Report on the conclusion of an Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the European Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions, establishing an Interinstitutional Body for Ethical Standards for Members of Institutions and advisory bodies mentioned in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union
15. Recalls its position that the body should be able to investigate on its own initiative alleged breaches of ethical rules by officials and staff of EU institutions and to conduct on-the-spot and records- based investigations using the information that it has collected or that it has received from third parties;
Amendement
15. Emphasises that safeguarding the independence of Parliament and parliamentarians is crucial, and something which a third-party body, called upon to set rules intended for the European Parliament and institutions in general, could jeopardise; believes that, as conceived, the Ethics Body represents more a new waste of public resources than real added value;