33 Amendments of Terry REINTKE related to 2016/2326(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
– having regard to the Council conclusions on the 2016 European Court of Auditors' special report n°31, 'Spending at least one euro in every five from the EU budget on climate action: ambitious work underway, but serious risk of falling short', adopted on 21 March 2017,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas EU cohesion policy expresses the EU’s solidarity as one of the fundamental principles of the Union, by pursuing its Treaty based objective of reducing regional disparities and promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion among all regions across the EU;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas cohesion policy is a powerful tool for European integration and delivers tangible results on the ground for all citizens, in particular felt in border areas where it strives for reducing the negative effects of frontiers;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas cohesion policy combines the specific needs of a given territory with European priorities taking thereby into account the diversity of EU regions;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas cohesion policy remains the main EU-wide investment policy for smart, sustainable job creationand inclusive growth after 2020, especially against the backdrop of a sharp decline in public and private investments in many Member States and the implications of globaliszation, demographic change, climate change, energy supply and transition, social exclusion and poverty and migration;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the last reform of cohesion policy in 2013 was extensive and substantial, shifting the focus of the policy towards a result-oriented approach, effectiveness and efficiency on the one hand and the partnership principlehorizontal principles including on partnership and place-based approaches on the other;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the arbitrary suspension of ESI Funds related to the failed implementation of other EU policies and objectives would strongly undermine the effectiveness of cohesion policy;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that growth and regional, economic and social convergence cannot be achieved without good governance and the effective involvement of all partners at national, regional and local level, as is enshrined in the partnership principle (Article 5 of the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR)); reiterates that the EU cohesion policy’'s shared management arrangement, which also implies the partnership principle, multilevel governance and the coordination of different administrative levels and sectors, provides the EU with a unique tool to directly address the concerns of citizens in relation to internal and external challenges;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises the catalyst effects of cohesion policy and its learning points for administrations, among beneficiaries and stakeholders as regards long-term strategic thinking, public involvement, capacity building and cooperation; Highlights the horizontal and cross- cutting approach of cohesion policy;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises that in some Member States the partnership principle has led to closer cooperation with regional and local authorities, while there is still room for improvementa lot needs to be done in order to ensure the real and early involvement of all stakeholders including from civil society;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Considers that more attention needs to be paid to making European regions more resilient towards sudden shocks and all sorts of crisis, including by drawing comprehensive conclusions from the severe economic and social crisis of the past years and the role of cohesion policy;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points out that territorial cooperation in all its forms, including macro-regional strategies, transposes the concept of political cooperation and coordination of regions and citizens across borders in the EU; considers that the current budgetary allocations are not sufficient to effectively support cross- border cooperation; underlines the merit of cohesion policy in addressing the challenges of outermost and northernmost sparsely populated regions;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that the current categorisation of regions, the thematic objectives and the performance framework have demonstrated the value of cohesion policy and should be consolidated; asks the Commission to present ideas for greater flexibility, such as an unallocated reserve or a simplification of re-programming, in order to adapt ESIF investments to unforeseen events and to the specific needs of each regionemphasizes that addressing long term objectives should remain the core function of cohesion policy;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Considers that arrangements should be offered, that are both flexible and strategically linked to a long-term regional development plan, to aim at accompanying regions in their transition process and pro-actively shaping their transformation also by drawing conclusions on the functioning of the EU Solidarity Fund and the Globalisation Adjustment Fund; Underlines that synergies with the Just Transition Fund need to be established;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Underlines that the partnership principle, including the Code of Conduct, needs to be strengthened by introducing clear minimum requirements for partnership involvement, which would also apply in the preparation phase of the programmes, and by providing all involved partners with technical assistance for capacity building and training to allow meaningful engagement in Monitoring Committees where all partners shall have a voting right;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Opposes macro-economic conditionalities and highlights that the link between cohesion policy and economic governance processes should be reciprocal and that a greater recognition of the territorial dimension would be beneficial for the European Semesteronsidered and based on comprehensive analysis; Underlines that the suspension of ESI Funds triggered by non- compliance with economic governance requirements is a double-punishment for EU regions, counteracts economic and social recovery efforts and should therefore be abolished;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Asks the Commission to reflect on solutions based on proportionality and differentiation, especially with regard to the multiple layers of audit and the number of controls, to a greater harmonisation between cohesion policy and competition policy, in particular state aid rules, as well as with regard to the possibility of a single set of rules for all ESI Funds while allowing for specific rules necessary to take account of the specificities of each fund;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls for reinforcing sub- delegation of competences to lower levels of governance as well as their role in planning and implementation of urban development under the ERDF by going well beyond the current arrangements, in order to tap the full potential of local and regional expertise;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Believes that local development approaches need to be strengthened and instruments such as ITI and CLLD adapted where necessary; Calls on the Commission to make the use of CLLD obligatory for ERDF;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Further recognises the timeliness of evolving the partnerships principle towards participation of citizens in spending, in particular on local level, as part of increasing the visibility of the EU and ownership on investment decisions; Calls on the Commission to propose pilot schemes for participatory budgeting, drawing on best practice;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Believes that grants should remain the basis of the financing of cohesion policy; notes, however, the gradual shift from grants to financial instruments; points out that the replaccomplement ofing grants by loans, equity or guarantees must be carried out with caution where such financial instruments demonstrate an added value, taking into account regional disparities and the diversity of practices and experiences; stresses the importance of assistance to local and regional authorities on the innovative financial instruments through platforms such as fi-compass;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Is highly concerned about the trend of turning ESI Funds into a risk- sharing facility which does not comply with its investment character targeting the real economy and with its accountability to the public interest;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recognises that access to finance should be improved by simple measures to improve awareness and provide administrative and technical assistance; calls on the Commission to propose One- Stop Shops to all EU Member States and to provide holistic advice to citizens and communities wishing to participate in EU funding programmes and contributing to sustainable development;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Invites the Commission to reflect on the development of alternative indicators to complement the GDP indicator, which remains the legitimate methodalone does not have the capacity to provide a comprehensive picture of regional development as it fails to take account of social and environmental factors relevant for allocating ESI Funds fairly; such alternative indicators may include a demographic indicator or dynamic indicators based on social and employment aspects; stresses, furthermore, the relevance of outcome indicators to strengthen the result and performance orientation of the policy;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Believes that the respect for fundamental rights in the implementation of ESI Funds programmes requires more attention; Stresses that fundamental rights can only be ensured when appropriate principles are established which are necessarily underpinned by effective follow-up action including ex- ante conditionalities;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Points to the need to maintain social inclusion as mandatory element of ESF spending complemented by ERDF investment in that field; Considers, in this context, that arrangements for integrated funding need to be improved without making them more complicated;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Recalls the urgent need to tackle the situation of marginalised communities as well as refugees and migrants; underlines the important role of cohesion policy in supporting their economic, social and territorial inclusion;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Endorses the EU’s commitments under the Paris climate change agreement and underlines that the ESI Funds should be used as effectively as possible for climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as for green economies and renewable energies; Urges that the current commitment of 20% spending on climate action has to be doubled and be replaced by a legally binding obligation; Considers necessary to improve the monitoring and tracking system for climate spending complemented by more appropriate impact and result indicators and the promotion of carbon accounting tools;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. emphasises the key role of municipalities, cities and regions for implementation of the COP21 Paris agreements in the context of the EU Urban Agenda and in making use of CLLD; points to their capacity to reconcile divergent interests and to target funds according to local specificities and for facilitating the transition towards decarbonizing the economy;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the fostering of economic, social and territorial cohesion and solidarity across the EU to be put at the top of the EU agenda, and to maintain the fight against poverty and social exclusion, as well as against discrimination; Believes that the paradigm of cohesion policy needs to be re-considered with emphasis being put on tackling those regions and people that have been left behind from the competitiveness, growth and jobs agenda;