2022 discharge: General budget of the EU - European Parliament

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 1 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Recital C a (new)

   Tabled by Gilles Boyer · Renew

   Added: C a. whereas foreign interference, information manipulation and disinformation constitute a serious violation of the Union values on which the Union is founded; whereas the Parliament’s Special Committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the Union, including disinformation (INGE), created in June 2022, exposed in detail third countries' efforts and operations to infiltrate, influence and interfere with European democracies and the Union institutions;

2. Amendment 3 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 45 a (new)

   Tabled by Gilles Boyer · Renew

   Added: 45 a. Emphasises the need for the European Parliament and other Union institutions to dispose of the adequate resources to safeguard their information space against information manipulation campaigns, while fully upholding Union values;

3. Amendment 4 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 53 a (new)

   Tabled by Gilles Boyer · Renew

   Added: 53 a. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a European media freedom act (EMFA) on 16 September 2022 which seeks to introduce a new set of rules to promote media pluralism and independence across the Union; is of the opinion that it represents an additional tool, within the Union’s continued efforts to fight against systematic campaigns of foreign information manipulation and interference aiming to destabilise the Union;

4. Amendment 5 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 55 a (new)

   Tabled by Gilles Boyer · Renew

   Added: 55 a. Believes that granting access to Parliament’s resources, such as video recording studios or other communication platforms must not be used to undermine the Union values or for the purposes of disseminating hostile information by authoritarian regimes.;

5. Amendment 6 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 76 a (new)

   Tabled by Gilles Boyer · Renew

   Added: 76 a. Strongly believes that the sponsoring of events and trips should never serve as a means to compromise Union values or propagate hostile information by authoritarian regimes; reiterates its call for stricter rules for trips taken by Members that are paid for by foreign countries and entities; believes that similar rules should be drawn up for trips taken by APAs or political group staff;

6. Amendment 13 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 37 a (new)

   Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

   Added: 37 a. Notes the revised code of conduct for Members and the increased focus on integrity and transparency regarding Members' declarations of financial interests, potential conflict of interests, meetings with representatives and declarations of input; stresses that the new rules are welcomed but that their interpretation has raised many questions and require action by Parliament’s administration and the Code of Conduct committee; highlights that in order for Members to be in compliance with the new rules, clear and reliable interpretation is necessary to allow the highest level of legal certainty; calls for regular information updates to be sent to Members' offices to allow for greater visibility and accessibility;

7. Amendment 15 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 129

   Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier · PPE

   … conduct inspections of MEPs’ offices and access their electronic servers and devices; Added: highlights that Members are protected by the non-liability for votes cast and opinions expressed in the performance of their duties and the protection from prosecutions and restrictions of their personal freedom during the sessions of the European Parliament; recalls that OLAF can only enter Members' offices after the President of the European Parliament grants access following a request issued by a responsible authority of a Member States, in most cases a judge; recalls that OLAF needs to respect these limits in the observance of its duties and investigations and stresses that alleged misconduct cannot be used as a pretext to request direct access;

8. Amendment 15 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 129

   Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier · PPE

   … conduct inspections of MEPs’ offices and access their electronic servers and devices; Added: highlights that Members are protected by the non-liability for votes cast and opinions expressed in the performance of their duties and the protection from prosecutions and restrictions of their personal freedom during the sessions of the European Parliament; recalls that OLAF can only enter Members' offices after the President of the European Parliament grants access following a request issued by a responsible authority of a Member States, in most cases a judge; recalls that OLAF needs to respect these limits in the observance of its duties and investigations and stresses that alleged misconduct cannot be used as a pretext to request direct access;

9. Amendment 16 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

   Paragraph 140 a (new)

   Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

   Added: 140 a. Recalls the deaf community’s longstanding demand for the possibility to submit petitions in national sign languages used within the Union; notes the discussions held during the Committee of Petitions meeting on 29/11/2023 and 19/03/2024, specifically addressing Petition 1056/2016, and underlines Parliament’s commitment to enhancing accessibility for all European citizens; recalls that the European Parliament’s Rules of Procedure require petitions to be submitted in written form; calls on Parliament’s Administration to implement the necessary changes in the Petitions Portal in order to enable Petitioners to support their written petition with a video recorded translation in sign language; encourages the Administration to invite relevant stakeholders, including representatives from the deaf community, to provide input and feedback during the implementation process to ensure the effectiveness and inclusivity of the proposed measures;

10. Amendment 17 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 152 a (new)

    Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

    Added: 152 a. Stresses that sexual and psychological harassment are not acceptable under any circumstances; recalls that Parliament has successfully installed several contact points to deal with harassment cases, like the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members, and the Advisory Committee on Harassment and its prevention at the workplace as well as confidential counsellors; is very concerned by media revelations of alleged sexual harassment by a Member since summer 2022 without action taken; recalls that all political groups are strongly encouraged to report potential cases to these committees and that establishing external structures with the same purpose lead to circumventing Parliament’s anti-harassment protocol and establish a two-tier system; underlines that this leads to grave uncertainty for victims and establishes different rules for different political parties;

11. Amendment 17 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 152 a (new)

    Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

    Added: 152 a. Stresses that sexual and psychological harassment are not acceptable under any circumstances; recalls that Parliament has successfully installed several contact points to deal with harassment cases, like the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members, and the Advisory Committee on Harassment and its prevention at the workplace as well as confidential counsellors; is very concerned by media revelations of alleged sexual harassment by a Member since summer 2022 without action taken; recalls that all political groups are strongly encouraged to report potential cases to these committees and that establishing external structures with the same purpose lead to circumventing Parliament’s anti-harassment protocol and establish a two-tier system; underlines that this leads to grave uncertainty for victims and establishes different rules for different political parties;

12. Amendment 17 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 152 a (new)

    Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

    Added: 152 a. Stresses that sexual and psychological harassment are not acceptable under any circumstances; recalls that Parliament has successfully installed several contact points to deal with harassment cases, like the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members, and the Advisory Committee on Harassment and its prevention at the workplace as well as confidential counsellors; is very concerned by media revelations of alleged sexual harassment by a Member since summer 2022 without action taken; recalls that all political groups are strongly encouraged to report potential cases to these committees and that establishing external structures with the same purpose lead to circumventing Parliament’s anti-harassment protocol and establish a two-tier system; underlines that this leads to grave uncertainty for victims and establishes different rules for different political parties;

13. Amendment 17 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 152 a (new)

    Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

    Added: 152 a. Stresses that sexual and psychological harassment are not acceptable under any circumstances; recalls that Parliament has successfully installed several contact points to deal with harassment cases, like the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members, and the Advisory Committee on Harassment and its prevention at the workplace as well as confidential counsellors; is very concerned by media revelations of alleged sexual harassment by a Member since summer 2022 without action taken; recalls that all political groups are strongly encouraged to report potential cases to these committees and that establishing external structures with the same purpose lead to circumventing Parliament’s anti-harassment protocol and establish a two-tier system; underlines that this leads to grave uncertainty for victims and establishes different rules for different political parties;

14. Amendment 18 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 159

    Tabled by Andrey Novakov, Monika Hohlmeier, Petri Sarvamaa · PPE

    159. Asks the administration and the Bureau to Removed: explore every legal option that would guarantee that no taxpayer money is used for any future bail-out of the VPF’s investment portfolio; Added: address the matter once again only after the legal assessment of the CJEU is delivered in order to consider the future of the VPF;

15. Amendment 21 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 61

    Tabled by Younous Omarjee, Marc Botenga, Manu Pineda +2 · The Left

    … and specialised profiles that are essential to carry out Parliament’s core business; Removed: notes that only services that are essential may be considered for a potential internalisation exercise; highlights that some services are carried out by external service providers due to their specific nature which does not meet the conditions for internalisation; is therefore Added: is of the opinion that the Removed: services not meeting these conditions should not be considered for internalisation Added: internalisation of essential services such as catering, cleaning and travel agency should be considered by the governing bodies;

16. Amendment 22 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 61 a (new)

    Tabled by Younous Omarjee, Marc Botenga · The Left

    Added: 61 a. Believes that a feasibility study on internalisation of those and other services, where necessary, should be conducted by Parliament services;

17. Amendment 26 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 131 a (new)

    Tabled by Marc Botenga, Kateřina Konečná · The Left

    Added: 131 a. Underlines that Members' salaries, pensions and benefits are overly generous; is concerned that these disproportionately high salaries completely alienate them from peoples' everyday lives, needs and struggles; considers therefore that allocating them more reasonable salaries and benefits will increase the chance of having MFF and yearly budget proposals more in line with working peoples' needs;

18. Amendment 27 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 131 b (new)

    Tabled by Marc Botenga, Kateřina Konečná · The Left

    Added: 131 b. Proposes to cut the basic monthly salaries of Members of the European Parliament by 50%;

19. Amendment 28 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 159

    Tabled by Marc Botenga · The Left

    … money is used for any future bail-out of the VPF’s investment portfolio; Added: considers therefore that the fund should be dissolved without delay;

20. Amendment 35 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 30

    Tabled by Joachim Kuhs, Matteo Adinolfi, Dominique Bilde · ID

    … and its efforts in implementing the new rules on integrity and transparency; Added: regrets that the 14-point action plan does not include a transparency requirement in particular regarding decisions adopted by the Bureau itself; echoes the "Closing Note on the Strategic Initiative on improving the European Parliament’s Ethics and Transparency Framework" by the Ombudsman and therefore calls for the minutes of the Bureau meetings of significant public interest to be made available; further welcomes the efforts by Parliament’s political authorities to enhance transparency, integrity …

21. Amendment 37 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 35 a (new)

    Tabled by Matteo Adinolfi, Dominique Bilde, Joachim Kuhs · ID

    Added: 35 a. Regrets that NGOs and civil society organisations remain exempt from most anti-money laundering transparency and reporting requirements; underlines that the European Court of Auditors Special report No 35/2018 warns that NGOs are prone to be used for money laundering purposes; calls, therefore, for the establishment of a definition of an NGO in the Union, and to bring NGOs under the scope of the Union's anti-money laundering framework, in order to be able to be listed in the transparency register;

22. Amendment 41 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 54 b (new)

    Tabled by Dominique Bilde, Matteo Adinolfi, Joachim Kuhs · ID

    Added: 54 b. Regrets that more than 17 million EUR (17 134 715 EUR) financed by European taxpayers has been allocated to Europa Experiences, a political propaganda tool whose practical usefulness remains to be demonstrated;

23. Amendment 47 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Recital C b (new)

    Tabled by Gilles Boyer, Katalin Cseh · Renew

    Added: C b. Whereas allegedly Members were paid to promote Russian propaganda;

24. Amendment 48 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 34 b (new)

    Tabled by Gilles Boyer, Katalin Cseh · Renew

    Added: 34 b. Reiterates its concerns about large-scale foreign interference and disinformation campaigns targeting the Union, particularly by Russia; emphasises the need for an enhanced security culture within Parliament; calls for a mandatory and regular security and integrity training for Members and members of staff, appropriate security clearance and reinforced screening of members of staff, in particular those attending in camera meetings; calls for stricter scrutiny of the organisation of events, of the invitation of external guests to Parliament and of access to Parliament’s communication platforms; calls for an urgent investigation into allegations of Russian influence in Parliament.

25. Amendment 49 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 170 a (new)

    Tabled by Dominique Bilde, Joachim Kuhs, Matteo Adinolfi · ID

    Added: 170 a. Notes with concern the donations to the ALDE Party from private firms in the IT and pharmaceutical sectors2a; warns against potential conflicts of interest that could arise, especially when Renew Europe Members are rapporteurs on files relating to these sectors; expresses its deep concern that this could arouse suspicions of foreign interference 2a https://www.appf.europa.eu/cmsdata/279274/European%20Political%20Parties%20Contributions%20and%20Donations%202022.pdf

26. Amendment 59 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 126 a (new)

    Tabled by Daniel Freund, Patrick Breyer · Verts/ALE

    Added: 126 a. Repeats its call for a reform of the GEA that would oblige Members to keep all receipts pertaining to the GEA, annually publish an overview of expenditure by category as well as an independent auditor’s opinion on the Parliament’s website, return the unspent share of the GEA at the end of the mandate, which would establish annual 5% sample checks of Members’ GEA expenditure by Parliament’s services; calls for Members to be required to externally audit the GEA;

27. Amendment 60 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 127

    Tabled by Daniel Freund · Verts/ALE

    … notes that a procedure to strengthen the mandate of OLAF in Parliament Added: by granting access to Members’ offices, computers, and email accounts in cases of substantiated suspicions regarding individual Members when it is strictly …

28. Amendment 66 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 159 a (new)

    Tabled by Daniel Freund, Patrick Breyer · Verts/ALE

    Added: 159 a. Suggests that former Members who will be receiving a sufficient pension from other sources voluntarily give up their claims for payments from the Voluntary Pension Fund;

29. Amendment 67 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 124 a (new)

    Tabled by Daniel Freund, Patrick Breyer, Marcel Kolaja · Verts/ALE

    Added: 124 a. Stresses the fact that the Bureau has not heeded the request of the Plenary for more transparency and accountability of GEA expenditure and has undermined these requests when revising the respective rules on 17 October 2022; calls on the Bureau to revise its decision of 17 October 2022 and bring it in line with the request voiced by Plenary repeatedly to make the GEA more transparent and accountable;