natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Strongly regrets the fact that owing to the decentralised management structure, no information is available about the numbers and percentages of the slaughter activities of slaughterhouses in line with Union hygiene legislation before the Sapard funding and of the slaughter activities after the implementation of Sapard-funded projects, thus making it impossible to fully assess the projects’ core effectiveness or real in- and output;
Parlamentet stöder i detta sammanhang den tydligare resultatinriktningen och den tematiska koncentrationen för sammanhållningspolitiken, vilket bör garantera ett stort mervärde för de medfinansierade åtgärderna.
Notes that a synthesis study of Sapard ex post evaluations financed by the Commission and carried out by KPMG (Hungary) concludes that in terms of support for meeting Union standards and the acquis communautaire ‘the most important impacts were reached in the field of hygiene, sanitary and veterinary conditions and environment’; notes, however, that this study is based on a beneficiary survey and that the impact of Sapard support under measure II (improving the processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products) is deemed considerably higher for helping to meet Union environmental standards (97 % of beneficiaries reported a ‘certain impact’), compared to only a 46 % impact in the case of helping to become fully compliant with (all) relevant Union standards, including hygiene standards;
Parlamentet välkomnar också definitionen av allvarliga brister och den planerade ökningen av korrigeringar för upprepade brister.
Regrets that the approach chosen by the Commission for evaluating the Sapard programmes in Member States did not allow for either quantitative nor qualitative assessments for measuring the effectiveness of the Union funding, as well as limiting the programme level assessment options only to qualitative evaluation; regrets the absence of clear and specific criteria in the Sapard regulations for the support of slaughterhouses; invites the Commission to adhere to methods allowing for quantifiable objectives on both programme and measure levels;
Europaparlamentet beklagar dock att medlemsstaterna även enligt den nya Eruf-förordningen, Europaparlamentets och rådets förordning (EU) nr 1301/2013 [32], får ersätta felaktiga projekt som upptäckts under år ”n” med nya projekt, varigenom ett väsentligt incitament till ett omsorgsfullt utnyttjande av anslagen bortfaller.
Part V
Parlamentet anser att denna bestämmelse bör begränsas vid första lägliga tillfälle och omarbetas helt senast 2020.
Special Report No 15/2012 of the Court of Auditors entitled ‘Management of conflict of interest in selected EU agencies’
Europaparlamentet beklagar dessutom att kriterierna för att bedöma systemen (”allvarliga brister”) och för fastställande av nivån på de finansiella korrigeringar som ska tillämpas inte har getts en slutgiltig definition i förordning (EU) nr 1301/2013.
Welcomes the Court of Auditors’ report on the four selected agencies because they have the highest exposure to an impartiality risk, due to their significant decision-making powers in areas of vital importance to the health and safety of consumers; notes that this report is a result of Parliament asking the Court of Auditors to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the agencies’ approach to the management of situations where there are potential conflicts of interest; supports all the Court of Auditors’ recommendations;
Parlamentet förväntar sig att de detaljerade och operativa kriterier som kommer att göra det möjligt för kommissionen att tillämpa begreppet ”allvarlig brist” fastställs i en delegerad akt.
Points out that the agencies carry out technical, operational and regulatory tasks and play a vital role in implementing and raising the profile of Union policies; stresses the importance of the agencies being autonomous and independent;
Europaparlamentet medger att i samband med förfarandet för beviljande av ansvarsfrihet har ett antal bilaterala möten ägt rum mellan föredraganden och kommissionen om övergripande frågor om den delegerade akt i vilken det anges närmare hur ”allvarliga brister” ska definieras tydligare och om hur finansiella korrigeringar ska skärpas vid långvariga allvarliga brister.
Notes that all the Union institutions, agencies and joint undertakings, without exception, are exposed to the risk of conflict of interest; stresses, nevertheless, the specific needs of the decentralised agencies in terms of conflict of interest management, given the broad diversity of actors involved in their work;
Parlamentet beklagar att budgetkontrollutskottets förslag till nivå på de finansiella korrigeringarna (att lägga till en ränta på 50 % och 75 %) inte beaktades.
Points out that the poor management of conflicts of interest may have a strong and lasting negative impact on the image of the Union institutions and on citizens’ confidence in their ability to serve the interests of society;
Parlamentet beklagar att den ursprungliga automatiken för att påtvinga finansiella korrigeringar på en högre nivå, om samma allvarliga brist upptäcks i ett senare räkenskapsår, anges som valfri i det senaste utkastet till delegerad akt (av den 4 februari 2014) och att detta medfört att kravet att medlemsstaterna inför system för övervakning och kontroll som säkerställer en sund ekonomisk förvaltning har försvagats.
Recalls that Parliament postponed its approval of the 2010 accounts of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) [10] and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) [11] partly due to what it considered to be an unsatisfactory management of conflict of interest;
Europaparlamentet välkomnar kommissionens meddelande om tillämpning av finansiella nettokorrigeringar hos medlemsstaterna (COM(2013) 934).
Regrets that there is currently no comprehensive Union regulatory framework dedicated to conflict of interest which would make it possible to impose comparable basic requirements in terms of independence and transparency applicable to all Union agencies;
Parlamentet tvivlar dock på att de handlingar som medlemsstaterna lämnar in senast den 15 februari år ”n+1” utgör en solid grundval för en riskanalys.
Recognises the value of the OECD guidelines on managing conflicts of interest, which set an international benchmark on this issue; stresses, however, that although the OECD guidelines offer an international benchmark, they relate essentially to conflicts of interest concerning public sector employees and cannot, therefore, provide an adequate basis for an effective response in the case of potential conflicts of interests among the governing bodies and other bodies involved in the agencies’ work, such as management boards and expert panels; recognises, nevertheless, the value of the OECD’s toolkit, and especially the checklist for gifts and benefits etc., as well as recommendations made concerning penalties, the need to check the completeness and content of declarations of interests and the requirement to harness expertise and identify potential conflicts of interest;
Parlamentet konstaterar vidare att det kontradiktoriska förfarande som kan leda till att nettokorrigeringar utdöms tar fyra månader, vilket är för länge.
Recalls that in July 2012, after three years of analysis and negotiations, the Commission, the Council and Parliament finally adopted the ‘Common Approach’, a political agreement concerning the future and the reform of the decentralised agencies; welcomes the fact that the Commission soon adopted thereafter a roadmap for the implementation of this Common Approach; notes that the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in the agencies was one of the Commission’s priority actions for 2013 but regrets that it intended to implement and launch this action alone;
2 19.
Draws the Commission’s attention to the need for a common regulatory framework on this matter; stresses the importance of it being a concerted action and calls for Parliament to be closely involved; asks the Commission to respect the proposed deadline for implementing this action and to report to the discharge authority on its outcome by May 2014, attaching the relevant legislative proposals to its report;
Europaparlamentet uppmanar mot bakgrund av den höga nivån av fel i offentlig upphandling inom sammanhållningspolitiken och med beaktande av revisionsrättens seminarium om EU:s offentliga upphandling i januari 2014, till ett starkare och omedelbart genomförande i medlemsstaterna av aktuella bestämmelser på området.
Asks the Commission to bear in mind the need to maintain a balance between the risks and the benefits, in particular as regards the management of conflicts of interest on the one hand, and the objective of obtaining the best possible scientific advice on the other; notes with concern, furthermore, that the adoption of ethical standards, codes and guidelines does not guarantee the absence of conflicts of interest; observes that this will require the implementation of simple and applicable standards, together with regular and effective ex ante and ex post controls and clear sanctions, thereof, in the context of a culture of honesty, integrity and transparency;
Parlamentet uppmanar dessutom till bättre samordning av reglerna för offentlig upphandling på alla aktörers nivå och till förenklade och samordnade regler och finansiella korrigeringar.
Notes that the Court of Auditors identified a number of significant shortcomings relating to post-employment issues (‘revolving doors’, ‘insider information’); stresses that this issue is not solely limited to the agencies; notes that in light of its impact on its image and on Union citizens’ trust, the Commission needs to address these issues without delay by means of action to be taken by both the agencies and by all Union institutions;
Europaparlamentet välkomnar ett eventuellt införande av frivilliga nationella deklarationer av medlemsstaternas förvaltning inom områden med delad förvaltning.
Welcomes the European Ombudsman’s decision to conduct an own initiative inquiry into cases of ‘revolving door-type’ conflicts of interest in several recently reported cases at the Commission; echoes the warning issued by the Ombudsman to the effect that although the effective management of conflicts of interest is a key part of good governance and sound ethical conduct, not all problems relating to governance and ethics necessarily imply a conflict of interest, meaning that conflicts of interest need to be viewed within their strict limits and training and prevention strategies promoted in respect of conflicts of interest in Union institutions;
Europaparlamentet ber kommissionen att varje år i god tid få bli involverat i medfinansieringen av TEN-T/fonden för ett sammanlänkat Europa, genom att få information om valet av transportinfrastrukturprojekt och om vilka belopp som anslagits.
Expresses its concern at the fact that none of the four agencies selected managed conflicts of interest in a fully satisfactory manner at the time of the Court of Auditors’ analysis;
Kommissionen uppmanas att årligen tillhandahålla parlamentet förteckningar över transportprojekt och medfinansieringsbelopp via regionalfonden och Sammanhållningsfonden.
Considers that the main added value of Special Report No 15/2012 of the Court of Auditors lies in the regular monitoring of the agencies’ progress as regards management and prevention of conflicts of interest; welcomes the fact that following the Court’s audits and Parliament’s review and approval procedures for the 2010 and 2011 discharges, significant improvements have already been implemented by the relevant agencies;
Europaparlamentet uppmanar kommissionen att fastställa och vidta snabba åtgärder för att åtgärda bristerna i revisionssystemet inom sammanhållningspolitiken.
Calls on the Court of Auditors to continue monitoring the measures put in place by the agencies to follow-up on its recommendations, to extend the scope of its audit to the other agencies and to present its observations in a special report on this matter in the near future; urges the agencies to continue to report to the discharge authority on the progress made in this area;
kommissionen måste genomföra fler revisioner hos slutliga stödmottagare och beviljande myndigheter under år ”n” i de medlemsstater där svagheter konstaterats i förvaltnings- och kontrollsystemen år ”n-1”,
Stresses the importance of coordination and the exchange of information and good practice between Union agencies; reiterates the important role of the network of agencies in coordinating information exchange, both among the agencies themselves and between the agencies and the Commission, the Court of Auditors and Parliament;
Europaparlamentet understryker att enligt Europaparlamentets och rådets förordning (EG) nr 1080/2006 [33] får företag inte ta emot EU-medel till investeringar som leder till nedläggning av arbetsplatser i samma företag i en annan region i EU.
Emphasises the importance of determining which agencies and which of their areas of operation are most at risk from conflicts of interest; welcomes, in that context, the review of the Transparency Register for lobby groups at the Union institutions and urges the Commission and the agencies to implement the measures stemming from that review concerning potential conflicts of interest;
Parlamentet välkomnar därför att kommissionen har inlett en undersökning om eventuell omlokalisering av verksamhet i samband med stora projekt på över 50 miljoner EUR som kommissionen utövar direkt kontroll över.
Points out that a high-level of transparency is essential to mitigate risks of conflict of interest; calls on all the agencies to publish a list of their management boards members, management staff, external and in-house experts, together with their respective declarations of interest and curricula vitae on their websites; suggests, also, that the minutes of the meetings of their management boards should be systematically published;
Parlamentet förväntar sig att kommissionen inleder en undersökning av omfattningen av denna form av missbruk av EU-medel i samband med projekt som understiger 50 miljoner EUR och projekt som omfattas av delad förvaltning.
Notes that because of the austerity policies currently being pursued, staff cuts in public administrations and the outsourcing of tasks to the private sector are greatly increasing the risk of conflicts of interest; calls for a strengthening of the Union civil service;
Parlamentet förväntar sig också att kommissionen ser till att EU-medel som betalats ut i strid med reglerna återbetalas.
Endorses the Court of Auditors’ recommendation calling on all Union institutions and decentralised bodies to examine whether the recommendations of its Special Report No 15/2012 are relevant and applicable to them;
Europaparlamentet kräver att kommissionen ser till att EU-strukturfondsmedel inte används på ett sätt som direkt eller indirekt stöder en omlokalisering av tjänster eller produkter till andra medlemsstater.
Part VI
Europaparlamentet ber det nyvalda parlamentet att se till att undanröjande av de brister som fastställts beträffande jordbruks- och regionalpolitiken prioriteras i den nya kommissionens arbetsprogram.
Special Report No 16/2012 of the Court of Auditors entitled ‘The effectiveness of the Single Area Payment Scheme as a transitional system for supporting farmers in the new Member States’
Europaparlamentet ber det nyvalda parlamentet att granska de här påvisade svagheterna hos jordbruks- och regionalpolitiken i det skriftliga förfarandet inför utfrågningarna av de ledamöter som utsetts till den nya kommissionen och att avkräva tillräckliga löften för att skapa ett bättre skydd för unionens budget.
Welcomes the Court of Auditors’ Special Report on the effectiveness of the Single Area Payment Scheme as a transitional system for supporting farmers in the new Member States, and endorses its recommendations;
Kommissionens arbetsgrupp för Grekland
Believes that in future, income support should be directed to active farmers who engage in agricultural activities; believes, in particular, that public entities managing state land and not otherwise involved in farming should be excluded from Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS) income support; notes, with a view to the new CAP, that the Member States should ensure that aid is only paid to active farmers and that no derogations from this principle are applied; is of the opinion that the Commission should ensure that the rules are implemented consistently among Member States in order to ensure, for example, that the same types of beneficiary are excluded in all Member States;
Europaparlamentet välkomnar arbetet i arbetsgruppen för Grekland och noterar att av de 181 prioriterade projekt som arbetsgruppen fastställde är följande projekt som uppgår till 415,7 miljoner EUR i riskzonen:
Stresses that the eligibility of land for aid should be clearly defined and limited to parcels on which Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) standards require agricultural activities to be carried out; notes, with a view to the new CAP, that the eligibility of land should be clearly defined so as to exclude land that does not contribute to increasing agricultural productivity or to actively maintaining the environmental value of the land; believes, furthermore, that aid should only be paid for land on which well-defined and regular activities are carried out;
Nya hamnen i Igoumenitsa, fas C med ett godkänt stöd på 81,25 miljoner EUR.
Endorses the Court of Auditors’ recommendation and the Commission’s proposal for a more balanced distribution of aid through several measures such as the progressive reduction and capping of direct payments and the regional allocation of national ceilings;
Pendeltåg på sträckan Pireus–3 Gefyres med en samfinansierad budget på 70 miljoner EUR.
Calls on the Commission to analyse the extent to which the effectiveness and efficiency of direct payments are adversely affected by structural weaknesses and land prices; believes that on the basis of this analysis, the Commission should take complementary measures to restructure the sector and render it more competitive;
Byggandet av en pir i Symis hamn med ett godkänt stöd på 4,1 miljoner EUR.
Invites Member States to consult with the Commission as they prepare for the introduction of a future entitlement-based scheme; believes in particular that Member States could use the Commission’s assistance to help identify key requirements for national administrations and farmers;
Nationellt register med ett godkänt stöd på 41,9 miljoner EUR.
Regrets the fact that the new CAP, especially the pillar for direct payments, does not contain specific objectives, targets or anticipated results; observes that this means that the single biggest item in the Union budget is being paid out without any clear objectives or anticipated results;
Fastighetsregister med en samfinansierad budget på 130 miljoner EUR.
Part VII
E-biljetter med ett godkänt stöd på 34,76 miljoner EUR.
Special Report No 17/2012 of the Court of Auditors entitled ‘The European Development Fund (EDF) contribution to a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa’
Sanering av sjön Karla med ett godkänt stöd på 41 miljoner EUR.
Welcomes the fact that in many of the partner countries visited, technical cooperation has also contributed to the drafting of road sector strategies and improved the supervision of road maintenance and that training activities have been well-organised and effective while technical studies in a wide range of areas have provided useful information for policy decision-making;
Förbättring av tillfartsvägen till den andra geografiska enhetens deponi i prefekturen Aitolien/Akarnanien med ett godkänt stöd på 11,4 miljoner EUR.
Regrets that, in general, the support provided by Commission is not totally effective in promoting the adoption and implementation of the policy reforms that are required to address the existing obstacles to a sustainable road network in sub-Saharan Africa;
Förbättring – Breddning av landsvägen Velo–Stimagka–Koutsi–Nemea med ett godkänt stöd på 7,1 miljoner EUR.
Notes that partner countries do not do enough to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure and that roads are affected to varying degrees by premature deterioration; acknowledges that most of the partner countries have made significant progress on road maintenance but notes that it remains insufficient and maintenance is often carried out late or incompletely; notes, furthermore, that most of the partner countries have made unsatisfactory progress on vehicle overloading, which has an important impact on road life expectancy and maintenance costs;
Byte av det centrala vattenledningsnätet i Zakynthos med ett godkänt stöd på 9,6 miljoner EUR.
Takes the view that the maintenance of roads should be preferably done on a local level basis when outsourced to private business-contractors, thereby supporting small undertakings and local communities and ensuring the creation of skilled labour pools;
Kommissionen uppmanas att informera parlamentet i detalj om de problem som uppstått i samband med dessa projekt.
Calls on the Commission to attach mandatory conditions to its financial support and to react appropriately when partner countries fail to comply with their commitments; encourages the Commission to use policy dialogue to its full potential; takes note that this dialogue has been instrumental in promoting progress in some areas, notably where the institutional framework and road maintenance funding are concerned; is of the opinion that funded projects may only be approved if the necessary technical equipment to maintain the road is available beforehand or can be assured when needed;
Europaparlamentet uppmanar kommissionen att utvärdera möjligheten att inrätta en arbetsgrupp för de medlemsstater som kämpar med genomförandet av unionens medel.
Endorses the Court of Auditors’ recommendation that the Commission should focus EDF funding in the road sector where the greatest impact can be achieved by (i) focusing resources on road sectors in partner countries which implement appropriate sector policies, (ii) focusing EDF resources in countries where the EDF has financed substantial road infrastructure investments in the past, and (iii) raising the leverage effect of EDF resources by combining these grants with loans and promoting private sector participation in financing the upgrading and expansion of the road network;
Sysselsättning och sociala frågor
Fully endorses the Court of Auditors’ recommendation that the Commission should define clear, measurable and time-bound formal conditions that address the main policy reform needs in relation to road maintenance and vehicle overloading and carry out periodic and structured analyses of the fulfilment of conditions, as well as periodic country road sector evaluations and ex post project evaluations;
Europaparlamentet framhåller att sysselsättnings- och socialpolitiken framför allt bedrivs via Europeiska socialfonden (ESF) och att cirka 11782 miljoner EUR, dvs. 97 % av anslagen, tillhandahålls via ESF.
Invites the Commission to present a report, within six months, on how defining the Commission policy on road infrastructure takes into account the protection of the environment and the promotion of road safety; notes in this regard that the road network in sub-Saharan Africa is used for all sort of transit activities, mixing slow and fast traffic including for example road walking schoolchildren and therefore, safety concerns are of major importance; would also like to be informed about how Union funded projects are coordinated with other donors and organisations, not only in the field of road construction but also in matters concerning planning and maintenance;
Europaparlamentet konstaterar att av de 180 transaktioner som revisionsrätten granskat innehöll 63 (35 %) fel.