Discharge 2024: General budget of the EU - Agencies

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 9 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 11

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   … consultations or opacity remain; highlights that transparent procedures, public disclosure of meetings, Added: justified, balanced and transparent expert selection, and continuous conflict-of-interest screening Added: management, decision-makers and entities linked to these agencies, are indispensable to ensure that agency decisions are based solely on objective …

2. Amendment 10 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 12

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   … in order to avoid creating unnecessary and/or additional administrative burden for agencies; Added: Calls for full transparency regarding agencies’ interactions with NGOs and interest groups; invites the agencies to systematically publish the list of their meetings with stakeholders not belonging to the Union institutions or the Member States, as well as the contributions received;

3. Amendment 12 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 19

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   … a reasonable timeframe be terminated, with funds reallocated to more effective measures; Added: notes, in general, weaknesses in the internal controls and procedures of the agencies, with certain shortcomings leading to avoidable expenditure; calls urgently for a public external audit aimed at proposing strengthened, effective and harmonised internal control rules for the agencies, in order to address deficiencies in internal control systems, conflict-of-interest management, public procurement, HR processes and other areas repeatedly identified by the European Court of Auditors, with the objective of enhancing their professionalism and preventing the recurrence of costly errors, thereby safeguarding the Union’s financial interests;

4. Amendment 13 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 22

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   … had to pay rent in both London and Amsterdam as a result; Added: expresses concern that the EMA may be liable for EUR 543 million in respect of the lease of its former premises in London, running until 2039, despite the subletting of those premises to a company that has recently renegotiated the contract downwards; regrets therefore that, at the end of 2024, a provision for an onerous contract of EUR 122.1 million was recognised by the EMA, partially reimbursed by the European Commission; acknowledges that since 2019 several agencies have introduced break-out clauses, but regrets … agencies have done so, including cases where new or renewed leases were Removed: signed; Added: signed, reflecting a naivete regarding the use of taxpayers’ money from the Member States of the Union; notes that the former EMA building belongs to a property complex partly controlled by a Qatari fund (QIA); regrets the significant legal fees paid by the EMA on this matter when the agency has a legal department; urges agencies and the Commission to systematically introduce break-out clauses when negotiating … lessons learned from past experience, in order to limit financial exposure and Removed: ensure greater budgetary flexibility; Added: to prevent any further misuse of taxpayers’ money from the citizens of the Member States of the Union;

5. Amendment 15 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 43 b (new)

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   Added: 43 b. Recalls that agencies must focus on their core tasks; denounces the intrusion of an ideology promoted by politically left-wing NGOs, supported by the European Commission and increasingly present in recent years; regrets the increase in staff and budget allocated to fundamental rights monitoring at the expense of officers of the standing corps of European Border and Coast Guard Agency, as recalled by its Executive Director in 20242a, thereby at times hindering the Agency in the fulfilment of its core mission; stresses that all Frontex activities and resources must remain focused on border protection, the fight against cross-border crime, the prevention of irregular migration and the effective return of persons not legally entitled to stay; calls for the redeployment of resources to ensure that means are concentrated on essential border management tasks, the continued recruitment of operational frontline staff at the Union's external borders, and the rationalisation of administrative posts; 2a https://fr.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/03/05/nous-ne-sommes-pas-lagence-europeenne-de-sauvetage-souligne-le-directeur-de-frontex

6. Amendment 16 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 48

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   … invites the internal audit services of the agencies to prioritise procurement reviews; Added: recalls that, in the context of any public procurement procedure, it is essential to comply with all applicable principles, including transparency, proportionality, equal treatment, non-discrimination and fair competition between tenderers, as well as supply requirements, while prioritising European companies and products and services of European origin over non-European companies (IT softwares, cloud, cyber, open source solutions);

7. Amendment 20 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 110 a (new)

   Tabled by Virginie Joron · PfE

   Added: 110 a. Notes that on March 19, 2026, Dr. Helmut Sterz, former chief toxicologist at Pfizer Europe, testified before the German Parliament's COVID-19 inquiry committee that the carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity of the vaccine had not been properly studied and that, two months after approval, Pfizer had already observed 1,200 suspected deaths in a post-marketing report; he estimates that 60,000 people may have died from the COVID vaccine in Germany; calls on the health agencies EMA, ECDC, and HERA to monitor social media posts and, if they have more compelling arguments, to comment on viral posts so that citizens can form their own opinions;

8. Amendment 25 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 2 a (new)

   Tabled by Sarah Knafo, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   Added: 2 a. Public funding must be strictly linked to measurable outcomes and concrete policy delivery; financing advocacy activities risks blurring the line between policy implementation and political influence, which is not compatible with sound financial management; strongly opposes the creation of new EU agencies, and calls for a review of existing ones;

9. Amendment 26 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

   Paragraph 13 a (new)

   Tabled by Sarah Knafo, Milan Uhrík · ESN

   Added: 13 a. notes with concern the steady increase in the staffing levels of the Union’s agencies; points out that any increase in staffing levels must be justified by a clearly demonstrated operational need and by measurable results in order to avoid any budgetary overspending;

10. Amendment 27 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 19 a (new)

    Tabled by Sarah Knafo, Milan Uhrík · ESN

    Added: 19 a. points out that the lack of clear and harmonised performance indicators can mask inefficiencies in the use of public funds;

11. Amendment 28 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 19 b (new)

    Tabled by Sarah Knafo, Milan Uhrík · ESN

    Added: 19 b. considers that continuing with activities that have not proven their effectiveness constitutes an inefficient use of public resources;

12. Amendment 43 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 1 a (new)

    Tabled by Dick Erixon, Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza, Cristian Terheş · ECR

    Added: 1 a. Considers that the current practice of adopting a single discharge resolution covering almost all decentralised agencies and other bodies, whose combined budget exceeds EUR 4,1 billion and whose staff exceeds 11 491 persons, structurally limits Parliament's ability to exercise meaningful scrutiny over individual agencies; stresses that each agency and body has a distinct mandate, budget and performance record that warrants a dedicated political assessment; calls, therefore, for future discharge procedures to provide for individual resolutions per agency, enabling targeted political accountability and more informed budgetary decisions;

13. Amendment 44 · Motion for a resolutionAdopted

    Paragraph 24

    Tabled by Dick Erixon, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Cristian Terheş · ECR

    … controls, staffing and absorption planning to avoid irregularities, carryovers, and ineffective spending; Added: stresses that any additional resources for agencies must be accompanied by measurable performance targets and regular reporting on the concrete outcomes achieved, so that the discharge authority can assess value for money; insists that before additional funding is approved, agencies must first demonstrate that existing resources are being deployed efficiently;

14. Amendment 45 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 33

    Tabled by Dick Erixon, Kristoffer Storm, Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza +4 · ECR

    33. Notes the progressive expansion of Removed: Europol’s Added: Europol's mandate, including recently adopted and proposed measures conferring enhanced capacities to combat … the effective implementation of those additional tasks requires a corresponding increase in Removed: Europol’s Added: Europol's human resources, but also robust internal safeguards, sufficient compliance capacity and strengthened supervisory mechanisms; observes, that Removed: Europol’s Added: Europol's budget increased by 5,78 % in 2024 compared to 2023; urges that Removed: Europol’s Added: Europol's budget be further reinforced in order to address persistent staffing shortages and … ensure that its financial resources are commensurate with its expanding responsibilities; stresses Removed: Europol’s Added: that Europol's key role in combating migrant smuggling, trafficking Removed: in human beings, Added: cross-border organised crime and terrorism is of the highest priority and these core tasks should take precedence over less urgent priorities elsewhere; underlines that Frontex must concentrate its resources on its core operational tasks, namely supporting Member States in protecting the external border of the Schengen area, combating cross-border crime and terrorism; underlines that Frontex should focus on Removed: core operations; and welcomes Frontex’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its Fundamental Rights Officer; Added: its core tasks;

15. Amendment 46 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 33 a (new)

    Tabled by Dick Erixon, Kristoffer Storm, Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza +4 · ECR

    Added: 33 a. Stresses that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) must concentrate its resources on its core operational tasks, namely border surveillance of the Schengen area, combating cross-border crime and supporting effective return operations, which are essential to maintaining a credible migration management framework for the Union; calls for the continued prioritisation of frontline recruitment at the Union's external borders and for a corresponding streamlining of administrative posts; notes that the overall Union return rate remains insufficient in relation to the scale of illegal migration flows; urges Frontex to further strengthen its return operations and to intensify cooperation with Member States and third countries to improve the effectiveness of return programmes;

16. Amendment 47 · Motion for a resolutionRejected

    Paragraph 33 b (new)

    Tabled by Dick Erixon, Nicolas Bay, Charlie Weimers +2 · ECR

    Added: 33 b. Notes with grave concern the public statement by the Executive Director of Frontex Hans Leijtens that 'To put it bluntly, nothing can stop people from crossing a border, no wall, no fence, no sea, no river'1a; expresses grave concern that these types of statements dilute Frontex's core mandate, which is to protect the Union's external borders and to prevent illegal border crossings; recalls that, under the former Executive Director, Frontex adopted a more operationally assertive approach to border protection, which was systematically undermined by institutional pressure from the Commission and NGO-driven advocacy; stresses that Frontex's budget, financed by Union taxpayers, must be directed towards effective border protection, combating migrant smuggling and supporting return operations, not towards an expanded mandate in migration management or fundamental rights that blurs the line between border protection and facilitation of illegal entries; 1a https://brusselssignal.eu/2024/01/head-of-frontex-nothing-can-stop-people-from-crossing-a-border/