### 75. notes that , in may 2018 , the bureau approved an upgrade to the former info-point in brussels and that the new info hub aims to attract civil society stakeholders , multipliers , partners and specialised interest groups; notes that the info hub has had a total cost of roughly eur 8 400 000 during 2020 , 2021 and 2022 , and that it has welcomed 20 000 visitors since it opened its doors in mid-july 2022; regrets , however , that members are not aware of these facilities and calls for a better information campaign to publicise their activities and possible uses; ### 75. notes that , in may 2018 , the bureau approved an upgrade to the former info-point in brussels and that the new info hub aims to attract civil society stakeholders , multipliers , partners and specialised interest groups; notes that the info hub has had a total cost of roughly eur 8 400 000 which includes approximately eur 6.6 million for renovation works and eur 1.8 million for communication activities , and that it has welcomed 20 000 visitors since it opened its doors in mid-july 2022; regrets , however , that members are not aware of these facilities and calls for a better information campaign to publicise their activities and possible uses;


### 76. welcomes the ambitious programme ‘europe experience’ that aims to bring the union close to its citizens; welcomes the fact that the global number of visitors to europe experience centres slightly increased from 124 352 in 2020 to 135 835 in 2021 , despite the challenges arising from the covid-19 pandemic; notes likewise that travel restrictions in 2020 and 2021 provoked delays in building contract procedures (namely in dublin , prague , madrid , bucharest , lisbon , bratislava , riga and vilnius) without a negative impact on rent payments as they are triggered by the completion of the fit-out work; notes that in 2021 there were six operational decentralised visitor facilities (berlin , copenhagen , helsinki , ljubljana , tallinn and the parlamentarium simone veil in strasbourg) , as well as that parliament’s directorate for communication launched the implementation of five new large-scale exhibitions planned for 2022 (paris , rome , stockholm , prague and warsaw) , and completed the design of another three new projects (vienna , dublin and luxembourg) while conducting a series of feasibility studies in seven other capitals; regrets that the goal to establish facilities in all union capitals will not be reached before the 2024 parliament elections but understands the dependence of this project on the prospects in a rapidly changing real estate market; ### 76. welcomes the ambitious programme ‘europe experience’ that aims to bring the union close to its citizens; welcomes the fact that the global number of visitors to europe experience centres slightly increased from 124 352 in 2020 to 135 835 in 2021 , despite the challenges arising from the covid-19 pandemic; notes likewise that travel restrictions in 2020 and 2021 provoked delays in building contract procedures (namely in dublin , prague , madrid , bucharest , lisbon , bratislava , riga and vilnius) without a negative impact on rent payments as they are triggered by the completion of the fit-out work; notes that in 2021 there were six operational decentralised visitor facilities (berlin , copenhagen , helsinki , ljubljana , tallinn and the parlamentarium simone veil in strasbourg) , as well as that parliament’s directorate for communication launched the implementation of five new large-scale exhibitions planned for 2022 (paris , rome , stockholm , prague and warsaw) , and completed the design of another three new projects (vienna , dublin and luxembourg) while conducting a series of feasibility studies in seven other capitals; notes that the vast majority of europa experience facilities will be open to the public in 2024 , regrets however that the goal to establish facilities in all union capitals will not be reached before the 2024 parliament elections but understands the dependence of this project on the prospects in a rapidly changing real estate market;


### 77. notes that the lunchtime classical music concerts in the citizens’ garden were conceived to support classic musicians during the covid-19 crisis and to demonstrate the value that parliament places on european musical heritage; notes that 40 concerts were held in 2021 with 4 106 attendees , with a budget of eur 51 925; supports wholeheartedly this initiative during the extraordinary covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 , but questions its relevance in the future and , above all , emphasises that under no circumstances does this initiative serve as a justification for parliament to commit to renovate the citizens' garden; ### 77. notes that the lunchtime classical music concerts in the citizens’ garden were conceived to support classic musicians during the covid-19 crisis and to demonstrate the value that parliament places on european musical heritage; notes that 40 concerts were held in 2021 with 4 106 attendees , with a budget of eur 51 925; supports wholeheartedly this initiative during the extraordinary covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021;


### 80. notes that eight members decided , on their own initiative , to observe elections in third countries where parliament had decided not to send an election observation delegation or had not been invited; notes that in all eight cases the members were in breach of the implementing provisions of the european parliament’s democracy support and election coordination group and that they could not and were not selected to participate in an official election observation delegation until the end of 2021; ### 80. regrets that eight members decided , on their own initiative , to observe elections in third countries where parliament had decided not to send an election observation delegation or had not been invited; notes that in all eight cases the members were in breach of the implementing provisions of the european parliament’s democracy support and election coordination group and that they could not and were not selected to participate in an official election observation delegation until the end of 2021;


### 82. welcomes the fact that the digital signature portal (disp) allows members to digitally sign documents , which improves efficiency , traceability and transparency to the procedures , and regrets that , in contrast to disp , signing plenary amendments is still an outdated and burdensome procedure of signing them by hand and sending them in scanned form; ### 82. welcomes the fact that the digital signature portal (disp) allows members to digitally sign documents , which improves efficiency , traceability and transparency to the procedures , and regrets that , in contrast to disp , signing plenary amendments is still an outdated and burdensome procedure of signing them by hand and sending them in scanned form; calls for the extension of disp to all signed documents;


### 85. highlights parliament’s investment in strengthening its cybersecurity , which includes the creation of a dedicated directorate in dg itec and a significant increase of the related resources aiming to increase the protection of parliament’s information systems in the face of growing threats and ransomware attacks; welcomes the expansion of the range of digital services provided via the e-portal leading to an increase of 67% in the number of transactions , which is a significant increase compared to 2020 , and to the achievement of 85% use rate of the e-portal by members for their travel and subsistence expenses; ### 85. welcomes parliament’s investment in strengthening its cybersecurity , which includes the creation of a dedicated directorate in dg itec and a significant increase of the related resources aiming to increase the protection of parliament’s information systems in the face of constantly growing threats and ransomware attacks; urges the parliament to maintain its efforts and increase its investments in cybersecurity as long as the infrastructures remain vulnerable to cyber-attacks; underlines the need to ensure the recruitment and retention of enough highly-qualified staff in this very strategic sector; welcomes the expansion of the range of digital services provided via the e-portal leading to an increase of 67% in the number of transactions , which is a significant increase compared to 2020 , and to the achievement of 85% use rate of the e-portal by members for their travel and subsistence expenses;


### 86. notes that dg safe’s reorganisation has foreseen the creation of the new directorate on security technology and information aiming to ensure protection of all categories of information handled by parliament; is concerned that the specific unit responsible for security engineering has been created but that the head of unit position does not appear as such in parliament’s organisation chart; calls on the secretary-general to remedy this situation promptly in order to provide the new key directorate with the necessary resources to fulfil its responsibilities; ### 86. notes that dg safe’s reorganisation has foreseen the creation of the new directorate on security technology and information aiming to ensure protection of all categories of information handled by parliament; is concerned that the specific unit responsible for security engineering has been created but that the head of unit position does not appear as such in parliament’s organisation chart; calls on the secretary-general to remedy this situation promptly in order to provide the new key directorate with the necessary resources to fulfil its responsibilities; suggests to offer regularly updated cybersecurity-related training programmes for all staff within the parliament;


### 88. expresses concerns about structural problems in the treves i building; underlines the urgent need for the building to be upgraded to the latest energy and environmental norms; underlines the need for urgent measures to fix the unstable heating system , the lack of air conditioning and toilets for persons with reduced mobility , the poor sound proofing , as well as the sewage problem; ### 88. underlines the need for the trèves i building to be upgraded to the latest energy and environmental norms in line with the renovation plan that dg inlo is currently developing;


### 89. notes the purchase of the treves ii building approved by the bureau on 18 october 2021 , purchased with the intention of allowing the interconnectivity of parliament’s central buildings in brussels , and notes that it will be at the disposal of parliament as from 1 january 2025; is concerned by the poor energy-performance of the building , of which the energy performance certificate indicates an annual primary energy consumption equivalent to class e , and notes that the last renovation of the building dates back to 2000; calls on parliament’s administration to make the necessary adaptations to the applicable energy efficiency regulations in order to improve the building’s energy-performance; ### 89. notes the purchase of the treves ii building approved by the bureau on 18 october 2021 , purchased with the intention of allowing the interconnectivity of parliament’s central buildings in brussels , and notes that it will be at the disposal of parliament as from 1 january 2025; notes that the energy performance certificate indicates an annual primary energy consumption equivalent to class e , and that the last renovation of the building dates back to 2000; calls on parliament’s administration to make the necessary adaptations to the applicable energy efficiency regulations in order to improve the building’s energy-performance;


### 90. notes the architectural competition on the design of the renewal of the spaak building in which the competitors handed over their proposals in january 2021 , the jury analysed the 15 entries and ranked the five laureates in february 2021 and the bureau endorsed the five laureates proposed by the jury at its meeting of 6 july 2022; believes that the current economic context calls for renovation projects to be reconsidered in order to explore money-saving opportunities to bring safe working conditions to members and parliament’s staff without unreasonable budgetary implications; ### 90. notes the architectural competition on the design of the renewal of the spaak building in which the competitors handed over their proposals in january 2021 , the jury analysed the 15 entries and ranked the five laureates in february 2021 and the bureau endorsed the five laureates proposed by the jury at its meeting of 6 july 2022; believes that the necessary steps must be taken , to renovate the building , given its deteriorating condition , in order to ensure the security and well-being of staff ; keeping in mind that the budgetary implications should remain reasonable;


### 95. notes that the east wing of the adenauer building in luxembourg was completed in 2020 and the large-scale relocation of offices from the schuman building started in 2021; notes that works to build the west wing started in 2021 and draws attention to the low occupancy rate of the buildings; ### 95. notes that the east wing of the adenauer building in luxembourg was completed in 2020 and the large-scale relocation of offices from the schuman building ended in 2022; notes that works to build the west wing started in 2020 and that the office space are almost all allocated to the parliament staff;


### 97. recalls that the technical specifications of the concession contracts provide for the obligation to offer a solution to respond to food intolerances upon advance request; points out that such conditionality is completely unknown to the vast majority of clients and , in any case , clearly insufficient for the service provided in parliament , where hundreds of workers go to canteens and cafeterias at peak hours; reiterates its request that at least one fresh gluten-free meal option is available each day in parliament’s canteens and cafeterias; ### 97. recalls that the technical specifications of the concession contracts provide for the obligation to offer a solution to respond to food intolerances upon advance request; points out that such conditionality is completely unknown to the vast majority of clients; calls for more communication on this issue; calls for clearer food and allergen specifications on meals proposed in canteens and cafeterias ; reiterates its request that at least one fresh gluten-free meal option is available each day in parliament’s canteens and cafeterias;


### 98. notes the preparation throughout 2021 of the internalisation of general security services in luxembourg with the organisation and follow-up of all recruitment procedures and an induction training for 115 agents; notes that the internalisation entered into force on 1 january 2022; is concerned that offering posts in function group i and the associated salary makes it difficult to attract and recruit specialised staff from all member states in the security field; reiterates that is particularly concerned about the situation in luxembourg , where this wage is lower than the minimum inter-professional wage , forcing parliament to resort to social compensation , which is neither sustainable nor appropriate for a union institution; reiterates , therefore , that parliament should convey to the commission the extreme urgency of creating a correction coefficient for luxembourg; ### 98. notes the preparation throughout 2021 of the internalisation of general security services in luxembourg with the organisation and follow-up of all recruitment procedures and an induction training for 115 agents; notes that the internalisation entered into force on 1 january 2022; is concerned that offering posts in function group i and the associated salary makes it difficult to attract and recruit specialised staff from all member states in the security field; reiterates that is particularly concerned about the situation in luxembourg; reiterates , therefore , that parliament should convey to the commission the extreme urgency of creating a correction coefficient for luxembourg;


### 100. observes that the evacuation system in parliament’s buildings is largely based on security volunteers , as well as the difficulties to recruit them in buildings with less presence of administrative staff; stresses the importance of counting on trained volunteers capable of guiding and supporting people present in parliament’s building during evacuation simulations and real emergencies; ### 100. regrets that the evacuation system in parliament’s buildings is largely based on security volunteers , and underlines the difficulties to recruit them in buildings with less presence of administrative staff; stresses the importance of not counting only on trained volunteers capable of guiding and supporting people present in parliament’s building during evacuation simulations and real emergencies;


### 103. recalls that transport of persons accounts for roughly two-thirds of parliament’s carbon footprint; notes that the co2 emissions from the monthly commutes to strasbourg in 2021 were approximately 490 tonnes of co2 including travel of staff and apas , and transport of documents and equipment; ### 103. recalls that transport of persons accounts for roughly two-thirds of parliament’s carbon footprint; notes that the co2 emissions from the monthly commutes to strasbourg in 2021 were approximately 490 tonnes of co2 including travel of staff and apas , and transport of documents and equipment; underlines however the parliament’s efforts to reduce co2 emissions through chartered trains , and the “paperless initiative” to help reduce the carbon footprint;


### 106. acknowledges that , following the example of measures taken in many member states and in other union institutions , the proposal to turn off the heating system and let the building drift to a minimal temperature as of thursday evening to monday morning and over the holiday periods would result in significant savings estimated at over eur 2.5 million in total; however , calls on parliament to guarantee an adequate temperature in the parliament’s buildings from mondays to fridays as regular working days; understands the need to reduce energy consumption but calls for heating saving measures to be compatible with staff welfare; ### 106. acknowledges that , following the example of measures taken in many member states and in other union institutions , the decision taken by the bureau to turn off the heating system and let the building drift to a minimal temperature as of thursday evening to monday morning and over the holiday periods would result in significant savings estimated at over eur 2.5 million in total; however , notes the measures taken by the bureau to guarantee an adequate temperature in the parliament’s buildings from mondays to fridays as regular working days; understands the need to reduce energy consumption and reminds that heating saving measures need to remain compatible with staff welfare;


### 107. recalls that efficient lighting solutions are an essential factor for the sustainability of buildings; welcomes the fact that the replacement of existing lighting with low-energy led lights is evaluated whenever possible and feasible in parliament’s buildings; regrets that not all offices in parliament’s three places of work are equipped with motion detectors and that it appears that the motion detectors in several offices in the spinelli building do not work correctly; calls on parliament to ensure that fully functioning motion detectors are installed wherever feasible to reduce energy consumption; understands the need to reduce electricity consumption but calls for lighting saving measures to be compatible with staff welfare; ### 107. recalls that efficient lighting solutions are an essential factor for the sustainability of buildings; welcomes the fact that the replacement of existing lighting with low-energy led lights is evaluated whenever possible and feasible in parliament’s buildings; notes that in brussels , not all offices in parliament’s buildings are equipped with motion detectors and that it appears that the motion detectors in several offices in the spinelli building do not work correctly; understands that the areas not equipped are limited and concern buildings rented or awaiting decision on their future use; welcomes the fact that , in strasbourg , all offices are equipped with motion detectors , and that in luxembourg , the new adenauer building is equipped with automatic switch off based on the absence of movement; calls on parliament to ensure that fully functioning motion detectors are installed in brussels as soon as possible wherever feasible to reduce energy consumption; understands the need to reduce electricity consumption but calls for lighting saving measures to be compatible with staff welfare;


### 108. understands that the core business of the service cars is the transport of members , including the journey between brussels and strasbourg; points out , however , the waste of resources resulting from the fact that on average 15% of the seats available in the service fleet were been occupied for that journey in 2021; reiterates its call on parliament’s administration to widen the user group while making sure that members’ seats are secured , i.e. establishing a reserve list and coherent deadlines to confirm the journey; ### 108. understands that the core business of the service cars is the transport of members , including the journey between brussels and strasbourg; welcomes the fact that on average 85% of the seats available in the service fleet were occupied for that journey in 2021; reiterates its call on parliament’s administration to widen the user group while making sure that members’ seats are secured , i.e. establishing a reserve list , and coherent deadlines to confirm the journey , giving regular updates on the numbers of seats available;


### 113. suggests the creation of a bureau ad-hoc working group to carry out a thorough overhaul of the implementing measures for the statute for members of the european parliament (imms) while striking a balance between the freedom of the exercise of the mandate , the reputational risks to parliament and managerial ethics; strongly recommends that a comprehensive consultation of members is carried out before the end of the current mandate to provide this working group with first-hand information from experienced members on the practical application of the rules governing parliament and the ability to identify inconsistencies such as the fact that the members’ attendance on fridays is not registered in brussels during plenary weeks or even if a parliament’s committee official mission is carried out on thursdays; ### 113. suggests that an evaluation of the implementing measures for the statute for members of the european parliament (imms) should be carried out , in order to take into account a more practical application of the rules governing the parliament and to remedy certain inconsistencies;


### 114. recalls that in previous discharge resolutions parliament requested a reform of the general expenditure allowance (gea) to make the expenditure of this lump sum more transparent and accountable; notes the announcement at the bureau meeting of 7 march 2022 of the setting up of a bureau ad-hoc working group on the gea , which is tasked with evaluating the operation of the bureau decision of 2 july 2018; observes that the bureau , at is meeting of 17 october 2022 , adopted a set of amendments to the imms clarifying the rules applicable to the entitlement and use of the gea and measures aimed at increasing transparency but believes that this reform does not meet the demands expressed in parliament’s resolution of 26 march 2019 on the 2017 discharge and in subsequent resolutions; ### 114. recalls that in previous discharge resolutions parliament requested a reform of the general expenditure allowance (gea) to make the expenditure of this lump sum more transparent and accountable; notes the announcement at the bureau meeting of 7 march 2022 of the setting up of a bureau ad-hoc working group on the gea , which is tasked with evaluating the operation of the bureau decision of 2 july 2018; welcomes that the bureau , at its meeting of 17 october 2022 , adopted a set of amendments to the imms clarifying the rules applicable to the entitlement and use of the gea and measures aimed at increasing transparency;


### 125. recalls the key role of a lively and resilient european democracy underpinned by pluralism of political parties at union level; emphasises therefore that a level playing field has to be ensured and compliance has to be controlled in full respect of procedural rights; welcomes in this context the essential work of the authority which independently and in close cooperation with parliament controls compliance of european political parties and foundations with the legal framework , provides transparency to the citizens , and contributes to the integrity of parliament elections; urges the budgetary authority to ensure that the authority is equipped with the necessary resources , in particular human and it resources , to continue fulfilling its existing mandate including in light of evolving threats of foreign interference , as well as any new tasks to be provided by the legislator; underlines in this context that the european election year 2024 will be pivotal for financial and functional integrity of european democracy and create a significant surcharge of work for the authority; ### 125. recalls the key role of a lively and resilient european democracy underpinned by pluralism of political parties at union level; emphasises therefore that a level playing field has to be ensured and compliance has to be controlled in full respect of procedural rights; welcomes in this context the essential work of the authority which independently and in close cooperation with parliament controls compliance of european political parties and foundations with the legal framework , provides transparency to the citizens , and contributes to the integrity of parliament elections; urges the budgetary authority to ensure that the authority is equipped with the necessary resources , in particular human and it resources , including cybersecurity experts , to continue fulfilling its existing mandate including in light of evolving threats of foreign interference , as well as any new tasks to be provided by the legislator; underlines in this context that the european election year 2024 will be pivotal for financial and functional integrity of european democracy and create a significant surcharge of work for the authority;


### 3. welcomes the eeas’s efforts to ensure gender balance also in higher grades in headquarters and eu delegations; ### 3. welcomes the eeas’s efforts to ensure gender balance also in higher grades in headquarters and eu delegations , particularly the appointment of the eeas ambassador for gender and diversity and the #nowomennoeudiplomacy initiative;


### 6. notes furthermore , that the court already in 2015 found significant weaknesses related to procurement and recruitment procedures organised by eu delegations; notes that the court in 2021 followed up on these observations by examining a sample of ten procurement procedures and eight local recruitment procedures organised by eu delegations; notes that the eeas made improvements to the procurement process through the simplification and modernisation of working procedures at eu delegations , centralisation of some processes at headquarters , creation of new templates for procurement documentation and it revised the rules and conditions governing the employment of local agents in eu delegations in 2019 , as well as performs ex ante controls before their recruitment; finally notes with concern , that the court in five of the ten procurement procedures examined found some deficiencies in how the eu delegations applied public procurement rules and found some weaknesses in all eight of the recruitment procedures for local agents; ### 6. notes furthermore , that the court already in 2015 found significant weaknesses related to procurement and recruitment procedures organised by eu delegations; notes that the court in 2021 followed up on these observations by examining a sample of ten procurement procedures and eight local recruitment procedures organised by eu delegations; notes that the eeas made improvements to the procurement process through the simplification and modernisation of working procedures at eu delegations , centralisation of some processes at headquarters , creation of new templates for procurement documentation and it revised the rules and conditions governing the employment of local agents in eu delegations in 2019 , as well as performs ex ante controls before their recruitment; finally notes with concern , that the court in five of the ten procurement procedures examined found some deficiencies in how the eu delegations applied public procurement rules and found some weaknesses in all eight of the recruitment procedures for local agents; calls on the eeas to take action to resolve the problems leading to the procurement errors identified and to prevent future infringements of relevant rules;


### 7. acknowledges that the eeas does not always consider that rules on public procurement are easy to implement in third countries; nevertheless , encourages the eeas to focus on bringing the number of errors down when it comes to procurement and recruitment procedures organised by eu delegations and report to the discharge authorities about measures taken; ### 7. strongly encourages the eeas to focus on bringing the number of errors down when it comes to procurement and recruitment procedures organised by eu delegations and report to the discharge authorities about measures taken;


### 28. notes with satisfaction that all member states are represented in the staff and that especially the relative number of staff members from the member states that joined in 2004 or later (eu13) have increased and ensured a more reasonable distribution in the overall staff; notes however , that only 24 member states are represented among the eeas ambassadors and that the distribution is more unequal and that the five member states with most ambassadors (france 19 , germany 18 , spain 17 , italy 16 and belgium 12) have 82 out of 135 posts , equivalent to 61%; ### 28. notes with satisfaction that all member states are represented in the staff and that especially the relative number of staff members from the member states that joined in 2004 or later (eu13) have increased and ensured a more reasonable distribution in the overall staff; however , stresses that high imbalances persist at management level despite repeated calls from the european parliament to address this issue; is concerned , that only 24 member states are represented among the eeas ambassadors and that the distribution is more unequal and that the five member states with most ambassadors (france 19 , germany 18 , spain 17 , italy 16 and belgium 12) have 82 out of 135 posts , equivalent to 61%;


### 29. notes with satisfaction that the number of middle managers from eu13 increased from 13 ,8% in 2020 to 16 ,2% in 2021 , the number of senior managers from these countries increased from 7 ,3% to 8 ,9% and the number of ambassadors from these countries increased 14 ,1% in 2020 to 18% in 2021; encourages the eeas to continue working towards ensuring a reasonable geographical balance across all stands of staff and management; ### 29. underlines that eu13 members states encompasses around 23% of the eu population; notes that the number of middle managers from eu13 increased from 13 ,8% in 2020 to 16 ,2% in 2021 , the number of senior managers from these countries increased from 7 ,3% to 8 ,9% and the number of ambassadors from these countries increased from 14 ,1% in 2020 to 18% in 2021; stresses that the eeas , like all european institutions , must ensure that all member states are proportionally represented while at the same time respecting the competences and merits of the candidates; urges the eeas to ensure the geographical balance in order to have an appropriate representation of nationals from all member states , reflecting their diversity , as indicated in the article 27 of the staff regulations of officials; reiterates its call for eeas to carry on interacting with member states to promote its posts among the national diplomat network and academia;


### 53. welcomes that the eeas is assessing open source solutions on an equal footing with proprietary source solutions and is using a series of open source products for developers , hosting solutions , application servers , and identify and access management; calls on the eeas to continue to use open source solutions whenever possible in order to prevent vendor lock-in , retain control over technical systems , provide stronger safeguards for user’s privacy and data protection , and increase security and transparency for the public; ### 53. notes that the eeas is assessing open source solutions on an equal footing with proprietary source solutions and is using a series of open source products for developers , hosting solutions , application servers , and identify and access management;


### 65. welcomes that the eeas declares to have a good cooperation with olaf and the european court of auditors (eca) based on mutual trust and with regular meetings at various working levels with the aim of preventing fraud , investigation and ongoing auditing work and implementation of recommendations; encourages the eeas to develop the same kind of trust and cooperation with the eppo; ### 65. welcomes that the eeas declares to have a good cooperation with olaf and the european court of auditors (eca) based on mutual trust and with regular meetings at various working levels with the aim of preventing fraud , investigation and ongoing auditing work and implementation of recommendations; strongly encourages the eeas to develop the same kind of trust and cooperation with the eppo;


### 68. encourages the eeas to engage with the european data protection supervisor with a view to utilise the two open-source social media platforms , eu-voice and eu-video , that were launched as a public pilot project to promote the use of free and open -source social networks; further encourages the eeas to use decentralised social network alternatives to very large online platforms , such as mastodon; ### 68. encourages the eeas to engage with the european data protection supervisor with a view to utilise the two open-source social media platforms , eu-voice and eu-video , that were launched as a public pilot project to promote the use of free and open -source social networks;


### 4. deplores the remaining lack of diversity , gender and geographical imbalances within the eeas staff; reiterates the importance of ensuring an intersectional distribution , greater diversity , and gender equality , as well as promoting a balance of staff in terms of gender and geographical origin within different categories and grades , particularly at senior management levels; calls on the eeas to significantly improve the representation of women and marginalised groups across all levels and calls on all member states to nominate more women and candidates from marginalised groups to seconded positions in the eeas; draws attention to the remaining overrepresentation of some member states’ diplomats among the heads of delegation and calls for further efforts to address those imbalances; encourages the eeas to create and share guidelines on best practices on the conducting of recruitment procedures in order to ensure diversity , openness , fairness and transparency; ### 4. deplores the remaining lack of diversity , gender and geographical imbalances within the eeas staff and the slow improvement in those matters; reiterates the importance of ensuring an intersectional distribution , greater diversity , and gender equality , as well as promoting a balance of staff in terms of gender and geographical origin within different categories and grades , particularly at senior management levels; calls on the eeas to significantly improve the representation of women and marginalised groups across all levels and calls on all member states to nominate more women and candidates from marginalised groups to seconded positions in the eeas; draws attention to the remaining overrepresentation of some member states’ diplomats among the heads of delegation and calls for further efforts to address those imbalances; encourages the eeas to create and share guidelines on best practices on the conducting of recruitment procedures in order to ensure diversity , openness , fairness and transparency;


### 5. encourages eu delegations to engage with local actors , civil society organisations and social partners in third countries to stimulate social dialogue. ### 5. encourages eu delegations to engage with local actors , civil society organisations and social partners in third countries to stimulate social dialogue and dialogue about rule of law , fundamental rights and fight against corruption;


### 16. notes that according to the authority’s rules of procedure of the board of supervisors (bos) , members of the board who have a conflict of interest may not take part in the board’s discussions or vote on the matter , however they may remain present in the meeting; echoes with concern the court’s observation that the presence in the board’s meetings of board members who have a conflict of interest creates a risk to the board’s independence; notes further with concern the court’s findings that the two assessors who are appointed by the management board to draw up the chairperson’s and the executive director’s annual performance reports maintain this role , even in cases when conflict of interest might exist; ### 16. notes that , in 2021 , according to the authority’s rules of procedure of the board of supervisors (bos) , members of the board who had a conflict of interest may not take part in the board’s discussions or vote on the matter , however they would remain present in the meeting; echoes the court’s observation that the presence in the board’s meetings of board members who have a conflict of interest would create a risk to the board’s independence; notes further the court’s findings that the two assessors who were appointed by the management board to draw up the chairperson’s and the executive director’s annual performance reports would maintain this role , even in cases when conflict of interest might exist; welcomes the fact that in july 2022 , the authority’s bos revised its rules of procedure implementing the court’s observation regarding the presence of conflicted members of the bos during discussions and voting; notes furthermore that the authority’s management board approved in december 2022 a revised decision regarding the appraisal of the chairperson and the executive director , in line with the court’s observations;


### 17. notes that the court’s report assessed one case of potential conflict of interest between 2019 and 2021 in relation to a senior member of staff accepting a new position outside of the authority; notes with concern the court’s observation that in this case the authority did not consult the joint committee , thus breaching article 16 of the staff regulations and article 2 of annex ii of the staff regulations; ### 17. notes that the court’s report assessed one case of potential conflict of interest between 2019 and 2021 in relation to a senior member of staff accepting a new position outside of the authority; notes with concern the court’s observation that in this case the authority did not consult the joint committee , thus breaching article 16 of the staff regulations and article 2 of annex ii of the staff regulations; notes however the revision of the authority’s ethics rule for staff members adopted in december 2022 , whereby various joint committees under article 9 of the union’s staff regulations may be established , including for senior managers;


### h. whereas development cooperation is evolving from a more traditional concentration on the social sectors towards a stronger emphasis on mutual interests , including on investment , trade and the development of high value added economic sectors; ### h. whereas development cooperation is evolving from a more traditional concentration on the social sectors towards a stronger emphasis on mutual interests , including on investment , trade and the development of high value added economic sectors , sustainable development , education and gender equality;


### i. whereas by means of a team europe approach2 , the eu works together with the member states on the field , with local beneficiaries and with the other donors to bring a tangible impact and transformation change in the partner countries; ### i. whereas by means of a team europe approach2 , the eu works together with the member states on the field , with local beneficiaries and with the other donors to bring a tangible impact and transformation change in the partner countries; recalls that budget support musts correspond to the needs of partner countries as well as the eu key policies; recalls that it is also necessary to measure the performance of programmes and their impact in partner countries and civilian populations;


### 16. stresses that out of the 140 transactions examined , 54 (38 ,8%) contained errors , compared to 36 (25 ,7%) in 2020 for the same number of transactions; stresses , moreover , that the court quantified 43 errors (31 in 2020) , on the basis of which it estimated the level of error for the financial year 2021 to be 4.6% (3 ,8% in 2020); ### 16. notes with concern that out of the 140 transactions examined , 54 (38 ,8%) contained errors , compared to 36 (25 ,7%) in 2020 for the same number of transactions; stresses , moreover , that the court quantified 43 errors (31 in 2020) , on the basis of which it estimated the level of error for the financial year 2021 to be 4.6% (3 ,8% in 2020);


### 17. notes with concern that the typology of errors identified in the financial year 2021 follows the 2020 pattern , namely the estimated error related to ineligible expenditure (38 ,6% in 2021 , 38 ,2% in 2020) , serious failure to respect public procurement rules (14 ,6% in 2021 , 2 ,2% in 2020) , absence of essential supporting documents (23 ,3% in 2021 , 38 ,3% in 2020) and expenditure not incurred (18 ,1% in 2021 , 14 ,9% in 2020); ### 17. notes with concern that the typology of errors identified in the financial year 2021 follows the previous years pattern , namely the estimated error related to ineligible expenditure (38 ,6% in 2021 , 38 ,2% in 2020) , serious failure to respect public procurement rules (14 ,6% in 2021 , 2 ,2% in 2020) , absence of essential supporting documents (23 ,3% in 2021 , 38 ,3% in 2020) and expenditure not incurred (18 ,1% in 2021 , 14 ,9% in 2020);


### 19. recognises that , as for 2020 , due to the covid-19 pandemic , it was not possible for the court to carry out on-the-spot visits to eu delegations7 , thus preventing it from carrying out certain audit procedures , and particularly from verifying contract performance for the transactions selected , and therefore the court’s audit work was mainly limited to desk reviews of transactions and projects by means of remotely connecting with auditees; notes , however , that according to the commission’s replies to written questions and the hearing debate held in parliament’s committee on budgetary control there is no evidence that the lack of on-the-spots visits led to an increased misuse of funds; notes , in addition , that the commission believes that the team europe approach helped to coordinate much more closely at beneficiary country level between the eu and its member states , increasing both effectiveness and accountability; ### 19. recognises that , as for 2020 , due to the covid-19 pandemic , it was not possible for the court to carry out on-the-spot visits to eu delegations7 , thus preventing it from carrying out certain audit procedures , and particularly from verifying contract performance for the transactions selected , and therefore the court’s audit work was mainly limited to desk reviews of transactions and projects by means of remotely connecting with auditees; notes , in addition , that the commission believes that the team europe approach helped to coordinate much more closely at beneficiary country level between the eu and its member states , increasing both effectiveness and accountability;


### 20. notes the positive conclusion by dg intpa on the cost-effectiveness of the controls for which it is responsible (effectiveness , efficiency and economy of its control system)8 ; stresses , however , that the court , as in previous years , considers that the frequency of the errors found - including some contained in final claims which had been subjected to ex-ante external audits and expenditure verification - points to weaknesses in these checks; ### 20. notes the conclusion by dg intpa on the cost-effectiveness of the controls for which it is responsible (effectiveness , efficiency and economy of its control system)8 ; stresses , however , that the court , as in previous years , considers that the frequency of the errors found - including some contained in final claims which had been subjected to ex-ante external audits and expenditure verification - points to weaknesses in these checks; asks the commission , given the high error rate each year , to review its ex-ante and ex-post audit strategy; to further generalize digitization for more systematic controls with a priority on the partner countries where the most errors have been identified.


### 22. is aware , as stated by the commission in its replies9 to the court’s annual report , that the commission operates in third countries in complex political and technical contexts , working with many partners such as partner countries , international organisations or member state agencies; notes , furthermore , that , while action plans are regularly run to keep error rates as low as possible , the commission considers a zero-error scenario to be unlikely in this context; ### 22. is aware , as stated by the commission in its replies9 to the court’s annual report , that the commission operates in third countries in complex political and technical contexts , working with many partners such as partner countries , international organisations or member state agencies; notes , furthermore , that , action plans are regularly run to keep error rates as low as possible.


### 24. notes , from the court’s report , that in 15 cases of quantifiable error and eight cases of non-quantifiable error the commission had sufficient information to prevent , or to detect and correct , the error before accepting the expenditure; notes , moreover , that , according to the court’s assessment , had the commission made proper use of all the information at its disposal , the estimated level of error would have been 2.4 percentage points lower , compared to 1.19 percentage points in 2020; ### 24. notes with concern , from the court’s report , that in 15 cases of quantifiable error and eight cases of non-quantifiable error the commission had sufficient information to prevent , or to detect and correct , the error before accepting the expenditure; notes , moreover , that , according to the court’s assessment , had the commission made proper use of all the information at its disposal , the estimated level of error would have been 2.4 percentage points lower , compared to 1.19 percentage points in 2020;


### 28. finds it unacceptable that , as in previous years , some international organisations provided only limited access to documents (e.g. in read-only format) , preventing the court from making copies of the documents , thus hindering the planning and execution of the audit and leading to delays and thus preventing the court from fulfilling its fundamental prerogative as ensured by the tfeu , as previously mentioned in related observations in the court’s 2018 e 2020 annual reports; ### 28. finds it unacceptable that , as in previous years , some international organisations provided only limited access to documents (e.g. in read-only format) , preventing the court from making copies of the documents , thus hindering the planning and execution of the audit and leading to delays and thus preventing the court from fulfilling its fundamental prerogative as ensured by the tfeu , as previously mentioned in related observations in the court’s 2018 e 2020 annual reports; calls on the commission to take measures to avoid such situation enhancing better cooperation with international organisations to ease the audit.


### 29. acknowledges the commission’s efforts to address the problem by means of actively working with the concerned international organisations whose transactions contributed to the error rate , both through the identification of practical solutions and high-level dialogue; welcomes some positive results of those efforts: cooperation with the world bank has improved for the eca’s 2021 audit compared to 2020; insists , nevertheless , that more has to be done to ensure that the court has complete , unrestricted and timely access to all the necessary information , allowing the court to check the legality and regularity of union budget expenditure; ### 29. acknowledges the commission’s efforts to address the problem by means of actively working with the concerned international organisations whose transactions contributed to the error rate , both through the identification of practical solutions and high-level dialogue; insists that more has to be done to ensure that the court has complete , unrestricted and timely access to all the necessary information , allowing the court to check the legality and regularity of union budget expenditure;


### 39. notes that dg intpa also contributed to the commission anti-fraud strategy and implemented timely the action 3316 ; notes , in addition , that dg intpa followed up 33% of olaf’s financial recommendations and that , overall , 20% of the financial recommendations (issued in 2017-2021) have been fully implemented , 20% have been partially implemented , 60% are in an ongoing implementation process or still under analysis; notes , from the 2021 aar , that recurrent difficulties in fulfilling olaf recommendations are due to legal specificities and constraints , such as lengthy legal actions , expiry of the time-barring limit , bankruptcy , amongst other; ### 39. notes that dg intpa also contributed to the commission anti-fraud strategy and implemented timely the action 3316 ; regrets that dg intpa followed up only 33% of olaf’s financial recommendations and that , overall , 20% of the financial recommendations (issued in 2017-2021) have been fully implemented , 20% have been partially implemented , 60% are in an ongoing implementation process or still under analysis; insists for a better rate of implementation of olaf recommendations even if recurrent difficulties in fulfilling olaf recommendations are due to legal specificities and constraints , such as lengthy legal actions , expiry of the time-barring limit , bankruptcy , amongst other;


### 48. underlines that eu budget support is a means to deliver effective assistance , including in situations of crisis , it helps strengthen country systems and budget processes to implement public policies and deliver sustainable results; stresses , moreover , that it has been instrumental during the covid-19 pandemic , offering additional fiscal space to tackle the negative impact of the pandemic; acknowledges that these efforts may continue in the near future in view of the devastating global effects of the russian war of aggression against ukraine; ### 48. underlines that eu budget support is a means to deliver effective assistance , including in situations of crisis , it helps strengthen country systems and budget processes to implement public policies and deliver sustainable results; recalls the importance to maintain the covax facility to maximise the chances of people in participating countries getting access to covid-19 vaccines or other vaccines in case of a new crisis situation , as quickly , fairly and safely as possible stresses , moreover , that it has been instrumental during the covid-19 pandemic , offering additional fiscal space to tackle the negative impact of the pandemic; acknowledges that these efforts may continue in the near future in view of the devastating global effects of the russian war of aggression against ukraine;


### 49. draws attention to the fact that poverty eradication and environmental degradation remain among the greatest challenges we face today; recalls that a world with 1.2 billion people in 111 developing countries17 that live in acute multidimensional poverty is both inequitable and ecologically unsustainable; ### 49. draws attention to the fact that poverty eradication , promotion of democratic values and environmental degradation remain among the greatest challenges we face today; recalls that a world with 1.2 billion people in 111 developing countries17 that live in acute multidimensional poverty is both inequitable and ecologically unsustainable;


### 51. draws attention to the fact that people , and youngsters in particular , should be able to live , study and work in their country and region; underlines that , without an effective fight against poverty , migration movements will continue to grow , namely brain drain migration , resulting in multiple challenges for both destination and origin countries; ### 51. draws attention to the fact that people , and youngsters in particular , should be able to live , study and work in their country and region; underlines that , without an effective fight against poverty , an efficient support to micro financement and to the development of small-scale entrepreneurs migration movements for economical reasons will continue to grow , namely brain drain migration , resulting in multiple challenges for both destination and origin countries;


### 53. stresses that an estimated 64 million children in development countries do not attend primary school; stresses that notably girls have been particularly affected , as their rights to quality education continued to be further compromised due to school closures , lack of access to remote learning including digital , and reduction of national education budgets brought by the stress on country economies; stresses , furthermore , that one major reason is violence in the world’s ongoing conflict areas , and the other large barrier – often closely intertwined with conflict – is poverty; ### 53. stresses that an estimated 64 million children in development countries do not attend primary school; stresses that notably girls have been particularly affected , as their rights to quality education continued to be further compromised due to school closures , lack of access to remote learning including digital , and reduction of national education budgets brought by the stress on country economies; stresses , furthermore , that one major reason is violence in the world’s ongoing conflict areas , and the other large barrier – often closely intertwined with conflict – is poverty; recalls the importance of ensuring in all partner countries that girls must have equal access to education and school as boys; equal opportunities are a priority in development. recalls the important role of women in the developement of local and regional economy in several development countries;


### 58. reiterates that entrepreneurship programmes play an essential role in the fight against poverty; highlights the fact that providing business training can help small-scale entrepreneurs set-up businesses and improve business practices , enabling poor families to plot their path to sustainable livelihoods and socio-economic resilience; notes , however , that in order to improve the effectiveness of such programmes , training should be complemented with customised support and follow-up services; ### 58. reiterates that entrepreneurship programmes play an essential role in the fight against poverty and develop economic growth; highlights the fact that providing business training can help small-scale entrepreneurs set-up businesses and improve business practices , enabling poor families to plot their path to sustainable livelihoods and socio-economic resilience; notes , however , that in order to improve the effectiveness of such programmes , training should be complemented with customised support and follow-up services; recalls that the accessibility of young women to european projects , business training and funds must be encouraged in partner countries


### 64. calls on the commission to assess whether an online platform where all edf projects would be publicised could be established , to increase transparency and access to data; ### 64. calls on the commission to assess whether an online platform where all edf and the neighbourhood , development and international cooperation instrument ̶ global europe (‘ndici-global europe’) projects would be publicised could be established , to increase transparency and access to data;


### 66. considers that the results of the eu development aid could be raised up with a strong and targeted coordination among the edf financing actions , in particular via cross-border projects , with a view to creating synergies and increasing the edf financing added-value; ### 66. considers that the results of the eu development aid could be raised up with a strong and targeted coordination among the edf and the neighbourhood , development and international cooperation instrument ̶ global europe (‘ndici-global europe’) financing actions , in particular via cross-border projects , with a view to creating synergies and increasing the edf and ndici financing added-value;


### 1. draws attention to the steadily worsening context in which the union’s development and humanitarian aid policies are conducted , characterised in particular by the covid pandemic , the relentless aggravation of the impacts of climate change and the mounting repercussions of russia’s war in ukraine; notes the ever-growing gap between the funds needed and those available to respond to the deepening hunger , debt and other crises and to halt the ongoing movement further away from the un’s sustainable development goals (sdgs) instead of towards them; ### 1. draws attention to the steadily worsening context in which the union’s development and humanitarian aid policies are conducted , characterised in particular by the covid pandemic , the relentless aggravation of the impacts of climate change and the mounting repercussions of russia’s war of agression against ukraine; notes the ever-growing gap between the funds needed and those available to respond to the deepening hunger , debt and other crises and to halt the ongoing movement further away from the un’s sustainable development goals (sdgs) instead of towards them;


### 13. recalls the importance for all procurement procedure , to ensure fair competition between tenderers and to procure goods and services at the best price , respecting the principles of transparency , proportionality , equal treatment and non-discrimination. asks for the implementation of the e-procurement it tools developed by the european commission. calls for an updated clarification of the procedures and templates in the procurement guidelines. notes with concern the court’s observation regarding the public procurement weaknesses are increasing and remain the largest source of irregular payments for most of agencies. ### 13. recalls the importance for all procurement procedure , to ensure fair competition between tenderers and to procure goods and services at the best price , respecting the principles of transparency , proportionality , equal treatment and non-discrimination; notes with concern the court’s observation regarding the public procurement weaknesses are increasing and remain the largest source of irregular payments for most of agencies;


### 13. welcomes that , despite the limited resources of a small office , the ombudsman has continued to improve the efficient procedures for dealing with complaints outside of its mandate , which amount to about 1400 per year; further welcomes that the proportion of complaints outside its mandate dealt with by the directorate for administration has increased from 22% in 2020 to 35% in 2021; ### 13. welcomes that the ombudsman has continued to improve the efficient procedures for dealing with complaints outside of its mandate , which amount to about 1400 per year; further welcomes that the proportion of complaints outside its mandate dealt with by the directorate for administration has increased from 22% in 2020 to 35% in 2021;


### 16. notes with satisfaction that at the end of 2021 the number of union nationalities represented among the staff was 18 , which is unchanged from 2020 , and that management posts are distributed across 5 nationalities (compared to 4 in 2020); calls on the ombudsman to continue its efforts to achieve a balanced geographical distribution , taking into account the small size of the office; ### 16. notes with satisfaction that at the end of 2021 the number of union nationalities represented among the staff was 18 , which is unchanged from 2020 , and that management posts are distributed across 5 nationalities (compared to 4 in 2020); calls on the ombudsman to continue its efforts to achieve a balanced geographical distribution;


### 17. notes that the ombudsman’s staff is dominated by women who account for 68% of all staff , which represents a small increase from 2020 where women constituted 66%; further notes that women constitutes the major part of all staff categories: management , ad , ast , ast-sc , gf iv and other gf; calls on the ombudsman to continue its efforts to achieve a balanced gender distribution , taking into account the small size of the office; ### 17. notes that the ombudsman’s staff is composed by women who account for 68% of all staff , which represents a small increase from 2020 where women constituted 66%; further notes that women constitutes the major part of all staff categories: management , ad , ast , ast-sc , gf iv and other gf; calls on the ombudsman to continue its efforts to achieve a balanced gender distribution , taking into account the small size of the office;


### 18. notes that the new rules on hybrid working provides for 60% teleworking per month , while daily working arrangements are arranged at team level; further notes that all categories of staff can make use of the flexible working arrangements; finally notes that staff are allowed to telework 15 days per year from outside the place of employment; ### 18. notes that the new rules on hybrid working provides for 60% teleworking per month , while daily working arrangements are arranged at team level; welcomes that all categories of staff can make use of the flexible working arrangements; finally notes that staff are allowed to telework 15 days per year from outside the place of employment;


### 29. notes that the ombudsman’s activities , including complaint-handling , hr , and finance , are already fully digitalised , but that complaints can still be delivered in paper format , which will then also be answered in paper format if the complainant chooses that format; ### 29. welcomes that the ombudsman’s activities , including complaint-handling , hr , and finance , are already fully digitalised , but that complaints can still be delivered in paper format , which will then also be answered in paper format if the complainant chooses that format;


### 31. congratulates the ombudsman for prioritising the use of open-source tools where possible and for exclusively using open-source software on the ombudsman’s website; ### 31. takes note the ombudsman is prioritising the use of open-source tools where possible and for exclusively using open-source software on the ombudsman’s website;


### 40. underlines the importance for the ombudsman of maintaining a high level of exchange and cooperation with the european network of ombudsmen (eno); notes with satisfaction that the ombudsman has started offering target workshops and seminars in specific areas for specialists in the offices of eno members and hosts the annual eno conference; ### 40. underlines the importance for the ombudsman of maintaining a high level of exchange and cooperation with the european network of ombudsmen (eno); notes with satisfaction that the ombudsman has started offering target workshops and seminars in specific areas for specialists in the offices of eno members and hosts the annual eno conference; encourage the ombudsman to reinforce close relations with eu institutions , bodies , and agencies.


### 44. notes with satisfaction that the ombudsman is part of the pilot project initiated by the edps in order to use eu-voice and eu-video , two open-source , self-hosted social media platforms , to interact with the public by sharing texts , images , videos and podcasts; further congratulate the ombudsman for using decentralised social network alternatives to very large online platforms , such as mastodon. ### deleted


### 22. notes , from the annual activity report , because of persistent systemic errors in declared personnel costs , particularly on the part of small and medium-sized enterprises (smes) and new beneficiaries (who are more error-prone than other beneficiaries) , the joint undertaking had already strengthened its internal control to address the increased risk regarding smes and new beneficiaries. the results of these measures were evident for the first time in 2021 and contributed to significantly lowering the representative error rate from smes and new beneficiaries in the last 2 years; ### 22. notes , from the annual activity report , because of persistent systemic errors in declared personnel costs , particularly on the part of small and medium-sized enterprises (smes) and new beneficiaries (who are more error-prone than other beneficiaries) , the joint undertaking had already strengthened its internal control to address the increased risk regarding smes and new beneficiaries. the results of these measures were evident for the first time in 2021 and contributed to significantly lowering the representative error rate from smes and new beneficiaries in the last 2 years; welcomes the positive results in terms of reduced error rates and the willingness of the joint undertaking to continue with the reinforced risk-based controls in 2022 , with aid of the reinforced monitoring tool available in the corporate compass/sygma system for h2020 grants management.


### 19. appreciates that the plenary of the conference on the future of europe (the ‘cofe’) , composed of 449 delegates , included 18 representatives of the committee and 12 locally and regionally elected politicians , following a proposal by the committee that reviewed the initial proposed number of only four committee’s members; notes that this significant participation in the context of the cofe allowed the committee to organise 6 high-level events , 60 local events , 63 events at the eu region’s week and 7 events for the young elected politicians programme , reaching out to more than 10 000 citizens , local politicians , and stakeholders; underlines that in the multilingual digital platform of the cofe , the committee submitted 44 ideas with key messages from adopted opinions in the context of the cofe’s nine main topics and that many of the views expressed in those ideas can also be found in the cofe’s final report; ### 19. appreciates that the plenary of the conference on the future of europe (the ‘cofe’) , composed of 449 delegates , included 18 representatives of the committee and 12 locally and regionally elected politicians , following a proposal by the committee that reviewed the initial proposed number of only four committee’s members; notes that this significant participation in the context of the cofe allowed the committee to organise 6 high-level events , 60 local events , 63 events at the eu region’s week and 7 events for the young elected politicians programme , reaching out to more than 10 000 citizens , local politicians , and stakeholders; underlines that in the multilingual digital platform of the cofe , the committee submitted 44 ideas with key messages from adopted opinions in the context of the cofe’s nine main topics and that many of the views expressed in those ideas can also be found in the cofe’s final report; further encourage the committee to assist its members in participating in local dialogues with citizens on european matters;


### 59. understands that the additional surface in b100 will anyway not fully compensate the loss of space occurred following the exchange of the committees’ b68 and tre74 buildings for the commission’s vma building , which loss amounts to about 5 000 m2 compared to the situation at the beginning of 2021; acknowledges that such gap cannot be entirely offset by alternative measures such as stepping up the office-space density of other buildings and increasing teleworking; ### 59. understands that the additional surface in b100 will anyway not fully compensate the loss of space occurred following the exchange of the committees’ b68 and tre74 buildings for the commission’s vma building , which loss amounts to about 5 000 m2 compared to the situation at the beginning of 2021; acknowledges that such gap cannot be entirely offset by alternative measures such as stepping up the office-space density of other buildings and increasing teleworking , but advices caution nonetheless against entering long-term commitments on new office space before these measures are fully explored;


### 66. observes that the committee organises preparatory and follow-up (so called bilateral) meetings for its rapporteurs with parliament , the commission and the council on its opinions. and that regular exchanges occur between the rapporteurs of the committee and of parliament on parallel dossiers; ### 66. observes that the committee organises preparatory and follow-up (so called bilateral) meetings for its rapporteurs with parliament , the commission and the council on its opinions. and that regular exchanges occur between the rapporteurs of the committee and of parliament on parallel dossiers; encourages the committee to continue boosting its ability to provide evidence from the ground to the principal eu institutions using data , empirical analyses , and compilations of best practice;


### 74. notes that , in 2021 , the budget assigned for communication was around eur 2.1 million , that about eur 400 000 was used for events , eur 800 000 for media and eur 900 000 for web , social media and digital content; appreciates that the committee measured double-digit percentage increases in press and social media outreach from 2020 to 2021; ### 74. notes that , in 2021 , the budget assigned for communication was around eur 2.1 million , that about eur 400 000 was used for events , eur 800 000 for media and eur 900 000 for web , social media and digital content; appreciates that the committee measured double-digit percentage increases in press and social media outreach from 2020 to 2021 , thanks to an internal reallocation of resources , which showed in its increased outreach; notes that the committee is not likely to be able to do the same in the following years due to tighter budgetary constraints;


### 80. notes that the committee is currently present on the most popular proprietary social media platforms; encourages the committee to use decentralised social network alternatives to very large online platforms , such as mastodon; shares the committee’s view that support to more privacy-friendly alternative platforms , than the predominant mainstream ones , would make a statement in regards of data protection and digital sovereignty; ### 80. notes that the committee is currently present on the most popular proprietary social media platforms; shares the committee’s view that support to more privacy-friendly alternative platforms , than the predominant mainstream ones , would make a statement in regards of data protection and digital sovereignty;


### 5. points out that changes in key assumptions for the above estimate and in risk exposure may lead to further cost increases and projects delays and , for 2021 considers that , based on the court’s report , special attention should be paid to some events that may have a significant impact on the estimate at completion; ### 5. points out that changes in key assumptions for the above estimate and in risk exposure may lead to further cost increases and projects delays and , for 2021 considers that , based on the court’s report , special attention should be paid to the events that may have a significant impact on the estimate at completion , namely: the new baseline for the iter project planned for the first quarter 2023 , the late delivery of components , the sanctions on russia , the ongoing approval of the french nuclear safety authority for the assembly of the components of the tokamak pit and the expected revision of the cost estimate for the hot cell complex;


### 18. notes , however , that the respective provisions of the joint undertaking’s statutes require that the total amount of membership contributions shall not exceed 10 % of the joint undertaking’s annual administrative costs , suggesting an employer contribution of around €740 013 per year for the joint undertaking (based on 2021 figures); notes , therefore , that the concurrence of these different legal provisions risks the elaboration of diverse interpretations regarding the calculation of the joint undertaking’s employer contribution , with varying financial impact; ### 18. notes , however , that the respective provisions of the joint undertaking’s statutes require that the total amount of membership contributions shall not exceed 10 % of the joint undertaking’s annual administrative costs , suggesting an employer contribution of around €740 013 per year for the joint undertaking (based on 2021 figures); notes , therefore , that the concurrence of these different legal provisions risks the elaboration of diverse interpretations regarding the calculation of the joint undertaking’s employer contribution , with varying financial impact; welcomes the joint undertaking’s preparedness to engage with the commission for a clearer alignment of the relevant legal bases;


### 37. notes that , in the 2020’s caar , the joint undertaking concluded that all the components are operating together in an integrated manner; notes , however , that due to the fact that one component was found to have a critical deficiency (the issue occurred with the formalisation of legal commitments for operational expenditure in the joint undertaking’s contract management tool that was adapted for new contracts while remote working during the covid-19 pandemic) impacting the internal control system and included by the director as a reservation in his declaration of assurance , the joint undertaking management concluded that the overall internal control system was partially effective. ### 37. notes that , in the 2021 caar , the joint undertaking concluded that all the components are operating together in an integrated manner; notes , however , that due to the fact that one component was found to have a critical deficiency , namely control activities -issue on wellbeing of staff , the joint undertaking management concluded that the overall internal control system was partially effective.


### e. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure , the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the union institutions by improving transparency and accountability , and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources; ### e. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure , the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the union institutions by improving transparency and accountability , and implementing the concept of an efficient financial and administrative management , performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;


### 6. observes the low budget implementation of 90 ,8 % , compared to 91 ,8 % in 2020 and far from the pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and 2018 respectively of 98 ,1 % and 98 ,7 %); notes that the uncommitted appropriations returned to the union budget are the highest in the last four years and amount to eur 13 336 920 , compared to eur 11 677 200 and eur 2 579 332 respectively in 2020 and in 2019 and eur 1 819 462 in 2018; notes that the reasons for this negative result are ascribed by the committee to the direct consequences of the pandemic crisis; observes that , however , in the economic outturn account the overall expenses slightly increased in 2021 , by 5% as compared to 2020 , and that is explained by the committee with an increase of the activity compared to the first year of the pandemic crisis; points out that the two indicators appear progressing in opposite directions; ### 6. observes with concern the low budget implementation of 90 ,8 % , compared to 91 ,8 % in 2020 and far from the pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and 2018 respectively of 98 ,1 % and 98 ,7 %); notes that the uncommitted appropriations returned to the union budget are the highest in the last four years and amount to eur 13 336 920 , compared to eur 11 677 200 and eur 2 579 332 respectively in 2020 and in 2019 and eur 1 819 462 in 2018; notes that the reasons for this negative result are ascribed by the committee to the direct consequences of the pandemic crisis; observes that , however , in the economic outturn account the overall expenses slightly increased in 2021 , by 5% as compared to 2020 , and that is explained by the committee with an increase of the activity compared to the first year of the pandemic crisis; points out that the two indicators appear progressing in opposite directions;


### 13. underlines that between april and june 2021 several meetings of the budget committee of the council discussed the proposal by the committee for a specific allowance for remote attendance of committee meetings; notes that the proposal by the committee’s caf , supported by the committee’s quaestors and approved by the council quantifies the allowance for remote participation to eur 145 , which is half the allowance stipulated in the council decision 2013/471 , applicable as per 1 july 2021 and limited to the period where there are travel difficulties caused by the covid-19 pandemic; notes that the reimbursement requires a check of attendance at the meeting or event for each participant via a variety of methods such as signature lists , electronic connection reports , screen shots or other reports showing interventions made , and only based on that information can a reimbursement take place; highlights that in the event of remote attendance , only the reduced allowance is paid and no other reimbursements (such as for travel costs or travel allowances) are made after a check of the specific declaration that the member , in fact , did attend the meeting and that no other third-party contribution has been received; ### 13. underlines that between april and june 2021 several meetings of the budget committee of the council discussed the proposal by the committee for a specific allowance for remote attendance of committee meetings; notes that the proposal by the committee’s caf , supported by the committee’s quaestors and approved by the council quantifies the allowance for remote participation to eur 145 , which is half the allowance stipulated in the council decision 2013/471 , applicable as per 1 july 2021 and limited to the period where there are travel difficulties caused by the covid-19 pandemic; notes that the reimbursement requires a check of attendance at the meeting or event for each participant via a variety of methods such as signature lists , electronic connection reports , screen shots or other reports showing interventions made , and only based on that information can a reimbursement take place; highlights that in the event of remote attendance , only the reduced allowance is paid and no other reimbursements (such as for travel costs or travel allowances) are made after a check of the specific declaration that the member , in fact , did attend the meeting and that no other third-party contribution has been received; considers that since the sanitary measures and measures taken during the pandemic crisis have been lifted , the allowance for remote attendance of meetings is no longer necessary


### 20. observes that the key activity and performance indicators are an effective management tool and welcomes their interpretation against the pandemic crisis scenario , hence the weighted importance acknowledged with respect to trends in communication , physical meetings , workplace relations , copy shop productivity and interpretation; . ### 20. observes that the key activity and performance indicators are an effective management tool and notes their interpretation against the pandemic crisis scenario , hence the weighted importance acknowledged with respect to trends in communication , physical meetings , workplace relations , copy shop productivity and interpretation; .


### 22. observes that , in 2021 , the committee adopted 200 opinions (compared to 131 in 2020 and 127 in 2019) out of which 151 opinions were based on referrals , 28 were own-initiative opinions and 12 were exploratory opinions (referrals were 65 and 59 respectively in 2020 and 2019); welcomes the decision to launch a pilot project on reinforced follow-up of opinions issued , aiming at strengthening the monitoring of the actions undertaken by all the institutions on a selected list of opinions of political or strategic importance in relation to the work programme of the sections and the committee’s contribution to the annual commission work programme , to be carried out between september 2022 and april 2023; understands that that reinforced follow-up includes a reinforced role for the committee’s rapporteur in relation to the different actors in the legislative process , hence presence at parliament committee meetings and outreach-oriented tailor-made communication; ### 22. observes that , in 2021 , the committee adopted 200 opinions (compared to 131 in 2020 and 127 in 2019) out of which 151 opinions were based on referrals , 28 were own-initiative opinions and 12 were exploratory opinions (referrals were 65 and 59 respectively in 2020 and 2019); welcomes the decision to launch a pilot project on reinforced follow-up of opinions issued , aiming at strengthening the monitoring of the actions undertaken by all the institutions on a selected list of opinions of political or strategic importance in relation to the work programme of the sections and the committee’s contribution to the annual commission work programme , to be carried out between september 2022 and april 2023; further recalls its recommendation for the committee to carry out a qualitative impact assessment of its opinions;


### 23. observes that the report on the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the european parliament and the european economic and social committee shows , in 2021 , a doubling of the number of meetings with parliament counterparts in the preparation of the committee’s opinions compared to 2020 which confirms the committee’s strengthened involvement in the legislative cycle; notes that , in addition to bilateral meetings on ongoing files , members from both parliament and the committee took part in various events , conferences and meetings and that 156 meetings were held with parliament counterparts , 538 meetings with commission counterparts and 139 meetings with council and member states counterparts; ### 23. observes that the report on the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the european parliament and the european economic and social committee shows , in 2021 , a doubling of the number of meetings with parliament counterparts in the preparation of the committee’s opinions compared to 2020 which confirms the committee’s presence in the legislative cycle; notes that , in addition to bilateral meetings on ongoing files , members from both parliament and the committee took part in various events , conferences and meetings and that 156 meetings were held with parliament counterparts , 538 meetings with commission counterparts and 139 meetings with council and member states counterparts;


### 28. observes that a large number of temporary and contract agents were employed in 2021 (107 temporary agents and 46 contract agents out of a total of 699 staff , compared to 93 and 81 temporary agents respectively in 2020 and 2019 , and to 47 and 43 contract agents respectively in 2020 and 2019); believes that this situation entails the risk of considerable loss of knowledge and expertise for the committee when those temporary employments come to an end; invites the committee to further deepen its administrative cooperation with the cor via the joint services arrangement to enhance the synergic effects of pooling staff; ### 28. observes that a number of temporary and contract agents were employed in 2021 (107 temporary agents and 46 contract agents out of a total of 699 staff , compared to 93 and 81 temporary agents respectively in 2020 and 2019 , and to 47 and 43 contract agents respectively in 2020 and 2019); invites the committee to further deepen its administrative cooperation with the cor via the joint services arrangement to enhance the synergic effects of pooling staff;


### 51. deeply regrets that parliament’s unambiguous calls for an external investigation specifically to review the committee’s hr procedures and the effectiveness thereof , with a focus on addressing harassment claims and ensuring the well-being of the staff are still ignored; believes that it is material to guarantee the well-being of the staff and to effectively prevent further cases , as those occurred; ### 51. deeply regrets that parliament’s unambiguous calls for an external investigation specifically to review the committee’s hr procedures and the effectiveness thereof , with a focus on addressing harassment claims and ensuring the well-being of the staff are still ignored; believes that it is essential to guarantee the well-being of the staff and to effectively and swiftly prevent further cases , as those occurred;


### 56. notes that training on ethics became mandatory for all members of staff in 2021 and that it includes additional , more specific training dedicated to managers; observes that training for members of the committe on ethics has been revised to be aligned with the new code of conduct and to cover the full range of ethical issues; appreciates the setting up of a new team of ethics counsellors to provide the best possible advice to colleagues who consult them on ethical questions , including whistleblowing , and that information on ethics counsellors is disseminated to all newcomers; underlines that a new guide for staff on respect at work at the committee was published in early may 2022 and that the committee is also in the process of establishing a new charter of values of the staff of the committee; ### 56. notes with satisfaction that training on ethics became mandatory for all members of staff in 2021 and that it includes additional , more specific training dedicated to managers; observes that training for members of the committe on ethics has been revised to be aligned with the new code of conduct and to cover the full range of ethical issues; appreciates the setting up of a new team of ethics counsellors to provide the best possible advice to colleagues who consult them on ethical questions , including whistleblowing , and that information on ethics counsellors is disseminated to all newcomers; underlines that a new guide for staff on respect at work at the committee was published in early may 2022 and that the committee is also in the process of establishing a new charter of values of the staff of the committee;


### 57. encourages the committee to further explore its participation to the interinstitutional transparency register through the assessment process launched , to that aim , in 2022; ### 57. strongly encourages the committee to further explore its participation to the interinstitutional transparency register through the assessment process launched , to that aim , in 2022;


### 63. appreciates the committee using open-source technology and that , in 2021 , a growing number of open-source libraries and frameworks were used in the committee’s information systems , among those the main operational applications used by the secretariat for managing political work , agora and phoenix , as well as an increase in the use of open-source technologies in the committee’s data centre; underlines that the committee’s digital strategy foresees the migration from the current on-premises email application to one hosted in the cloud as part of the development of a hybrid cloud environment; ### 63. notes the committee using open-source technology and that , in 2021 , a growing number of open-source libraries and frameworks were used in the committee’s information systems; underlines that the committee’s digital strategy foresees the migration from the current on-premises email application to one hosted in the cloud as part of the development of a hybrid cloud environment;


### 79. welcomes that the committee is committed to the use of open-source solutions for its online communication and encourages the committee to use decentralised social network alternatives to very large online platforms , such as mastodon , to present its work independently of centralised large online platforms; ### deleted


### 9. understands that in 2021 , in line with its 2021-2025 strategy , the court stepped up its efforts to make the best use of modern technology and new techniques in audit to deliver more and better information for the accountability process; understands that the travel restrictions and public health measures limited the court’s ability to carry out audit fieldwork , but the increased use of remote auditing allowed interacting with stakeholders and deliver results timely and meaningfully; ### 9. recalls the 2021-2025 strategy and underlines that the court stepped up its efforts to make the best use of modern technology and new techniques in audit to deliver more and better information for the accountability process; welcomes the court’s ability to carry out audit fieldwork , despite the travel restrictions and the public health measures , and the increased use of remote auditing allowed interacting with stakeholders and delivering results timely and meaningfully; points out parliament’s interest in an effective and timely monitoring of the implementation of the new court strategy 2021-2025 to guarantee the consistency with the highest standards of transparency and accountability; believes that this requires the design of performance indicators and the definition of milestones and measurable outcomes when establishing the action plan and a periodic reporting of the progress made in implementing the strategy , including mid-term review and peer review;


### 11. points out parliament’s interest in an effective and timely monitoring of the implementation of the new court strategy 2021-2025 to guarantee the consistency with the highest standards of transparency and accountability; believes that this requires the design of performance indicators and the definition of milestones and measurable outcomes when establishing the action plan and a periodic reporting of the progress made in implementing the strategy , including mid-term review and peer review; ### deleted


### 12. welcomes the internal reflection process launched to identify improvements to achieve the 13-month target for special reports by better defining or reducing the audit scope , by intensifying the audit progress monitoring , by reducing the duration of internal review procedures without affecting the quality level , and by shortening or abolishing notification and circulation periods wherever possible; ### 12. notes the internal process launched to identify improvements to achieve the 13-month target for special reports by better defining or reducing the audit scope , by intensifying the audit progress monitoring , by reducing the duration of internal review procedures without affecting the quality level , and by shortening or abolishing notification and circulation periods wherever possible;


### 14. appreciates the court’s approach to set its strategy on the basis of its analysis of trends , its assessment of risks and the stated priorities of the institutional stakeholders and auditees; believes that the dialogue between the court and parliament to identify topics of interest and priorities should be streamlined and coordinated to guarantee consistency and adequate coverage of the agreed major issues while avoiding duplication or overlapping; is aware that the court establishes its work programme in complete independence while using input from parliament , provided through parliament’s conference of committee chairs; notes that the court received 164 proposals from 22 committees for its 2022 work programme; appreciates that 82 % of newly added audit tasks concern in mainly the effectiveness of the implementation of nonmonetary union policies; recalls , however , the joint statement by the parliament and the council on the reinforcement of the establishment plan of the court of auditors and the fact that it is essential that the court allocates sufficient resources for the implementation of its core activities; ### 14. appreciates the court’s approach to set its strategy on the basis of its analysis of trends , its assessment of risks and the stated priorities of the institutional stakeholders and auditees; believes that the dialogue between the court and parliament to identify topics of interest and priorities should be streamlined and coordinated to guarantee consistency and adequate coverage of the agreed major issues while avoiding duplication or overlapping; is aware that the court establishes its work programme in complete independence while using input from parliament , provided through parliament’s conference of committee chairs; believes that the court’s work programme should be designed to provide a more effective analysis only on some identified priorities to give it more flexibility issues regarding the important workload on rrf in the future; recalls that the court's resources should not be used to multiply special reports but to focus more on special reports linked to current european situation and challenges (rrf , ngeu , the fight against covid , customs management etc);


### 16. believes that the court’s work should be designed to provide a more effective analysis of the other union’s institutions which are a relevant part of the discharge procedure; is of the opinion that the audit of the heading ‘european public administration’ , while it is considered as a low-risk expenditure and has not resulted so far in an error above the materiality threshold , would provide relevant information to the discharge authority if it was carried out with a different approach , which would not necessarily entail a separate assessment every year for each institution; ### 16. believes that the court’s work should be designed to provide a more effective analysis of the other union’s institutions which are a relevant part of the discharge procedure; is of the opinion that the audit would provide relevant information to the discharge authority if it was carried out with a different approach , which would not necessarily entail a separate assessment every year for each institution;


### 21. calls on the court to continue its efforts to address green tagging in the rrf and to assess the rrf instrument in terms of its alignment and contribution to the european green deal objectives on climate action , as recently provided with special reports and opinions on the “do no significant harm” principle and on the application of the eu taxonomy; calls on the court to include specific tasks to assess the contribution and impacts of the digitalisation targets in the rrf to the union’s digital strategy and digital transformation; is concerned by the fact that the commission has not yet defined a clear methodology for quantifying the financial impact of lack of satisfactory fulfilment of one or several milestones underlying payments; ### 21. calls on the court to continue its efforts to address green tagging in the rrf and to assess the rrf instrument in terms of its alignment and contribution to the european green deal objectives on climate action , as recently provided with special reports and opinions on the “do no significant harm” principle and on the application of the eu taxonomy; calls on the court to include specific tasks to assess the contribution and impacts of the digitalisation targets in the rrf to the union’s digital strategy and digital transformation;


### 27. maintains that the lack of gender balance within the court’s college requires actions; underlines that in the court’s history , out of 116 members , only 16 have been women , and that in the current college out of 27 members , 8 are women; points out that gender equality is enshrined as one of the core values in article 2 of the treaty on european union; highlights that gender equality should not only play a role in all the union’s policies , but also in the internal organisation of its institutions; ### 27. regrets the lack of gender balance within the court’s college as in the current college out of 27 members , 8 are women; points out that gender equality is enshrined as one of the core values in article 2 of the treaty on european union; highlights that gender equality should not only play a role in all the union’s policies , but also in the internal organisation of its institutions; acknowledges that the responsibility to ensure gender balance within the members of court's college lies with the member states; remarks with regret that 13 member states have never sent a woman to the court; calls on the president of the court to encourage the national authorities to present candidates of different genders with the aim of achieving a reasonable gender balance across the members of the court;


### 28. regrets that the court keeps a reputation of being a historically male-dominated institution; remarks with concern that 13 member states have never sent a woman to the court; calls on the president of the court to encourage the national authorities entrusted with the presentation of the candidates to present candidates of different genders with the aim of achieving a reasonable gender balance across the members of the court; ### deleted