CONT opinion on an independent EU ethics body
The CONT Committee decided to submit an opinion on strengthening transparency and integrity in the EU institutions by setting up an independent EU ethics body. The Committee on Budgetary Control calls on the Committee of Constitutional Affairs, as the committee responsible, to incorporate it's suggestions into its motion for a resolution. The opinion was considered by the CONT committee on 25.01.2020 and the vote is due to take place in March 2021.
The opinion, stresses among other things that transparency, accountability and integrity are key components in promoting ethics within the EU while recalling that European Court of Auditors has identified weaknesses in its 2019 audit report on the ethical frameworks of the EU institutions. It welcomes that the Commission has made the creation of an Independent EU Ethics Body (IEB) a priority, encourages its creation and welcomes the signing of an inter-institutional agreement between EU institutions to set up an IEB, as well as calls for the IEB to lead by example on transparency and stresses the importance of cooperation between the IEB and EU bodies.