ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
22.

Notes from the Court’s report that for Seventh Framework Programme interim and final payments, the Joint Undertaking is responsible for ex post audits at the beneficiaries, whilst for Horizon 2020 project cost claims, is the Commission’s common audit service for the ex post audits, and that based on the ex post audit results available at the end of 2019, the Joint Undertaking reported a representative error rate of 2,08 % and a residual error rate of 1,08 % for its Seventh Framework Programme projects, and a representative error rate of 0,94 % and a residual error rate of 0,7 % for Horizon 2020 projects (clearings and final payments); notes that the Commission’s proposal for the Horizon 2020 regulation proposed that for research spending under Horizon 2020 an annual risk of error of a range between 2 to 5 % is a realistic objective, taking into account the costs of controls, the simplification measures proposed to reduce the complexity of rules and the related inherent risk associated to the reimbursement of costs of the research project, and that the ultimate aim for the residual level of error at the closure of the programmes after the financial impact of all audits, correction and recovery measures will have been taken into account, is to achieve a level as close as possible to 2 %;
9.

Notes that SESAR 1, implemented under Seventh Framework Programme, was formally closed in 2016 and the last corrective payments and recoveries of over-payments to beneficiaries were completed in 2019: notes that following the closure of SESAR 1, the Joint Undertaking found excess financial contributions received from its Members amounting to EUR 30 767 098: notes in this regard that according to Article 13 of the constituent act, the Joint Undertaking's members can only expect the reimbursement of their respective excess contributions at the dissolution of the Joint Undertaking by 31 December 2024; notes from the Court’s report that, based on the Joint Undertaking’s accounting information, the Joint Undertaking needs to reimburse the respective members as follows: approximately, EUR 23 800 000 to the Commission, EUR 4 800 000 to Eurocontrol, and EUR 2 100 000 to industry members; notes, moreover, from the Court’s report that the Joint Undertaking informed the Commission of the situation in May 2018 and April 2019 and that in the absence of a pragmatic solution for an early reimbursement, these funds remain with the Joint Undertaking without being used for research projects, which is contrary to the principle of sound financial management; notes the Joint Undertaking’s reply to the effect that a draft decision was sent to the Administrative Board to provide the Joint Undertaking with the legal basis to proceed with the reimbursement, and that this decision is currently subject to a Written Procedure that is underway, and that as soon as the decision is taken, the Joint Undertaking will execute the reimbursements in line with the recommendations of Directorate-General for Budget, enabling a swift closure of the SESAR 1 accounts; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority of any development in that regard;
31.

Stresses that the promotion of European values and cultures plays an active role in supporting democracy, non-discrimination and gender equality, and in tackling disinformation and fake news; expresses concern at the deterioration of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in some Member States and underlines the need for financial resources to support press, media and artistic freedom in the Union; highlights that the new Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme is of strategic importance to strengthen European citizenship and democracy, equality and the rule of law in the EU, as well as to support victims of gender-based violence; recalls also that the justice programme includes a specific objective aimed at supporting and promoting judicial training, with a view to fostering a common legal, judicial and rule of law culture; calls for the funding of these programmes to be evenly spent during the MFF period and urges full expenditure of annual funds for the specific objectives highlighted; welcomes, furthermore, the continuous, comprehensive work in covering the law and practice of Member States in those areas carried out by the Fundamental Rights Agency; believes that the Conference on the Future of Europe is among the tools to tackle a number of democratic and fundamental rights challenges and considers it paramount that each EU institution involved in the setting up and management of the forthcoming Conference should be adequately equipped with administrative budgets;
29.

Notes from the Court’s report that the Agency has signed working arrangements with the European Space Agency (ESA) on the implementation of the EGNOS and GALILEO programmes, and in 2019 the Agency paid EUR 55,5 million under the EGNOS working arrangement and EUR 223,7 million under the GALILEO working arrangement; notes from the Court’s report that there is a risk that the Agency’s payments to the ESA may be calculated on the basis of inaccurate costs due to the absence of a comprehensive ex-ante or ex-post strategy; notes from the Agency’s reply that ex-ante control is carried out to confirm that payment requests’ amounts agree with the respective payment plans and pre-financing stated in working agreements and that ex-post control is not applicable as the Agency has a contractual obligation to pay; notes from the Agency’s reply that it is to undertake ex-post control, in particular full reconciliation of costs and activities against cost claims, between 2020 and 2023;
—

having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (1) (the ‘Financial Regulation’), and in particular Article 44 thereof,
12.

Reminds that the decarbonisation of the transport sector is imminent; notes that the digital and green transformation will also have an effect on the labour market and is expected to significantly shape the automotive sector; reiterates in this context the important role that the Union should play in providing the necessary qualifications for the just transformation in line with the European Green Deal; strongly supports that in 2021- 2027 the EGF will continue to show solidarity with persons affected and maintain the focus on the impact of restructuring on workers and calls for future applications to maximise policy coherence; considers that special attention should be paid to qualified education, including vocational training and promoting the so-called dual apprenticeship system, which has proven to be effective in several Member States;
11.

Notes with concern that the Court has issued a qualified opinion regarding the legality and regularity of the payments underlying the accounts for the financial year 2019; notes with concern that for the 2019 financial year, the Court concluded that several specific contracts under a framework contract for IT services were irregular, because no competitive procurement procedure had been followed by the Agency, and more precise, certain ordered items and services were not covered by the price lists of the bids submitted for the contract; notes that payments made in 2020 for out-of-price list items under this framework contract amounted to EUR 752 654 (3,71 % of the total payment appropriations available in 2020); notes the statements of the director of the Agency in the discharge hearing with the agencies on 29 November 2021, and the Agency’s reply to written questions that the Court’s finding was related to an excessive use of the option of ‘out-of-price list items’, and that the Agency has taken steps to prevent this from happening in the future; calls on the Agency to report to the Court and the discharge authority on the above mentioned framework contracts as well as on the steps taken;
18.

Notes that the Centre’s anti-fraud strategy dates back to 2016 and that the 2019-2020 anti-fraud action plan has been fully implemented, with monitoring of the implementation of the anti-fraud actions taking place by means of their inclusion in the annual work programme of the Centre; welcomes, in particular, the development of the list with red flags for IT and calls on the Centre to share its experience in that regard with other Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies that have a comparable IT environment; calls on the Centre to consider updating its anti-fraud strategy on the basis of a fraud risk assessment in order to ensure that the Centre’s anti-fraud efforts are still geared towards the most pertinent fraud risks;
25.

Notes that the Governing Board decision No 7/2018 adopting the rules on the prevention and management of conflicts of interests, applicable to the bodies of the Joint Undertaking, requires that up-to-date CVs and conflict of interest declarations of the Governing Board members are published on the Joint Undertaking’s website; notes from the Court’s report that, as only a few of the Governing Board members duly submitted the information, no conflict of interest declarations and only half of the CVs could be published by the end of 2020; notes from the Joint Undertaking’s that the Joint Undertaking reminded the Governing Board members several times to submit the missing declarations of conflict of interest, that as at June 2021, 28 % of the CVs and declaration of conflict of interests were still missing (12 out of 43 current active representatives), and that a status report was presented to the Governing Board members and explained that any member not having complied with the requirements in terms of conflict of interests declaration and CV is considered de facto in a conflict of interest situation, leading to an exclusion from Governing Board decision making process; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority any development in that regard;
10.

Notes that the Authority works with the two other European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the European Banking Authority (EBA), via the Joint Committee of the ESAs; notes that the Joint Committee works in the areas of micro-prudential analyses of cross-sectoral developments, risks and vulnerabilities for financial stability, supervision of financial conglomerates, accounting and auditing, retail investment products and consumer and investor protection issues; notes that the Joint Committee also plays an important role in the exchange of information with the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and in developing the relationship between the ESRB and the ESAs; notes that in 2013 the Authority and the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators also signed a Memorandum of Understanding which established a framework for exchanging information when the regulatory responsibilities of both Union bodies coincides in relation to wholesale energy markets, which encompasses trading in commodity and derivative contracts; notes that the Authority shares the accounting officer function with the EBA, and the majority of its procurements are joint procurements with other agencies and the Commission; further notes that the Authority has implemented its administrative digitalisation programme based on joint IT software shared by six Union agencies, which together cooperate to communicate on best user practices and new releases;
28.

Stresses that the Union requires sufficient resources to respond to major crises as well as the long-term challenges in its neighbourhood and throughout the world, while recalling that the ceiling of Heading 6 of the MFF is already too low and that a revision of the current MFF is indispensable; calls for sufficient funding for the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance so that they are able to fulfil their crucial role in promoting sustainable and democratic development and political and economic reforms, protecting of the rule of law and human rights, supporting electoral processes and addressing social and climate challenges and the root causes of migration; points to the need to provide continued support for refugees, notably in Turkey and the wider region, and to respond to the developments in Afghanistan, while reiterating that the Union budget should not be the sole source of funding; calls for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to receive an ambitious level of funding from the EU budget in 2023 to allow it to provide adequate support for regional stability and strengthen the resilience of Palestinian refugees; stresses the importance of the humanitarian aid programme and notes that resources are not increasing in line with record-high needs; calls, therefore, for it to be allocated more significant funding and for the Member States to increase their humanitarian aid;
28.

Welcomes the political agreement on the Transparency Register for interest representatives, reached by Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 15 December 2020 (2); regrets, however, the limitations considered in Article 5 of Parliament’s decision of 27 April 2021 on the conclusion of an interinstitutional agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register (3), such as the fact that the Transparency Register applies to the Member States’ Permanent Representatives only under voluntary schemes; insists that all Permanent Representations should take an active part in it through voluntary schemes during and after their Member State’s Council presidency; calls on the Council, including the Member State representatives, to harmonise, improve and enforce the existing ethics rules, in particular with regard to conflicts of interest, revolving doors and lobby transparency rules; expresses its concern that legislative files are escalated to the European Council on an increasing basis, which has neither a legislative nor an executive function, does not apply the same transparency standards as the Council and is not being held accountable;
RESOLUTION on measures to combat the spread of drugs

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the enormous spread of hard drugs and the dire effects which they produce, especially among young people,

B. deeply disturbed by the loss of thousands of human lives and by the situation in which drug addicts and their families find themselves,

C. whereas the underground drug market is constantly changing and measures to deal with it need to be updated and renewed,

D. having regard to the confirmation by the UN conference in Milan of the role that drug trafficking plays in spreading crime and sometimes in destabilizing established authority,

1. Realizes that in order to cope with this serious development, all political, social, religious and cultural forces, including, therefore, the Community institutions, must be brought to bear on the task;

2. Undertakes therefore to arrange for the Committee of Inquiry into measures to combat drugs in Europe set up nine months ago pursuant to Rule 95 of the Rules of Procedure to begin its work as soon as possible.
RESOLUTION on the drug problem

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the report and recommendations of its Committee of Inquiry on the drugs problem (Doc. A2-114/89),

B. having regard to the declaration at the Hague Summit, indicating the willingness of Member States to take concerted action against the drug problem,

C. appalled by Member States' reluctance to acknowledge the extent of the problem,

D. whereas the policies pursued so far by Member States have not prevented the further extension of the problem which has now reached alarming proportions,

E. alarmed at the worrying increase in the drug problem,

F. whereas the illegal drug traffic is carried on by criminal organizations with immense resources and capital at their disposal,

G. whereas the activities of these organizations extend far beyond drug trafficking, even influencing the political and economic system in many cases and many countries,

H. whereas furthermore the policies pursued to date by Member States have been of little avail with regard to:

(i) suppression, with an average of 5% of illegal substances actually seized,

(ii) prevention, with too little and often inappropriate action,

(iii) rehabilitation and reintegration into society, owing to a lack of resources and the unwillingness of society as a whole to offer proper solutions, especially for young people,

I. pointing out to all the institutions of the Community their duty to improve living and working conditions which is the basis of the EEC Treaty.

1. Submits the attached draft resolution to the Council of Ministers;

2. Urges the Council formally to adopt this resolution without delay;

3. Instructs its President to forward this resolution, together with the report and recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the drugs problem in the Member States of the Community, to the Council and Commission;
B4-0795/95

Resolution on damage to crops in the department of Elide in Greece caused by hail, windstorms and frost

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the violence of the recent hail and windstorms which hit many villages and communes in the department of Elide (4-5 and 6 May 1995), causing serious damage to crops;

B. whereas these storms caused damage to farmers estimated at over ECU 20 million, driving many of them further into debt,

C. whereas it is urgently necessary to repair the damage caused,

The European Parliament,

1. Expresses its deepest feelings of sympathy and solidarity with the affected producers and their families;

2. Calls on the Commission and the EIB to grant exceptional financial aid to the producers involved so that they may deal with the damage caused;

3. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Greek Government and the departmental authorities of Elide.
B4-0671, 0683, 0693, 0698, 0701 and 0710/95

Resolution on the ominous developments in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the growing tension in Bosnia and the fighting in the Bihac and Tuzla areas,

B. drawing attention to the statement by Mr Radovan Karadic, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, on 27 March 1995 that his forces would continue to fight until 'the total destruction' of their enemy and that he no longer regarded Tuzla as 'a security zone of the UN',

C. whereas the terms of the UN mandate in Croatia have not been fully respected,

D. noting that the United Nations Security Council has reached a decision on the continuing presence of United Nations troops on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, but that the practical terms of the mandate for the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation (UNCRO) still have to be determined,

E. convinced that the presence of UN troops in the region should not be used to legalise expulsion and occupation, but rather that it should form the basis for the restoration of international law, human rights and democracy,

The European Parliament,

1. Welcomes the decision by the UN Security Council on the mandate for a continuing presence of UN troops on the territory of the former Yugoslavia as a contribution to a reduction of tensions in the region, and urges the government of Croatia and the UN envoy, Mr Thorvald Stoltenberg, to come to an agreement on the exact implementation of UNCRO as soon as possible;

2. Calls on the Council to urge the UN finally to provide a vigorous response to attacks on the civilian population and supports, to this end, the proposals made by the UN Secretary-General;

3. Calls on the Member States of the Union to urge the UN Security Council to provide more effective protection for Tuzla, a city in which Muslims, Croats and Serbs have hitherto coexisted peacefully;

4. Is firmly convinced that the embargo against Serbia/Montenegro can only be lifted after Serbia/Montenegro has recognized the Republics of Croatia and Bosnia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;

5. Condemns the continued persecution of the Albanian-speaking majority in Kosovo as an outrageous violation of human rights and a cause of instability in an already explosive part of the Balkans;

6. Urges the Council to do all in its power to help bring an end to the recent fighting in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and urges all parties involved to refrain from actions that may further increase the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina;

7. Calls for EU aid and support to be focused on all local authorities, groups and initiatives guaranteeing the return of refugees and equal treatment for all peoples and members of all religious groups;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Security Council and the governments of Croatia, Bosnia- Herzegovina and Serbia/Montenegro.
B4-0070/95 rev.

Resolution on the export of repressive technologies

The European Parliament,

A. concerned at the export of repressive technologies to regimes that violate human rights,

B. disturbed at recent revelations that such technologies are being produced in at least three EU countries, namely Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, with companies such as Equipol, France Selection Neral et Cie SARL (France), Tactical Arms International (UK) and British Aerospace all known to have supplied electric shock units,

C. horrified at the information that these technologies have been exported amongst others to Saudi Arabia, China, the Gulf States and South Africa under the apartheid regime,

D. aware that these technologies have been used in gross violations of human rights,

E. aware of government complicity in these transactions that have been formally banned by the governments concerned, as in the case of ICL Technical Plastics in Glasgow, which produces electric shock weapons with permission from the Scottish Office, according to Frank Stott, the head of ICL,

The European Parliament,

1. Requests a statement from the governments concerned regarding the allegations;

2. Urges support for Amnesty International's call for a full investigation into the extent of the trade in the EU;

3. Calls on the Commission to bring forward proposals to incorporate those technologies within the scope of arms export controls and ensure greater transparency in the export of all military security and police technologies to prevent the hypocrisy of governments who breach their own export bans;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.