### 14. notes the observation of the court that the authority used a framework contract with an it company for the provision of it consultants and that the authority issued work instructions to some of those it consultants directly , potentially blurring the lines between the authority’s staff and the consultants; notes the authority’s reply that this resulted from the implementation of a new it-service model and related framework contract and that the authority is working to mature its management of the third party service integration; calls on the authority to keep the discharge authority informed about this process of maturation and entrenchment of service-based consumption of it services; ### 14. notes the observation of the court that the authority used a framework contract with an it company for the provision of it consultants and that the authority issued work instructions to some of those it consultants directly , potentially blurring the lines between the authority’s staff and the consultants; stresses the risks brought by the use of external it-consultants; urges the authority to pay special attention to ensuring operations security and data protection; notes the authority’s reply that this resulted from the implementation of a new it-service model and related framework contract and that the authority is working to mature its management of the third party service integration; calls on the authority to keep the discharge authority informed about this process of maturation and entrenchment of service-based consumption of it services;


### 15. notes the observation of the court that the authority runs legal and reputational risks by using an it company not domiciled in the authority’s host country to provide it consultants working at the authority’s premises that would qualify for posted worker status under the provisions of french law concerning the transposition of the posting of workers directive2 and the enforcement directive3 , and by not verifying the declaration of compliance with union and national law of the contractor; ### 15. notes with high concern the observation of the court that the authority runs legal and reputational risks by using an it company not domiciled in the authority’s host country to provide it consultants working at the authority’s premises that would qualify for posted worker status under the provisions of french law concerning the transposition of the posting of workers directive2 and the enforcement directive3 , and by not verifying the declaration of compliance with union and national law of the contractor;


### 17. welcomes the extension of the scope of conflicts of interest to non-staff beyond the board of supervisors and management board , to include the anti-money laundering standing committee , the resolution committee and independent panels , including panels investigating breaches of union law; ### 17. notes the extension of the scope of conflicts of interest to non-staff beyond the board of supervisors and management board , to include the anti-money laundering standing committee , the resolution committee and independent panels , including panels investigating breaches of union law;


### 19. notes the inquiry of the ombudsman following the authority’s decision not to forbid its former executive director from taking up a role in a financial industry lobby and the inquiry’s conclusion that there was maladministration by the authority in not immediately withdrawing its executive director’s access to confidential information; notes the recommendations made by the ombudsman and the authority’s reply that the new staff policy addresses the recommendations; ### 19. notes with concern the inquiry of the ombudsman took place following the authority’s decision not to forbid its former executive director from taking up a role in a financial industry lobby and the inquiry’s conclusion that there was maladministration by the authority in not immediately withdrawing its executive director’s access to confidential information; notes the recommendations made by the ombudsman and the authority’s reply that the new staff policy addresses the recommendations;


### 20. notes the adoption and implementation of a revised internal control framework by the authority in january 2020; notes that no annual assessment of the internal control framework was performed in 2019; calls on the authority to perform the annual assessment and to report to the discharge authority of its results in the framework of the annual discharge procedure; ### 20. notes the adoption and implementation of a revised internal control framework by the authority in january 2020; deplores that no annual assessment of the internal control framework was performed in 2019; calls on the authority to perform the annual assessment without any delay and to report to the discharge authority of its results in the framework of the annual discharge procedure;


### 21. welcomes the authority’s commitment to register its office space under the union’s eco-management and audit scheme; ### 21. welcomes the authority’s commitment to register its office space under the union’s eco-management and audit scheme; invites the authority to strengthen its commitment to creating a sustainable work environment; encourages to closely follow emas guidelines;


### 15. welcomes the energy lending policy agreed by the eib board of directors in november 2019 and in particular the decision to end financing for fossil fuel energy projects; notes however that gas infrastructure projects included in the 4th list of projects of common interest and gas projects already under appraisal by 14 november 2019 are not excluded from eib financing until the end of 2021; points to the ombudsman decision in case 1991/2019/kr including the observation that the sustainability of gas on the pci list were not properly assessed; expresses its concern that in 2019 the eib provided 604 million euro of financing to oil and natural gas transmission and distribution; stresses that these projects are at risk of contributing to a lock-in of carbon intensive infrastructure and stranded assets; calls on the eib to assess and address these risks; ### 15. welcomes the energy lending policy agreed by the eib board of directors in november 2019 and in particular the decision to end financing for fossil fuel energy projects; notes however that gas infrastructure projects included in the 4th list of projects of common interest and gas projects already under appraisal by 14 november 2019 are not excluded from eib financing until the end of 2021; points to the ombudsman decision in case 1991/2019/kr including the observation that the sustainability of gas on the pci list were not properly assessed; expresses its concern that in 2019 the eib provided 685 million euro of financing to natural gas transmission and distribution; stresses that these projects are at risk of contributing to a lock-in of carbon intensive infrastructure and stranded assets; calls on the eib to assess and address these risks;


### 18. notes that in 2019 the eib supported several projects involving hydropower; expresses its concern about shortcomings in the environmental impact assessment of eib-financed hydropower projects; welcomes the environmental , climate and social guidelines on hydropower development; calls on the eib to enhance transparency of eib operations involving financial intermediaries to identify and avoid potential negative environmental or human rights’ impacts to hydropower operations both inside and outside the eu; ### 18. notes that in 2019 the eib supported several projects involving hydropower; expresses its concern about shortcomings in the environmental impact assessment of eib-financed hydropower projects; welcomes the environmental , climate and social guidelines on hydropower development; calls on the eib in its review of the environmental and social sustainability framework and in the guidelines for counterparties alignment to enhance transparency of eib operations involving financial intermediaries to identify and avoid potential negative environmental or human rights’ impacts to hydropower operations both inside and outside the eu;


### 33. regrets the still persistent lack of diversity and gender balance at the senior management level and within the eib group’s governing bodies as well as a very high share of women in support functions; regrets that the target to increase the percentage of female managers to 33% by 2021 falls below the target of 40% women in managing positions in the commission; urges the eib to strengthen its efforts in promoting gender balance at all levels of staff; ### 33. regrets the still persistent lack of diversity and gender balance at the senior management level and within the eib group’s governing bodies as well as a very high share of women in support functions; regrets that the target to increase the percentage of female managers to 33% by 2021 falls below the target of 40% women in managing positions in the commission; urges the eib to strengthen its efforts in promoting gender balance at all levels of staff; urges the eib to encourage the members states who put forward vice-president nominees to also consider diversity and gender balance targets;


### 41. notes that in 2019 out of the 220 cases completed , 40 were substantiated and resulted either in referrals to competent authorities or in recommendations to eib group services; notes also that 62% of such referrals (25 out of 40) were made to olaf; asks eib to report on the outcome of undertaken actions; ### 41. notes that in 2019 out of the 220 cases completed , 40 were substantiated and resulted either in referrals to competent authorities or in recommendations to eib group services; notes also that 62% of such referrals (25 out of 40) were made to olaf; asks eib to report on the outcome of undertaken actions , including , where available , amounts that were recovered;


### l. whereas some companies and natural persons operate in more than one member state; ### l. whereas some companies and natural persons operate in more than one member state and , therefore , receive eu subsidies in several member states without the commission being able to keep track of the total amount of money accumulated by each of these multinational companies;


### n. whereas all these factors illustrate that there is an urgent need to create a standardised union-wide interoperable digital system for member states‘ implementing authorities to report about the beneficiaries of cap and structural and cohesion funds in order to enable national control and audit authorities , union institutions and the public to obtain reliable information about the identity of final beneficiaries , how much they receive and from which funds; ### n. whereas all these factors illustrate that there is an urgent need to create a transparent standardised open-source union-wide interoperable digital system for member states‘ implementing authorities to report about the beneficiaries of cap and structural and cohesion funds in order to enable national control and audit authorities , union institutions and the public to obtain reliable information about the identity of final beneficiaries , how much they receive and from which funds;


### o. whereas such a system should ensure data format harmonisation , be machine readable , contain unique identification numbers , include search and sort functions and be interoperable so that data can be aggregated not only in respect of one policy or fund but across all policies , funds and member states; ### o. whereas such a system should be open-source , ensure data format harmonisation , be machine readable , contain unique identification numbers , include search and sort functions and be interoperable so that data can be aggregated not only in respect of one policy or fund but across all policies , funds and member states;


### q. whereas the union budget should finance the development of such a system , which should be made available to member states and regional authorities in charge of running and maintaining such reporting systems together with training courses for officials in charge of the daily operation of the systems; ### q. whereas the union budget should finance the development of such a system , which should be made available to member states and regional authorities in charge of running and maintaining such reporting systems , as well as for journalist , civil society representatives and the general public , together with training courses for officials in charge of the daily operation of the systems;


### r. whereas the reporting systems for cap and structural and cohesion policies cannot realistically be constantly updated with the most recent information about company ownerships and thereby ultimate beneficiaries , the systems should therefore be automatically linked to common databases about ultimate beneficiaries; ### r. whereas the reporting systems for cap and structural and cohesion policies cannot realistically be constantly updated with the most recent information about company ownerships and thereby ultimate beneficiaries , the systems should therefore be automatically linked to public company databases and common databases about ultimate beneficiaries;


### u. whereas data on recipients of funds from cap and structural and cohesion funds should be available to the public for a minimum period of five years; ### u. whereas data on recipients of funds from cap and structural and cohesion funds should be available to the public for a minimum period of ten years;


### 8. underlines that transparency about final beneficiaries will ensure that auditing , control and discharge authorities in national administrations , the commission , the council and the parliament will have much better and more accurate possibilities to ensure that money is being spent efficiently according to rules and policy ambitions; ### 8. underlines that transparency about final beneficiaries will ensure that auditing , control and discharge authorities in national and regional administrations , the commission , the council and the parliament will have much better and more accurate possibilities to ensure that money is being spent efficiently according to rules and policy ambitions;


### 9. underlines furthermore , that transparency about final beneficiaries will give journalists , civil society representatives and the general public much better possibilities to raise legitimate questions and concerns and thereby to expose potential cases of misuse or fraud of union funds; ### 9. underlines furthermore , that transparency about final beneficiaries will give journalists , civil society representatives and the general public much better possibilities to raise legitimate questions and concerns and thereby to expose potential cases of misuse or fraud of union funds or problematic involvement from politically exposed persons (peps);


### 14. stresses that the revision should ensure that it is possible to identify final beneficiaries of funds and therefore the revision should , among other things , contain an obligation for reporting systems to include detailed information about the type of beneficiary and unique identifiers for all direct beneficiaries; ### 14. stresses that the revision should ensure that it is possible to identify final beneficiaries of funds and therefore the revision should , among other things , contain an obligation for reporting systems to use standardised datasets , which include detailed information about the type of beneficiary and unique identifiers for all direct beneficiaries;


### 16. underlines that in situations where the direct recipient is a company which is owned by another company , it should be ensured that it is possible to identify the owners of the second company also , and that this obligation should continue to apply no matter how many companies are involved; ### 16. underlines that in situations where the direct recipient is a company which is owned by another company , it should be ensured that it is possible to identify the owners of the second company also , and that this obligation should continue to apply to all companies involved in the ownership structure;


### 20. calls on the commission to develop and make available to financial actors and entities responsible for tasks of budget implementation , including competent national authorities under shared management , a system to ensure the digitalisation of european reporting , monitoring and audit for the cap , cohesion and structural funds policies and other policies; ### 20. calls on the commission to develop and make available to financial actors and entities responsible for tasks of budget implementation , including competent national and regional authorities under shared management , a system to ensure the digitalisation of european reporting , monitoring and audit for the cap , cohesion and structural funds policies and other policies;


### 21. stresses that such a system shall be based on standardised measures to collect , compare and aggregate information and figures on the final recipients and beneficiaries of union funding , for the purposes of control and audit; ### 21. stresses that such a system shall be based on open-source principles and use standardised datasets and measures to collect , compare and aggregate information and figures on the final recipients and beneficiaries of union funding , for the purposes of control and audit;


### 23. asks for this system to be developed as quickly as possible and to be made available and mandatory for the reporting authorities in member states; ### 23. asks for this system to be developed within two years and to be made available , free of charge , and mandatory for the reporting authorities in member states;


### 24. underlines that the development of such a system should be accompanied with the enabling of national authorities and relevant union institutions , including the parliament , the commission , eca , olaf and eppo where relevant , to ensure efficient checks on conflicts of interests , irregularities , issues of double funding and any misuse of the funds including the use of modern it tools such as arachne; ### 24. underlines that the development of such a system should be accompanied with the enabling of national and regional authorities and relevant union institutions , including the parliament , the commission , eca , olaf and eppo where relevant , to ensure efficient checks on conflicts of interests , irregularities , issues of double funding and any misuse of the funds including the use of modern it tools such as arachne;


### 26. asks for the commission to ensure that the necessary funding for such a system is made available in the union budget together with appropriations for training and technical assistance for staff of national authorities that will be using this system; ### 26. asks for the commission to ensure that the necessary funding for such a system is made available in the union budget together with appropriations for training and technical assistance for staff of national and regional authorities that will be using this system;


### 29. asks that information about recipients of union funds is made publicly available for a minimum period of five years; ### 29. asks that information about recipients of union funds is made publicly available for a minimum period of ten years;


### 31. acknowledges that the system should respect rules concerning minimum amounts that will not be made publicly available; stresses that the responsible authorities should nevertheless always aggregate all the funds that are being paid to a single beneficiary and if the total amount that is being paid to any single beneficiary exceeds the minimum amount all the payments to that beneficiary should be made public; ### 31. acknowledges that the system should respect rules concerning minimum amounts that will not be made publicly available; stresses that the responsible authorities should nevertheless always aggregate all the funds that are being paid to a single beneficiary and if the total amount that is being paid to any single beneficiary exceeds the minimum amount , information regarding all the payments made to that beneficiary should be disclosed to the public;


### 1. grants the executive director of the innovative medicines initiative 2 joint undertaking discharge in respect of the implementation of the joint undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2019 / postpones its decision on discharge to the executive director of the innovative medicines initiative 2 joint undertaking in respect of the implementation of the joint undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2019; ### 1. postpones its decision on discharge to the executive director of the innovative medicines initiative 2 joint undertaking in respect of the implementation of the joint undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2019;


### 1. approves the closure of the accounts of the innovative medicines initiative 2 joint undertaking for the financial year 2019 / postpones the closure of the accounts of the innovative medicines initiative 2 joint undertaking for the financial year 2019; ### 1. postpones the closure of the accounts of the innovative medicines initiative 2 joint undertaking for the financial year 2019;


### 5. notes that out of the eur 1 425 000 000 of in-kind and cash contributions to be made by industry members to the operational activities of the imi2 joint undertaking , in-kind contributions of eur 202 598 000 and cash contributions of eur 15 554 000 were reported and validated , and that additionally , eur 5 662 000 in cash and eur 8 203 000 of in-kind contributions by associated partners were reported and validated; notes that consequently , at the end of 2019 , the total contributions of industry members and associated partners to the horizon 2020 activities of the imi2 joint undertaking amounted to eur 232 017 000 , compared to the union’s total cash contribution of eur 423 743 000; notes that regarding the 2019 budget available for horizon 2020 projects , the implementation rates for commitment and payment appropriations were 100 % and 98 % respectively; notes that , at the end of 2019 , 79 out of the total 83 ongoing projects of imi2 joint undertaking were funded under the horizon 2020 programme; ### 5. notes that out of the eur 1 425 000 000 of in-kind and cash contributions to be made by industry members to the operational activities of the imi2 joint undertaking , in-kind contributions of eur 202 598 000 and cash contributions of eur 15 554 000 were reported and validated , and that additionally , eur 5 662 000 in cash and eur 8 203 000 of in-kind contributions by associated partners were reported and validated;


### 7. notes that the imi2 joint undertaking has 10 key performance indicators (kpis) that were tracked and reported on for the first time in its 2018 annual activity report , which also involved collecting data from imi joint undertaking where relevant; notes that an analysis of the kpis reveals that imi2 joint undertaking projects are now , namely in the middle of the imi2 joint undertaking programme’s cycle , getting on track compared to the established targets and able to generate innovations and detectable impacts , given the complex and long-term nature of the projects; notes that , in regard to the longer-term outputs and impacts of its programmes , the joint undertaking in 2019 carried out a significant assessment of the socio-economic impact of the 44 imi joint undertaking projects that had been completed; furthermore , notes that the joint undertaking collects data to report based on the relevant standard kpi’s of the horizon 2020; ### 7. notes that the imi2 joint undertaking has 10 key performance indicators (kpis) that were tracked and reported on for the first time in its 2018 annual activity report , which also involved collecting data from imi joint undertaking where relevant; notes that an analysis of the kpis reveals that imi2 joint undertaking projects are now , namely in the middle of the imi2 joint undertaking programme’s cycle , getting on track compared to the established targets and able to generate innovations and detectable impacts , given the complex and long-term nature of the projects; notes that , in regard to the longer-term outputs and impacts of its programmes , the joint undertaking in 2019 carried out a significant assessment of the socio-economic impact of the 44 imi joint undertaking projects that had been completed; calls on the imi2 joint undertaking to also assess environmental impact of its projects; furthermore , notes that the joint undertaking collects data to report based on the relevant standard kpi’s of the horizon 2020;


### 8. notes that the joint undertaking maintains a strong focus on areas where there is a major public health need and on the priorities of its strategic research agenda; notes that in 2019 , the joint undertaking launched three calls for proposals with a total of 10 topics , and signed 29 grant agreements for new projects , expanding into new areas within the pharmaceutical industry , while also increasing its ties with other sectors involved in health research and innovation; ### 8. notes that the joint undertaking should place a strong focus on areas where there is a major public health need and on the priorities of its strategic research agenda; notes that in 2019 , the joint undertaking launched three calls for proposals with a total of 10 topics , and signed 29 grant agreements for new projects , expanding into new areas within the pharmaceutical industry , while also increasing its ties with other sectors involved in health research and innovation;


### 10. notes that in 2019 the imi2 joint undertaking’s leverage effect value was 1 ,03; ### 10. notes that in 2019 the imi2 joint undertaking’s leverage effect value was 1 ,03; points with concern at this rate to be below expectations; calls on the imi2 joint undertaking to take steps to meet the target;


### 14. notes the court’s finding that the imi2 joint undertaking has set up reliable ex-ante control procedures , based on financial and operational desk reviews , and that at the end of 2019 , it had implemented the new internal control framework and developed indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the control activities for all internal control principles and related characteristics; furthermore , notes that 2019 was the second year of the imi2 joint undertaking’s self-assessment of its internal control activities under the new framework; ### 14. notes the court’s finding that the imi2 joint undertaking has set up reliable ex-ante control procedures , based on financial and operational desk reviews , and that at the end of 2019 , it had implemented the new internal control framework and developed indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the control activities for all internal control principles and related characteristics; furthermore , notes that 2019 was the second year of the imi2 joint undertaking’s self-assessment of its internal control activities under the new framework; calls on the imi2 joint undertaking to present to the discharge authority reports of the self-assessment exercise;


### 16. notes that , according to the court’s report , as part of the operational payment controls , the court audited randomly sampled horizon 2020 payments made in 2019 at the level of the final beneficiaries to corroborate the ex-post audit error rates , and that those detailed audits showed no significant errors or control weaknesses at the sampled joint undertaking’s beneficiaries; ### 16. notes with satisfaction that , according to the court’s report , as part of the operational payment controls , the court audited randomly sampled horizon 2020 payments made in 2019 at the level of the final beneficiaries to corroborate the ex-post audit error rates , and that those detailed audits showed no significant errors or control weaknesses at the sampled joint undertaking’s beneficiaries;


### 17. notes that , as regards suspected fraud cases , in 2019 the joint undertaking did not identify any new cases of irregularities or suspected fraud while managing its project portfolio and did not receive any european anti-fraud office enquiries or requests for information. ### 17. notes with satisfaction that , as regards suspected fraud cases , in 2019 the joint undertaking did not identify any new cases of irregularities or suspected fraud while managing its project portfolio and did not receive any european anti-fraud office enquiries or requests for information.


### 1. grants the executive director of the bio-based industries joint undertaking discharge in respect of the implementation of the joint undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2019 / postpones its decision on discharge to the executive director of the bio-based industries joint undertaking in respect of the implementation of the joint undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2019; ### 1. postpones its decision on discharge to the executive director of the bio-based industries joint undertaking in respect of the implementation of the joint undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2019;


### 1. approves the closure of the accounts of the bio-based industries joint undertaking for the financial year 2019 / postpones the closure of the accounts of the bio-based industries joint undertaking for the financial year 2019; ### 1. postpones the closure of the accounts of the bio-based industries joint undertaking for the financial year 2019;


### 6. notes from the court’s report that the total amount of in-kind contributions to additional activities of eur 916 064 000 at the end of 2019 includes approximately eur 216 000 000 of contribution reported but for which the certification process has not been completed due to the covid-19 pandemic; ### 6. notes from the court’s report that the total amount of in-kind contributions to additional activities of eur 916 064 000 at the end of 2019 includes approximately eur 216 000 000 of contribution reported but for which the certification process has not been completed due to the covid-19 pandemic; stresses that participating companies provided so far only 3 ,7 % of their in-kind contributions and that these companies refuse to disclose the data enabling a proper evaluation of those in-kind contribution;


### 8. notes that the overall utilisation rates for commitment and payment appropriations were 87 ,40 % and 75 ,87 % , respectively; notes from the court’s report that the low implementation of the available commitment appropriations was due to the 2019 call evaluation resulting in a lower than expected number of proposals eligible for funding under a specific topic; notes , furthermore , that the operational budget achieved an implementation rate of 87 %; ### 8. notes that the overall utilisation rates for commitment and payment appropriations were 87 ,40 % and 75 ,87 % , respectively; notes from the court’s report that the low implementation of the available commitment appropriations was due to the 2019 call evaluation resulting in a lower than expected number of proposals eligible for funding under a specific topic; notes , furthermore , that the operational budget achieved an implementation rate of 87 %; calls on the joint undertaking to review its call procedures and requirements and identify potential weaknesses , also with regard to the relatively low implementation rate;


### 9. notes from the court’s report that at the end of 2019 the joint undertaking implemented 76 % of the available payment appropriations for horizon 2020 projects , and that the pre-financing payments for projects selected under the 2018 call for proposals comprised 62 % of the value of the operational payments made during the year; notes that the execution progressed compared to the previous year despite delays with some periodic reports and the amounts of certain cost claims being below the anticipated level; observes that the need of multi-annual forecasting of the operational payment appropriations , each year , with the final annual call in 2020 , brings more challenges and a higher volume of transactions as more projects are running in parallel; ### 9. notes from the court’s report that at the end of 2019 the joint undertaking implemented 76 % of the available payment appropriations for horizon 2020 projects , and that the pre-financing payments for projects selected under the 2018 call for proposals comprised 62 % of the value of the operational payments made during the year; notes that the execution progressed compared to the previous year despite delays with some periodic reports and the amounts of certain cost claims being below the anticipated level; observes that the need of multi-annual forecasting of the operational payment appropriations , each year , with the final annual call in 2020 , brings more challenges and a higher volume of transactions as more projects are running in parallel; calls on the joint undertaking to closely monitor the situation in order to avoid backlogs , delayed payments and understaffing that could seriously affect the workload;


### 11. notes from the court’s report that of the minimum eur 182 500 000 of cash contributions to be made by the industry members to the joint undertaking’s operational costs , only eur 3 250 000 were paid at the end of 2019; notes , furthermore , that the joint undertaking’s founding regulation was amended to enable industry members to provide their cash contributions at project level and that , despite that amendment , there is still a high risk that the industry members will not achieve the minimum amount of operational cash contributions at the end of the joint undertaking’s programme; notes that as a result , the commission (directorate-general research and innovation decided at the end of 2018 to reduce the joint undertaking’s 2020 budget of eur 205 000 000 by eur 140 000 000; calls on the joint undertaking to report to the discharge authority on any development in that regard; ### 11. notes from the court’s report that of the minimum eur 182 500 000 of cash contributions to be made by the industry members to the joint undertaking’s operational costs , only eur 3 250 000 were paid at the end of 2019; notes , furthermore , that the joint undertaking’s founding regulation was amended to enable industry members to provide their cash contributions at project level and that , despite that amendment , there is still a high risk that the industry members will not achieve the minimum amount of operational cash contributions at the end of the joint undertaking’s programme; recalls in this regard that all public-private bbi projects were supposed to be funded by both public money and industry's in-kind and financial support , deplores thus the fact that the latest figures available show that participating companies had only paid a very small amount of their expected contributions; notes that as a result , the commission (directorate-general research and innovation decided at the end of 2018 to reduce the joint undertaking’s 2020 budget of eur 205 000 000 by eur 140 000 000; calls on the joint undertaking to report to the discharge authority on any development in that regard;


### 13. notes the value of expected leverage effect of 2 ,11 at the end of 2019 that is below the overall target value of 2 ,86 at the end of the programme; notes that the leverage effect value is expected as it is calculated including in-kind to additional activities for which the certification process was not possible due to covid-19 pandemic; notes that the reported operational leverage is growing compared to the past; calls the joint undertaking to take steps to meet the target leverage effect; ### 13. notes the value of expected leverage effect of 2 ,11 at the end of 2019 that is below the overall target value of 2 ,86 at the end of the programme; notes that the leverage effect value is expected as it is calculated including in-kind to additional activities for which the certification process was not possible due to covid-19 pandemic; notes that the reported operational leverage is growing compared to the past; calls the joint undertaking to undertake improved actions to meet the target leverage effect;


### 14. notes that the nature of joint undertaking’s calls is fully open to the participation of any stakeholder and that and all proposals received submissions; notes that the retained proposals corresponded to 81 % overall topic coverage , with four topics not covered; notes that the 2019 call attracted applicants from all member states; notes the joint undertaking’s great efforts in communicating its objectives and results , and its calls to the stakeholders; notes that the joint undertaking took actions in 2019 with a focus on encouraging a renewed engagement with respect to countries that are underrepresented in the calls; ### 14. notes that the nature of joint undertaking’s calls is fully open to the participation of any stakeholder and that all proposals received submissions; notes that the retained proposals corresponded to 81 % overall topic coverage , with four topics not covered; notes with satisfaction that the 2019 call attracted applicants from all member states; notes the joint undertaking’s great efforts in communicating its objectives and results , and its calls to the stakeholders; notes that the joint undertaking took actions in 2019 with a focus on encouraging a renewed engagement with respect to countries that are underrepresented in the calls; encourages the joint undertaking to strengthen efforts aimed at inclusion of member states continuously underrepresented in joint undertaking’s calls and financed projects; invites the joint undertaking to take actions aimed at increasing the topic coverage;


### 17. notes that in 2019 , the joint undertaking continued to use existing commission’s framework contracts and service level agreements as well as launched specific tender procedures , and furthermore that for interim staff and common it services it also signed specific contracts under the framework contracts jointly managed with other joint undertakings in the white atrium; furthermore , notes that at the beginning of 2018 , the programme office implemented a streamlined version of the internal procedure for tendering and signing procurement contracts , and that it implemented further improvements and simplifications in 2019; notes that ex-ante control system is in place to ensure correctness of all payments and preventing double funding , in line with the horizon 2020 ex ante control and anti-fraud strategies; ### 17. notes that in 2019 , the joint undertaking continued to use existing commission’s framework contracts and service level agreements as well as launched specific tender procedures , and furthermore that for interim staff and common it services it also signed specific contracts under the framework contracts jointly managed with other joint undertakings in the white atrium; furthermore , notes that at the beginning of 2018 , the programme office implemented a streamlined version of the internal procedure for tendering and signing procurement contracts , and that it implemented further improvements and simplifications in 2019; notes that ex-ante control system is in place to ensure correctness of all payments and preventing double funding , in line with the horizon 2020 ex ante control and anti-fraud strategies; calls on the joint undertaking to take into consideration potential risks arising from outsourcing its it services to external providers; calls on the joint undertaking to provide the discharge authority with further details regarding whether the recruitment of interimstaff occurred as a temporary solution needed to deal with increased workload;


### 18. notes that in 2019 , the internal auditing service (ias) audited the horizon 2020 grant processes implemented by the joint undertaking , and that it concluded that , in general , the joint undertaking has set up an effective and efficient internal control system while also providing recommendations; notes that the joint undertaking accepted the recommendations and agreed on an action plan; notes that in november 2019 , the ias launched its second risk assessment in order to identify and prioritise the audit topics that will constitute the strategic internal audit plan 2021-2023; ### 18. notes that in 2019 , the internal auditing service (ias) audited the horizon 2020 grant processes implemented by the joint undertaking , and that it concluded that , in general , the joint undertaking has set up an effective and efficient internal control system while also providing recommendations; notes that the joint undertaking accepted the recommendations and agreed on an action plan; calls on the joint undertaking to present the discharge authority with the recommendations’ implementation level without undue delay; notes that in november 2019 , the ias launched its second risk assessment in order to identify and prioritise the audit topics that will constitute the strategic internal audit plan 2021-2023;


### 22. notes the court’s finding that detailed audits of a randomly sampled horizon 2020 payments made in 2019 at the level of the final beneficiaries to corroborate the ex-post audit error rates revealed minor quantifiable errors related to the declared personnel costs , whom main sources of error were the use of annual hourly rates and overstated monthly hourly rates; ### 22. notes with concern the court’s finding that detailed audits of a randomly sampled horizon 2020 payments made in 2019 at the level of the final beneficiaries to corroborate the ex-post audit error rates revealed minor quantifiable errors related to the declared personnel costs , whom main sources of error were the use of annual hourly rates and overstated monthly hourly rates; calls on the joint undertaking to diligently monitor the conditions and declarations on which the payments are made , to prevent ineligible payment claims in the future;


### 23. notes that following the commission’s interim evaluation report on the joint undertaking’s in 2017 , an action plan was adopted in march 2018; notes that the joint undertaking is monitoring the implementation of the action plan , and that in 2019 the majority of actions were followed up according to the agreed deadlines whereas others were still ongoing; ### 23. notes that following the commission’s interim evaluation report on the joint undertaking’s in 2017 , an action plan was adopted in march 2018; notes that the joint undertaking is monitoring the implementation of the action plan , and that in 2019 the majority of actions were followed up according to the agreed deadlines whereas others were still ongoing; urges the joint undertaking to devote efforts to finalise implementation of the action plan and inform the discharge authority about the status by june 2021;


### 24. notes the fact that the joint undertaking adopted rules on conflicts of interest for all its staff and bodies at the end of 2017 , and that the programme office has developed a comprehensive set of rules and procedures that are effectively implemented across its entire governance structure; notes , furthermore , that in 2019 , part of this framework was audited by the ias. ### 24. notes the fact that the joint undertaking adopted rules on conflicts of interest for all its staff and bodies at the end of 2017 , and that the programme office has developed a comprehensive set of rules and procedures that are effectively implemented across its entire governance structure; notes , furthermore , that in 2019 , part of this framework was audited by the ias; urges the joint undertaking to re-evaluate and update the rules adopted in 2019; stresses with regret that the joint undertaking fails to publish or make available upon request the cvs and declarations of interest of its executive staff/board members;


### 12. regrets that the bureau of the committee in 2020 adopted a decision allowing for the reimbursement of expenses for remote participation in cases where a member was prevented from travelling to brussels as a result of covid-19 related issues. ### 12. regrets that the bureau of the committee in 2020 adopted a decision allowing for the reimbursement of expenses for remote participation in cases where a member was prevented from travelling to brussels as a result of covid-19 related issues; calls on the committee to withdraw this decision , which is not proportionate to the real cost of participation but does represent a serious cost for the union budget and damages the reputation of the committee; asks the committee to look into new remuneration practices to ensure a fair and proportionate remuneration for members , which is not based mostly on travel expenses and does not rely solely on physical presence of members in brussels;


### 21. asks the committee to develop a global sustainability plan; congratulates the committee on the ongoing efforts in the framework of the environmental management system as regards the lowering of the carbon footprint and plastic , food and paper waste; agrees that the reduction of the carbon footprint is among the most important objectives for the coming years; encourages the committee to participate in related projects with the other union bodies and to arrive at a comprehensive plan for the committee to implement the principles and recommendations presented in the european green deal , with the general objective of becoming climate neutral by 2030; ### 21. asks the committee to develop a global sustainability plan; congratulates the committee on the ongoing efforts in the framework of the environmental management system as regards the lowering of the carbon footprint and plastic , food and paper waste; agrees that the reduction of the carbon footprint is among the most important objectives for the coming years; calls on the committee to pay due attention to the energy mix of its sources of electricity and encourages the procurement of electricity generated by wind , solar , bio and hydroplants; encourages the committee to participate in related projects with the other union bodies and to arrive at a comprehensive plan for the committee to implement the principles and recommendations presented in the european green deal , with the general objective of becoming climate neutral by 2030;


### 25. encourages the committee to explore the possibility of joining the transparency registry on the basis of a service level agreement; acknowledges the inter-institutional cooperation through service level agreements between the committee and other union institutions and bodies such as with the commission to further optimise processes in hr , finance , it and other administrative areas; is interested in beinginformed if cost benefit analysis takes place before entering into any agreement; ### 25. encourages the committee to join the union transparency registry on the basis of a service level agreement in order to increase transparency of lobby meetings; acknowledges the inter-institutional cooperation through service level agreements between the committee and other union institutions and bodies such as with the commission to further optimise processes in hr , finance , it and other administrative areas; is interested in being informed if cost benefit analysis takes place before entering into any agreement;


### 29. remarks that at the end of 2019 the committee's main twitter account had 43.300 followers , while the main facebook account had 32.600 followers; notes that the committee’s fastest growing social media presence is on linkedin , which saw an increase during 2019 of 54 % in the number of followers to 14.500 followers at the end of 2019; notes that with this combination of channels , the committee reaches a well-balanced group of followers; ### 29. remarks that at the end of 2019 the committee's main twitter account had 43.300 followers , while the main facebook account had 32.600 followers; notes that the committee’s fastest growing social media presence is on linkedin , which saw an increase during 2019 of 54% in the number of followers to 14.500 followers at the end of 2019; encourages the committee to establish a presence on free and open source social media networks , such as mastodon , to achieve further transparency and broader outreach;


### 42. welcomes the fact that the committee continues to promote respect in the workplace with the aim of ensuring that all staff are familiar with the current ethical framework; notes that a wide-ranging awareness-raising campaign started in 2019 , called respect@work and which takes on board a number of proposals from the report of the european ombudsman on dignity at work in the eu institutions and agencies (si/2/2018/amf); welcomes the fact that the network of confidential counsellors was reinforced; notes that following a decision of the european ombudsman the committee adopted its guidelines on managing conflicts of interest of staff in the performance of their duties and provided relevant information to all staff; notes that the guidelines are intended to serve as a practical handbook for staff in cases where they need to perform overlapping duties , such as management duties in parallel with staff representation activities; ### 42. welcomes the fact that the committee started to promote respect in the workplace with the aim of ensuring that all staff are familiar with the current ethical framework; notes that a wide-ranging awareness-raising campaign started in 2019 , called respect@work and which takes on board a number of proposals from the report of the european ombudsman on dignity at work in the eu institutions and agencies (si/2/2018/amf); welcomes the fact that the network of confidential counsellors was reinforced; notes that following a decision of the european ombudsman the committee adopted its guidelines on managing conflicts of interest of staff in the performance of their duties and provided relevant information to all staff; notes that the guidelines are intended to serve as a practical handbook for staff in cases where they need to perform overlapping duties , such as management duties in parallel with staff representation activities;


### 47. recalls that several members of staff have suffered acts of psychological harassment by the then president of group i for an long period of time; regrets that the anti-harassment measures in place in the committee failed to tackle and remedy this case sooner because of the senior position of the member concerned; regrets that the measures taken to protect the victims until the end of the investigation by olaf seem to have been improvised and insufficient , especially in light of the judgement of the civil service tribunal of 12 may 2016 in in case f-50/157 , fs v european economic and social committee (eesc) , which should have served as a lesson for the committee; notes with concern that shortcomings in the internal proceedings resulted in the inaction by the committee's administration which translated into a breach of the duty of care and of the obligation to report to olaf; regrets the length of time that the committee took to take the necessary measures to adapt the committee's rules of procedure and code of conduct in order to avoid such situation in the future; ### 47. recalls that several members of staff have suffered acts of psychological harassment by the then president of group i for an long period of time; condemns that the anti-harassment measures in place in the committee failed to tackle and remedy this case sooner because of the senior position of the member concerned; regrets that the measures taken to protect the victims until the end of the investigation by olaf seem to have been improvised and insufficient , especially in light of the judgement of the civil service tribunal of 12 may 2016 in in case f-50/151a , fs v european economic and social committee (eesc) , which should have served as a lesson for the committee; notes with concern that shortcomings in the internal proceedings resulted in the inaction by the committee's administration which translated into a breach of the duty of care and of the obligation to report to olaf; condemns the length of time that the committee took to take the necessary measures to adapt the committee's rules of procedure and code of conduct in order to avoid such situation in the future; notes that the four victims and multiple whistle-blowers were calling on the administration , especially on the secretary general , to act immediately against mr krawczyk already in 2018;


### 49. acknowledges that the committee is well aware of the political impact of the refusal of the 2018 discharge and is striving to further strengthen its capacity to tackle harassment situations; notes that a detailed action plan will be endorsed at the latest by the end of 2020; agrees that the committee continues to raise staff and management awareness through better targeted internal communication; ### 49. notes that the committee informed parliament that it is well aware of the political impact of the refusal of the 2018 discharge and is striving to further strengthen its capacity to tackle harassment situations; condemns the internal communication that was given orally to the staff saying that the 2018 discharge refusal by parliament was only “an orange light for warning”; notes that a detailed action plan will be endorsed at the latest by the end of 2020; urges the committee to raise staff and management awareness through better internal communication; reminds the committee that being refused discharge is a serious matter which requires immediate actions;


### 53. values the committee’s commitment to tacklinge harassment in the working environment and to fostering a culture of zero tolerance with regard to harassment by working on the revision of the ethics and integrity framework and the revision of the committee’s decisions on harassment , whistleblowing and administrative enquiries; welcomes that a related , detailed action plan is supposed to be endorsed by the end of 2020 and covers a number of measures such as the revision of the code of conduct for members , the possible creation of an independent internal ombudsman function , a brochure focusing on respect and dignity at work , the establishment of a dedicated compulsory learning path before entrusting staff management responsibilities , whether on committee’s managers or on members , and regular awareness-raising activities ,; appreciates that an internal audit on ethics and integrity will take the form of a mapping exercise followed by an analysis aimed at establishing a comprehensive overview of rules , standards and measures in relation to ethics and integrity; notes that the audit will also tackle issues such as gifts and entertainment , outside activities and assignments , conflicts of interest and post-union employment; ### 53. notes the committee’s commitment to tackling harassment in the working environment and to fostering a culture of zero tolerance with regard to harassment by working on the revision of the ethics and integrity framework and the revision of the committee’s decisions on harassment , whistleblowing and administrative enquiries; welcomes that a related , detailed action plan is supposed to be endorsed by the end of 2020 and covers a number of measures such as the revision of the code of conduct for members , the possible creation of an independent internal ombudsman function , a brochure focusing on respect and dignity at work , the establishment of a dedicated compulsory learning path before entrusting staff management responsibilities , whether on committee’s managers or on members , and regular awareness-raising activities ,; appreciates that an internal audit on ethics and integrity will take the form of a mapping exercise followed by an analysis aimed at establishing a comprehensive overview of rules , standards and measures in relation to ethics and integrity; notes that the audit will also tackle issues such as gifts and entertainment , outside activities and assignments , conflicts of interest and post-union employment;


### 55. emphasises in relation to the olaf findings of harassment against a member of the committee and pursuant to the decision of 9 june 2020 of the committee’s bureau that the member in question is fully discharged from all tasks related to the management and administration of the group i secretariat's staff; notes that as of 7 september 2020 , the member is no longer a candidate for the committee’s presidency; is concerned that he has been appointed as member for a new mandate; ### 55. emphasises in relation to the olaf findings of harassment against mr krawczyk , a member of the committee , and pursuant to the decision of 9 june 2020 of the committee’s bureau that the member is fully discharged from all tasks related to the management and administration of the group i secretariat's staff; notes that as of 7 september 2020 , the member is no longer a candidate for the committee’s presidency; is , however , strongly concerned that he has been appointed as member for a new mandate and that victims and whistle-blowers risk facing retaliation by him or by people supporting him in the committee;


### 57. notes that the plenary session of the committee on 15 and 16 july 2020 confirmed the decision of 9 june 2020 of the bureau as regards joining as a civil party in the procedure that will be opened by the brussels labour auditor before the brussels criminal court; notes that the brussels labour auditor has been informed of the waiving of the member's immunity , but no further information about the proceedings have been received to date. ### 57. notes that the plenary session of the committee on 15 and 16 july 2020 confirmed the decision of 9 june 2020 of the bureau as regards joining as a civil party in the procedure that will be opened by the brussels labour auditor before the brussels criminal court; notes that the brussels labour auditor has been informed of the waiving of mr krawczyk 's immunity , but no further information about the proceedings have been received to date.


### 8. appreciates the fact that the court will look into the suggestion of the 2018 discharge resolution that an independent annual report on the union institutions should be presented as part of the reflections on the court’s strategy for the 2021-2025 period , which should be adopted by the end of 2020; ### 8. appreciates the fact that the court is looking into the suggestion of the 2018 discharge resolution that an independent annual report on the union institutions should be presented as part of the reflections on the court’s strategy for the 2021-2025 period , which should be adopted by the end of 2020;


### 10. appreciates that the court , in accordance with its 2018-2020 strategy , has extended its contacts with researchers , academia and think-tanks and that the court has as of 1 june 2020 seconded 15 staff members to other international institutions; notes that the court regularly hosts staff seconded from other international bodies and that the court also provided 55 internships (compared to 60 in 2018) for university graduates for periods of three to five months; welcomes the fact that the court entered into several partnerships with universities and professional organisations with a view to future cooperation; ### 10. appreciates that the court , in accordance with its 2018-2020 strategy , has extended its contacts with researchers , academia and think-tanks and that the court has as of 1 june 2020 seconded 15 staff members to other international institutions; notes that the court regularly hosts staff seconded from other international bodies and that the court also provided 55 internships (compared to 60 in 2018) for university graduates for periods of three to five months; notes that , in 2019 , six internships were unpaid; asks the court to offer an allowance to interns that covers at least their living costs , even in the case of short-term internships; welcomes the fact that the court entered into several partnerships with universities and professional organisations with a view to future cooperation;


### 12. appreciates the fact that the court’s activities related to staff well-being such as the court’s network of confidential contact persons across the organisation to provide professional , and , if requested , anonymous support to members of staff; notes that the court also provides free access to psychologists; ### 12. appreciates the court’s activities related to staff well-being such as the court’s network of confidential contact persons across the organisation to provide professional , and , if requested , anonymous support to members of staff; notes that the court also provides free access to psychologists;


### 21. welcomes the fact that the court’s it systems are based on solid architectural principles that take into account a cost/benefit approach in relation to mainstream technologies procured inter-institutionally; notes that open source technologies are used at the court in accordance with those principles; ### 21. welcomes the fact that the court's decision no 6-2019 on the open data policy and the reuse of documents was published in april 2019 and that the court’s it systems are based on solid architectural principles that take into account a cost/benefit approach in relation to mainstream technologies procured inter-institutionally; welcomes that open source technologies are used at the court in accordance with those principles; encourages the court to prioritise open source technologies in order to prevent vendor lock-in , retain control over its own technical systems , provide stronger safeguards for the privacy and data protection of users and increase security and transparency for the public;


### 25. asks the court to explore the possibility of joining the transparency registry on the basis of a service level agreement; acknowledges the inter-institutional cooperation through service level agreements between the court and other union institutions and bodies; is interested to know if any cost benefit analysis takes place before entering into any agreement; ### 25. strongly recommends the court to join the transparency registry on the basis of a service level agreement; acknowledges the inter-institutional cooperation through service level agreements between the court and other union institutions and bodies; is interested to know if any cost benefit analysis takes place before entering into any agreement;


### 26. welcomes the administrative arrangement signed in 2019 between the european anti-fraud office (olaf) and the court in order to provide a structured framework for co-operation between olaf and the court , and to facilitate their timely exchange of information under regulation (eu , euratom) no 883/20136 and the court’s decisions related to internal investigations; notes that this arrangement also contains provisions on non-operational issues such as the organisation of training sessions , workshops and exchange of staff; notes that in 2019 , the court reported ten cases of suspected fraud compared to nine cases in 2018 (eight identified in the course of audit work and two denunciations made by third parties); ### 26. welcomes the administrative arrangement signed in 2019 between the european anti-fraud office (olaf) and the court in order to provide a structured framework for co-operation between olaf and the court , and to facilitate their timely exchange of information under regulation (eu , euratom) no 883/20131a and the court’s decisions related to internal investigations; notes that this arrangement also contains provisions on non-operational issues such as the organisation of training sessions , workshops and exchange of staff; notes that in 2019 , the court reported ten cases of suspected fraud compared to nine cases in 2018 (eight identified in the course of audit work and two denunciations made by third parties); asks the court to report back to parliament's committee on budgetary control on how these suspected fraud cases were handled and resolved by the respective authorities in charge;


### 32. recognises that the court applies a set of key performance indicators to monitor progress made , such as for example measuring the implementation rate of the court’s recommendations; notes that the court’s analysis showed that 96 % of the recommendations made in the 2015 annual report and 94 % of the recommendations made in the 2015 special reports have been implemented in full , mostly or in some respects; notes that the court issued six annual reports , three opinions , 18 audit previews and four other publications , being part of the altogether 67 publications it issued in 2019; ### 32. recognises that the court applies a set of key performance indicators to monitor progress made , such as for example measuring the implementation rate of the court’s recommendations; notes that the court’s analysis showed that 96% of the recommendations made in the 2015 annual report and 94% of the recommendations made in the 2015 special reports have been implemented in full , mostly or in some respects; notes that the court issued six annual reports , three opinions , 18 audit previews and four other publications , being part of the altogether 67 publications it issued in 2019; invites the court to consider reviewing its key performance indicators to improve its reporting with the aid of better defined targets;


### 39. notes that members are authorised to use official vehicles in the performance of official duties; notes that the use of official cars for other journeys is additional to the performance of such duties and that since 1 january 2017 , the costs and kilometres related to the use of official cars have decreased significantly; notes that new rules entered into force on 1 january 2020 and introduced a monthly eur 100 contribution for the non-official use of the vehicles as well as a liability on the part of the members and the secretary-general for certain costs and charges; ### 39. notes that members are authorised to use official vehicles in the performance of official duties; notes that the use of official cars for other journeys is additional to the performance of such duties and that since 1 january 2017 , the costs and kilometres related to the use of official cars have decreased significantly; notes that new rules entered into force on 1 january 2020 and introduced a monthly eur 100 contribution for the non-official use of the vehicles as well as a liability on the part of the members and the secretary-general for certain costs and charges; is of the opinion that the court vehicles should only be used for official use; asks the court to reconsider the new rules on the use of vehicles , as the monthly fee is not proportionate to the real costs to the union budget;


### 42. highlights the fact that the supreme audit institutions of poland and croatia carried out a significant peer review of the court’s ethical framework; notes that in the opinions of the peers the court’s ethics control system should be further improved by a more comprehensive assessment of ethics risks , greater consistency and clarity in its rules on ethics , and improved information and communication activities; ### 42. highlights the fact that the supreme audit institutions of poland and croatia carried out a significant peer review of the court’s ethical framework; notes that in the opinions of the peers the court’s ethics control system should be further improved by a more comprehensive assessment of ethics risks , greater consistency and clarity in its rules on ethics , and improved information and communication activities; calls for enhanced mutual cooperation with the future independent ethics body (ieb) , generating a steady information exchange within the respective mandates of the court and the ieb;


### 43. calls on the court to provide information on any decisions taken related to the process of reviewing and amending the code of conduct for its members; supports the conclusions of the peer review with respect to the need to introduce regular updates of declarations , which would increase their reliability; is in agreement that the ethics committee plays a crucial role to the extent that the president and the members may seek its advice on any question pertaining to ethics and on the interpretation of the code of conduct; notes , moreover , that the committee is entrusted with approving any external activity undertaken by the members , including former members who intend to carry out an activity in the year after they leave the court , which is an efficient tool in ensuring the absence of conflicts of interest. ### 43. calls on the court to provide information on any decisions taken related to the process of reviewing and amending the code of conduct for its members; supports the conclusions of the peer review with respect to the need to introduce regular updates of declarations of interest , which would increase their reliability; is in agreement that the ethics committee plays a crucial role to the extent that the president and the members may seek its advice on any question pertaining to ethics and on the interpretation of the code of conduct; notes , moreover , that the committee is entrusted with approving any external activity undertaken by the members , including former members who intend to carry out an activity in the year after they leave the court , which is an efficient tool in ensuring the absence of conflicts of interest.


### 3. notes from the court’s report that the contribution percentage for the ncas and the union is not consistent between contributions made in 2017 (union 37 ,16 % and the ncas 62 ,84 %) and the surplus from 2017 was distributed in 2019 (eu 40 % and the ncas 60 %); notes from the authority’s reply that its founding regulation determines the funding key for the union (40%) and the ncas (60 %) , however , due to a misconception , in 2017 and 2019 the total percentage for the recovery from the ncas was greater than that of the union; notes that the authority reimbursed the full budgetary surplus of 2017 to the union and the union payed it back to the authority in 2019 , when the original 40/60 funding key was applied; ### 3. notes from the court’s report that the contribution percentage for the ncas and the union is not consistent between contributions made in 2017 (union 37 ,16 % and the ncas 62 ,84 %) and the surplus from 2017 was distributed in 2019 (eu 40 % and the ncas 60 %); notes from the authority’s reply that its founding regulation determines the funding key for the union (40%) and the ncas (60 %) , however , due to a misconception , in 2017 and 2019 the total percentage for the recovery from the ncas was greater than that of the union; notes that the authority reimbursed the full budgetary surplus of 2017 to the union and the union payed it back to the authority in 2019 , when the original 40/60 funding key was applied; calls on the authority to improve its reporting policies to avoid substantial inconsistencies in the future;


### 5. notes that the authority achieved its target for all key performance indicators; ### 5. notes with satisfaction that the authority achieved its target for all key performance indicators;


### 10. acknowledges the measures the authority already has in place and its ongoing efforts to secure transparency , to prevent and manage conflicts of interest , and to protect whistle-blowers; notes that the authority publishes a register of meetings with external stakeholders on its website; notes that one case of conflict of interest was investigated in 2019; notes that some of the authority’s board of supervisors members’ cvs are not published on the authority’s website; ### 10. acknowledges the measures the authority already has in place and its ongoing efforts to secure transparency , to prevent and manage conflicts of interest , and to protect whistle-blowers; notes that the authority publishes a register of meetings with external stakeholders on its website; notes that one case of conflict of interest was investigated in 2019; asks the authority to inform the discharge authority about the outcome of this investigation; notes that some of the authority’s board of supervisors members’ cvs are not published on the authority’s website; calls on the authority to publish without undue delay cvs and declarations of interest of all the members of the board of supervisors;


### 11. notes previous years’ comments about the problem of conflicts of interest arising from ‘revolving door’ situations and stresses the need for a unified approach among the agencies; notes that the authority’s ethics rules were revised and are being approved by the commission; ### 11. notes previous years’ comments about the problem of conflicts of interest arising from ‘revolving door’ situations and stresses the need for a unified approach among the agencies; notes that the authority’s ethics rules were revised and are being approved by the commission; calls on the authority to devote its best efforts to prevent ‘revolving doors’ situations; calls on the authority to diligently inform the discharge authority about the status of the approval request for the revised ethics rules;


### 12. notes that the commission’s internal audit service (ias) issued an audit report on ‘hr management and ethics’ which led to six recommendations for improvement and the implementation of an action plan; notes that at the end of 2019 four important recommendations were still open; ### 12. notes that the commission’s internal audit service (ias) issued an audit report on ‘hr management and ethics’ which led to six recommendations for improvement and the implementation of an action plan; notes that at the end of 2019 four important recommendations were still open; urges the authority to inform the discharge authority about the status of implementation of those recommendations;


### 7. highlights the importance of addressing the lack of gender balance within the college of judges; welcomes , however , the fact that efforts in the field of equal opportunities are becoming increasingly visible at the administrative level with a share of women in middle management amounting to 41 % and in senior management amounting to 40 %; notes that the staff in general has a distribution of 39 % men and 61 % women and for ad staff a distribution of46 % men and 54 % women; ### 7. stresses the importance of addressing the lack of gender balance within the college of judges; welcomes , however , the fact that efforts in the field of equal opportunities are becoming increasingly visible at the administrative level with a share of women in middle management amounting to 41 % and in senior management amounting to 40 %; notes that the staff in general has a distribution of 39 % men and 61 % women and for ad staff a distribution of46 % men and 54 % women;


### 9. notes with concern the high number of cases of burnout reported in recent years within the cjeu; welcomes the fact that in 2019 the cjeu undertook several actions to prevent and address burnout cases such as the hiring of a psychologist , training for staff and an obligatory training programme for managers including a significant wellbeing component; considers that any decisions regarding budgetary cuts and staff reduction measures should be consistent with the principle of maintaining high quality deliverables and take into consideration the constantly increasing workload of the cjeu over the past number of years; ### 9. notes with concern the high number of cases of burn out reported in recent years within the cjeu; welcomes the fact that in 2019 the cjeu undertook several actions to prevent and address burnout cases such as the hiring of a psychologist , training for staff and an obligatory training programme for managers including a significant wellbeing component; considers that any decisions regarding budgetary cuts and staff reduction measures should be consistent with the principle of maintaining high quality deliverables and take into consideration the constantly increasing workload of the cjeu over the past number of years; urges the cjeu to closely monitor the effectiveness of the newly introduced actions against the increasing workload and deploy more substantial efforts to prevent burnouts where needed;


### 11. is concerned that only 46 % of traineeships at the cjeu were paid in 2019; notes , however , that this share rose from 24 ,1 % in 2018; recognises that 2019 was a transition year towards the gradual introduction of the new regime (cjeu’s decision of 3 december 2018 , providing for the possibility of taking on trainees paid by the institutions); notes the estimation that for 2020 the cjeu will remunerate 75 % of its trainees; notes that all traineeships cancelled in the context of the covid-19-crisis were unpaid traineeships; welcomes the fact that the cjeu foresees the possibility of increasing further the number of paid traineeships , highlights the fact that the possibility of hosting unpaid trainees should only be maintained in the case where such trainees receive payments from other sources , based on inter-institutional agreements signed by the cjeu; ### 11. is concerned that only 46 % of traineeships at the cjeu were paid in 2019; notes , however , that this share rose from 24 ,1 % in 2018; recognises that 2019 was a transition year towards the gradual introduction of the new regime (cjeu’s decision of 3 december 2018 , providing for the possibility of taking on trainees paid by the institutions); notes the estimation that for 2020 the cjeu will remunerate 75 % of its trainees; notes that all traineeships cancelled in the context of the covid-19-crisis were unpaid traineeships; urgently calls on the cjeu to hire its trainees on paid contracts providing allowances covering at least living expenses , with the exception of cases where trainees receive payments from other sources , based on inter-institutional agreements signed by the cjeu;


### 20. notes the rules in place governing post-office employment of the members of the cjeu; notes that the code of conduct sets out different kinds of restrictions such as a three-year waiting period during which former members must not represent parties in cases before the cjeu , notes further that former members must not be involved , in any manner whatsoever , in cases which were pending before the court of which they were a member or in cases connected with other cases , whether pending or concluded , which they had dealt with as a member of the court; ### 20. notes the rules in place governing post-office employment of the members of the cjeu; notes that the code of conduct sets out different kinds of restrictions such as a three-year waiting period during which former members must not represent parties in cases before the cjeu , notes further that former members must not be involved , in any manner whatsoever , in cases which were pending before the court of which they were a member or in cases connected with other cases , whether pending or concluded , which they had dealt with as a member of the court; urges the cjeu to fully implement existing provisions of the code of conduct to regulate cases concerning ‘revolving doors'; asks the cjeu to report back to parliament on all the actions it undertook over the past four years (since revised code of conduct entered into force on 1 january 2017) to prevent conflicts of interests by regulating cases concerning ‘revolving doors’ after a member leaves the cjeu , including the number of cases it scrutinised , the number of cases for which it issued specific instructions and how the cjeu made sure these instructions were followed;


### 23. is concerned that the declarations of financial interests continue to be of a self-declaratory nature; calls on the cjeu to accelerate the process of examining whether this mechanism could be improved in regard to the principle of judicial independence and report back to parliament’s committee on budgetary control; notes that each member submits a declaration of financial interests upon taking office and updates it when necessary; notes that the president of each court examines the declarations with a view to avoiding conflicts of interest when assigning cases to the different judge rapporteurs; reiterates , however , that it should be for a third independent party to review declarations of financial interests and to assess the existence of conflicts of interest; ### 23. is concerned that the declarations of financial interests continue to be of a self-declaratory nature; calls on the cjeu to undertake actions aiming at independently verifying the information provided and report back to parliament’s committee on budgetary control; notes that each member submits a declaration of financial interests upon taking office and updates it when necessary; notes that the president of each court examines the declarations with a view to avoid conflicts of interest when assigning cases to the different judge rapporteurs; reiterates , however , that it should be for a third independent party to review declarations of financial interests and to assess the existence of conflicts of interest;


### 27. appreciates that the cjeu is continuously improving its environmental performance by applying regulation (ec) no 1221/20096 (emas iii)which requires monitoring of the different environmental aspects based on indicators; welcomes the fact that most of the 28 indicators , in the form of a ratio per fte (full-time equivalent) , showed a favourable trend in 2019 compared to 2015 , the base year of the cjeu’s emas system; ### 27. appreciates that the cjeu is continuously improving its environmental performance by applying regulation (ec) no 1221/20096 (emas iii)which requires monitoring of the different environmental aspects based on indicators; welcomes the fact that most of the 28 indicators , in the form of a ratio per fte (full-time equivalent) , showed a favourable trend in 2019 compared to 2015 , the base year of the cjeu’s emas system; encourages the cjeu to continue reducing its environmental footprint by implementing carbon-neutral work solutions and clean sources of energy;


### 28. notes with interest that one of the main points of the cjeu’s communication activities in 2019 was an increased use of social media in order to ensure a greater dissemination of its information; welcomes the fact that in 2019 , the cjeu’s website received a total of 8 150 232 visits (compared to 8 270 495 in 2018) and 36 065 064 page-views (compared to 32 808 573 in 2018); notes that in both 2018 and 2019 a total of eur 60 000 was budgeted for the outsourcing of some media-monitoring work , which could no longer be carried out in-house , due to the need to redeploy certain human resources to other tasks; ### 28. notes with interest that one of the main points of the cjeu’s communication activities in 2019 was an increased use of proprietary social media in order to ensure a greater dissemination of its information; notes that in november 2019 , the cjeu started to actively use linkedin to further inform interested parties of its work; encourages the cjeu to establish a presence on free and open-source social media networks , such as mastodon , to achieve further transparency and broader outreach; welcomes the fact that in 2019 , the cjeu’s website received a total of 8 150 232 visits (compared to 8 270 495 in 2018) and 36 065 064 page-views (compared to 32 808 573 in 2018); notes that in both 2018 and 2019 a total of eur 60 000 was budgeted for the outsourcing of some media-monitoring work , which could no longer be carried out in-house , due to the need to redeploy certain human resources to other tasks;


### 29. encourages the cjeu to enhance transparency and welcomes the cjeu’s decision to livestream the delivery of the judgments of its grand chamber; takes note that the livestreaming of hearings themselves would be an extremely complex and costly matter since it operates in 24 languages and without access to simultaneous interpretation it would be meaningless for the vast majority of union citizens; welcomes also the fact that as of november 2019 the cjeu publishes requests for preliminary ruling from national courts , internal research notes and national judicial decisions on the website of the judicial network of the european union; ### 29. encourages the cjeu to enhance transparency and welcomes the cjeu’s decision to livestream the delivery of the judgments of its grand chamber through europe by satellite (ebs) , the union's tv information service; takes note that the livestreaming of hearings themselves would be an extremely complex and costly matter since it operates in 24 languages and without access to simultaneous interpretation it would be meaningless for the vast majority of union citizens; welcomes also the fact that as of november 2019 the cjeu publishes requests for preliminary ruling from national courts , internal research notes and national judicial decisions on the website of the judicial network of the european union;


### 35. acknowledges that the cjeu continued to ensure the security of its it operations in close collaboration with the computer emergency response team for the eu institutions , bodies and agencies; notes that during 2019 the cjeu was able to handle all cyber-attacks with which it was faced and to ensure the protection of the entire it landscape without major incident; welcomes the fact that , besides the technical and operational measures taken to ensure cyber protection , the cjeu in 2019 launched major awareness raising initiatives; ### 35. acknowledges that the cjeu continued to ensure the security of its it operations in close collaboration with the computer emergency response team for the eu institutions , bodies and agencies; notes that during 2019 the cjeu was able to handle all cyber-attacks with which it was faced and to ensure the protection of the entire it landscape without major incident; welcomes the fact that the protection of highly sensitive information was improved by implementing new security measures , including the use of a high-level encryption software; stresses that any encryption software should be open source to avoid security breach through possible backdoors; notes that equipment has been purchased to limit the risk of a breach of sensitive information during the judges’ deliberations; welcomes the fact that , besides the technical and operational measures taken to ensure cyber protection , the cjeu in 2019 launched major awareness raising initiatives;


### 36. underlines that the cjeu was the subject of two investigations by the european data protection supervisor (edps) in 2019; highlights that the first investigation , launched in 2018 , concerned the use of web services on the cjeu’s website , welcomes the fact that following the edps’ recommendations and in the light of a judgment of the court of justice7 the website has been adapted; notes that a second investigation into the cjeu’s use of microsoft products is ongoing; notes that the cjeu’s policy is that of having a flexible approach , by considering both open-source technologies and commercial off-the-shelf software and hardware , depending on its needs; ### 36. underlines that the cjeu was the subject of two investigations by the european data protection supervisor (edps) in 2019; highlights that the first investigation , launched in 2018 , concerned the use of web services on the cjeu’s website , welcomes the fact that following the edps’ recommendations and in the light of a judgment of the court of justice1a the website has been adapted; notes that a second investigation into the cjeu’s use of microsoft products is ongoing; notes that the cjeu’s policy is that of having a flexible approach , by considering both open-source technologies and commercial off-the-shelf software and hardware , depending on its needs; encourages the cjeu to prioritise open source technologies in order to prevent vendor lock-in , retain control over its own technical systems , provide stronger safeguards for the privacy and data protection of users and increase security and transparency for the public;


### 2. notes the persisting gender and geographical imbalances within the eeas staff , despite positive trends in recent years; reiterates the importance of ensuring a balanced distribution of staff in terms of gender and geographical origin within different categories and grades , particularly at middle and senior management levels; points also to persisting over-representation of some member states’ diplomats among the heads of delegation; calls for further efforts to address those imbalances; ### 2. notes the persisting gender and geographical imbalances within the eeas staff , despite positive trends in recent years; reiterates the importance of ensuring a balanced distribution of staff in terms of gender and geographical origin within different categories and grades , particularly at middle and senior management levels; is appalled by the fact that women make up only 26% of the eeas workforce in middle management and 31.3% in senior management , and that the last top appointments resulted in an all-male leadership of the eeas; calls on the eeas to swiftly work towards the objective of 50% of women in senior and middle management positions , as set out in the gender action plan iii , including through a clear timeline and measures that set out when and how to achieve this objective; calls on the hr/vp to implement his stated commitments to gender equality and women’s representation in his own service; points also to persisting over-representation of some member states’ diplomats among the heads of delegation; calls for further efforts to address those imbalances;


### 9. acknowledges the operational difficulties encountered by the eeas in the financial management of the eu network of delegations due to various crisis situations; recognises that those difficult situations can lead to significant budgetary impact , namely in the management of certain administrative expenditure and costs such as security and evacuation costs , and further logistical costs linked to the covid 19 pandemic; ### 9. acknowledges the operational difficulties encountered by the eeas in the financial management of the eu network of delegations due to various crisis situations; recognises that those difficult situations can lead to significant budgetary impact , namely in the management of certain administrative expenditure and costs such as security and evacuation costs , and further logistical costs linked to the covid 19 pandemic; asks the eeas to swiftly inform the parliament committee on budgetary control of the budgetary impacts and expenses incurred because of the pandemic;


### 18. acknowledges that the number of budget lines used to finance the operations related to commission staff in the delegations (34 different lines originating in various headings of the commission budget , plus the edf funds) increases the complexity of budget management; ### 18. acknowledges that the number of budget lines used to finance the operations related to commission staff in the delegations (34 different lines originating in various headings of the commission budget , plus the edf funds) increases the complexity of budget management; invites the eeas to consider better structuring its budget reporting to loosen the complexity;


### 21. calls on the eeas to better illustrate its results-based management framework in the next annual activity report , based on a set of adequate key performance indicators (kpis) for its different administrative areas , including the related number of human resources , in order to better assess the achievements of eeas policy objectives; ### 21. calls on the eeas to improve the definition of its results-based management framework in the next annual activity report , based on a set of adequate key performance indicators (kpis) for its different administrative areas , including the related number of human resources , in order to better assess the achievements of eeas policy objectives;


### 24. believes that digitalisation of procurement and budget management is key; recalls that ‘document management’ one of the weakest components identified in the previous internal control survey , deserves regular attention from all eeas stakeholders for the benefit of institutional memory and the traceability of management operations; ### 24. believes that digitalisation of procurement and budget management is key; recalls that ‘document management’ one of the weakest components identified in the previous internal control survey , deserves regular attention from all eeas stakeholders for the benefit of institutional memory and the traceability of management operations; therefore , calls on the eeas to improve its digital systems and document management , introducing advanced management and archiving tools , as well as paperless document management processes where possible;


### 26. notes the rate of anomalies detected in ex ante verifications of commitments and payments (respectively , 308 errors out of 1193 and 394 out of 2119); is concerned that in both cases errors are of an administrative nature i.e. incorrect amounts for commitments or missing supporting documents for payments presented for ex-ante financial verification; ### 26. notes the rate of anomalies detected in ex ante verifications of commitments and payments (respectively , 308 errors out of 1193 and 394 out of 2119); is concerned that in both cases errors are of an administrative nature i.e. incorrect amounts for commitments or missing supporting documents for payments presented for ex-ante financial verification; calls on the eeas to investigate and resolve cases of administrative errors and report back to the parliament on its achievements;


### 32. calls on the eeas to provide further information in the eeas annual activity report on the inspections programme in order to get an overview of the performance and the functioning of the eu delegations; considers also that it will be useful to better illustrate the articulation of inspections of delegations with the eeas assurance framework and to show how the use of the outcomes and recommendations of inspections contributed to greater coherence , homogeneity and efficiency in the delegations’ working methods; ### 32. calls on the eeas to provide further information in the eeas annual activity report on the inspections programme in order to get an overview of the performance and the functioning of the eu delegations; considers also that it will be useful to better illustrate the articulation of inspections of delegations with the eeas assurance framework and to show how the use of the outcomes and recommendations of inspections contributed to greater coherence , homogeneity and efficiency in the delegations’ working methods; highlights the importance of analysing the effectiveness and correctness of financial management in the respective delegations;


### 33. welcomes the fact that the eeas is continuously adapting its anti-fraud strategy in conjunction with all the relex directorates general and with a dedicated format with olaf; believes that all necessary efforts have to be made to share and exchange information on their operational challenges to better identify risky areas in their activities and programmes; ### 33. welcomes the fact that the eeas is continuously adapting its anti-fraud strategy in conjunction with all the relex directorates general and with a dedicated format with olaf; stresses that all necessary efforts must be made to share and exchange information on their operational challenges to better identify risky areas in their activities and programmes;


### 39. underlines that post-public employment and ‘revolving door’ conflict of interests situations is a recurring issue in the eu institutions; calls for the eeas for the effective and consistent application of the staff regulations , in particular article 16 thereof , in order to prevent conflicts of interests , in particular – but not only – concerning senior officials; ### 39. underlines that post-public employment and ‘revolving door’ conflict of interests situations is a recurring issue in the eu institutions; calls for the eeas for the effective and consistent application of the staff regulations , in particular article 16 thereof , in order to prevent conflicts of interests , in particular – but not only – concerning senior officials; is concerned about the eeas' seeming lack of commitment in this regard as became evident through its handling of recent revolving door cases; calls on the eeas to systematically review potentially problematic transitions to the private sector or to third countries organisations and to continue to monitor the occupation of the former senior official until the end of the mandatory cooling-off period;


### 40. insists in this regard that the eeas publishes annually its decisions on occupational activities of former senior officials and that it monitors on a constant basis whether they adhere to the conditions imposed on them and , if appropriate , take decisive action to enforce compliance with these conditions; ### 40. deeply regrets that the eeas has not published any of its decisions on occupational activities of former senior officials for six years , including 2019 , in breach of its obligations under article 16 of the staff regulation; welcomes that it has started to publish them in 2020 , including the retrospective publishing of decisions from previous years; insists in this regard that the eeas from now on publishes its decisions on occupational activities of former senior officials on an annual basis and that it monitors on a constant basis whether they adhere to the conditions imposed on them and , if appropriate , take decisive action to enforce compliance with these conditions;


### 43. encourages the eeas to continue in this direction of pooling of means with member states in the management of buildings and to further developing local co-operation , with specific attention to be devoted to best value for money , security issues and the union’s image and visibility; ### 43. encourages the eeas to continue in this direction of pooling of means with member states in the management of buildings and to further developing local co-operation , with specific attention to be devoted to best value for money , security issues and the union’s image and visibility , as well as budget optimisation;


### 49. regrets the fact that there is an increase in cases reported to the mediation service , reaching 183 in 2019 (compared to 135 cases in 2018); ### 49. is concerned by the fact that there is an increase in cases reported to the mediation service , reaching 183 in 2019 (compared to 135 cases in 2018) , including five requests for assistance for psychological harassment; asks the eeas to review and remedy the issues that arose by transferring the cases , which require additional investigation , to olaf without any delay;