Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2023

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1RenewMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 36
   Current text

   36. Notes that civil society organisations are an essential component of a vibrant democratic society, ensuring the broad coverage of diverse views in public debates; recognises that these organisations may receive Union funds to support their work in contributing to democratic dialogue and public engagement; emphasises that transparency in stakeholder meetings is fundamental to democratic integrity and should apply equally to all entities engaging with EU institutions; stresses that clear documentation and disclosure of such interactions strengthens public trust and democratic accountability; stresses that lobbying should be transparent, with full disclosure of all parties involved; takes n…

   Amendment

   36. Recalls the importance of civil society for the balance of power and the need to guarantee it a safe, supportive and enabling environment; deplores restrictions on civil society activity; insists on the need for the EU institutions to maintain and promote an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society organisations; recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights; recalls that EU funding requires stringent accountability and transparency standards, in line with the ECA recommenda…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
   official amendment document ↗
2. Amendment 2The LeftMotion for a resolution · Recital F a (new)
   Amendment

   Fa. whereas a systematic reduction of the VAT gap would strengthen the protection of the Union’s financial interests, enhance tax fairness and trust in fiscal systems, contribute to the sustainability of public finances, and support economic cohesion among Member States, particularly in times of budgetary pressure;

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3. Amendment 3The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 24 a (new)
   Amendment

   24a. Stresses that the lack of effective harmonisation of VAT rules in sectors particularly exposed to fraud, such as the automotive, e-commerce and energy sectors, undermines the protection of the Union’s financial interests, generates unfair tax competition, results in lost revenue for the EU budget and increases administrative costs for the Member States; calls on the Commission to assess the cost of non-Europe in the absence of a harmonised VAT system, with a specific focus on disparities in tax regimes and their consequences for the single market and the effectiveness of the Union’s own resources system;

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4. Amendment 4The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 26 a (new)
   Amendment

   26a. Notes that the absence of disaggregated regional and sectoral data on the VAT gap prevents the identification of the areas most at risk of fraud and evasion; calls on the Commission to introduce a harmonised system for the measurement of the VAT gap that includes territorial and sectoral dimensions, thereby enabling the development of anti-fraud strategies that are more firmly grounded in evidence and more targeted;

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5. Amendment 5The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 27 a (new)
   Amendment

   27a. Stresses that the fragmentation of IT systems among national tax administrations hinders the effectiveness of the fight against VAT fraud and limits the potential for synergies between national and EU authorities;

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6. Amendment 6The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 36
   Current text

   36. Notes that civil society organisations are an essential component of a vibrant democratic society, ensuring the broad coverage of diverse views in public debates; recognises that these organisations may receive Union funds to support their work in contributing to democratic dialogue and public engagement; emphasises that transparency in stakeholder meetings is fundamental to democratic integrity and should apply equally to all entities engaging with EU institutions; stresses that clear documentation and disclosure of such interactions strengthens public trust and democratic accountability; stresses that lobbying should be transparent, with full disclosure of all parties involved; takes n…

   Amendment

   36. Notes that civil society organisations are an essential component of a vibrant democratic society, ensuring the broad coverage of diverse views in public debates; recognises that these organisations may receive Union funds to support their work in contributing to democratic dialogue and public engagement; emphasises that transparency in all stakeholder meetings is fundamental to democratic integrity and should apply equally to all entities engaging with EU institutions; stresses that clear documentation and disclosure of such interactions strengthens public trust and democratic accountability; stresses that lobbying should be transparent, with full disclosure of all parties involved; not…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
   official amendment document ↗
7. Amendment 7PfEMotion for a resolution · Recital F a (new)
   Amendment

   Fa. whereas the Commission should not spend millions of euros financing ‘fake green’ NGOs to lobby the EU institutions (LIFE programme scandal);

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8. Amendment 8PfEMotion for a resolution · Recital L a (new)
   Amendment

   La. whereas the EU should not finance foreign countries or organisations in those countries that do not respect the EU’s key interests (refusal to take back their criminals expelled from Europe; financing of terrorism, etc.);

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9. Amendment 9PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 1 a (new)
   Amendment

   1a. Regrets how drastic and recurrent scandals have surfaced without any inquiry being conducted into potential conflicts of interest, disinformation or mistakes in the negotiation of contracts; highlights, for example: the EUR 71 billion spent on wasted COVID-19 vaccines and on remdesivir; the failure of the European Public Prosecutor’s office to act in the Pfizer-von der Leyen case; lobbyists/fake NGOs being financed by the Commission (LIFE scandal); the decision to contract Blackrock for a study on banking rules; the entrusting of EU officials’ recruitment contracts to an American firm; the authorised revolving door case of Thierry Breton joining an American bank; the Commissioner for Jus…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
   official amendment document ↗
10. Amendment 10PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 2 a (new)
    Amendment

    2a. Believes that Members of the European Parliament, elected by European citizens to exercise their power of scrutiny, should be given unrestricted access to all contracts above EUR 1 million in value concluded by the Commission;

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11. Amendment 11PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 5 a (new)
    Amendment

    5a. Recalls that there is still an ongoing investigation related to the acquisition of billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses by the Commission and the role played by the Commission President;

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12. Amendment 12PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 14 a (new)
    Amendment

    14a. Notes that the ECA concluded that it is impossible for the auditors to know with any certainty who has ultimately received EU funds;

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13. Amendment 13PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 14 b (new)
    Amendment

    14b. Regrets that the Commission does not publish relevant information and that its financial transparency system does not yet provide clear and complete information on funds provided in 2024 to external organisations;

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14. Amendment 14PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 36 a (new)
    Amendment

    36a. Calls for all NGOs to be audited to check whether they have a profit motive; notes that some reported remuneration of directors of NGOs seems excessive and requires further justification; notes that director(s) remuneration should be public; recalls that all NGOs that receive EU funds, directly or indirectly should fulfil the NGO definition of the 2024 financial regulation;

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15. Amendment 15PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 68 a (new)
    Amendment

    68a. Expresses deep concern over the case of former Director-General of DG MOVE, Henrik Hololei, who, according to media reports, was found by OLAF to have accepted flights and gifts from Qatar while leading negotiations on the EU-Qatar air transport agreement and disclosed confidential information in return; regrets that, despite OLAF forwarding its findings to the President of the Commission in July 2024, neither the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) nor the competent Belgian authorities seem to have taken up this matter; calls for an investigation into why this report had apparently not been shared with the relevant prosecutorial authorities by the Commission;

    official amendment document ↗
16. Amendment 16PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 68 b (new)
    Amendment

    68b. Calls on the anti-fraud services to investigate whether the legal weaknesses in the contracts above EUR 1 billion negotiated by the Commission are due to incompetence or mal-intent (for example: the EMA building in London; conditions not allowing the Member States to ‘get out’ of the Pfizer contract; companies not facing any consequences in the event of side effects; a massive variable-rate loan just before the rise in rates);

    official amendment document ↗
17. Amendment 17PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 70 a (new)
    Amendment

    70a. Calls on the Commission to invite opposition members of Parliament and experts with no links to the Commission to take part in its various ethics committees and anti-fraud procedures to strengthen the monitoring system; notes the predominant presence of EU staff and former members of the political coalition of the President of the European Commission within the European Anti-fraud office and the ECA;

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18. Amendment 18PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 73 a (new)
    Amendment

    73a. Believes the conditionality mechanism has been used against Hungary, Poland and other governments for ridicule or political reasons by the Commission and has a corrosive effect that is extremely damaging to the relationship of trust between the Member States and could destroy our countries’ Union;

    official amendment document ↗
19. Amendment 19S&DMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 36
    Current text

    36. Notes that civil society organisations are an essential component of a vibrant democratic society, ensuring the broad coverage of diverse views in public debates; recognises that these organisations may receive Union funds to support their work in contributing to democratic dialogue and public engagement; emphasises that transparency in stakeholder meetings is fundamental to democratic integrity and should apply equally to all entities engaging with EU institutions; stresses that clear documentation and disclosure of such interactions strengthens public trust and democratic accountability; stresses that lobbying should be transparent, with full disclosure of all parties involved; takes n…

    Amendment

    36. Notes that civil society organisations are an essential component of a vibrant democratic society, ensuring the broad coverage of diverse views in public debates; recognises that these organisations may receive Union funds to support their work in contributing to democratic dialogue and public engagement; notes that the EU is one of the largest global funders of civil society organisations; emphasises that transparency in stakeholder meetings is fundamental to democratic integrity and should apply equally to all entities engaging with EU institutions; stresses that clear documentation and disclosure of such interactions strengthens public trust and democratic accountability; stresses tha…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
    official amendment document ↗