2021/2167(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas Articles 20, 24 and 228 TFEU and Article 43 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union empower the European Ombudsman to receive complaints concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) acting in its judicial role;

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the Ombudsman receives a large number of complaints from individuals and organisations about the EU administration every year, and whereas the top three concerns in the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2020 were transparency, accountability (access to information and documents) (25 %), culture of service (24 %) and proper use of discretionary powers, including in infringement procedures (17 %); whereas other concerns include ethical issues, respect for fundamental rights, sound financial management, whistleblowing, respect for procedural rights, recruitment and good management of EU personnel issues;

Amendment 100 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20 c. Notes with satisfaction that 57% of the cases were closed in 2020 in less than 3 months and the cases for which it takes up to 18 months to be solved represented only 1% , while it was 10% in the previous year and 27% in 2013; appreciates therefore the efforts to solve the issues raised by the citizens and calls on all concerned institutions to respond to requests from the Office of the European Ombudsman in a timely manner;

Amendment 101 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)

20 d. Notes that the number of complaints that are outside the European Ombudsman’s mandate has remained relatively stable throughout the years (1420 in 2020, 1330 cases in 2019, 1300 cases in 2018); notes that, according to the 2020 Report, most of these complaints do not concern the EU administration; welcomes the efforts of the Office to better inform citizens about the European Ombudsman’s mandate; points out at the same time the need to improve communication and awareness about the various forms of complaints citizens can use at national and European level; stresses the role the Parliament and its Members should also play in this regard;

Amendment 102 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)

20 e. Takes note that pandemic also affected the work of European Network of Ombudsmen(ENO); appreciates the initiative of the European Ombudsman to organise online meetings with a view to sharing experiences and promoting best practices in the crisis response; encourages further cooperation between the members of EON, including in the area of promoting future parallel inquiries;

Amendment 103 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 – point a (new)

(a) Commends Ombudsman’s activities on digital platforms raising awareness to EU citizens about her work; notes that the fastest-growing channel in 2020 was Instagram, where the audience grew by71% during the year (1 068 new followers); on LinkedIn, the number of followers increased by 34% (+ 1 237), while on Twitter, where the Ombudsman has the largest audience, the number of followers reached 29 200 in December 2020,which represents an 11% increase (+ 2 870);

Amendment 104 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Congratulates the Ombudsman on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the post, underlining that, since 1995, the Office has handled over 57 000 complaints and conducted more than 7 300 inquiries, which has greatly contributed to improving the ethical and accountability standards of the EU institutions across a wide range of areas; endorses the Ombudsman’s strategy ‘Towards 2024’ aimed at increasing the impact, visibility and relevance of the Ombudsman’s Office, setting out its objectives and priorities, which include raising citizen awareness of the Ombudsman's work, for the current term;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Stresses the importance of the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO) and annual meetings hosted with national and regional ombudsmen through the European Network of Ombudsmen to further raise awareness of what the Ombudsman’s Office can do for European citizens;

Amendment 106 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22 b. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s actions during the pandemic to keep regular contact with her fellow national colleagues from the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO) and to organise and host webinars throughout 2020 on topics such as implications of the pandemic, sharing experiences and promoting best practices in the crisis response, and on the impact of Artificial Intelligence;

Amendment 107 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)

22 c. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s initiative on fast track procedure related to access to documents cases, aiming to have a decision on the requested documents within 40 working days; notes that in 2020 the average time to handle public access complaints is one third what is was before2018 when this procedure was introduced;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the adoption of the new Statute of the Ombudsman, whose provisions reinforce the Ombudsman’s role, adding further competences on areas related to whistleblowing, harassment and conflicts of interest; ~~considers it of the utmost importance to allocate an increased budget to the Ombudsman, in order to provide her with the necessary resources to effectively handle her overall workload;~~

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the adoption of the new Statute of the Ombudsman, whose provisions reinforce the Ombudsman’s role, adding further competences on areas related to whistleblowing, harassment and conflicts of interest; considers ~~it of the utmost~~ importancet to ~~allocate an increased budget to the Ombudsman, in order to provide her~~provide the Ombudsman with the necessary resources to effectively handle her overall workload;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the top three concerns in the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2020 were transparency in environmental decision making, , accountability (access to information and documents) (25 %), culture of service (24 %) and proper use of discretionary powers, including in infringement procedures (17 %); whereas other concerns include ethical issues, respect for fundamental rights, sound financial management, whistleblowing, respect for procedural rights, recruitment and good management of EU personnel issues;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the adoption of the new Statute of the Ombudsman, whose provisions ~~reinforce~~provide clarity on the Ombudsman’s role, and add~~ing~~ further competences on areas related to whistleblowing, harassment and conflicts of interest in the institutions, bodies and agencies of the EU; considers it of the utmost importance to allocate an increased budget to the Ombudsman, in order to provide her with the necessary resources to effectively handle her overall workload;

Amendment 111 #

23. Welcomes the adoption of the new Statute of the Ombudsman, whose provisions reinforce the Ombudsman’s role, adding further competences on areas related to whistleblowing, harassment and conflicts of interest; considers it of the utmost importance to allocate an ~~increased~~adequate budget to the Ombudsman, in order to provide her with the necessary resources to effectively handle her overall workload;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Calls on the EU public administration to make every effort to ensure that citizens are able to communicate effectively with it in the 24 official languages of the EU; Welcomes the recommendations to the EU administration published by the Ombudsman on the use of official EU languages when communicating with the public; stresses that these recommendations are vital to the preservation of rich linguistic diversity in Europe; notes that the websites of the EU institutions should better demonstrate the equality of all 24 official EU languages;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Acknowledges the important contribution made by the European Network of Ombudsmen to the exchange of best practices and in providing information on the responsibilities and competences of its members and the proper implementation of European law; calls on this network to consider the role that national and regional ombudsmen could play in getting EU citizens more involved in the EU decision-making process;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23c. Welcomes the Ombudsman's efforts to improve public participation in the EU decision-making process;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)

23d. Welcomes the new version of the Ombudsman's website, which is more dynamic and easier for European citizens to use; encourages the Ombudsman to translate more of her publications into the different languages of the EU;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the top three concerns in the inquiries closed by the Ombudsman in 2020 were transparency, accountability (access to information and documents) (25 %), culture of service (24 %) and proper use of discretionary powers, including in infringement procedures (17 %); whereas other concerns include ethical issues in the EU administration, respect for fundamental rights, sound financial management, whistleblowing, respect for procedural rights, recruitment and good management of EU personnel issues;

Amendment 13 #

E. whereas the Ombudsman plays a key role in ensuring ~~the full~~ transparency, in the EU institutions and bodies and the democratic accountability and integrity of the EU decision-making processes;

Amendment 14 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the Ombudsman plays a key role in ensuring ~~the full~~ transparency, democratic accountability and integrity of the EU decision-making processes;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

E a. whereas the main priority of the European Ombudsman is to ensure that citizens’ rights are fully respected and the right to good administration of EU institutions, bodies, offices or agencies reflects the highest standards;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas following an inquiry into the performance of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) during the COVID-19 crisis, the Ombudsman found ~~serious shortcoming~~gaps in the ECDC’s transparency practices, including on the data underlying its risk assessments and interactions with international partners, and made proposals aimed at improving the public scrutiny of the ECDC’s activities related to the COVID-19 vaccines; whereasthe Ombudsman considered that this was not a case of maladministration; whereas the suggestions of the Ombudsman were followed by the ECDC;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas publicity and transparency are the main principles underlying the EU legislative process, as confirmed by the case law of the CJEU, which provided clear legal guidance on the way to ensure their full and consistent respect; whereas the CJEU stated that the lack of transparency and information weakens citizens’ trust in the legitimacy of the EU legislative process as a whole; whereas, contrary to these principles, the Commission was not transparent in the negotiation, purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines;

Amendment 18 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas the right to know of the EU citizens and the obligation to full transparency of the EU institutions, especially when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine contracts between the EU institution and the pharmaceutical companies, prevail over any alleged right of the pharmaceutical companies or the EU institution to hide or not to fully disclose any or some information related to these contracts or COVID-19 vaccines;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the EU has planned a period of unprecedented levels of spending and investment under NextGenerationEU~~, which will also create significant links with the private sector, therefore~~ making it ~~even~~ more crucial for the EU institutions to have a decision-making process founded on full transparency and on the most stringent ethical rules in order to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption cases;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas article 10(3) TEU establishes 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 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the EU has planned a period of unprecedented levels of spending and investment under NextGenerationEU, which will also create significant links with the private sector, therefore making it even more crucial for the EU institutions to have a decision-making process founded on ~~full~~ transparency and on the most stringent ethical rules in order to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption cases;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

Amendment 22 #

J. whereas the EU has planned a period of unprecedented levels of spending and investment under NextGenerationEU, which will also create significant links with the private sector, therefore making it even more crucial for the EU institutions to have a decision-making process founded on full transparency and on the most stringent ethical rules in order to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption ~~cases~~;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the Ombudsman launched an inquiry into the refusal by the Council to address the issue of corporate sponsorships of the Presidency of the Council of the EU; whereas the Ombudsman found maladministration in the Council’s inaction in relation to eliminating the reputational risks that such commercial sponsorships entail to the impartiality of its Presidency and for the image of the EU as a wholeCouncil accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendation;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas the Ombudsman found that the Commission should have carried out a more ~~critical~~in-depth scrutiny of all risks of conflicts of interest before awarding a contract to carry out a study on integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives into EU banking rules to BlackRock Investment Management, a company managing investments in the fossil fuel and banking sectors, which are areas that fall within the scope of the new rules on ESG; whereas the Ombudsman ~~underlin~~considered that th~~e EU rules on public procurement are not robust and clear enough to prevent conflicts of interest~~is was not a case of maladministration;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)

N a. whereas the former European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President left the EIB Management Committee in November 2020 and after less than 3 months joined the board of the Spanish multinational utility company Iberdrola; whereas the former EIB Vice-President was in charge of overseeing the EIB’s lending operations in Spain, including Iberdrola; whereas from 2019 onward Iberdrola benefited from massive loans worth 1,39 billion EUR in total, making it one of the top clients of the EIB in recent years; whereas this case demonstrates the unsolved controversial practice at the EIB to allow its Vice-Presidents, nominated by the Member States, to be in charge of overseeing lending into their countries of origin, risking to give rise to conflicts of interest;

Amendment 26 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas according to the Ombudsman, the Commission’s failure to finalise a ‘sustainability impact assessment’ (SIA) before concluding the negotiations on a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur constituted maladministration; whereas the ~~Ombudsman’s findings conf~~re is no legal requireme~~d that the Commission had disregarded its own guidelines on the use of SIAs and violated the principles set out in Article 21 TEU, which also apply to trade policy~~nt for the European Commission to finalise the SIA before the conclusion of the trade negotiations;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas according to the Ombudsman, the Commission’s failure to finalise a ‘sustainability impact assessment’ (SIA) before concluding the negotiations on a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur constituted maladministration; whereas the Ombudsman’s findings ~~confirm~~underlined that the Commission had disregarded its own guidelines on the use of SIAs ~~and violated the principles set out in Article 21 TEU, which also apply to trade policy~~;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the Ombudsman found instances of maladministration in the decision by the European Banking Authority (EBA) to approve the job move of its then Executive Director as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), a lobby organisation for the financial industry, failing to mitigate the risks of conflicts of interest, as well as continuing to give him access to confidential information; whereas the EBA took the requisite measures, enabling the Ombudsman to close the inquiry;

Amendment 29 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the Ombudsman found instances of maladministration in the decision by the European Banking Authority (EBA) to approve the job move of its then Executive Director as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), a lobby organisation for the financial industry, failing to mitigate the risks of conflicts of interest, as well as continuing to give him access to confidential information; whereas EBA has accepted and started to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas Article 15 of the TFEU states that ‘in order to promote good governance and ensure the participation of civil society, the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies shall conduct their work as openly as possible’ and that ‘any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State, shall have a right of access to documents of the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies’; whereas ensuring that high- quality services are provided to EU citizens and that the EU administration is responsive to their needs and concerns is crucial in protecting citizens' rights and fundamental freedoms;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Amendment 31 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q

Q. whereas the Commission’s strategy in dealing with petitions refers to its 2016 Communication entitled ‘EU law: Better results through better application’, whose rules establish no administrative procedure or practice concerning petitions; whereas the Commission’s approach, resulting in its systematic refusal to take action on individual petition issues and on petitions concerning areas under Article 6 TFEU ~~can amount to maladministration~~is at odds with the provisions of Article 227TFEU and is creating frustration and disappointment for citizens, undermining at the same time the possibility to identify systematic shortcomings regarding EU law occurring in Member States;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Q a (new)

Q a. whereas many petitions received by the PETI Committee are related to the lack of transparency of the European Commission and request that full details of the COVID-19 vaccine contracts signed between the Commission, the Member States and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as patient-level clinical trials data will be published;

Amendment 34 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas the Ombudsman is a potential redress mechanism for citizens facing problems in gaining access to documents held by the EU institutions; whereas a significant number of the Ombudsman’s inquiries in 2020 resulted in access being granted to documents of wider public interest~~, in spite of the fact that the applicable EU legislation is structurally inadequate, as it is outdated and no longer reflects the current practices adopted by the EU institutions~~;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital S a (new)

S a. whereas the Ombudsman launched an inquiry on how the Commission ensures that Hungary and Portugal’s use of ESI funds for care facilities for persons with disabilities is in line with the legal obligations stemming from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the ESI funds Regulation and the UNCRPD

Amendment 36 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcom~~Approves the annual report for 2020 presented by the European Ombudsman, and commends its excellent presentation on the most important facts and figures concerning the Ombudsman’s work in 2020;

Amendment 37 #

Anne-Sophie PELLETIER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Congratulates Emily O’Reilly on her remarkable work to enhance the openness, accountability and integrity of the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, thereby safeguarding citizens’ fundamental rights, in particular in a tragic year marked by the devastating consequences of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic; recalls that transparency is enshrined in rule of law and represents a key principle for a participative democracy;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that the European Ombudsman can make recommendations, proposals for solutions and suggestions for improvement with a view to solving a problem in cases of maladministration; notes that where a complaint falls outside the Ombudsman's mandate, the Ombudsman may advise the complainant to refer it to another authority or to the Committee on Petitions; notes that in 2020 the Ombudsman received more than 1 400 complaints which did not fall within her mandate, mainly because they did not concern activities related to the EU administration;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Congratulates the Ombudsman for monitoring how the EU’s frontline institutions are carrying out their work during the pandemic and for underlining their obligation for transparency; welcomes the question addressed by the Ombudsman to the Commission about the transparency of the scientific advice it receives, its meetings with interest representatives, and its decisions related to emergency public procurement;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas Article 15 TFEU states that ‘in order to promote good governance and ensure the participation of civil society, the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies shall conduct their work as openly as possible’ and that ‘any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State, shall have a right of access to documents of the Union's institutions, bodies, offices and agencies’;

Amendment 40 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that the Ombudsman's work has led to positive changes in the EU institutions and bodies;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Regrets the fact that the Commission did not provide adequate explanations to the Ombudsman’s requests on key elements of its work during the COVID-19 crisis; c~~riticises the fact that in relation to~~alls on the Commission to clarify its decision-making on emergency public procurement, the Commission did not clarify its approach on how it ensured transparency on the appointments procedure of the members of the various committees, as well as on their independence, and on how it monitored the use of the negotiatedin order to ensure full transparency of the proce~~dure~~ss;

Amendment 42 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Regrets the fact~~Notes that the Commission did not provide adequate explanations to the Ombudsman’s requests on key elements of its work during the COVID-19 crisis; c~~riticise~~onsiders the fact that in relation to its decision-making on emergency public procurement, the Commission ~~did not clarify its approac~~could bring forth on how it ensured transparency on the appointments procedure of the members of the various committees, as well as on their independence, and on how it monitored the use of the negotiated procedure;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point a (new)

(a) Emphasises the essential role of transparency, good administration and institutional checks and balances in the work of the EU institutions;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to ensure ~~full~~ transparency on all details of the research into, and the development, purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, by publishing non-redacted versions of the Advance Purchase Agreements and the Purchase Agreement and by making the disclosure of all details in future contracts concerning COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 technologies mandatory; emphasises that any; emphasises that the lack of transparency in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic is at odds with citizens’ right to information and fuels disinformation and distrust;

Amendment 45 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Jordi CAÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to ensure full transparency on all details of the ~~research into, and the development,~~ purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, by publishing non-redacted versions of the Advance Purchase Agreements and the Purchase Agreement and by making the disclosure of all details in future contracts concerning COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 technologies mandatory; emphasises that any lack of transparency in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic is at odds with citizens’ right to information and fuels disinformation and distrust;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Urges the Commission to ensure full transparency on all details of the research into, and the development, purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, by publishing non-redacted versions of the Advance Purchase Agreements and the Purchase Agreement and by making the disclosure of all details in future contracts concerning COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 technologies mandatory; acknowledges the competitive nature of the market for vaccines, as well as the request of the manufacturers to introduce non-disclosure clauses; points out that these realities must be weighed against the interest of the European citizens to have clarity and transparency concerning these agreements; emphasises that any lack of transparency in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic is at odds with citizens’ right to information and fuels disinformation and distrust;

Amendment 47 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point a (new)

(a) Stresses that trust between citizens and the institutions is of paramount importance, especially in the context of the COVID-19 crisis;

Amendment 48 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Calls on the Commission to publish non-redacted versions of the Advance Purchase Agreements and the Purchase Agreement, as well as to make the disclosure of all details of future COVID-19 vaccine contracts a precondition for any future negotiations with the pharmaceutical companies;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Encourage~~Supports the Ombudsman ~~to continue performing~~in her work to ensure that citizens can fully exercise their democratic rights by, inter alia, directly participating in and following in detail the decision-making process within the EU institutions, as well as by having access to all the relevant information as also stipulated by the CJEU’s case law;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

B c. whereas Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, focused on the right to good administration, states inter alia 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 #

Loránt VINCZE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Encourages the Ombudsman to continue performing her work to ensure that citizens can fully exercise their democratic rights by, inter alia, directly participating in and following in detail the decision-making process within the EU institutions, as well as by having access to all the relevant information as also stipulated by the CJEU’s case law; welcomes the Ombudsman’s practical recommendations for the EU administration on the use of 24 official languages when communicating with the public; underlines in this respect the importance of ensuring communication in as many EU official languages as possible; reminds that the equality of languages should be better ensured by the EU institutions; regrets that still many parts of EU institutions’ websites, including information on EU programmes and calls are available only in some languages;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Encourages the Ombudsman to continue its inquiries and to ask the Commission to publish non-redacted versions of the Advance Purchase Agreements and the Purchase Agreement and to disclose: the advance payments by the Commission, the cost sharing between public and private investments in the vaccines, the prices per dose, the liability and compensation regimes for any harm that might be caused by the vaccines, the sanctions in case of breach of contract;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Ombudsman to adopt strengthened oversight of the implementation of the rules and procedures concerning the allocation and use of EU funds under NextGenerationEU to protect Union citizens’ rights against possible conflicts of interest and corruption cases, as well as violations of the rule of law, contributing to ensuring the integrity, full transparency and democratic accountability of the EU institutions;deleted

Amendment 53 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Ombudsman to ~~adopt strengthened oversight of the implementation of the rules and procedures concerning the allocation and use of EU funds under NextGenerationEU to~~ protect Union citizens’ rights against possible conflicts of interest and corruption cases, as well as violations of the rule of law, contributing to ensuring the integrity, full transparency and democratic accountability of the EU institutions;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Calls on the Ombudsman to adopt~~Welcomes the Ombudsman’s action when it comes to requests on the Commission to provide public access to documents related to recovery and resilience plans of Member States, which are of significant public interest, relating to unprecedented amount that will be allocated under Next GenerationEU; welcomes that the Commission has already made extensive material about the Recovery and Resilience Facility available; stresses that more transparency and strengthened oversight ofby the ~~implementation of the rules and procedures concerning~~relevant authorities is needed in this respect, including strengthened oversight by EU Ombudsman of the administrative procedures concerning the EU funds; calls on the EU Ombudsman to explore, together with ENO members, other possible actions within their competence on supervision of the allocation and use of EU funds ~~under NextGenerationEU~~, in order to protect Union citizens’ rights against possible conflicts of interest and corruption cases, as well as violations of the rule of law, contributing to ensuring the integrity, full transparency and democratic accountability of the EU institutions;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Ombudsman to adopt strengthened oversight of the implementation of the rules and procedures concerning the allocation and use of EU funds under NextGenerationEU to protect Union citizens’ rights against possible conflicts of interest and corruption cases, as well as if the requirements for violations of the rule of law are being followed, contributing to ensuring the integrity, full transparency and democratic accountability of the EU institutions;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Deeply regrets the fact that the Council’s current practices with regard to its decision-making process are still marred by a lack of transparency; deplores the fact that the Council is persisting in preventing citizens from having direct and timely access to its legislative documents, while the legislative process is ongoing, in breach of citizens’ right to participate effectively in the decision-making process;

Amendment 57 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Deeply regrets the fact that the Council’s current practices with regard to its decision-making process are still marred by a lack of transparency; deplores the fact that the Council is persisting in preventing citizens from having ~~direct and timely~~ access to its legislative documents~~, while the legislative process is ongoing, in breach of citizens’ right to participate effectively in the decision-making process~~;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Deeply~~Underlines that the transparency of the legislative process represents a core element of any representative democracy; regrets the fact that the Council’s current practices with regard to its decision- making process are still marred by a lack of transparency; deplores the fact that the Council is persisting in preventing citizens from having direct and timely access to its legislative documents, while the legislative process is ongoing, in breach of citizens’ right to participate effectively in the decision-making process;

Amendment 59 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Regrets the recent emergence of discrimination based on vaccination status, with certain Member States denying access to catering and a wide range of other services to citizens who have not been vaccinated against COVID- 19, even if they are not ill, while a negative PCR test is sufficient for all those seeking to avail themselves of such services in other Member States;

Amendment 6 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

B b. 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 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Reiterates its call for the publication of all trialogue documents once they have been finalized in order to uphold citizens’ democratic rights, as full transparency at all stages of the legislative process, including in the informal negotiations between the three main EU institutions, is crucial to enabling citizens to hold their elected representatives and governments accountable;

Amendment 61 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Reiterates its call for the publication of ~~all~~ trilogue documents in order to uphold citizens’ democratic rights, as full transparency at all stages of the legislative process, including in the informal negotiations between the three main EU institutions, is crucial to enabling citizens to hold their elected representatives and governments accountableonce the procedures are closed, in order to uphold citizens’ democratic rights;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Re~~iterates its call for the publication of all trilogue documen~~calls that the European Parliament in its 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 1a supported the Ombudsman’s proposals on legislative transparency; calls on the Council to improve further legislative transparency, particularly by recording and publishing Member State positions and by making available more trilogue documents; urges the Council to step up its transparency efforts in order to uphold citizens’ democratic rights, as full transparency at all stages of the legislative process, including in the informal negotiations between the three main EU institutions, is crucial to enabling citizens to hold their elected representatives and governments accountable; _________________ 1a P8_TA(2019)0045

Amendment 63 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Commends the Ombudsman’s determination to achieve the highest level of transparency in the EU decision- making process; stresses the need to monitor the implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations for transparency in trilogues; Reiterates its call for the publication of all trilogue documents in order to uphold citizens’ democratic rights, as full transparency at all stages of the legislative process, including in the informal negotiations between the three main EU institutions, is crucial to enabling citizens to hold their elected representatives and governments accountable;

Amendment 64 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Notes that in the context of wider strategic work on the response of the EU administration during the COVID-19 crisis, the Ombudsman examined also the work of the Council; encourages the Council to follow the suggestions for improvement of its work that the Ombudsman put forward 1a; _________________ 1a Decision in strategic inquiry OI/4/2020/TE on the transparency of decision making by the Council of the EU during the COVID-19 crisis

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Urges the Commission to ~~refrain from~~exercise the precautionary principle when it comes to approv~~ing~~e ‘active substances’ used in pesticides in cases where critical areas of concern or no safe use have been identified, or when additional data confirming their safety is needed~~, given the already serious consequences which the use of pesticides has caused for human health and the environment~~;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Urges the Commission to refrain from approving ‘active substances’ used in pesticides in cases where critical areas of concern or no safe use have been identified, ~~or when additional data confirming their safety is needed,~~ given the already serious consequences which the use of pesticides has caused for human health and the environment;

Amendment 67 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to ensure an approval process for ‘active substances’ in pesticides, which is ~~fully~~ transparent and free from conflicts of interest, committing to put an end to the use of all synthetic pesticides by 2035 at the latest, as well as immediately prohibiting the export of pesticides that have been banned in the EU and stopping the import of foodstuffs produced outside the EU using such unsafe chemicals; asks the Ombudsman to continue investigating the systems in place at EU level to make sure that the current policies and procedural safeguards in this field guarantee the highest levels of human health and environmental protection, and that the collection and examination of scientific evidence is fully transparent, accurate and free from conflicts of interest;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to ensure an approval process for ‘active substances’ in pesticides, which is fully transparent and free from conflicts of interest, committing to put an end to the use of all synthetic pesticides by 2035 at the latest, as well as immediately prohibiting the export of pesticides that have been banned in the EU and stopping the import of foodstuffs produced outside the EU using such unsafe chemicals; notes that the European Citizens' Initiative entitled 'Save Bees and Farmers' has gathered over 1 million signatures across the EU and that this initiative calls for a phase- out of synthetic pesticides in the EU, for measures to restore biodiversity, and for support for farmers to transition to sustainable agriculture; asks the Ombudsman to continue investigating the systems in place at EU level to make sure that the current policies and procedural safeguards in this field guarantee the highest levels of human health and environmental protection, and that the collection and examination of scientific evidence is fully transparent, accurate and free from conflicts of interest;

Amendment 69 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to ensure an approval process for ‘active substances’ in pesticides, which is fully transparent and free from conflicts of interest, ~~committing to put an end to the use of all synthetic pesticides by 2035 at the latest,~~ as well as immediately prohibiting the export of pesticides that have been banned in the EU and stopping the import of foodstuffs produced outside the EU using such unsafe chemicals; asks the Ombudsman to continue investigating the systems in place at EU level to make sure that the current policies and procedural safeguards in this field guarantee the highest levels of human health and environmental protection, and that the collection and examination of scientific evidence is fully transparent, accurate and free from conflicts of interest;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

B c. whereas Article 43 of the Charter 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 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Recalls that in March 2020, the Ombudsman closed her inquiry into how the Commission ensures that scientific experts who advise it have no conflicts of interest; stresses that the Ombudsman found these systems to be adequate; Calls on the Commission to improve its assessment processes of the independence of the scientific experts who advise it, including by fully implementing the Ombudsman’s suggestions following her inquiry on this matter, ensuring that the experts concerned do not have any conflict of interest;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls on the Ombudsman to launch an inquiry on the Commission’s strategic approach in dealing with petitions, as its action is only limited to issues it considers of strategic importance or which reflect structural problems, founded on an arbitrary methodology and vague criteria, which can breach citizens’ right to good administration and is at odds with the Commission’s duty to oversee the correct application of EU law throughout the Union, arising from Article 17 TEU;deleted

Amendment 72 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

Amendment 74 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Strongly criticises the Commission for its failure to finalise the SIA before concluding the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations; underlines that this meant that the Commission concluded the negotiations without appropriate and updated information about the potential social, environmental and economic impacts of the proposed agreement and without properly taking into account the views of all stakeholders, which must represent an additional reason to stop the adoption ofRegrets that the SIA has not been published before concluding the EU- Mercosur trade ~~agreement~~negotiations;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Strongly criticises the Commission for its failure to finalise the SIA before concluding the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations; ~~underlines that this meant that the Commission concluded the negotiations without appropriate and updated informa~~recalls the Parliament’s position ~~abou~~that the ~~potential social,~~ environmental and ~~economic~~social impacts of ~~the proposed agreement and without properly taking into account the views of all stakeholders, which must represent an additional reason to stop the adoption of~~free trade agreements must be thoroughly assessed prior to the conclusion of trade negotiations; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts with regards to the shared pre-ratification commitments between the EU and the ~~EU-~~Mercosur ~~trade agreement~~countries, particularly in the area of climate change and deforestation ;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Strongly criticises the Commission for its failure to finalise the SIA before concluding the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations; underlines that this ~~meant~~could imply that the Commission concluded the negotiations without appropriate and updated information about the potential social, environmental and economic impacts of the proposed agreement and without properly taking into account the views of all stakeholders, which must represent an additional reason to stop the adoption of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Strongly criticises the Commission for its failure to finalise the SIA before concluding the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations; underlines that this meant that the Commission concluded the negotiations without appropriate and updated information about the potential social, environmental and economic impacts of the proposed agreement and without properly taking into account the views of all stakeholders, which must represent an additional reason to ~~stop~~reconsider the adoption of the EU- Mercosur trade agreement;

Amendment 78 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. C~~riticises the decision of~~onsiders that the Council should provide guidance to those Member States, which held the Presidency of the Council, on how to use corporate sponsorship, as it caused serious damages to the EU’s image, stressing the importance for the future to refrain from any sponsorship; considers paramount the adoption of the most stringent rules preventing such practices from taking place with a view to safeguarding; welcomes the decision of the Council to accept the Ombudsman’s recommendations; considers paramount the adoption of rules in order to preserve the reputation and integrity of the Council and of the EU as a whole;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Criticises the decision of those Member States, which held the Presidency of the Council, to use corporate sponsorship, as it ~~caused~~entails serious ~~damage~~reputational risks to the EU~~’s image~~, stressing the importance for the future to refrain from any sponsorship; considers paramount the adoption of the most stringent rules preventing such practices from taking place with a view to safeguarding the reputation and integrity of the Council and of the EU as a whole;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)

B d. whereas Article 43 of the Charter 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 80 #

Anne-Sophie PELLETIER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Criticises the decision of those Member States, which held the Presidency of the Council, to use corporate sponsorship, as it caused serious damages to the EU’s image, stressing the importance for the future to refrain from any sponsorship; considers paramount the adoption of the most stringent rules preventing such practices from taking place with a view to safeguarding the reputation and integrity of the Council and of the EU as a whole; calls on the Member States to fully comply their obligation to collaborate with the Ombudsman

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Applauds the Ombudsman for opening an own-initiative inquiry into the extraordinary decision-making procedures put in place by the Council of the EU in the context of the COVID-19 crisis;

Amendment 82 #

Loránt VINCZE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Commends the Ombudsman’s work to protect EU citizens’ right to access documents held by the EU institutions; considers it paramount to guarantee ~~full~~ transparency and ~~full~~ public access to the documents held by the EU institutions; believes that revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/20012 must take place as a matter of priority; regrets the fact that EU legislation on access to documents is very much obsolete, thereby also hampering the Ombudsman’s activities on this matter; _________________ 2underlines that public access to documents is essential for public scrutiny of EU activity; points out, therefore, that transparency and the broadest possible access to documents held by the institutions must be the rule, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 ~~of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43.~~; believes that the Fast-Track procedure for dealing with public access complaints established by the Ombudsman can improve and accelerate the handling of requests concerning access to documents;

Amendment 83 #

Ramona STRUGARIU, Vlad GHEORGHE, Jordi CAÑAS, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Commends the Ombudsman’s work to protect EU citizens’ right to access documents held by the EU institutions; considers it paramount to guarantee ~~full~~ transparency and ~~full~~ public access to the documents held by the EU institutions; ~~believes that revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/20012 must take place as a mat~~encourages a swift review and updater of ~~priority; regrets the fact that EU legislation on access to documents is very much obsolete~~the existing legislation, twhereby also hampering the Ombudsman’s activities on this matter; _________________ 2 Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43. appropriate, in order to render the relevant process more efficient;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Commends the Ombudsman’s work to protect EU citizens’ right to access documents held by the EU institutions; considers it paramount to guarantee full transparency and full public access to the documents held by the EU institutions in order to ensure the highest levels of protection of the democratic rights of citizens and their trust in EU institutions; believes that revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/20012 must take place as a matter of priority; regrets the fact that EU legislation on access to documents is very much obsolete, thereby also hampering the Ombudsman’s activities on this matter; _________________ 2 Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43.

Amendment 85 #

Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE, Ramona STRUGARIU, Jordi CAÑAS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Commends the Ombudsman’s work to protect EU citizens’ right to access documents held by the EU institutions; and to provide citizens with documents in all EU official languages ; considers it paramount to guarantee full transparency and full public access to the documents held by the EU institutions;, believes that revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/20012 must take place as a matter of priority; regrets the fact that EU legislation on access to documents is very much obsolete, thereby also hampering the Ombudsman’s activities on this matter; _________________ 2 Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43.

Amendment 86 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. App~~laud~~roves the Ombudsman’s repeated commitment to combating revolving door cases, including the one involving the EBA, which persuaded it to agree with her recommendations by adopting a new policy for assessing post- employment restrictions and prohibitions for staff, as well as new procedures to suspend access to confidential information immediately for staff who are leaving;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 – point a (new)

(a) Calls on the Ombudsman to continue her work to ensure the timely publication of the names of all EU officials involved in ‘revolving door’ cases and to guarantee full transparency with regard to all related information;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Welcomes the inquiry launched by the Ombudsman on how the EIB handled its former Vice-President’s post- employment application to take a senior position at the Spanish company Iberdrola that had received a massive amount of loans by the EIB; criticises the failure of the EIB to act on Parliament’s request to include in the Code of Conduct of the EIB Management Committee provisions preventing their Members from overseeing lending and the implementation of projects in their countries of origin; calls on the EIB to fully and consistently comply with the Parliament’s demand and strengthen its integrity rules and their enforcement in order to prevent conflicts of interest and reputational damages;

Amendment 89 #

Anne-Sophie PELLETIER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. welcomes the Ombudsman's investigations concerning the protection of refugees' fundamental rights, including the handling of fundamental rights violations by Frontex and the extension of its mandate. highlights that this is accompanied by an important investigation into how the Commission ensures that the Croatian authorities respect fundamental rights in border management operations.

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)

B e. whereas Article 298(1) TFEU establishes that 'in carrying out their missions, the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union shall have the support of an open, efficient and independent European administration';

Amendment 90 #

Alex AGIUS SALIBA, Cristina MAESTRE, Sylvie GUILLAUME, Andris AMERIKS, Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Asks the Commission to comply fully and in a timely manner with the Ombudsman’s recommendations made following her inquiry on the BlackRock case by adopting strengthened and clearer rules, including in the framework ofWelcomes the decision of the Commission to update its internal guidelines, aimed at preventing any conflicts of interest in all procedures related to public procurement with a view to, inter alia, safeguarding the integrity of the decision-making processes concerning the adoption of new rules on ESG issues at EU level;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point a (new)

(a) Welcomes the Ombudsman’s inquiries following complaints by persons with disabilities, and encourages her work as an active participant in the EU Framework for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Welcomes the continuation of the Award for Good Administration, which aims to recognise actions by the EU public service that have a positive impact on the lives of European citizens; takes the view that the award should be better publicised to show European citizens that the EU institutions are taking practical action;

Amendment 93 #