and the declarations of interest for members of the management boards, executive leadership and seconded experts; regrets the fact that some agencies still publish declarations of absence of conflicts of interests; highlights that it is not up to the board members or executives to declare themselves to have an absence of conflicts of interests; reiterates its calls for a unified model of declarations of interest to be implemented by all agencies; stresses the importance of ~~establ~~reinforcing the exishting ~~an independent ethics body to assess~~rules, improving their implementation and encouraging the homogenisation to assess or deal with conflict of interest and revolving door situations throughout the institutions, agencies and other bodies of the Union; urges the Member States to ensure that all seconded experts publish their respective declarations of interest and CVs on the respective agency websites;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Calls to bring whistleblower protection policies of all Union agencies in line with Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law;

Amendment 52 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Tsvetelina PENKOVA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Notes that the study “Conflicts of Interests and EU Agencies”, which was published in January 2020, concluded that one should not strive for achieving a one- size-fits all conflicts of interests policy for all agencies, that conflicts of interests policies should remain flexible and agency-specific as regards the system for assessment oftransparency is the main principle that should underpin the agencies’ policies so as to enable effective public scrutiny; acknowledges the differences in risk factors, size and external pressure among agencies and the need to adapt conflicts of interest~~s, the moda~~ politcies tof the internal investigations and the protection for whistleblowers as well the need to create an internal advisory body; acknowledges the need for a tailored policy for each agency; notes however that this should not result in complacency; urges the agencies toose differences; notes the recommendations made in this study to improve conflict of interest rules and to achieve more coherence and consistency and urges the agencies to follow up on these recommendations and continually assess and improve their policies given the instances of assumed or perceived conflicts of interests which occurred in 2019;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Notes with concern that not all agencies report the meetings that the agencies’ staff has with external stakeholders, in particular the management level’s meetings with organisations and self-employed individuals; calls on the agencies to report and to make available the meetings on the agencies’ website in order to enhance the transparency of their activities;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Calls on all agencies to participate in the interinstitutional agreement on the transparency register for interest representatives under negotiation between the Commission, the Council and Parliament;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19 b. Reiterates its concern that agencies which receive a large part of their revenues as fees paid by the industry are more prone to the risk of the conflict of interests and their professional independence; calls on the agencies and the Commission to reduce dependency on industry fees;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

~~20.~~ Acknowledges the Court’s ~~20.~~ observation that, when using inter- institutional contracts, agencies remain responsible for the application of public procurement principles for their specific purchases, ~~and~~stresses that agencies’ internal controls must ensure that these principles are respected;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that at the end of 2019, most agencies reported that they had implemented the revised internal control framework and have performed an annual assessment; ~~reiterates its call~~urges for the adoption and implementation of the internal control framework by all agencies in order to align their internal control in the with international best practice, and to make sure that internal control effectively and efficiently supports the decision- making process; deplores the fact that in2019 in some agencies there was no audit procedures conducted by the IAS;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Notes that in 2019, according to the Court’s report concerning follow-up of previous years’ observations, 98 observations were closed, 71 observations were still being implemented, and 16 observations were deemed to be not under the agencies’ (sole) control, meaning that major decisions concerning these 16 observations need to be taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Commission or the Member States; calls on the Agencies to diligently implement the observations and further improve its internal control frameworks;

Amendment 59 #

Ádám KÓSA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Points out that a complex approach is needed in order to make the Union agencies’ home pages accessible to persons with all kind of disabilities as foreseen in Directive (EU) 2016/2102, including the availability of national sign languages; suggests that organisations representing disabled persons are involved in this process;

Amendment 6 #

Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ, Romana TOMC, Andrey NOVAKOV, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Note~~Regrets that the level of detail provided in the budgetary implementation reports of a minority of agencies differs from that of the majority, which demonstrates the need for clearer and standardised guidelines on agencies’ budget reporting, including the need for agencies to explain significant deviations from the original budget and/or establishment plans; highlights the urgent need for all agencies to improve their planning capacities; deplores the reply of the Commission to the request to automatically provide the discharge authority with the official budget (in commitment appropriations and in payment appropriations) and staff figures (establishment plan figures with permanent staff, temporary agents, contract agents and seconded national experts as of 31 December of the year in question) in respect of the 32 decentralised agencies, as the mentioned guidelines (which in reality are templates that mostly provide guidance on form and not substance) are not sufficient to address the differences in calculations between the reports; reiterates its request to the Commission to provide the discharge authority with the official budget and staff figures for each agency and to provide consolidated figures for the decentralised agencies that are subject to the Parliament’s discharge procedure; calls on the Commission to adopt a centralised set of guidelines on reporting and KPIs- setting to ensure proper measurement of the agencies’ performance;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Recalls that agencies were created for specific needs and that significant numbers of agencies were set up as reflection to certain crisis; agrees with the Court’s position in its report 'Future of EU Agencies' that the role of an agency needs to be reassessed at different stages of its operational period in order to verify whether an agency is still relevant and whether its actions are coherent with other agencies and their partner DGs;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Highlights risks of external IT consultancy and outsourcing the management of budgetary or staffing- related exercises;

Amendment 62 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ, Tsvetelina PENKOVA, Lara WOLTERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Expresses its concern that most Agencies did not publish a sustainability report and did not report on the sustainability of the Agency in their Annual Report; calls on all agencies to ensure comprehensive strategies for sustainable development, to fully integrate sustainability in their reporting information and to ensure swift implementation of the European eco- management and audit scheme (EMAS) as recommended by the Court of Auditors; calls on all Agencies to strengthen their efforts in adopting digitalised operating solutions; calls on the Agencies to pay due attention to the energy mix of its sources of electricity and encourages the procurement of electricity generated by renewable energy;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Emphasises the importance of sustainability reporting in all Union agencies; notes with concern that only one Union agency, the European Union Intellectual Property Office, publishes a sustainability report; reiterates its call on the agencies to integrate sustainability in their reporting systems;

Amendment 64 #

Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ, Romana TOMC, Andrey NOVAKOV, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Believes that the set-up, functioning and especially potential winding-up of agencies should be flexible to help implement Union policy and to enhance European cooperation; acknowledges in this regard the Court’s consideration in its report 'Future of EU Agencies' that there is not sufficient flexibility in the set-up and operation of agencies and that the potential for them to cooperate for common policy objectives in the interest of citizens could be further exploited;

Amendment 65 #

Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ, Romana TOMC, Ádám KÓSA, Andrey NOVAKOV, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Recalls general unawareness of the European citizens about the existence of the agencies, even within the country where the agencies are located, and also that citizens receive little information about the benefits of the agencies; calls in this regard on the agencies to continue developing their communication strategies and to increase their media and social media presence in order to raise awareness about their work, research and activities in the general public;

Amendment 66 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Notes that most agencies have improved their outreach to the public and dissemination of information with efforts to promote their newsletters and publications;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Considers that greater attention should be paid to relevance and coherence, particularly in the context of overlapping areas of competence, when setting up future agencies;

Amendment 8 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Alin MITUȚA, Pierre KARLESKIND, Ramona STRUGARIU, Katalin CSEH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7 b. Believes that resources should be allocated more flexibly based on need or urgency;

Amendment 9 #