What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Changed:12.14. Acknowledges that the Committee plays a fundamental role in contributing to the Union’s policy development and decision-making processes by representing the voices of all areas of organised civil society within the Union, thus bringing EuropeUnion closer to its citizens and increasing the democratic legitimacy of Union legislation; Recallsrecalls that as part of its annual work programme, the Committee has a performance monitoring system with indicators in various areas, such as IT, HR, translation and communication structured around five core values and five key strategic objectives, in the framework of the general secretariat’s strategy for 2021-2025; considers, however, that the added value of its activities for Union citizens remains largely under-reported; notes with satisfaction from the Committee’s follow-up to observations in Parliament’s 2023 discharge resolution (the ‘Follow-up report’) and the Questionnaire that, following an audit, the Committee launched a structured process to improve its performance monitoring by aligning its performance framework with strategic objectives through key performance indicators and impact indicators to be aligned with the Committee’s future strategic goals,goals; welcomes the Committee’s efforts to integrate impact measurement into its decision-making and calls for clear quantifiable key performance indicators and regular reporting to ensure measurable results and accountability; invites the Committee to further strengthen its impact assessment framework by better demonstrating how its opinions and initiatives translate into concrete policy outcomes and tangible benefits for citizens, whereas the Committee’s senior management will play a key role in the use of those indicators; expects to be informed of the outcome of the implementation of this new framework by means of Committee’s future reporting to the discharge authority;

Changed:13.15. Notes that the Committee pursues its mission through opinions, which refer to legislative proposals made by the Commission (referrals), own-initiative opinions, which call on the Union institutions to take action, and exploratory opinions, which feed into the Commission’s work on its planned initiatives, and that the Committee’s positions can be highlighted in resolutions or included in evaluation and information reports; commends the Committee for its performance in assisting Parliament, the Council and the Commission in the legislative cycle in 2024; notes in this context that, in 2024, the Committee adopted 142 opinions and reports, a decrease from 213 in 2023 and organised 148 hearings and 26 conferences, compared to 146 and 24 respectively in 2023, respectively; acknowledges that the renewal of the legislature in 2024 led to a reduced number of referrals and, consequently, of the number of opinions adopted by the Committee that year; notes that Committee members participated in 518 high-level meetings, summits and conferences in 2024 compared to 429 in 2023; encourages the prioritisation of initiatives that support economic growth, competitiveness, and Union strategic autonomy;

Added:16. Encourages the Committee to continue its efforts to focus its work on areas where it can deliver clear, measurable and policy-relevant contributions, and to further develop performance and impact-based indicators that go beyond activity-based outputs and better reflect outcomes and relevance for citizens;

Removed:16. Notes with appreciation that the Committee advanced several flagship initiatives that strengthened participation, inclusion and policy impact across the Union; notes that the Committee took the lead as of September 2024 in applying the EU Youth Test in its opinion-making process, involving a network of 73 youth organisations and youth-testing around 40 opinions; notes further that the Committee expanded its engagement with candidate countries through the Enlargement Candidate Member initiative, enabling 146 civil society representatives to contribute directly to the Committee’s opinions, through participation in study groups, section meetings and plenary (held in October 2024); commends the Committee for advancing its EU Blue Deal, helping place water resilience on the Union’s agenda; underlines that the Committee continued to lead the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, and co-organised the EU Organic Awards in 2024, reinforcing links with civil society actors in organic farming;

Added:19. Appreciates the Committee’s actions taken in 2024 to improve the accessibility, clarity and usability of its opinions for the Union institutions; underlines that such actions are intended to enhance the capacity of legislators to take informed decisions;

Removed:17. Notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the Committee’s actions to reduce administrative burden and streamline processes in 2024; welcomes in this sense the launch of a new, more efficient visitor registration programme, the use of collaborative software by some of its staff, the cross-directorate working group that governs the use of Committee’s business process management methodology, the simplification of the verification circuit with regard to outsourced translations, the merging of several language units, and the simplification of Committee’s communication rules, among other; notes with interest, that in order to save resources, the Committee is undertaking a pilot phase using artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the Directorate for Translation; invites the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of the progress in this matter;

Added:20. Notes with appreciation that the Committee advanced several flagship initiatives that strengthened participation, inclusion and policy impact across the Union; notes that the Committee took the lead as of September 2024 in applying the EU Youth Test in its opinion-making process, involving a network of 73 youth organisations and youth-testing around 40 opinions; welcomes and supports the Committee’s initiatives to strengthen the participation of young people in the policy-making process; notes that the Committee expanded its engagement, with an inclusive dialogue initiative with candidate countries for future enlargement preparation, through the Enlargement Candidate Member initiative, enabling 146 civil society representatives to contribute directly to the Committee’s opinions, through participation in study groups, section meetings and plenary (held in October 2024); commends the Committee for advancing its EU Blue Deal, helping place water resilience on the Union’s agenda; underlines that the Committee continued to lead the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, and co-organised the EU Organic Awards in 2024, reinforcing links with civil society actors in organic farming; encourages the Committee to extend the scope of the opinions to encompass further public goods related to Union legislation, and measurable outcomes;

Removed:18. Notes with interest from the Questionnaire the Committee’s efforts to adopt a more strategic approach to prioritising its impact-related work and introduce impact management at the centre of decision-making; notes, in this context, the organisation of three high-level strategic seminars with political leadership in 2024 and 2025, during which foresight exercises were a the core of developing criteria for prioritising or de-prioritising initiatives and for ensuring thematic alignment with the long-term needs of civil society, among other objectives; notes that this prioritisation exercise will be integrated into the Committee’s core activities, as it will be conducted annually and complemented, every 2,5 years, by a review of all the Committee’s bodies, activities, and major events;

Added:21. Invites the Committee to enhance the development of a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, covering artificial intelligence (AI), bearing in mind the need to ensure the human oversight of the use of AI. The strategy should also cover automation, interoperability and data governance, while accompanied by a robust framework ensuring safe, ethical, responsible and transparent use of emerging technologies;

Removed:19. Notes with regard to the 2024 compliance exercise a high level of compliance with an average rate of 85 (87 % in 2023); regrets that the effectiveness of the internal control system dropped from 78 % to 66 %; notes in this context a gap between formal compliance and practical effectiveness in daily operations; notes that efforts need to be made with regard to internal communication, risk awareness engagement and modernisation of document and information management systems, among other; notes further that in 2024 the Committee adopted a revised decision, for the simplification of 23 types of verifications, applicable as of January 2025; welcomes from the Questionnaire the fact that the ex-post controls already carried with regard to these verifications confirmed that the simplification did not introduce additional risks;

Added:22. Notes with interest from the Questionnaire the Committee’s efforts to adopt a more strategic approach to prioritising its impact-related work and introduce impact management at the centre of decision-making; notes, in this context, the organisation of three high-level strategic seminars with political leadership in 2024 and 2025, during which foresight exercises were the core of developing criteria for prioritising or de-prioritising initiatives and for ensuring thematic alignment with the long-term needs of civil society, among other objectives; notes that this prioritisation exercise will be integrated into the Committee’s core activities, as it will be conducted annually and complemented, every 2,5 years, by a review of all the Committee’s bodies, activities, and major events;

Removed:20. Notes Committee’s annual activity report for 2024 (the ‘Committee’s report’) that five new audits were carried out in 2024 on duration and distance allowance, risk management, referrals, key activity and performance indicators and travel expenses – which led to a total of 14 recommendations; notes in particular the internal auditor’s findings with regard to duration and distance allowances, such as a lack of clear definition of “usual place of residence” and missing requirements for supporting documentation; notes further that 13 of the recommendations remained open at the end of January 2025; notes further that seven recommendations are still open from previous audits, in particular on ethics and integrity, payment times, meeting authorisations, Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) delegates and strategic cycle; welcomes in that context the fact that the Committee has adopted new rules on meeting authorisations, allowances and reimbursements; invites the Committee to continue keeping the discharge authority informed of the progress made in the implementation of all ongoing recommendations;

Added:23. Notes with regard to the 2024 compliance exercise a high level of compliance with an average rate of 85 % (87 % in 2023); regrets that the effectiveness of the internal control system dropped from 78 % in 2023 to 66 % in 2024; notes in that context a gap between formal compliance and practical effectiveness in daily operations; calls on the Committee to address the structural causes of the decline in internal control effectiveness, notably by strengthening risk-awareness culture, improving internal communication channels, and accelerating the modernisation of document and information management systems, among other; notes further that in 2024 the Committee adopted a revised decision, for the simplification of 23 types of verifications, applicable as of January 2025; welcomes the fact that the ex-post controls already carried with regard to those verifications confirmed that the simplification did not introduce additional risks;

Added:24. Notes from Committee’s annual activity report for 2024 (the ‘Committee’s report’) that five new audits were carried out in 2024 on duration and distance allowance, risk management, referrals, key activity and performance indicators and travel expenses – which led to a total of 14 recommendations; notes in particular the internal auditor’s findings with regard to duration and distance allowances, such as a lack of clear definition of “usual place of residence” and missing requirements for supporting documentation; notes further that 13 of the recommendations remained open at the end of January 2025; notes further that seven recommendations are still open from previous audits, in particular on ethics and integrity, payment times, meeting authorisations, Consultative Commission on Industrial Change delegates and strategic cycle; welcomes in that context the fact that the Committee has adopted new rules on meeting authorisations, allowances and reimbursements; invites the Committee to ensure the rapid closure of all outstanding audit recommendations, particularly those related to allowances, ethics and integrity, and to continue keeping the discharge authority informed of the progress made in the implementation of all ongoing recommendations;

Changed:21.25. Notes that, at the end of 2024, the Committee was employing 713 staff, compared to 707 in 2023; notes further that 48 contract agents and 144 temporary agents (of which 42 were recruited in 2024) were employed in 2024 (compared to 49 contract agents and 130 temporary agents in 2023); stresses the importance of providing permanent contracts in order to maintain skills, continuity and productive and stable working environment;environment, and warns against an excessive reliance on external service providers; notes, in addition, that the Committee was employing 10 service providers and 14 external staff working intra-muros, excluding those in the fields of catering, maintenance, security and safety; takes note that the occupation rate was 96 % (95,50 % in 2023) and that staff turnover rate was 5,60 % in 2024 (down from 7 % in 2023);

Changed:24.28. Notes that, in 2024, the Committee was employing staff representing all EUUnion nationalities, with some of them being overrepresented; notes with satisfaction that 62,70 % of the staff were women and 37,30 % were men; notes from the Follow-up report that women hold 52 % of the management positions making the Committee a frontrunner in that regard; reiterates its welcoming of the appointment of a female Secretary-General in January 2024 as a positive step towards achieving gender balance; acknowledges recent progress in embedding gender equality and diversity as strategic priorities to foster an inclusive and respectful workplace culture; welcomes the implementation of a diversity and inclusion strategy and action plan, targeted mentoring and leadership development programmes for women and underrepresented groups; regrets however that the percentage of women in senior management remained low in 2024, with only two out of seven senior management positions currently being held by women, the same as in 2023; acknowledges that the low turnover rate inherent to the Committee’s size is one of the reasons for the low share of women in those positions; welcomes the Committee’s commitment to raise awareness on this issue among appointing authorities, to promote gender-balanced appointmentsappointments, and to engage in targeted actions through the Women’s Forum and the Management Forum which support leadership development and career progression for women in middle management;

Changed:25.29. Recalls the Committee’s initiative to introduce a new approach to strategic workforce planning and staff allocation, leveraging data collection on staff skills, active listening across the organisation, and reflections on strategic priorities by the Committee’s political bodies; notes from the Follow-up report that this new type of planning will be kicked off through a pilot project in a limited number of services selected based on strategic priorities; invites the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of progress and subsequent developments; stresses the importance of strategic workforce planning to optimize resource allocation and ensure alignment with high-level priorities;

Added:33. Welcomes the strong and structured social dialogue in organisational change processes throughout 2024; encourages the Committee to maintain and further strengthen the systematic involvement of staff representatives in reforms related, inter alia, to digitalisation, internal reorganisation and new working methods;

Changed:31.36. Notes from the Questionnaire that two cases of alleged harassment were reported in 2024, and investigated and closed in 2025, whereas in one case there wase no finding of harassment and in the other a formal apology was accepted for inappropriate behaviour of the concerned person; notes further that a decision was taken on another case, submitted before 2024, on harassment linked to a disciplinary procedure; notes further that no sexual harassment was reported in 2024; reiterates the need for a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment to ensure the protection of staff well-being and recalls that this is an obligation incumbent on any employer;

Changed:33.38. Notes with satisfaction that the Committee is a frontrunner with regard to transparency, as the first body, beyond the initial signatories, to have joined the Union’s Transparency Register; welcomes the transparency measures adopted by the Committee, including the recommendation for the Committee’s members to meet only with registered stakeholders, the obligation for its members to publish their meetings online and the possibility for the Committee’s rapporteurs, including through a pilot project initiated in 2025, to attach a “legislative footprint” to their opinions; notes that by now Committee’s opinions are visible as milestones within legislative files in the EULT; notes further with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the Committee’s transparency actions with regard to its core administrative operations in areas such as finance, procurement, HR and access to documents;

Changed:36.41. Notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire that the CommitteeCommittee, following Parliament’s previous calls, drafted an anti-fraud strategy that includes the accompanying action plan with concrete measures to be implemented covering training policies, as well as awareness campaigns and revised cooperation agreements with OLAF and EPPO, which has been submitted to interservice consultation and adoption process; invites the Committee to inform the discharge authority on the follow-up thereto; welcomes the fact that the Committee organised two training sessions delivered by OLAF staff on fraud awareness and prevention in public procurementprocurement, which were attended by 21 participants and one awareness-raising session organised together with the EPPOEPPO, to familiarise the Committee’s staff with the EPPO’s mandate and provide guidance on how to report potential cases to the EPPO; invites the Committee to strengthen its procedures on risk assessment, prevention, detection and follow-up in the implementation of the anti-fraud strategy;

Changed:37.42. Notes that the combined IT budget of the Committee and the CoR was EUR 13 700 000 in 2022,2024, compared to EUR 12 700 000 in 2023, i.e. an increase of 7,87 %, whereas EUR 760 000 of that budget (or approx.(approximately 6 % thereof)%) was paid for cybersecurity in 2024; notes from the Questionnaire that IT project funding increased by EUR 109 000 compared to 2023, representing a 4 % rise, primarily supporting the M365 Workplace Programme and the Cybersecurity Transformation Programme; further notes that equipment expenditure grew by EUR 117 000 (i.e. a 20 % increase), mainly due to price adjustments and strategic investments in telephony infrastructure; acknowledges the Committee’s concern that it is structurally underfunded in the areas of digitalisation and cybersecurity;cybersecurity and warns that persistent underinvestment in cybersecurity poses a structural risk to the integrity of the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies; calls on the Committee to adapt a structured roadmap to progressively reach the 10% cybersecurity spending benchmark, including annual milestones, risk-based prioritisation and regular reporting to the discharge authority; stress the need for strengthened cooperation with Cybersecurity Service for the Union Institutions, Bodies, Offices and Agencies (CERT-EU) and Union institutions, bodies offices and agencies to ensure a coherent and resilient cybersecurity posture ; regrets in this context that the budgetary authority did not include in the Union’sUnion budget for 2026 the amount of EUR 1 176 000 necessary for the Committee (and the CoR) to operate a major cybersecurity upgrade, thereby rendering unachievable the target referred to in Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2023/2841 of dedicating around 10 % of its total IT expenditure to cybersecurity; calls for appropriate funds to allow the Committee and the CoR to operate a major cybersecurity upgrade;

Changed:43.48. Commends Committee’s efforts in 2024 to ensure that staff acquire the digital skills needed for an increasingly digitalised work environment and for implementing targeted information campaigns, offering a comprehensive training and coaching programme, and maintaining an up-to-date IT Knowledgeknowledge Basebase with an AI-powered interface to support staff development; encourages trainings on cybersecurity and safe, ethical and efficient use of AI;

Changed:60.65. Notes that the Committee plays a pivotal role in reinforcing the links with and between the national economic and social councils (NESCs) of the Member States; notes in this context the launch of a new thematic working group composed of 13 NECS, the publication of 32 news articles and 26 executive summaries of NESC-adopted reports, the organisation of the annual meeting of presidents and secretaries-general of NESC in Brussels and a jointly organised seminar with 100 participants from European social partners, civil society organisations, representatives of Union institutions and academics in 2024; calls for continued cooperation on topics of common interest and the exchange of good practices, emphasising the vital role of civil society in addressing the Union’s current challenges;

Changed:63.68. AppreciatesWelcomes the efforts made by the Committee to increase the visibility of its work; considers, however, that further efforts are needed to ensure that communication activities clearly explain the Committee’s role and concrete contributions to Union’s presence on the ground, in a manner that is accessible and meaningful to citizens; appreciates the launch of the NaviGate platform in May 2024; notes that this platform, which feeds with weblinks the Union Publications Office’s EULT, has significantly increased the visibility of the Committee’s work and enhanced the user experience for Members, staff, visitors from other institutions, and the public, reaching 4 600 unique visitors in 2024;

Changed:32.37. Takes note from the Follow-up report of the development regarding legal proceedings initiated by the Belgian authorities against a former Committee member accused of misconduct linked to a harassment complaint within the Committee which was open and closed by the Committee in 2023; notes that those proceedings are suspended as the relevant Belgian court asked the Court of Justice of the European Union for clarification on the interpretation of Article 10 of Protocol Nr.(No 77) on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union; invites the Committee to keep the discharge authority updated on subsequent developments on this matter;

Changed:D. whereas the consultation of the Committee by the Commission or the Council is mandatory in certain cases, and the Committee may also adopt opinions on its own initiative while enjoying a wide scope for referral as defined by the Single European Act, the Maastrichtset Treatyout andin the Amsterdam Treaty,Treaties, allowing it to be consulted by Parliament;

Changed:F. whereas in the last years the Committee has consistently taken initiatives to attract and retrainretain skilled staff, optimise its organisational structure and working methods and promote a respectful working environment, in the context of a limited budget;

Changed:9.10. Notes from the Questionnaire that the impact of Russia’s war of aggression continued putting pressure on the Committee’s budget in 2024, due to inflation and energy market volatility that created higher operating costs; notes, over the period 2021-2024, an estimated increase of + 16,53 % in costs with Committee’s rents and + 15 % in costs with maintenance and security service contracts; notes moreover from the Questionnaire that the Committee’s lease payment has increased by 4,7 % in 2024, which is above the Commission’s 2 % cap for non-salary-related expenses; notes further that the energy costs for the Committee decreased from EUR 1 923 391 in 2023 to EUR 711 608 in 2024; commends in this context the Committee for its efforts to make its operations more cost effective, including through intensified energy-saving efforts; acknowledges the need of all Union institutionsinstitutions, bodies, offices and agencies to improve their budget management by also taking into account price volatility, especially in the energy sector, when concluding contracts with service providers;

Changed:15.18. Appreciates the Committee’s actions taken by the Committee’s actions in 2024 to improve the visibility and impact of its work in the political and legislative cycle; welcomes the official launch, following a pilot project, of a new format of opinions drawn up in response to mandatory referrals from Parliament, the Council or the Commission Parliament;Commission; notes that the new format enhances user-friendliness and usability by the legislator, while also improving the prioritisation of Committee’s work; notes further that, thanks to reinforced follow-up on selected opinions by means of a checklist and guidance, the Committee expects that they will remain relevant beyond their adoption and feed into multi-layer legislative processes; welcomes further the integration of the Committee’s opinions into the Union’sEU Law Tracker (EULT) as of April 2024, whereby they now appear as references in legislative files; notes with appreciation that the Committee also adopted an internal plan to better anticipate Union’s priorities, improve interinstitutional coordination, strengthen dissemination and follow-up, and measure impact more systematically;

Changed:22.26. Commends the Committee for being a net importer of talent from other institutions in 2024 for the third consecutive year in 2024,year, as a result of implementing its recruitment and retention action plan, whereas 42 % of recruitments in 2024 were linked to interinstitutional transfers; notes further from the Follow-up report an increase of 11,60 % in the number of applications received by the Committee for permanent posts byand 11,60of %41 and% for temporary and contract agents’ positions by 41 %;positions; welcomes the fact that the Committee launched an internal competition, open to temporary and contract staff, with a reserve list expected by end of 2025; underlines that internal competitions are important for retaining talent and expertise, and stabilising Committee’s human resources in general; notes with satisfaction the participation of the Committee in career events and fairs (including virtual ones) and Open Days; notes that in 2024 the Committee organised a virtual career fair dedicated to specific job profiles and career opportunities, which attracted 270 participants, whereas 19 of them also applied for the first vacancy notice open at the time of the event;

Changed:26.30. Welcomes the Committee’s efforts to create a healthy work environment for its staff; commends particularly the attention paid by the Committee to the mental and physical health of staff, and the efforts made on awareness-raising for health-related issues; notes the Committee’s measures on sick-leave management, such as medical part-time and extended remote working, to ensure that staff on long-term sickness relatedsickness-related absence return to work timely; notes a decrease by 7,50 % in the total number of registered sick leave days from 10 552 days in 2023 to 9 763 in 2024, as well as a decrease in the absence rate from 4,08 % in 2023 to 3,75 % in 20232024 (the lowest since 2021); regrets that the Committee is once again unable to provide data on cases of burnout; notes among the Committee’s arguments the lack of obligation for staff to share medical data upfront, that burnout is not a recognised medical diagnosis and the reasons for burnout may not be work related, as well as medical secrecy; notes that the Committee collects anonymised statistical data on casessick ofleaves related to mental health, but available data do not allow toa differentiatedifferentiation between work-related burnout and other issues that are non-work related; underlines nevertheless that burnout can also be measured without medical data, whereas there are work-related burnout assessment tools that can be used and European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) supports anonymous questionnaires to measure work-related stress and burnout factors separately from non-work-related mental-health issues; urges the Committee to also consult the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) regarding the collection of burnout data by means of medical or non-medical tools, and keep the discharge authority updated of the follow-up;

Changed:35.40. Notes with concern a suspected case of fraud involving an external service provider which was dismissed by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and subsequently referred to the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) for potentially criminal offences in 2024; notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire that the Committee is fully cooperatescooperating with the EPPO in this case; notes further that that service provider has paid the agreed liquidated damages to the Committee; welcomes in thisthat context the measures taken by the Committee to better prevent such cases in the future by doing more rigorous compliance checks during procurement and contract execution and reinforcing guidance and training on that matter; notes that one OLAF case from 2023 was referred back to the Committee for an internal simplified administrative inquiry which was launched in 2024 and led to a final report addressed to the Appointing Authority in July 2025; invites the Committee to inform the discharge authority on whether a final decision has been taken in this case; notes further that an enquiry opened by the Ombudsman in 2023 was closed in 2024 with the finding that there was no maladministration on the side of the Committee;

Changed:38.43. Notes key improvements with regard to digitalisation and IT governance in 2024 such an extension of Wi-Fi coverage, deployment of Microsoft 365 and AI pilots, cloud migration and awareness-raising through Cybersecurity Days, among other; welcomes the multiannual digital strategy (DS 2024-2026), launched by the DIIT, which is built around four flagship programmes: M365 (digital workplace programme), ARES (the Commission’s document management system), EdiT (shared tool among Union institutions for drafting legislative documents), and Cybersecurity; notes from the Committee’s report and the Questionnaire that the Committee’s DSDigital Strategy 2024-2026 introduces a revised digital governance model aimed enhancing institutional collaboration, streamlining workflows, automating processes, improving legislative drafting and strengthening resilience;

Changed:40.45. Notes that the Committee uses eTranslation, the Commission’s neural machine translation platform to generate translations automatically, as an additional aid to translators’ work; notes that in parallel the Committee successfully conducted a pilot project on AI-based speech-to-text transcription using software developed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2024; further notes that the Directorate for Translation launched a one-year pilot project in June 2024 to assess the use of DeepL as an alternative translation tool which was deemed as not providingto provide added value in comparison to the already deployed systems for the translation of Committee documents;

Changed:41.46. Notes from the Questionnaire that the Committee maintains close cooperation with Cybersecurity Service for the Union Institutions, Bodies, Offices and Agencies (CERT-EU)CERT-EU and uses various tools and continuous monitoring to detect and address system vulnerabilities; further notes that DIIT began implementing the “Essentials 8”, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), and OWASP as reference models to strengthen risk management, improve governance, and integrate security across identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery processes; acknowledges that the work to achieve full alignment with operational and regulatory requirements is ongoing; notes from the Follow-up report that cybersecurity has been reframed by the Committee as a shared responsibility across all staff, supported by a multiannual plan, continuous training, and awareness campaigns;

Changed:42.47. Notes with satisfaction that itsthe Committee’s communication channels are also accessible by persons with disabilities; notes that the Committee applies Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and for most its applications, comprehensive accessibility is conducted; notes in this context that Committee’s website is regularly audited by accessibility specialists who issue recommendations that are then implemented, whereas the next audit is set to take place in 2026;

Changed:44.49. Notes from the Follow-up report that in 2024 no investigations were initiated by the EDPS regarding the application of data protection rules at the Committee; notes however that an enquiry concerning the management of an external audit, launched in 2023, is still pending; asks the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed on the follow-up onto this matter;

Changed:49.54. Notes from the Questionnaire a decrease in consumption of electricity (-19 %), gas (- 13 %) and water (- 12 %), andas anwell increaseas ina paperdecrease consumptionin (waste +1volumes (–12 %) and wastean volumesincrease (-in 12paper consumption (+1 %) in 2024 compared to 2023; welcomes further a decrease in carbon emissions per FTE by 4,30 % (emissions from Committee members’ travel not included) during that same period; notes from the Questionnaire the Committee’s actions to promote more sustainable travel options among its staff and members and the ongoing revision of the mission guide for staff which will include environmental footprint as key component; welcomes further the Committee’s focus on waste management and recycling to foster a culture of waste reduction and resource efficiency;

Changed:5055 Notes with satisfaction that all of the Committee’s calls for tenders above EUR 60 000 and those above EUR 25 000 managed jointly with the CoR include sustainability clauses in line with standards of the Energy Union, European Green Deal and circular economy principles; notes that the Committee’s new framework contract for catering service entered into force in August 2024 has requirements for ecological and locally produced products, food donations and seasonal fruits and vegetables;

Changed:53.58. Welcomes the positive results achieved during the first year of implementing the agreement of the Committee and the CoR in the audio-visual area, such as budgetary savings of approx.approximately EUR 140 000 compared to an independently run project and an increased production capacity, with 85 videos produced already by June 2025 compared to around 90 for the whole yearof 2024;

Changed:54.59. Commends the Committee for the significant savings made thanks to the implementation of its Cooperation Agreement with the CoR, which has established Joint Services covering tasks mainly in the fields of IT, logistics and public procurement; notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the Committee’s estimated savings in 2024 in the fields of IT (approx.(approximately EUR 16 million), infrastructure (approx.(approximately 8 million), printing services (approx.(approximately EUR 125 000) and security services (approx.(approximately EUR 800 000); notes further that should the Committee and the CoR have separate translation and procurement services, overall staffing costs would increase by at least 30 %; reiterates its call to expand as much as possible this cooperation, to the level of setting up a single administration for the joint services, and keeping separate the services and unit in charge of their core independent mandates;

Changed:55.60. Notes with satisfaction the significant budgetary and administrative savings achieved by the Committee through Service level agreements, in particular with the Commission for the use of financial and key HR management IT tools; welcomes further the Committee’s participation in interinstitutional procurement procedures led by other institutions such as the Parliament and the Commission in areas such as corporate travel, insurance, travel, IT, translation and audiovisual equipment; notes from the Questionnaire that the total cost incurred by the Committee for the outsourcing of specific services to the Commission increased from EUR 793 000 in 2023 to EUR 893 000 in 2024;

Changed:56.61. Notes some developments and data with regard to the cooperation between the Committee and the Parliament in 2024: the adoption of a new cooperation agreement, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in preparation for the the European elections, the participation of 55 Members in 38 Committee events, the participation of the Committee in 32 events of the Parliament events, as well as attendance at various bilateral and political group meetings;

Changed:59.64. Observes that budgetary savings and efficiency gains continued to be realised through active cooperation between the Committee and other Union institutions in 2024, including by organising the Committee’s plenary sessions on Commission and Parliament premises, where the venues and associated services are provided either free of charge or at rates below external market prices;

Changed:61.66. Notes from the Questionnaire that the Committee’s overall budget for communication, publications and acquisitions of documentation was approx.approximately EUR 2,5 million in 2024 (about the same as in 2023), representing 1,4 % of the Committee’s overall budget after transfers for 2024; welcomes the fact that the Committee focused its resources in 2024 on a limited number of communication priorities linked to the legislative priorities of the Union institutionsinstitutions, (suchsuch as energy affordability, AI, mental health, strategic autonomy, economic reform, gender equality, youth, and enlargement),enlargement, in line with the Committee’s impact-driven communication;