9th parliamentary term Martina ANDERSON

. – I voted in favour of the resolution on Poland and Hungary.
The resolution aims at sending a strong signal to the Council, which currently has two parallel Article 7(1) procedures on Poland and Hungary – two countries that, in the past years, have seen a grave deterioration in the rule of law.
The resolution highlights the worsening situation in both countries since Article 7(1) was triggered and calls on the Council to address these new developments and risks of breaches in the ongoing procedures. It also insists on the European Parliament sending a formal invitation to a formal Council Meeting (since the Council triggered Article 7(1) regarding Hungary) and calls on the Council to keep the Parliament informed at all stages of the procedure.

. – I voted in favour of the report on the Activities of the European Ombudsman in 2018.
The mandate of the European Ombudsman is described in Article 228 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, allowing the office to receive complaints concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies, with the exception of the Court of Justice of the European Union acting in its judicial role.
Maladministration is defined as ‘poor or failed administration, which occurs if an institution fails to act in accordance with the law, fails to respect the principles of good administration, or violates human rights’.
The report notes with great concern that inquiries relating to transparency and accountability, including on access to information and documents, continued to account for the greatest proportion of cases handled by the Ombudsman.

. – I voted in favour of this report to consent on a technical agreement between the EU and China regarding certain aspects of air services. The objectives of agreements on certain aspects of air services are to bring bilateral air services agreements between Member States and third countries in line with Union law.