REPORT on the annual report on the activities of the European Ombudsman in 2024

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 15Rejected

   Paragraph 12

   Tabled by Cristina Guarda · Verts/ALE

   Removed: 12. Calls on the Ombudsman to examine the Commission’s practice of financing environmental non-governmental organisations that subsequently lobby Parliament and the Commission to further green policies; stresses that such practices risk creating conflicts of interest, distort the democratic process and undermine the legitimacy of EU decision-making; Added: deleted

2. Amendment 17Rejected

   Paragraph 16

   Tabled by Cristina Guarda · Verts/ALE

   16. Stresses that Frontex must operate Removed: within the provisions enshrined in its regulation5 , including the Added: in line with its obligations related to fundamental Removed: rights and Added: and human rights and in compliance with relevant international Removed: law; takes note of the reform of the Frontex mandate announced by the President of the Commission for 2026; expects that reinforcing the mandate, resources and budget of Frontex will ensure that the agency can perform its work under the best possible conditions in order to better support the Member States, Added: law, including in search and rescue operations; Removed: 5 Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2019 on the European Border and Coast Guard and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1052/2013 and (EU) 2016/1624 (OJ L 295, 14.11.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1896/oj).

3. Amendment 18Rejected

   Paragraph 17

   Tabled by Cristina Guarda · Verts/ALE

   17. Stresses that Frontex’s primary mission must be the Removed: protection of the EU’s external borders, the control of human traffickers and coyotes, and the fight against illegal immigration; underlines that a lack of border control is what leads to more deaths at sea; Added: prevention of deaths at sea, fully and consistently complying with relevant international human rights law; stresses that under the applicable EU and international legal framework, Member States are obliged to render assistance to any vessel or person in distress at sea, regardless of the nationality or status of the person or the circumstances in which that person is found;

4. Amendment 22Rejected

   Recital B

   Tabled by Marcin Sypniewski, Christine Anderson · ESN

   … Ombudsman from 2013 until the end of her term in early 2025; Added: whereas from 2013 to 2024 her efforts in the areas of transparency and accountability – including inquiries concerning access to information on COVID-19 vaccine negotiations, recommendations linked to the prevention of maladministration in the EU institutions and findings following the ‘Qatargate’ scandal – were instrumental in highlighting the need to improve administration in the EU institutions;

5. Amendment 24Rejected

   Paragraph 14

   Tabled by Marcin Sypniewski, Christine Anderson · ESN

   … text messages and instant messages are considered ‘documents’ under Regulation (EC) No Removed: 1049/20014 ; Added: 1049/20014; stresses that genuine transparency must include full and timely access to documents of major public interest, including those relating to large-scale public procurement procedures and negotiations conducted during crisis situations; considers that delays or refusals in granting access to such documents seriously undermine public trust in the EU’s institutions and calls on the Ombudsman to continue prioritising inquiries in this regard; 4 Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the …

6. Amendment 26Rejected

   Paragraph 17

   Tabled by Gheorghe Falcă · PPE

   17. Stresses that Frontex’s Removed: primary mission must be Added: role in the protection of the Removed: EU’s external borders, the control of human traffickers and coyotes, and Added: Union’s external borders and in the fight against Removed: illegal immigration; underlines that a lack of border control is what leads to more deaths Added: smuggling and human trafficking networks contributes to discouraging dangerous crossings and preventing loss of life at sea;

7. Amendment 27Rejected

   Recital AC

   Tabled by Pál Szekeres, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Sebastian Kruis +1 · PfE

   AC. whereas the Ombudsman conducted an inquiry Removed: following deaths in Added: in the context of the increase in illegal migration flows crossing the Mediterranean Sea and Removed: suggested the establishment of an EU accountability mechanism that could independently investigate the respective roles of national authorities, Frontex and the Commission; Added: the disproportionate burden placed on the most affected EU regions; whereas the absence of effective border control and insufficient action against smuggling networks contribute to illegal migration flows and create a pull effect towards the EU’s borders;

8. Amendment 31Rejected

   Paragraph 13

   Tabled by Pál Szekeres, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Sebastian Kruis · PfE

   … Commissioners, with a view to safeguarding the integrity of the decision-making process; Added: stresses that this is particularly relevant in light of the case concerning Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera, including the controversy linked to her husband’s position in Spain’s financial regulatory authority and her past involvement in the approval of environmental projects such as the Castor gas storage facility; highlights, in this context, the Ombudsman’s contribution towards enhancing the ethics and …

9. Amendment 37Rejected

   Paragraph 16

   Tabled by Nikos Pappas, Valentina Palmisano · The Left

   16. Removed: Stresses that Frontex must operate within the provisions enshrined in its regulation5, including the obligations related to fundamental rights Added: Appreciates the Ombudsman’s commitment to upholding the fundamental and human rights of migrants, including in the EU’s border management activities, by launching inquiries into the actions of Frontex and the Commission in this regard; stresses that several inquiries were opened in 2024 concerning the European Union Agency for Asylum and Frontex, which highlighted systemic challenges in ensuring accountability and compliance with Removed: relevant international law; takes note of the reform of the Frontex mandate announced by the President of the Commission for 2026; expects that reinforcing the mandate, resources and budget of Frontex will ensure that the agency can perform its work under the best possible conditions in order to better support the Member States, including in search and rescue operations; 5 Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2019 on the European Border and Coast Guard and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1052/2013 and (EU) 2016/1624 (OJ L 295, 14.11.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1896/oj). Added: EU fundamental rights obligations; calls on the Commission and the agencies concerned to report to Parliament on the action taken in response to the Ombudsman’s findings in these cases;

10. Amendment 38Rejected

    Paragraph 17

    Tabled by Nikos Pappas · The Left

    17. Removed: Stresses that Frontex’s primary mission must be the protection of the EU’s external borders, the control of human traffickers and coyotes, and the fight against illegal immigration; underlines that a lack of border control is what leads to more deaths at sea; Added: Expresses concern about the deployment of extensive surveillance and monitoring systems in Greece’s reception and identification centres; calls on the Commission to ensure that EU funding for such systems does not result in violations of fundamental rights of asylum seekers; insists that the Commission fully implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations concerning the transparency of relevant documents;

11. Amendment 39Rejected

    Paragraph 17 a (new)

    Tabled by Nikos Pappas · The Left

    Added: 17a. Calls on the Commission to fully implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations regarding the monitoring of EU funds allocated to Greece for border management; underlines that the protection of fundamental rights must be a non-negotiable condition for the financing of projects linked to returns, detention centres and border operations;

12. Amendment 40Adopted

    Paragraph 19

    Tabled by Nikos Pappas, Valentina Palmisano · The Left

    19. Removed: Regrets Added: Criticises the Commission’s refusal to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendation to grant greater public … documents related to the drafting of proposed legislation to combat child sexual Removed: abuse; recalls that citizens should be able to scrutinise the Commission’s work on legislative proposals; underlines that transparency is of particular importance in this context, as the proposal directly touches on Added: abuse, as it has thus failed to ensure that citizens can verify that it has acted independently and exclusively in the public interest; underlines that the protection of Removed: children, citizens’ fundamental rights and private life; Added: children from sexual abuse must be the EU’s foremost priority; stresses that this fight must go hand in hand with the protection of fundamental rights, including the right to privacy and data protection; calls on the Commission to ensure full transparency in the preparation of the legislative proposal and to actively involve civil society organisations, experts and non-governmental organisations in the field of child protection in the process; further calls on the Ombudsman to closely monitor the action taken on this legislative file to ensure that EU measures are both effective in protecting children and fully compliant with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

13. Amendment 40Rejected

    Paragraph 19

    Tabled by Nikos Pappas, Valentina Palmisano · The Left

    19. Removed: Regrets Added: Criticises the Commission’s refusal to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendation to grant greater public … documents related to the drafting of proposed legislation to combat child sexual Removed: abuse; recalls that citizens should be able to scrutinise the Commission’s work on legislative proposals; underlines that transparency is of particular importance in this context, as the proposal directly touches on Added: abuse, as it has thus failed to ensure that citizens can verify that it has acted independently and exclusively in the public interest; underlines that the protection of Removed: children, citizens’ fundamental rights and private life; Added: children from sexual abuse must be the EU’s foremost priority; stresses that this fight must go hand in hand with the protection of fundamental rights, including the right to privacy and data protection; calls on the Commission to ensure full transparency in the preparation of the legislative proposal and to actively involve civil society organisations, experts and non-governmental organisations in the field of child protection in the process; further calls on the Ombudsman to closely monitor the action taken on this legislative file to ensure that EU measures are both effective in protecting children and fully compliant with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

14. Amendment 41Rejected

    Paragraph 21 a (new)

    Tabled by Nikos Pappas, Valentina Palmisano, Manon Aubry · The Left

    Added: 21a. Notes that the Ombudsman has opened several inquiries concerning transparency in the EU-Mercosur negotiations and has expressed concern to the Commission regarding its refusal to disclose key documents, considering this approach inconsistent with the Commission’s commitment to open policymaking; recalls the Ombudsman’s previous finding of maladministration in relation to the Commission’s failure to finalise the sustainability impact assessment before concluding the negotiations with the Mercosur countries; further notes that concerns persist regarding the lack of transparency, including in the context of the decision to provisionally apply the agreement prior to obtaining Parliament’s consent, thereby limiting democratic scrutiny and parliamentary oversight; calls on the Ombudsman to examine, without delay, whether the handling of the agreement’s provisional application complies with the principles of transparency, democratic accountability, institutional balance and respect for Parliament’s prerogatives;