BETA

2012 Amendments of Benedek JÁVOR

Amendment 6 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Nagoya protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing aims to share the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources in a fair and equitable manner;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 9 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the EU and its Member States have adopted the 2030 Agenda and its global goals for sustainable development calling for transforming our world and protecting our planet including life on land and below water and have committed themselves to its full implementation;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 18 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that biodiversity and ecosystem preservation is inherently synergistic and a core element of sustainable development; stresses the need and calls on the Commission and Member States to facilitate the adoption of biodiversity mainstreaming and improved environmental policy coherence in all internal and external policies of the EU also with regards to their commitment to the full implementation of the UN SDGs by 2030;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 25 #

2018/2791(RSP)

Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the COP14 in Egypt marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention; therefore considers of the utmost importance to step up the efforts on the implementation of the current Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, focus on the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity targets and the core elements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing and to work on an ambitious post 2020 strategic plan and implementation mechanism, with regards to a 2050 scenario which takes into account new challenges in the field of biodiversity in line with the 2030 Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 27 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights the role of the Aichi biodiversity targets in achieving the 2030 Agenda and its global goals of sustainable development, in particular SDG14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources) and SDG15 (Protect terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss);
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 31 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the needrges steps to increase ambition and functioning for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; calls on the Commission and Member States to actively pursue the development of clear performance indicators, better tracking instruments and peer review/reporting mechanisms with common standards to improve the transparency and accountability for Parties and the overall effectiveness of the next Biodiversity Strategy Plan;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 35 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 9
9. Highlights that a stronger international framework is needed to protect global biodiversity, to stop its current decline and to restore it as much as possible; believes that such a framework should be based on targets and firm commitments, comprising of Nationally Determined Contributions and other appropriate instruments, financial commitments and improved capacity building assurances, as well as a 5-yearly review mechanism, with an emphasis on improved governance of protected areas and more effective conservation measures as well as an upward trajectory of ambition;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 38 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that economic growth can facilitate sustainable development only if it is decoupled from the degradation of biodiversity and nature’s capacity to contribute to people and stresses the importance of upscaling nature-based solutions to help societies address complex challenges with social and economic angles in a fully sustainable way;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 41 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 12
12. Highlights the necessity of sufficient financing for biodiversity; underlines that biodiversity proofing and a possible biodiversity earmarking of the next Multiannual Financial Framework willould have a significant and positive effect on reaching the 2050 Vision;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 48 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 16
16. Notes however the negative impact of intensive agriculture on biodiversity in particular with regard to deforestation and the use of pesticides; recalls the alarming decline of pollinators which are key for well-functioning ecosystems; calls on Parties to undertake strong commitments towards sustainable agriculture and forestry, including requirements for the sustainable use ofphase-out of harmful plant protection products and strategies to ensure the protection of soil and habitats.
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 55 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that capacity building and awareness-raising inter alia on the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services are key for a successful implementation; therefore welcomes that the COP13 adopted in its decision XIII/23 as well as in XXI/1 a short-term action plan (2017- 2022) to enhance and support capacity- building as well as its communication strategy and calls on COP14 to further elaborate on these key issues;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 56 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Stresses the importance of a comprehensive and participatory process to shape the post-2020 framework;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 57 #

2018/2791(RSP)


Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the intention to actively pursue a multi-stakeholder approach including regional and local actors which is fundamental to value, protect, conserve, sustainably use and restore biodiversity and underlines that improved engagement with and between governance levels and sectors will create opportunities foras well as business biodiversity platforms will create opportunities for better implementation of biodiversity targets and mainstreaming biodiversity objectives into other policies;
2018/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 8 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
— having regard to the contribution of the multi-stakeholder platform on Sustainable Development Goals to the Commission Reflection Paper entitled ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030’, released on 12 October 2018Commission Reflection Paper entitled ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030’, and in particular the contribution of the multi- stakeholder platform to this paper,
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 119 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes the Commission Reflection Paper entitled "Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030", and endorses its scenario 1 which proposes an overarching strategy to guide the implementation of the SDGs by the EU and the Member States;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 133 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Calls onUrges the Commission to propose an all-encompassing transformative EU 2030 strategy for the implementation of the SDGs, which should address the interlinkages of SDGs and integrate these goals within the EU’s policies and governance, including through concrete targets and deadlines, in order to reinforce the Union’s ability to fulfil its engagements with regard to the 2030 Agenda;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 154 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Reiterates its call to fully integrate all aspects of the 2030 Agenda into the European Semester and to ensure the European Parliament's involvement in this process;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 157 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need for clear identification and differentiation of the governance level at which the targets should be implemented, while stressing that the principle of subsidiarity should be respected; calls for a multilevel approach to create better understanding, high engagement and shared responsibility around the implementation of SDGs;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 163 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the need for the EU to develop an integrated and participatory monitoring, accountability and review framework that gathers information and relevant disaggregated data at national and subnational levels, based on the UN Global Indicator Framework, and while acknowledging that Eurostat alone cannot comprehensively capture all dimensions of SDG progress, taking into account spill- over effects and the need for indicators which are not purely economic in nature; highlights the need for consistent and holistic indicators that captures the transformative nature of the SDGs, in particular with regards to addressing poverty in all its forms;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 180 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance of better coordination and cooperation between and within decision-making bodies, different organisations and relevant stakeholders in order to implement the 2030 Agenda and to achieve greater Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development; calls on the Commission and the Member States to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development and to strengthen existing and introduce new mechanisms for mitigation, accountability and redress;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 194 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. WReiterates its call for mainstreaming the delivery of SDGs across all policy areas; welcomes the Commission’s commitment to mainstream SDGs into its Better Regulation Agenda and underlines the potential for using the Better Regulation tools strategically in order to evaluate EU policy coherence with regard to the 2030 Agenda; calls on the Commission to establish an SDG checkintegrate the "sustainability first" principle into Better Regulation Agendas and to establish a robust and comprehensive sustainability proofing of all new policies and legislation and, including all sustainable development pillars and its governance dimension, with a view to ensure full policy coherence in the implementation of the SDGs, while promoting synergies, gaining co-benefits and avoiding trade-offs, both at Union and Member State level;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 213 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Emphasises the role of regular and adequate ex-ante impact assessments; calls for improved impact assessment guidelines by the European Commission; recalls the Treaty obligation to take into account the objectives of development cooperation in all policies likely to affect developing countries;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 237 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Stresses that SDGs are highly interlinked; highlights the importance of transforming our societal and economic models to achieve responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and the co-benefits it will have on delivering on other SDGs such as addressing inequalities, reducing GHG emissions, the protection of environment and biodiversity;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 243 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Deplores the fact that, despite clear and comprehensive scientific evidence brought forward by the IPCC 1.5 Special Report on the damaging impacts of such a temperature increase and the significant difference of those linked to a 2°C increase, Parties to the Paris Agreement failed so far to increase their climate ambition; urges the Union and the Member States to commit to a significant increase of the Union's Nationally Determined Contribution during the UN Climate Summit in September 2019;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 252 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17 d. Deplores that, while economic and social convergence between Member States have improved over time, inequalities within Member States are increasing, which poses a threat to social cohesion within the Union;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 256 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17 c. Highlights that the recognition of planetary boundaries, the defence of human rights including those of future generations, the respect of rule of law, as well as effective, accountable and transparent institutions are at the core of sustainable development; stresses the need for the EU to create a framework to safeguard those principles, and in particular to make sure all pillars of the Aarhus Convention are implemented in a comprehensive manner;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 271 #

2018/2279(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that inclusive and equitable education, science, technology and innovation are particularly important tools for implementing the SDGs; emphasises the need for Horizon 2020 and future framework programmes for research to integrate better the concept of sustainable development and societal challenges;
2019/02/11
Committee: DEVEENVI
Amendment 16 #

2018/2210(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Notes that Declarations of Interest (DoI) of the management board members and senior management are in place in almost all agencies and that these are published by most of the agencies on their website , along with relevant CVs; calls on the Network to continue reporting to the discharge authority on this issue; stresses that management board members and senior management should submit declarations of interest instead of declarations of the absence of conflict of interests; reiterates that it is not for the members or management to declare themselves out of conflict of interest; recalls that a neutral body should assess the existence of conflict of interest; notes with appreciation that some Union agencies, such as EFSA, succeeded in implementing a reliable policy on conflict of interest; notes with regret that since 2012 the European Court of Auditors failed to publish any special report on the management of conflict on interest in selected Union agencies, namely EASA, ECHA, EFSA, EMA; notes that for agencies working with industries a risk of conflict of interest is higher than in other Union agencies;
2019/01/31
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2018/2209(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Regrets that despite previous calls, the Agency does not publish the declarations of interests of the members of its Management Board, of its managerial staff in general, and of its executive director; calls for the publication of declarations of interests listing membership to all other organisations; stresses that it is not for the members of the Management Board, the managerial staff or the executive director to declare themselves out of conflict of interest but that a neutral body should assess the existence of conflicts of interest;
2019/01/31
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2018/2200(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets the gender imbalance within the Agency’s senior management members, with 13319 out of 15138 members being of the same gender; notes that by the end of 2017, female staff made up 32% of all Agency personnel, being at the top of the statistics concerning women employed in law enforcement around the world; encourages the Agency to continue the efforts of its internal steering group on diversity and inclusion;
2019/02/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2018/2200(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that four formal procedures in the form of administrative inquiries were opened with regard to sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour during the course of 2017; notes that the Agency initiated corresponding actions to address the matter and that no case was taken to courtcompleted the administrative inquiries with disciplinary action swiftly, where applicable and initiated corresponding actions to address the matter and that no case was taken to court; takes note of the fact that no administrative inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment was brought forward in the Agency in 2018; calls on the Agency to do its utmost to avoid structural deficiencies as regards inappropriate behaviour in order to prevent such cases from happening in the first place;
2019/02/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2018/2200(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes the Agency’s existing measures and ongoing efforts to secure transparency, prevention and management of conflicts of interest and whistleblower protection; takes note of the proactive measures taken against the 4 potential conflict of interest cases identified in 2017; notes that the Agency has published declarations of absence of conflicts of interest rather than declarations of interest; acknowledges however the adoption in October 2018 of a new model declaration on the declaration of interests, by the Management Board , on the basis of a proposal from the Agency; notes with satisfaction that this new model declaration is being applied for all Management Board members, as well as for the Executive Director and deputy executive directors; notes, however, that to this date not all declarations have been updated to the new model; calls on the Agency to swiftly proceed in this sense and publish the new declarations;
2019/02/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2018/2190(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the Authority’s existing measures and ongoing efforts to secure transparency, prevention and management of conflicts of interest, and; welcomes the recent Authority's decision on implementing rules laying down guidelines on whistle-blower's´ protection and confidentiality of their identity; welcomes the Authority’s updated policy on independence, which was adopted in 2017 after stakeholder and public consultation and which aims to build on from the policy it replaces in order to ensure that the Authority may reach a correct balance between attracting the relevant expertise from the scientific community but at the same time guarding its activities against any undue influence; welcomes also the new definition of what constitutes a conflict of interest which was adopted in the new Authority's policy on independence; welcomes further the publication on the Authority's website of the declarations of interest by the members of the Management Board; regrets that the publication of their CVs is still missing; notes with appreciation that the Authority implemented rules on competing interest management as of July 2018 replacing the rules on the declarations of interest of 2014;
2019/01/31
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2018/2186(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Acknowledges Eurojust’s existing measures and ongoing efforts to secure transparency, and prevention and management of conflicts of interest; noteregrets that Eurojust adopted its internal rules on whistleblowing on the basis of the Commission’s model rules in June 2018the Agency's policy is to publish declarations of absence of conflict of interest rather than declarations interests for the Administrative Director and the members of the Management Board; calls for the publication of declarations of interests listing membership to any other organisations; stresses that it is not for the members of the board and the director to declare themselves out of conflict of interest; reiterates that a neutral body should assess the existence of conflicts of interest;
2019/01/31
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2018/2186(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Notes that Eurojust adopted its internal rules on whistleblowing on the basis of the Commission’s model rules in June 2018; asks the Agency to provide details on whistleblowing cases in 2017, if any, and on how they were handled; underlines the importance of awareness- raising and training of staff as means of fostering a positive and trusting environment in which whistleblowing is an accepted part of the corporate culture;
2019/01/31
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2018/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the adoption of the harassment prevention and protection policy as well as the planned training programme for all staff, including managers; welcomes, moreover, the adoption of the Guide on Ethics and Good Conduct for the Ombudsman’s staff and the Internal Charter of Good Management Practice; encourages the Ombudsman to closely monitor the efficiency of its policy, to continue raising awareness about harassment at the work place and to foster a culture of zero tolerance toward harassment and asks the Ombudsman to report back to the discharge authority in its next annual activity report;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2018/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. WNotes that there have been no harassment cases in 2017 at the Ombudsman; welcomes the adoption of the harassment prevention and protection policy as well as the planned training programme for all staff, including managers; welcomes, moreover, the adoption of the Guide on Ethics and Good Conduct for the Ombudsman’s staff and the Internal Charter of Good Management Practice; encourages the Ombudsman to closely monitor the efficiency of its policy, to continue raising awareness about harassment at the work place and to foster a culture of zero tolerance toward harassment;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2018/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Notes with satisfaction that the issue of ‘revolving doors’ has been addressed by the Guide on Ethics and Good Conduct; calls on the Ombudsman to ensure that these guidelines are effectively applied and asks the Ombudsman to report back to the discharge authority in its next annual activity report;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2018/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that there were no whistleblowing cases in 2017; notes that training on whistleblowing was organised for all members of staff; calls on the Ombudsman to ensure that all staff is properly informed of its rights, such as during induction upon arrival of new staff; welcomes the Ombudsman’s reflection on whether more proactive work is required on its side with regard to rules and policies on whistleblowing now in place in the EU’s institutions, bodies and agencies; calls on the Ombudsman to continue leading by example;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2018/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets that the Committee’s follow-up to the 2016 discharge resolution provides only indirect answers to Parliament’s remarks by referring to the Annual Activity Report in several points; stresses that the follow-up report is essential for the Committee for Budgetary Control to determine whether the Committee has implemented Parliament’s recommendations; calls on the Committee to include all the necessary answers and explanations on the implementation of Parliament’s recommendations in their next follow-up report;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2018/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. NoteRegrets that the share of women in middle management remained stablehas not seen any significant improvement in 2017 with around 38 % (compared to 37 % in 2015 and 33 % in 2016); regrets, however,strongly regrets that the share of women in senior management positions further decreased from 33 % in 2016 to around 25 % in 2017, due to the departure of a senior female manage in 2017; welcomes the comprehensive measures undertaken by the Committee to improve the situation, including the creation of a new functional management scheme, which was designed, inter alia, to increase the number of women aspiring to carry out formal managerial duties; encourages the Committee to furthersignificantly improve its performance in this regard and reports back on its progress to the discharge authority;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2018/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes the measures taken by the Committee to actively prevent harassment in the working environment, such as the regular training on the anti- harassment policy and the work of the confidential counsellors; encourages the Committee to closely monitor the efficiency of its policy in this regard, to continue raising awareness about harassment at the work place and to foster a culture of zero tolerance toward harassment; expresses concern, however, that the Committee has no internal complaint mechanism or penalties provided for harassment cases involving its Members; calls the Committee to consider updatinge its code of conduct for Members and the internal rules of procedures in that regard and reports back to the discharge authority;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2018/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Notes that the Committee is still awaiting the final report of OLAF concerning the whistleblowing case notified to OLAF in October 2016; asks the Committee to be kept informedfully respect the findings and the outcome of the report and reports back to the discharge authority about the outcome and the follow-up actions taken;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2018/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls for a mediation between the former internal auditor of the Committee and the Committee with the aim to an amicable settlement in the ongoing dispute in the interest of both parties; points out that such a mediation should also address the bona-fide whistle-blower status of the former internal auditor (as recognized by the Parliament in its resolution of 2004) and the fact that he was acting in the interests of the EU by reporting wrongdoings to the EU institutions; The mediation should help putting an end to the case and to reach an agreement on this principles by the end of 2019; should this not be the case or such a mediation should fail to achieve its goals the EP should take most serious stock of it in its next discharge resolution on the Committee;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 29 #

2018/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls for a mediation between the former internal auditor of the Committee and the Committee with the aim to find an amicable settlement in the ongoing dispute in the interest of both parties; points out that such a mediation should also address the bona-fide whistle-blower status of the former internal auditor (as recognised by the Parliament in its resolution of 2004) and the fact that he was acting in the interests of the EU by reporting wrongdoings to the EU institutions;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2018/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the efforts in the efficiency of information systems, IT infrastructure and user support services; notes the examples like the development of a new application for staff appraisals, an online staff vademecum, improved usability of the principal operational systems and reporting environments; notes, however, with concern that the Committee, together with Committee of the Regions, dedicated less than 3% of their total budget to IT, whereas IT projects and equipment have suffered from underfinancing for several years; asks the Committee to prepare a mid-term strategy on the investments in their IT projects and equipment and include it into Committee's next Annual Activity report;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2018/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Regrets the low participation of economic operators in the calls for tenders launched by the Committee; calls on the Committee to increase the publication efforts and to reduce the number of exceptional negotiated procedures with only one candidate and report back to the discharge authority on the progress;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2018/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Notes that the Director of Human Resources and Finance was appointed to the post of Secretary General on 14 November 2018; notes that he kept his former position, while arrangements are being made for the appointment of a successor; is concerned that the two functions are incompatible and urges the Committee to swiftly appoint a new Director of Human Resources and reports back to the discharge authority;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the launch of the online portal ‘Public Audit in the European Union’ containing information on the work and role of the 29 Union Supreme Audit Institutions and the Member States; calls on the Court to publish short activity reports on the online portal, containing concrete data on the analyses performed by the Court and the Supreme Audit Institutions and the concrete results, including cost-benefits analyses and the amounts recovered;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Deplores that since 2012 the Court failed to publish any special report on the management of conflict of interest in selected Union agencies; urges the Court to publish annual special report on the management of conflict of interest in Union agencies working with industries, namely the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Chemicals Agency (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA); notes that for Union agencies working with industries the risk of conflict of interest is higher than in other Union agencies;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the audit risk in the area of administrative expenditure is low and that error rate estimates have been below the level of materiality for several years; notes that the Court therefore considers that the number of transactions tested is sufficient to reach conclusions for its audit; regrets, however, that the scope of considerations iwhile it acknowledges that the audit risk for administrative expenditure is low, it regrets that the Court's analysis of the progress made by Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee in comparison with the 2014 recommendations for 'Administration' is to a large extent devoid of meaning, given Cthapter 10 of the annual repot the Court's on ‘Administration’ allows for only a very limited review of weaknesses inaudit for 2017 did not include the examination of administrative expenditure in eachfor these institutions; calls on the Court to follow- up these recommendations soon;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the factNotes that, according to the Financial Regulation, the Court shall ensure that special reports are drawn up and adopted within an appropriate period of time which shall, in general, not exceed 13 months; notes that in 2017 it took an average of 14,6 months from the commencement of an audit task to adoption of the special report; notes that this was the shortest ave while also the year before the 13-month target timefragme duration since the start of the 2013-2017 period; regrets, however,for producing special reports was not met; regrets that only eight of the special reports (29 %) published during the year2017 complied with the 13 months target timeframe set out in the Financial Regulation; calls on the Court to continue improving its performance in this regard, while not compromising the quality of the special reports and the targeted nature of its recommendations;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the achievements of the Court in terms ofCourt's strategy for communication, 'Get clear messages across to our audience', and the communication activities aimed at increasing its visibility and media impact, including an increase of its outreach on social media; welcomes the use of extensive social media analytics to better understand to what extent target groups are reached and whether media campaigns have been successful; encourages the Court to continue striving for the best use of various communication channels to raise awareness of its work among citizens;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the detailed review of the use of official cars by members of the Court and the Secretary General broken down by user, distance travelled and cost paid, provided by the Court in the framework of the discharge procedure 2017; observes that different regimes apply to journeys covered by a mission order and other journeys undertaken in the course of performance of official duties, up to a limit for reimbursement of 10 000 km per year; notes, moreover, that for all other journeys, members and the Secretary-General shall bear any other related cost; notes with concern that 17 % of all utilisation of official vehicles are for non-professional use; calls on the Court to put in place measures to prevent and avoid abuse for journeys under the category 'Other journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties'; notes with concern that drivers tasked with driving members on official missions and protocol journeys are also employed in various administrative tasks, as declared by the Court in the framework of the discharge procedure 2017; calls on the Court to carry out a detailed analysis of the journeys under the category 'Other journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties' and to ensure that members having used official vehicles for non-professional use to pay back to the Court by 30 June 2019 any amounts reimbursed for those travels undertaken in 2017;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the fact that Decision 81-2016, which decreased the annual limit for reimbursement for journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties from 15 000 to 10 000 km, resulted in savings of approximately 15%; is concerned, however, that the current regime still results in a disproportionate burden in terms of administration and documentation; calls on the Court to make further simplifications while improving the reliability of the system for settlements; suggests that members of the Court are paid a monthly allowance, calculated in proportion to the list price of their respective official vehicle, instead of the current system which is based on travelled distance;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the fact that Decision 81-2016, which decreased the annual limit for reimbursement for journeys undertaken in the performance of official duties from 15 000 to 10 000 km, resulted in savings of approximately 15%; is concerned, however, that the current regime still results in a disproportionate burden in terms of administration and documentation; calls on the Court to make further simplifications while improving the reliability of the system for settlements; suggests that members of the Court are paid a monthly allowance, calculated in proportion to the list price of their respective official vehicle, instead of the current system which is based on travelled distance;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Notes that the reduction of 5 % in staff numbers over the period 2013-2017 has been achieved in compliance with the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management7 with an overall contribution of 45 posts; notes that the Court cut one post more than the target for the period 2013-2017; notes that the number of contractual agents increased from 59 to 73 over the same period, which is mainly due to the reinforcement of security measures at the Court premises; notes that the Court streamlined procedures by using IT tools and digitalisation and by outsourcing various tasks to the Pay Master Office of the Commission in order to implement staff reduction objectives; _________________ 7 OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1 OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Is concerned by the increase in sick leave taken by staff from 8 636 days in total (for 687 members of staff) in 2015 to 10 327 days (for 677 members of staff) in 2017; welcomes the transparency of the Court regarding the number of cases of staff burnout which occurred in 2017; calls on the Court to acknowledge this worrying trend and to prepare an action plan on improving the well-being of the staff, thus strengthening its efforts to improve staff well-being and work-life balance;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. WNotes that no case of harassment was reported, investigated or concluded during 2017; welcomes the fact that the Court takes various measures to raise awareness regarding harassment in the working environment, including training for newcomers; notes with appreciation that procedures and penalties are envisaged to follow-up on complaints against members of staff as well as against members of the Court; encourages the Court to closely monitor the effectiveness of its policy in this regard, to continue raising awareness about harassment in the workplace and to foster a culture of zero tolerance towards harassment;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 23 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that there were no cases of whistle-blowing in 2017; notes that the Legal Service of the Court acts as a disclosure, advice and referral body for internal and external whistle-blowers; notes, furthermore, that a network of ethics advisors is in place to advise on the provision of information in cases of serious irregularities, as specified in the Court’s rules of procedures; calls on the Court to ensure that all members of staff are properly informed of their rights, for example during induction procedures for new staff; underlines that every member of staff are obliged to report on irregularities, both fraudulent and non- fraudulent, to the Legal Service of the Court; calls on the Court to protect the identity of members of staff reporting irregularities as to enable proper investigations; calls on the Court to ensure that all members of staff are properly informed of their rights, for example during induction procedures for new staff; welcomes the Court's opinion published in October 2018, following the Commission’s proposed Directive on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law as published on 23 April 2018; underlines the importance of awarenessraising and training of staff as means of fostering a positive and trusting environment in which whistleblowing is an accepted part of the corporate culture;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Notes that in 2017 the Court communicated 13 cases of suspected fraud to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), compared to 11 in 2016, which have been identified during the statement- of-assurance work for the financial years 2016 and 2017 and within the other audit tasks; welcomes the ongoing negotiations between the Court and the OLAF (to be concluded in 2018) on a new administrative arrangement,; asks to be kept informed about developments with respect to relations with OLAF as well as about preparations for cooperation with the proposed European Public Prosecutors’ Office (EPPO);
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. RegDeplorets that members of the Court can be absent from the Court without justification and without having to request leave for one or more days; notes the absence of specific rules to control of the members’ absences; calls on the Court to establish procedures for keeping a register of members’ annual leave as to ensure that all leave taken by members is effectively recorded; stresses that the current practice strongly undermines the trust of Union citizens and institutions in the good faith of the Court;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2018/2171(DEC)

28. RegretsFinds it unacceptable that members of the Court can be absent from the Court without any justification and without having to request leave for one or more days; notes the absence of specific rules to control of the members’ absences; calls on the Court to establish procedures for keeping a register of members’ annual leave, sick leave and absence from work for other reasons;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Recalls that, in accordance with Article 285 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, members of the Court shall be completely independent in the performance of their duties and shall act solely in the Union’s general interest; is concerned by the current self-declaratory nature of compliance with this criteria and urges the Court to develop stronger controls on the external activities of members to ensuurges the members of the Court to submit declarations of interest instead of declarations of the absence of conflict of interests; stresses that it is not for the members of staff to declare themselves out of conflict of interest; reiterates that a neutral body should assess the existence of conflict of interest; deplores that they complete declarations of interests and attest to the absence Court, as the institution in charge of identifying and combating conflicts of interest in other Union institutions, is failing to implement itself a strong and reliable policy ofn conflicts of interest;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 31 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Regrets that the information currently requested in mission orders is insufficient and does not allow the Court to assess whether the activity planned by members of the Court falls within the area of interest of the Court; calls on the Court to increase the amount of information required accordingly in order to prevent possible abuses and report back to the discharge authority on the applied changes;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 34 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
32. Urges the Court, in relation to irregularities in mission expenses, claims and undocumented absence from work by one of the members of the Court in the period 201108-2017, to complete a comprehensive audit of mission expenses by members of the Courtand the use of the official cars by all members of the Court and the Secretary General in order to identify potential irregularities and to recover the amounts affected by such irregularities and to keep the discharge authority fully informed on the outcome of this audit;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 36 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
32. Urges the Court, in relation to the period 2011-2017, to complete a comprehensive audit of mission expenses by members of the Court in order to identify potential irregularities and to recover the amounts affected by such irregularities; furthermore, calls on the Court to provide a list with the missions undertaken, including, for each mission, the dates, the full cost and a cost-benefit analysis;
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 38 #

2018/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that the United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the European Union will not have a major impact on the structure and human resources of the Court; welcomes the fact that the Court has decided to follow a case-by-case approach to deciding on the extension of contracts for British temporary and contract agents and not to dismiss them on the sole ground that they are no longer nationals of a Member State; calls on the Court to swiftly develop a coherent strategy to provide certainty for the persons concerned; notes, moreover, that the member of the Court from the United Kindom will not be in service as of 1 April 2019 and that the budgetary impact of his departure, eight months earlier than the termination of the mandate, will amount to about EUR 108 000.
2019/01/30
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2018/2169(DEC)

24. Reiterates that geographical balance, i.e. the distribution of staff by nationality based on the share of the given Member State’s population as a proportion of the overall Union population, in particular in management positions, should be closely monitored; notesreiterates its concern that only 15 out of 56 Hheads of Uunit ofat the CJEU and 2 of its 13 Directors were from Member States that have joined the European Union since May 2004; notes also that 31 % of the staff of the CJEU come from those Member States; encourages the CJEU to develop a policy to improve on the geographical imbalance and report back to the discharge authority;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2018/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Notes that a list of external activities of the members of the CJEU was published on the website of the CJEU; regrets that despite the discharge authority's specific calls on numerous occasions this list is unspecific about the purpose, the date, the venue and the travel and subsistence costs of the listed events and whether they were paid by the CJEU or by a third party; calls on the CJEU to continue publishing a list of external activities of its members and be more specific about the above mentioned aspects; ask the CJEU to offer an explanation on the reasons ignoring the repeated calls of the discharge authority;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2018/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Reiterates its opinion that the CJEU should produce minutes of meetings held with professional associations and civil society actors and lobbyists, where this does not undermine the confidentiality of ongoing cases;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2018/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
31. Notes with concern that the CJEU’s administration is preparinghas still not prepared the new rules on revolving doors for members of staff; reiterates its call onurges the CJEU to quickly establish and implement strict obligations in this regard;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2018/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
32. WNotes that no cases of whistleblowing were reported in 2017; welcomes the adoption of new internal rules on whistle-blower protection in 2017; calls on the CJEU to ensure that all staff is properly informed of its rights, such as during induction upon arrival of new staff;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2018/2168(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2017 / Postpones its decision on granting the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2017;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2018/2168(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the information provided on the Council’s building strategy in the Final Financial Statements of 2017; notes that in July 2017, the Belgian State and the GSC concluded negotiations on the final price for the Europa building as well as on the acquisition of four additional plots of land surrounding Council’s buildings; notes that the final agreement iwas expected to be signed in 2018; notes that all amounts relating to the final settlement of the Europa building were paid or accrued in 2017;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2018/2168(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Regrets that the Council again failed to provide answers to the written questions sent by Parliament and that the Secretary General of the Council did not attend the hearing organised on 27 November 2018 in the context of the annual discharge which again shows a complete lack of cooperation on the Council's side;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that Parliament's final appropriations for 2017 totalled EUR 1 909 590 000, or 19,25 % of heading V of the Multiannual Financial Framework9 set aside for the 2017 administrative expenditure of the Union institutions as a whole, representing a 3,9 % increase over the 2016 budget (EUR 1 838 613 983); stresses that this increase is largely above the Belgian inflation rate in 2017 which was only 2,65%; _________________ 9 Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020.
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that seven transfers were approved in accordance with Articles 27 and 46 of the Financial Regulation in the financial year 2017, which amounted to EUR 57 402 860 or 3,01 % of final appropriations; observes that the majority of transfers were related to the Parliament’s buildings policy, and in particular to help fund the annual lease payments for the Konrad Adenauer building project; strongly rejects the often last-minute-transfers aiming at financing the Parliament’s building policy; asks the Secretary-General and the Bureau to provide the Budget committee with all the documents, plans and contracts related to the building policy, and to publish them;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need for carry-overs in relation to large building or infrastructure projects, despite the annual nature of the budget;;deleted
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Secretary-General and all responsible DGs to work together to draft a comprehensive overview of reductions in staff numbers implemented from 2014 onwards, including moves by staff from administration to political groups and among institutions; underlines that this practice of staff rotation raises the question of whether job descriptions are appropriate; is strongly concerned that excessive staff reduction leaves Members and Accredited Parliamentary Assistants (APAs) with an additional administrative burden, which is to the detriment of the actual legislative work that Members and APAs are supposed to fulfil; underlines that a paperless office and the proper use of digital technology such as digital signature also for plenary-related files, two-step- verification and electronic files would lessen the administrative burden for all parties involved and contribute to the achievement of the paper-reduction objectives and the implementation of European Parliament's EMAS policy;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Notes that the revised rules governing the payment of financial contributions for sponsored visitors groups entered into force on 1 January 2017; calls on the Secretary-General to release the assessment of these rules without delay; is extremely worried about some cases, including Elmar Brok, MEP, who, according to media reports, generated cash from Parliament visitors groups; is of a firm opinion that the rules governing the payment of financial contributions should be revised as soon as possible in order to avoid that any benefit can be generated by Members; calls on the Bureau to generalize the reimbursement based on bills for visitors groups; recalls its request to delete the possibility to appoint APAs as head of a group;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Notes with appreciation that technical solutions were created for Members who wish to use their individual page on the Parliament’s website for publication of meetings with interest representatives; notes also that the Bureau is considering whethercalls on the Bureau to extend this solution to ensure to all Members in order to that information is directly available on Parliament’s website;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 31 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Calls on the Parliament's administration to provide an overview of the 2017 appointments of high-officials; and encourages the Secretary-General to initiate additional measures to improve the transparency of and equality during appointment procedures at the European Parliament, taking into account the findings and recommendations of the European Ombudsman in joint cases 488/2018/KR and 514/2018/KR;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 35 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 – introductory part
30. Still strongly regrets that, according to the Court, the costs of the geographic dispersion of Parliament amount to EUR 114 million per year; takes note of the additional costs linked to Parliament’s 12 journeys per year to Strasburg, which can be broken down as follows for 2017: and also causes more than 19 000 tons of CO2 in emissions1a; _________________ 1a Peer reviewed study “European Parliament two-seat operation: Environmental costs, transport & energy” https://www.greens- efa.eu/files/doc/docs/5830c124ac32d7cfa2 44fda2739fc05a.pdf
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 40 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Reiterates its call for the European Parliament to have a single seat, in order to optimize parliamentary and institutional work and to reduce political costs; points out that the annual costs of Parliament’s geographical dispersion range from EUR 156 million to EUR 204 million and that the annual environmental impact is estimated to be as high as 19 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 60 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
45. RegretsConsiders unacceptable that expenditure items such as salaries and mission costs were not communicated in response to the questionnaire; drawis onf the information provided during the 2016 discharge procedure, where salaries paid for EPLO staff amounted to EUR 23 058 210 and mission costs amounted to EUR 1 383 843; assumes that these amounts have not changed significantly for the budgetary year 2017 and remains concerned that costs may outweigh the benefitsfirm opinion that the Secretary General has the duty to reply to all questions put forward by the Members; ; acknowledges the importance of effective communication in Member States but stresses the need for cost-efficiency; invites all decision-making parties involved to strive for more added value particularly with regards to running costs;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 66 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
46. Notes that DG PERS’s lead indicator in 2017 is time to deliver; notes with satisfaction that targets and methods of data collection were refined with a general positive assessment of the results; notes that objectives to improve the procedures for recruiting APAs and for admitting children to the Parliament’s kindergarten were not met, but that the difficulties that had been encountered were resolved in 2018; underlines that the process of recruiting APAs at the beginning of the next parliamentary term can be challenging and that delays have to be avoided in the interest of Members and APAs;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 73 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
48. Welcomes the fact that promoting equal opportunities remains a key component of Parliament's human resource management policy; takes notestrongly regrets that the gender equality roadmap continues not to be fully implemented through concrete actions and a clear timeline for specific measures, especially concerning the representation of women in middle and senior management positions (40%) by 2020;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 82 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51
51. Welcomes the implementation of an occasional teleworking scheme for the Secretariat-General of the Parliament; supports the conduction of a survey on the first year of experience of teleworking and asks for the evaluation results to be shared with the Members and all the Parliamentary services; is of the opinion that if the evaluation is positive to generalised the scheme to all staff including the APAs and the staff working for political groups;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 83 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
52. RStrongly regrets that the number of women holding posts at the level of director- general fell from 25 % (3 posts) in 2016 to 17 % (2 posts) in 2017; notespoints out that the overall situation has not changed compared to 2006 when only the number of women holding posts at the level of director-general was 11,1%; highlights that the overall target for 2019 was set at 30% of women holding posts at the level of Director-General; regrets, furthermore, the number of women at director level remained steady from 201606 (29,6%) to 2017 at (30 % (and 14 posts); points out that the overall situation has not improved at all compared to 2006; highlights that the overall target for 2019 was set at 35% of women holding posts at the level of Director; highlights that those figures deviate largely from roadmap on gender equality and diversity; demands to the Secretary-General to report immediately to the BUDG, CONT and FEMM committees the reasons for not respecting the roadmap;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 90 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
53. Notes the Parliament’s zero tolerance policy towards sexual harassment adopted in 2017; notes also that several initiatives were and are being put in place to deal with harassment practices, in particular an updated roadmap for the adaptation of preventive and early support measures to deal with conflict and harassment between Members and APAs, trainees or other staff, an external audit of the Parliament’s internal practices and procedures, the creation of a network of confidential counsellors, and the organisation of a public hearing with experts in harassment in the workplace; expectsnotes that the results of the external audit to be communicated without delay, once available; were expected by early November 2018 and requests them to be communicated without delay, once available; further expects the full and transparent implementation of the roadmap in accordance with adopted parliamentary resolution, starting or advancing as much as possible already before the end of this legislature;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 95 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53a. Recommends a thorough revision of the Internal Rules governing missions and duty travel by officials and other servants of the European Parliament and of the Implementing measures for Title VII of the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union, in particular as to align the treatment of Accredited Parliamentary Assistants with that of Staff officials.
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 107 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57 a (new)
57a. Reminds the statement by the European Parliament on the exemplary role of buildings in the context of the Energy Efficiency Directive to bring its buildings to the highest energy efficiency standard1a; calls for the development of a coherent, long-term deep renovation strategy for all European Parliament buildings, and for including standard specifications on the extraction of reusable building materials in building renovation contracts; _________________ 1a http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getD oc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA- 2012- 0306+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN uage=EN
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 118 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
60. Supports the effort to bring the drivers’ service in-house and the progress achieved so far; notes that the procedure for bringing the drivers’ service in-house allowed for a qualitative and quantitative increase of the services provided to Members, as well as for an effective and efficient response to unforeseeable emergency situations or sudden increases in demand; acknowledges the implementation of the “E-mobility” Road Map with a view to the diversification, greening and electrification of the fleet; ; recalls the 2016 discharge resolution voted in April 2018, which states that the Bureau should not limit itself to electric cars as a more environmentally-friendly solution since there are concerns regarding their production (including the sufficient availability of the necessary resources) and the disposal of batteries at the end of their life-cycle; still regrets that Members were not informed of an analysis regarding alternative fuels such as bio fuels, synthetic fuels or hydrogen fuel cells; underlines that diversification of an environmentally friendly car-fleet would lessen dependence on one supplier and could counteract possible future supply shortages;at a direct train link now exists between the European Parliament in Brussels and the main airport and railway stations, which Members may use free of charge.
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 120 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
61. Is concerned that the cost/benefit assessment of prices and qualby the high quantity of single use plastics and plastic waste generated by European Parliament canteens and cafeterias and urges the administration to explicitly of the food in Parliament’s self-service canteen remains unbalanced; is disappointed at remove the possibility to offer plastic wrapped and single use plastic products for the upcoming call for tenders on catering; notes the difference in quality between canteens serviced by one and the same service provider; is of the opinion that this aspect needs closer monitoring and therefore calls for a user satisfaction survey to be launched;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 126 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
64. Strongly condemns the escalation of tensions, which culminated in a 45- minute interruption of plenary work in Strasburg and no and the lack of noticeable efforts for de- escalation; welcomes the agreement that was initiated by the Secretary-General and from the Secretary-General; welcomes the agreement which lead to the re- establishment of regular interpretation activity;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 134 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 12 a (new)
General Expenditure Allowance (GEA)
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 135 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
68. Takes note of the Bureau’s decision with regard to the General Expenditure Allowance to apply the agreed modifications only after the 2019 elections;deleted
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 136 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
68. Takes note of the Bureau’s decision with regard to the General Expenditure Allowance to apply the agreed modifications only after the 2019 elections; takes note of the activities of the Bureau in relation to the General Expenditure Allowance, in particular by creating an ad hoc working group for defining and publishing the rules concerning the use of this allowance; regrets, however, that the only decision taken by the Bureau relates to a non-exhaustive list of eligible expenses which will, moreover, only apply to the newly elected Members after the 2019 elections;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 137 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
68. Takes note of the Bureau’s decision with regardactivities of the Bureau in relation to the General Expenditure Allowance to apply the agreed modifications only, in particular by creating an ad hoc working group for defining and publishing the rules concerning the use of this allowance; regrets, however, that the only decision taken by the Bureau relates to a non- exhaustive list of eligible expenses which will, moreover, only apply to the newly elected Members after the 2019 elections;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 139 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (new)
68a. Furthermore, regrets that the Bureau did not implement the additional proposals that were adopted by the plenary in its resolution on the Discharge 2016 (P8_TA(2018)0124), and its resolution on the General budget of the EU for 2019 (P8_TA(2018)0404), namely: – the need to define, expand and publish the rules concerning the use of the GEA (which requires, inter alia, an exhaustive list of eligible expenses); – that all receipts pertaining to the GEA be kept by Members; – that the unspent share of the GEA be returned at the end of a Member’s mandate;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 140 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (new)
68a. Furthermore, regrets that the Bureau did not implement the additional proposals that were adopted by the plenary in its resolution on the Discharge 20161a, and its resolution on the General budget of the EU for 20191b , namely: – the need to define, expand and publish the rules concerning the use of the GEA (which requires, inter alia, an exhaustive list of eligible expenses); – that all receipts pertaining to the GEA be kept by Members – that the unspent share of the GEA be returned at the end of a Member’s mandate; _________________ 1a P8_TA(2018)0124 1b P8_TA(2018)0404
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 141 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 b (new)
68 b. Calls in addition on the Bureau to make the following, additional changes concerning the GEA on top of those already adopted by the plenary: – A 5% sample checks of the GEA spending by the European Parliament's internal auditing; the final results and the findings should be part of the annual internal audit report published by the European Parliament ; – The need for Members to publish, on an annual basis, an overview of their expenditures by category(communication costs, office rental, office supplies ...); – The admission of an independent auditor in charge of the annual check of the accounts and the publication of an auditor’s opinion;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 142 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 b (new)
68b. Calls in addition on the Bureau to make the following, additional changes concerning the GEA on top of those already adopted by the plenary: – A 5% sample checks of the GEA spending by the European Parliament's internal auditing; the final results and the findings should be part of the annual internal audit report published by the European Parliament; – The need for Members to publish, on an annual basis, an overview of their expenditures by category (communication costs, office rental, office supplies ...); – The admission of an independent auditor in charge of the annual check of the accounts and the publication of an auditor’s opinion;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 143 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 e (new)
68e. Calls furthermore on the Bureau to make the following and additional changes concerning the general expenditure allowance on top of those already voted by the Plenary: – A 5% sample checks of the general expenditure allowance spending should be introduced by the European Parliament's internal auditing; the final results and the findings should be part of the annual report published by the European Parliament; – The MEPs should publish, on an annual basis, an overview of their expenditures by category(communication costs, office rental, office supplies...); – the admission of an independent auditor in charge of the annual check of the accounts and the publication of an auditor's opinion;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 144 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 c (new)
68c. Urges the Bureau to implement the democratic will of the plenary concerning the GEA as soon as possible; furthermore, urges the Bureau to immediately reconvene the working group in order to reform the GEA by developing new rules for greater transparency and financial accountability;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 146 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 d (new)
68d. Regrets, however, that the based on those clear and democratic votes the working group of the Bureau could only agree on a non-exhaustive list of eligible expenses, and on the need for each Member of Parliament to have a separate bank account dedicated to funds received as part of the GEA;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 147 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 f (new)
68f. Recalls Article 62 of the Decision of the Bureau of 19 May and 9 July 2008 and the Decision of the Bureau of 5 July and 18 October concerning implementing measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament, which stipulates that "the sums paid", including the General Expenditure Allowance, "shall be reserved exclusively for the funding of activities linked to the exercise of a Member’s mandate and may not be used to cover personal expenses or to fund grants or donations of a political nature" and that "Members shall pay back any unused amounts to Parliament"; calls upon the Secretary-General and the Bureau of the European Parliament to ensure that those provisions are fully implemented and complied with;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 148 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 g (new)
68g. Is of the opinion that the European Parliament should revise both the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (2005/684/EC) and the implementing measures for the Statute for Members of the European Parliament (2009/C 159/01)in order to make the statute of the Members fairer, more transparent and less costly while respecting the freedom and independence of Members and preserving the capacity of the Members to carry on their duty as parliamentarians;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 149 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 h (new)
68h. Recalls that on 23 October 1997, in its resolution on the general budget for 1998, Parliament called upon its Bureau to request the Court of Auditors to investigate Parliament’s voluntary pension scheme, which led to the issuance of the Court of Auditor’s opinion No 5/99 dated 16 June 1999 on the “Pension Fund and Scheme for Members of the European Parliament”; calls now on the Bureau tour gently request the Court of Auditors to produce another such opinion on the pension scheme and fund in 2019;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 150 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 i (new)
68i. Recalls that, in a note to the Bureau dated 8 March 2018, its Secretary-General accepted that the pension fund linked to the Members’ voluntary pension scheme “will exhaust its capital well before the end of the pension obligations and possibly already by 2024”; calls therefore upon the Secretary-General and the Bureau, while respecting fully the Statute for Members, to urgently establish with the pension fund a clear plan for the Parliament assuming and taking over its obligations and responsibilities for its Member’s voluntary pension scheme immediately after the 2019 elections;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 164 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 a (new)
72a. Calls on the Secretary-General to investigate the legal foundations and potential ramifications of the Voluntary Pension Fund and in particular, whether the European Parliament as guarantor is legally and financially sustainable, as the Voluntary Pension Fund is a Luxembourg investment fund, rather than a regular pension fund; underlines that this investigation should be carried out by an independent party;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 167 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 13 a (new)
Protection of whistleblowers
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 168 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 a (new)
73a. Recognises that whistleblowing is crucial in preventing and deterring unlawful activities and wrongdoing; notes there were no parliamentary whistleblower cases in 2017 and of the three in 2016, all were accredited parliamentary assistants and were dismissed by their respective Members; emphasizes the vulnerable position accredited parliamentary assistants and interns employed by Members hold in respect to internal whistleblower protection rules; notes with great concern the Secretary-General’s acknowledgement that “whistleblowing rules are applicable to accredited parliamentary assistants but the Parliament cannot provide employment protection”; urges the Secretary-General to address this situation and fulfil the European Parliament’s legal obligation under Staff Regulation to protect whistleblowers for all Union staff classifications; urges the Secretary-General to apply comparable remedies to accredited parliamentary assistant whistleblowers to those accredited parliamentary assistants who are victims of harassment, such as post transfer and salary payment until the end of their contract;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 169 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 13 b (new)
Code of conduct for Members, transparency and Ethics
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 170 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 a (new)
73a. Repeatedly raises its concerns about the current code of conduct for Members since it does not offer sufficient safeguards in order to avoid conflicts of interests; strongly believes that Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Members should be rephrased to include a clear ban on Members holding additional jobs or other paid work; rules should be further improved in order to avoid conflict of interest for former Members engaging in lobbying activities directed towards the European institutions during the period of time receiving transition allowance;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 171 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 b (new)
73b. Notes the Commission’s proposal of 23 April 2017 on Protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law; supports the Parliament’s corresponding report adopted in the Legal Affairs committee on 20 November 2018; laments that Union staff are not part of the material scope of the proposed directive; recognises that protections in the Legal Affairs committee report would afford more protections than in the Parliaments’ own internal rules; urges the Secretary- General to bring these internal rules into line with the parliament’s position on the proposed Directive;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 172 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 d (new)
73d. Deplores the breakdown of the inter-institutional negotiations on the reform of the EU Transparency Register and regrets that it is the European Parliament that is being blamed for the stalling of the negotiations given its refusal to introduce the obligation on rapporteurs, shadow rapporteurs and committee chairs to publish information about their meetings with lobbyists; calls for a reform of the Staff Regulations so that political group staff are covered by lobbying transparency obligations; and reiterates its call on the bureau of the Parliament to enable a space on the European Parliament website for Members to publish their schedules meetings with lobbyists should they chose to do so;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 173 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 e (new)
73e. Highlights that transparency and freedom of information are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights which establishes the right to access documents held by the European institutions and calls for an external review of the Parliament's transparency levels using key open government indicators with a view to increasing the already high standards of transparency; recalls that the reform of Regulation 1049/2001 is long overdue; and calls on the European Parliament administration to regularly publish – in an open source, machine- readable format, the results of committee and plenary votes;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 174 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73 f (new)
73f. Calls for a reform of the Parliament's ethics Advisory Committee so that it is empowered to initiate investigations and proactively check the declarations of interest of Members; proposes that it be composed of independent experts and requests an assessment of the costs involved in setting up an independent office for ethics and integrity;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 176 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 77 a (new)
77a. Underlines the costs, emissions and health and safety issues created by Strasbourg transport boxes (“canteens”) and suggests their immediate removal in view of available IT solutions such as print-on-demand, system approaches such as paperless office and IT equipment such as tablets and laptops;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 184 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82
82. Welcomes the Parliament’s positive contribution to sustainable development through its political role and its role in legislative procedures; is aware of its own environmental impact which the institution tracks and continuously ameliorates through the EMAS Certification and its environmental policy;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 186 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82 a (new)
82a. Underlines the impact of European Parliament staff mobility on local air quality and calls for concrete actions to be implemented ensuring transparency and action towards a positive contribution of the institution during pollution peaks at all sites;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 187 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83
83. Commends the Parliament’s commitment to green public procurement (GPP); notes that in 2017, 40,71 % of the contracts were classified as green, 10,96 % as light green and 48,33 % did not have any environmental dimension; calls for a mandatory consultation of the GPP helpdesk for all calls for tenders and for setting an ambitious target for green contracts to mainstream and fully exploit the potential of GPP in the European Parliament;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 189 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 84
84. Welcomes the creation of a sustainable mobility working group in the European Parliament and the introduction of first measures such as the pilot-project of electric scooters for work- related journeys between the Union institutions’ buildings but also for commuting between home and work; notes, however, that the vehicles’ performance is lower than expected; encourages the Parliament to make sure the contractor will improve the vehicles’ capabilities, particularly the battery;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 190 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 84 a (new)
84a. Welcomes, in the context of the energy and climate policy of the Union for 2030 and beyond, additional measures to decrease the emissions and offset unavoidable emissions in order to become 100 % carbon neutral institution; calls on the Parliament to lead by example and develop further CO2 offsetting policies for the European Parliament's premises;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 191 #

2018/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90
90. Welcomes the fact that the independent external auditor for the political groups issued only unqualified opinions; highlights that this is a positive development in contrast to the Parliament discharge procedure for the budget year 2016, where the independent external auditor issued a qualified audit opinion in the case of one political groupthe ENF group (European of Nations and Freedom) ;
2019/02/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 1 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
— having regard to Articles 310 (6) and 325(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 3 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-42/171a, criminal proceedings against M.A.S. and M.B., _________________ 1a Judgement of the Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) of 5 December 2017, Criminal proceedings against M.A.S. and M.B., 42/17, ECLI:EU:C:2017:936
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regard to the opinion No 8/2018 of the Court of Auditors on the Commission's proposal of 23May 2018 on amending OLAF Regulation 883/2013 as regards cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor's Office and the effectiveness of OLAF investigations,
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
- having regard to the opinion No 9/2018 of the Court ofAuditors concerning the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the EU Anti-Fraud Programme,
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A
A. whereas de jure the Member States and the Commission have shared responsibility for implementing 74 % of the Union’s budget for 2017, de facto however, Member States spending those resources and the Commission is responsible for having an overview of those projects vis a vis providing control mechanisms;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas Article 310(6) of the TFEU states that ‘The Union and the Member States, in accordance with Article 325, shall counter fraud and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union’;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the EU has a general right to act in the field of anti-corruption policies within the limits established by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU): Article 67 of the TFEU stipulates the Union's obligation to ensure a high level of security, including through prevention and combating of crime and approximation of criminal laws; Article 83 of the TFEU lists corruption as one of the particularly serious crimes with a cross-border dimension;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas Council Resolution 6902/05 on a comprehensive EU policy against corruption, adopted on 14 April 2005, called on the Commission to consider all viable options, such as participation in GRECO or a mechanism to evaluate and monitor EU instruments in relation to the development of a mutual evaluation andmonitoring mechanism;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas the systematic and institutionalised cases of corruption in certain Member States seriously harms the EU’s financial interests while also representing threat to democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 23 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
C c. whereas figures indicate that the cost of corruption amounts to between EUR 120 billion and EUR 900 billion annually;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 31 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes the M.A.S. judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union which requires Member States to ensure that effective and deterrent criminal penalties are adopted in cases of serious fraud affecting the EU’s financial interests in relation to VAT in accordance with their obligations under Article 325 (1) and (2) TFEU;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 46 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the fact that the EU draft budget for 2019 includes, for the first time, appropriations for the EPPO (EUR 4.9 million)9 and insists on the importance of having appropriate staffing and budget for the EPPO; therefore, calls on the Commission to provide EPPO with further new posts, in order to help EPPO to be fully operational by end of 2020 as foreseen by the regulation, _________________ 9 2019 Budgetary Procedure, draft budget estimates adopted by the Commission on 23 May 2018.
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 48 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Welcomes the targeted proposal of the Commission for a revision of Regulation No 833/2013 primarily driven by the establishment of the EPPO; stresses that the future cooperation between OLAF and the EPPO should be based on close cooperation, efficient exchange of information and complementarity while avoiding duplications or conflicted competencies;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 50 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4 a (new)
Anti-corruption
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 51 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of the Union's budget in case of generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law in the Member States; stresses that in order to provide an objective and systematic assessment, the Commission shall regularly publish an assessment of threats to the rule of law, including risks of systemic corruption, in each Member State based on a set of indicators and independent reports;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 52 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Underlines the importance to ensure that OLAF remains a strong and fully-functioning partner to the EPPO, especially since OLAF will be the only body protecting the EU’s financial interests in Member States not willing to join the EPPO;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 56 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Regrets that the Commission stopped publishing its anti-corruption report that was due to be published every two years, but have been published only in 2014; is of the opinion that having anti- corruption factsheets as part of the European Semester, instead, is diffuse and does notgenerate a sufficiently strong political agenda, nor transversal action or evaluation; urges therefore the Commission to continue publishing its anti-corruption reports;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 58 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Reiterates that the ‘revolving door’ effect can be detrimental to relations between the institutions and interest representatives; calls for the EU institutions to develop a systematic and proportional approach to this challenge;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 60 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13 d. Deplores the fact that the Commission did not foster the EU’s participation in the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO); Calls on the Commission to restart negotiations with GRECO as soon as possible;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 61 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13 e. Calls on the Commission to develop a more comprehensive and coherent EU anti-corruption policy, in close cooperation with GRECO and set up an internal evaluation mechanism for the EU institutions;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 62 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 f (new)
13 f. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop a system of strict indicators and easily applicable, uniform criteria based on the requirements set out in the Stockholm Programme, to measure the level of corruption in the Member States and to evaluate their anti- corruption policies; invites the Commission to develop a corruption index in order to rank the Member States; is of the opinion that a corruption index could provide a sound basis on which the Commission could establish its country- specific control mechanism when controlling the spending of EU resources;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 63 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 g (new)
13 g. Recalls that the Commission does not have access to the information exchanged between Member States with a view to preventing and combating Missing Trader Intra-Community(MTIC) fraud, commonly called carousel fraud; is of the opinion that the Commission should have access to Eurofisc, in order to better control, assess and improve the exchange of data among Member States; calls on all Member States to participate in all of Eurofisc’s fields of activity so as to facilitate and accelerate information exchange with judicial and law enforcement authorities such as Europol and OLAF, as recommended by the Court of Auditors; calls on the Member States and the Council to grant the Commission access to these data in order to foster cooperation, strengthen data reliability and fight cross-border crime;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 65 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets the fact that only few Member States are using new technologies for all the major steps of the procurement process (e-notification, e-access to tender documents, e-submission, e-evaluation, e- award, e-ordering, e-invoicing, e- payment); calls on the Member States to make all the forms of the public procurement process, as well as publicly accessible contract registers, available online in a machine readable format by July 2019;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 84 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law (COM(2018)0218); hopes that it will significantly improve the safety of whistleblowers in the Union, leading to major improvement of the EU’s financial protection and the rule of law; hopes that it will enter into force in the very near future; calls on all EU institutions to implement the standards set in the directive in their own internal policies as soon as possible to ensure the highest level of protection of the financial interests of the Union; encourages the Member States to implement it into their national legal system with the widest scope possible beyond the the limitations of European legislation;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 87 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 12 a (new)
Investigative journalism
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 88 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31 a. Is of the opinion that investigative journalism plays a key role in fostering the necessary level of transparency in the EU and the Member States, and that it must be encouraged and supported by legal and financial (through an intermediary organization) means both in the Member States and within the EU;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 90 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32 a. Welcomes the fact that the protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products entered into force on 25th of September 2018 after the signature of the 40th party; welcomes the fact that the first Meeting of the Parties of the Protocol took place from the 8th to the 10th of October 2018; however, urges the EU Members States which have not ratified the protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Product yet to do so as soon as possible;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 94 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32 b. Reminds the decision of the European Commission not to renew the PMI agreement which expired on July 9th 2016; reminds that on March 9th 2016the EP asked the Commission not to renew, extend or renegotiate it beyond its date of expiry; believes that the 3 other agreements (BAT, JTI, ITL) should not be renewed, extended or renegotiated;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 97 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 c (new)
32 c. Furthermore, reiterates its call to the Commission to publish a report concerning the possibility to end the 3 other agreements before their respective expiration date; calls on the Commission to present the report before the European Parliament before the next European Parliament elections;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 102 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33 a. Welcomes the Commission's proposal to empower OLAF to investigate Value Added Tax matters; calls on the Commission that to establish a certain level of transparency of OLAF reports and recommendations after all the closure of European and national procedures; is of the opinion that after the adoption of the necessary changes of the OLAF regulation related to the establishment of EPPO the Commission should prepare a more thorough and comprehensive modernisation of the OLAF framework;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 107 #

2018/2152(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 b (new)
33 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to jointly ensure that investigations of OLAF and of the Member States complement each other, that OLAF enjoys equal investigative powers in every Member States, including access to bank account information and that evidence collected by OLAF are admissible as criminal evidence by the judiciary in all Member States as it is essential to the effective follow up of OLAF investigations;
2018/11/29
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the Commission communication of 17 January 2018 on the Digital Education Action Plan (COM(2018)0022) and recalls the importance of completing the digital single market; points out that digitalisation has a twofold impact on education systems: firstly, citizens should be prepared for lifelong learning in a world that is becoming increasingly digitalised, and secondly, digital transformation should also be applied to education systems themselves, following a differentiated and tailor-made approach adapted to the age, characteristics and needs of the targeted audience while preserving the human dimension necessary to achieve an efficient and healthy learning process and personal development;
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 20 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines that the transformations brought by the digitalisation of industry and of many of the activities undergone in the society need to be accompanied by educational and cultural support for the workforce, enabling them to transition to new positions or find new roles in the society.
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 27 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that sufficient infrastructure offering high-quality and accessible connectivity is of great importance and its rollout should be accompanied by proper training ensuring healthy and efficient usage ; highlights the need to close the digital divide by creating an investment- friendly environment and fostering digital infrastructure such as high-capacity broadband networks;
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 31 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that the digital divide is created by lack of network access but also by uneven speeds between regions and lack of knowledge about the way the network can be used to improve citizens’ life. Calls for a comprehensive approach to increase coverage, achieve similar levels of connectivity and equal knowledge for all.
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 53 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Underlines that digital competencies are more than design and management of networks, software and ICT equipment, but also the possibility to interact with administrations and participate in the political life, exercise of the freedom of speech and other fundamental rights. Calls for measure meant to empower the citizens to properly function in a connected world and avoid pitfalls like fake news and online disinformation.
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 59 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Stresses that the advance in technology also brings the need for societal evolution and all citizens, especially the young digital natives, need to have in their learning curricula privacy, security and basic safeguards that will empower them and protect from malicious activity.
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 61 #

2018/2090(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Stresses that digital transformation in the education sector should contribute to gender equality, empowering equally girls and boys, women and men, to feel secure to use new technologies, and engage into ICT studies.
2018/09/06
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 35 #

2018/2089(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Emphasis the fact that once available on the market, automated vehicles will have a deep impact on the distribution and consumption of goods therefore there is an urgent need to asses the impact and provide measures to support the affected sectors and people.
2018/09/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 40 #

2018/2089(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Underlines that the liability of manufacturers and operators of automated vehicles or vehicles containing automated parts needs to be clearly regulated and both users and third parties need to have proper rights and redress mechanisms.
2018/09/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 46 #

2018/2089(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Declares that all data transfers that might occur between the in-vehicle system, the manufacturer’s central server, other vehicles and road infrastructure must be protected from unauthorised disclosure and manipulation and be based on security and privacy by design and by default principles;
2018/09/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 51 #

2018/2089(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Emphasis that prior to making them available on the market, automated vehicles, like many other products, need to undergo a prior ethical assessment and their functioning and characteristics should also take into account ethical aspects.
2018/09/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 61 #

2018/2089(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to invest in infrastructure dedicated and adapted to autonomous driving, like unambiguous road signs, road markings and, street furniture, safety measures and communication enablers;
2018/09/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 5 #

2018/2085(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the emergence of DLT applications, especially in the financial sector, have revealed that the potential benefits are accompanied by challenges such as increased energy consumption, facilitation of organised crime activities, incompatibility with privacy protection
2018/10/10
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 9 #

2018/2085(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Underlines the need to study and asses the feasibility of using DLT based technologies as alternatives to the current solutions, before encouraging or financing new projects.
2018/10/10
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 154 #

2018/2046(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (new)
68 a. Recalls the 2014 ECA analysis which estimated the costs of the geographic dispersion of the Parliament to be EUR 114 million per year; furthermore, notes the finding from its resolution of 20 November 2013 on the location of the seats of the European Union’s Institutions1a that 78 % of all missions by Parliament statutory staff arise as a direct result of the Parliament's geographic dispersion; emphasises that the report also estimates the environmental impact of the geographic dispersion to be between 11 000 to 19 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions; reiterates the negative public perception caused by this dispersion and calls therefore for a roadmap to a single seat and a reduction in the relevant budget lines; _________________ 1a OJ C 436, 24.11.2016, p. 2.
2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 8 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls that the Paris Agreement requires all Parties to take action to conserve and enhance sinks, including forests;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 11 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Points out that reforestation, restoration of existing degraded forests and increasing tree cover on agricultural landscapes via agroforestry represent the only available source of negative emissions with significant potential to contribute to achievement of Paris Agreement goals;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 14 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Notes that forests are home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, threatened by deforestation and forest degradation;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 37 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Recalls specifically that the Union has committed to the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity, requiring 17% of all habitats to be conserved, 15% of degraded ecosystems to be restored and forest loss to be brought close to zero, or at least halved by 2020;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 40 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Recalls in particular the Union's collective commitments under the New York Declaration on forests to restore 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands by 2020 and significantly increase the rate of global restoration thereafter, which would restore at least an additional 200 million hectares by 2030;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 41 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Recalls its resolution of 4 April 2017 on Palm Oil and Deforestation of Rainforests, including the recognition that 73 % of global deforestation arises from the clearing of land for agricultural commodities, with 40 % of global deforestation caused by conversion to large-scale monocultural oil palm plantations and that the EU is a major importer of products resulting from deforestration; furthermore recalls EP amendments on the Renewables Directive phasing out the incentives for use of palm oil in transport fuels by 2021;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 50 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes that the FLEGT process should tackle the underlying causes of deforestation in producer countries which include insecure land tenure, weak law enforcement and weak governance;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 57 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on the Commission to update the EU Timber Regulation guidance to address conflict timber and recommend more detailed risk mitigation measures to strengthen enforcement including requesting enhanced due diligence from operators importing from conflict-affected or high-risk areas, anti-bribery terms and conditions in contracts with suppliers, the implementation of anti-corruption compliance provisions, audited financial statements, and anti-corruption audits;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 65 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes the results of a recent study by the Commission identifying the high level of meat consumption in the EU, requiring vast amounts of imported animal feed, as a significant driver of deforestation;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 66 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the future common agricultural policy encourages lower consumption of meat and dedicated actions to reduce imports of feed, such as soy, for the EU livestock sector by increasing vegetable protein production in Europe;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 67 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Calls for the Commission to come forward with legislative proposals to tackle the impact on global deforestation caused by the Union trade in crop and animal products including beef, soy and palm oil;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 68 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Notes that agroecological practices have a strong potential to maximise ecosystem functions via mixed, high diversity planting, agroforestry and permaculture techniques, which can also deliver excess benefits in term of productivity and social outcomes;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 73 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the Commission to develop a certification scheme for sustainably produced, deforestation-free products entering the EU market;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 79 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls for such legislative action to include mandatory due diligence requirements on the chain of operators using forest risk commodities and obligations on financial institutions to take action to eliminate the risk of deforestation resulting from financial investments;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 80 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Emphasises that Union trade negotiations need to be in line with Union commitments to take action to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, and to enhance forest carbon stocks in developing countries;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 81 #

2018/2003(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to make full use of existing diplomatic and institutional processes and dialogues to encourage countries which process and/or import significant quantities of tropical timber, in particular where those timber products are then exported to the EU, like China and Vietnam, to adopt effective legislation banning the importation of illegally harvested timber and requiring operators to conduct due diligence comparable to the EU Timber Regulation;
2018/03/27
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 68 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
(2) The Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), established by Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council6 for the period 2014 to 2020 is the latest in a series of Union programmes over 25 years which support the implementation of environmental and climate legislation and policy priorities. It was positively assessed in a recent mid- term evaluation7 as being highly cost- effective and on track to be effective, efficient and relevant. The 2014- 2020 LIFE Programme should therefore be continued with certain modifications identified in the mid-term evaluation and subsequent assessments. Accordingly, a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) (the ‘Programme’) should be established for the period starting 2021. _________________ 6 Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the establishment of a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 614/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 185). 7 Report on the Mid-term Evaluation of the Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE)(SWD(2017) 355 final).
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 69 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) Given its characteristics and size, the LIFE Programme cannot solve all environmental and climate problems. Rather, its objective should be to act as a catalyst for changes in policy development and implementation, by mainstreaming relevant nature and biodiversity into other EU policies and financing programmes, by providing and disseminating solutions and best practices to achieve environmental and climate goals, and by promoting innovative environmental, climate change and nature-based solutions towards a net-zero emission European society. In that endeavour, the LIFE Programme should support the implementation of the on-going and future General Union Environment Action Programmes to be developed pursuant to Article 192(3) TFEU.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 71 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
(3) Pursuing the achievement of the Union's objectives and targets set by environmental, climate and related clean energy legislation, policy, plans and international commitments, the Programme should contribute to the shift towards a cleansustainable, circular, resource- and energy-efficient, low- carbnet zero-emission and climate-resilient economy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss,environment, and of people's health and well-being, and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, including through the support of the Natura 2000 network and tackling the degradation of ecosystems and their services either through direct interventions or by supporting the integration of those objectives in other policies.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 79 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
(4) The Union is committed to developing a comprehensive response to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development, which highlight the intrinsic connection between the management of natural resources to ensure their long-term availability, ecosystem services, their link to human health and sustainable and socially inclusive economic growthdevelopment. In this spirit, the Programme should allow for a high level of solidarity and responsibility and make a material contribution to both economic development and social cohesion.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 80 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) In view of promoting sustainable development, environmental and climate protection requirements should be integrated into the definition and implementation of all Union’s policies and activities. Synergies and complementary with other Union funding programmes should therefore be promoted, including by facilitating the funding of activities that complement strategic integrated projects and strategic nature projects and support the uptake and replication of solutions developed under the Programme. Coordination is required to prevent double funding. The Commission and Member States should take steps to prevent overlap and additional administrative burden on project beneficiaries arising from reporting obligations from different financial instruments.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 81 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
(5) The Programme should contribute to sustainable development and to the achievement of the international commitments, linked to the objectives and targets of the Union environment, climate and relevant clean energy legislation, strategies, plans and international commitments, in particular the United Nations 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development8 and its sustainable development goals, the Convention on Biological Diversity9 and, the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change10 ("Paris Agreement on Climate Change"), the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the “Aarhus Convention”), the Convention on long- range transboundary air pollution, and the UN Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. _________________ 8 Agenda 2030, Resolution adopted by UN GA on 25/09/2015. 9 93/626/EEC: Council Decision of 25 October 1993 concerning the conclusion of the Convention on Biological Diversity, (OJ L 309, 13.12.1993, p. 1). 10 OJ L 282, 19.10.2016, p. 4.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 84 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
(6) For achieving the overarching objectives, the full implementation of the ongoing and future Environmental Action Programme10a, encompassing all themes of the priority areas, the Circular economy package11 , the 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework12 ,13 ,14 ,, 14, the EU Biodiversity Strategy14a, The Birds14b and Habitats Directives14c and the related Action Plan for nature15 , and any related Union nature legislation15 , as well as of related policies16 ,17 ,18 ,19 ,, 17, 18, 19, 20 , is of particular importance. _________________ 10a Decision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’ (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 171). 11 COM(2015) 614 final, 02.12.2015. 12 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework, COM(2014)15, 22.01.2014. 13 EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change, COM(2013)216, 16.04.2013. 14 Clean Energy for all Europeans package, COM(2016) 860, 30.11.2016. 14a Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, COM/2011/0244 final 14b Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds 14c Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora 15 Action Plan for nature, people and the economy, COM(2017)198, 27.04.2017. 16 Clean Air Programme for Europe, COM(2013)918. 17 Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1). 18 Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, COM(2006)231. 19 Low Emission Mobility Strategy, COM/2016/0501 final. 20 Action Plan on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure under Article 10(6) of Directive 2014/94/EU, 8.11.2017.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 87 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) The European Union attaches great importance to the long-term sustainability of the results of LIFE projects, thus the capacity to secure and maintain them after the project implementation, inter alia by continuation, replication and/or transfer. This implies special requirements for the applicants as well as the need for EU-level guarantees to ensure that other EU funded projects are not undermining the results of any implemented LIFE projects.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 88 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
(7) Complying with the Union's commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and enhancing the Union's efforts to achieve the SDGs requires the transformation of the Union into an energy efficient, low carb- and resource efficient, net zero-emission and climate resilient society. This in turn requires actions, with a special focus on sectors that contribute most to the current levels of CO2 output and pollution, contributing to the implementation of the 2030 energy and climate policy framework and the Member States' Integrated National Energy and Climate Plans and preparations for and implementation of the Union's mid-century and long-term climate and energy strategydecarbonisation strategy. Many of those measures will bring significant benefits to the health and well-being of EU citizen. The Programme should also include measures contributing to the implementation of the Union's climate adaptation policy to decrease vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 92 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
(8) The transition to clean energyhighly energy- efficient and fully renewables-based energy system is an essential contribution to the mitigation of climate change with co-benefits for the environment. Actions for capacity building supporting the clean energy transitiontransition towards a highly energy- efficient and renewables-based energy system, funded until 2020 under Horizon 2020, should be integrated in the Programme since their objective is not to fund excellence and generate innovation, but to facilitate the uptake of already available technology with decreasing costs especially for energy efficiency improvements that will contribute to climate mitigation. The inclusion of these capacity building activities into the Programme offers potential for synergies between the sub-programmes and increases the overall coherence of Union funding. Therefore, data should be collected and disseminated on the uptake of existing research and innovation solutions in the LIFE projects, including from the Horizon Europe programme and its predecessors.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 95 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
(9) The impact assessments of the Clean Energy legislation estimate that the delivery of the Union's 2030 energy targets will require additional investments of EUR 177 billion annually in the period 2021- 2030. The biggest gaps relate to the investments in buildings decarbonisation (energy efficiency and small-scale renewable energy sources), where capital needs to be channelled towards projects of highly distributed nature. One of the objectives of the Clean Energy TransitionRenewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Communities sub-programme is to build capacity for projects development and aggregation, thereby also helping to absorb funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds and catalyse investments in clerenewable energy and energy efficiency also using the financial instruments provided under InvestEU.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 97 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) The LIFE programme has a high potential of supporting projects piloting or demonstrating eco-innovations and nature-based solutions that bring nature and natural features, processes to urban areas, landscapes and seascapes while generating social and economic benefits. In this regard, coherence with research and innovation programmes, including Horizon Europe and well as facilitating a high uptake of NCFFs that allow for nature conservation, green infrastructure development, sustainable land use, agriculture, forest, soil and water management solutions, are of key importance.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 98 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
(10) Synergies with Horizon Europe should ensure that research and innovation needs to tackle environmental, climate and energy challenges within the EU are identified and established during Horizon Europe's strategic research and innovation planning process. LIFE should continue to act as a catalyst for implementing EU environment, climate and clean energy policy and leglegislation and decarbonislation policy, including by taking up and applying research and innovation results from Horizon Europe, inter alia in the fields of integrated urban planning and transdisciplinary landscape design, and help deploying them on a larger scale where it can help address environmental, climate, sustainable consumption and production, food security or clean energy transition issues. Horizon Europe's European Innovation Council can provide support to scale up and commercialise new breakthrough ideas that may result from the implementation of LIFE projects.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 99 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
(12) The Union's most recent Environmental Implementation Review package21 indicates that significant progress is required to accelerate implementation of the Union environment acquis and enhance the integration and mainstreaming of environmental, biodiversity and climate objectives into other policies. The Programme should therefore act as a catalyst to tackle horizontal, systemic challenges as well as the root causes for implementation deficiencies as identified in the EIR and to achieve the required progress through capacity building, developing, testing and replicating new approaches; supporting compatible policy development, monitoring and review; enhancing stakeholder involvement, good governance, awareness raising and enhanced stakeholder involvement including regional, local authorities, NGOs, research and business; mobilising investments across Union investment programmes or other financial sources and supporting actions to overcome the various obstacles to the effective implementation of key plans required byexisting environment legislation. _________________ 21 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - The EU Environmental Implementation Review: Common challenges and how to combine efforts to deliver better results (COM/2017/063 final).
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 101 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
(13) Halting and reversing biodiversity loss and the degradation of natural capital and ecosystem services, including in marine and freshwater ecosystems, requires support for the development, implementation, enforcement and assessment of relevant Union legislation and policy, including the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 202022 , Council Directive 92/43/EEC23 and Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council24 and Regulation (EU) 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council25 , in particular by developing the knowledge base for policy development and implementation and by developing, testing, demonstrating and applying best practices and solutions on small scale or tailored to specific local, regional or national contexts, including integrated approaches for the implementation of the prioritised action frameworks prepared on the basis of Directive 92/43/EEC. The Union shouldand the Member States should systematically track itstheir biodiversity- related expenditure across all financial instruments, both ex-ante and ex-post, combining top-down and bottom-up approaches, inter alia to fulfil itstheir reporting obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Requirements for tracking in other relevant Union legislation should also be met. _________________ 22 COM(2011) 244 final. COM(2011) 244 final. 23 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7). 24 Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7). 25 Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 35).
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 106 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
(14) Recent evaluations and assessments, including the mid-term review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and the Fitness Check of Nature legislation, indicate that one of the main underlying causes for insufficient implementation of Union nature legislation and of the biodiversity strategy is the lack of adequate financing. The main Union funding instruments, including the [European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the Agricultural Guarantee Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund], can make a significant contribution towards meeting those needs, with the prerequisite that all these funding instruments are fitted with proper sustainability safeguards and address adequately the drivers behind environmental degradation and climate change. The Programme can further improve the efficiency of such mainstreaming through strategic nature projects dedicated to catalysing the implementation of Union nature and biodiversity legislation and policy, including the actions set out in the Priority Action Frameworks developed in accordance with Directive 92/43/EEC. The strategic nature projects should support programmes of actions in Member States for the mainstreaming of relevant nature and biodiversity objectives into other policies and financing programmes, thus ensuring that appropriate funds are mobilised for implementing these policies. Member States could decide within their Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy to use a certain share of the Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development allocation to leverage support for actions that complement the Strategic Nature Projects as defined under this Regulation.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 113 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
(16) Promoting thea resource-efficient and circular economy requires a mentality shift in the way of designing, producing, consuming and disposing of materials and products, including plastics. The Programme should contribute to the transition to a resource-efficient and circular economy model through financial support targeting a variety of actors (businesses, civil society organisations, public authorities and consumers), in particular by applying, developing, and replicating best technology, practices and solutions tailored to specific local, regional or national contexts, including through integrated approaches for the implementation of the waste hierarchy, sustainable waste management and prevention plans. Through supporting the implementation of the plastics strategy, action can be taken to address the problem of marine and freshwater litter in particular.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 114 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 a (new)
(16a) A high level of environmental protection is fundamental for the health and well-being of EU citizens. The Programme should support the Union’s objective to produce and use chemicals in ways that lead to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment, and to develop a Union strategy for a non-toxic environment. The Programme should also support activities to facilitate the implementation of Directive 2002/49/EC of the Parliament and of the Council (Noise Directive) in order to achieve noise levels that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 118 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
(17) The Union's long-term objective for air policy is to achieve levels of air quality that do not cause significant negative impacts on and risks to human health, the environment and biodiversity. Public awareness about air pollution is high and citizens expect authorities to act. Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council26 stresses the role Union funding can play in achieving clean air objectives. Therefore, the Programme should support projects, including strategic integrated projects, which have the potential to leverage public and private funds, to be showcases of good practice and catalysts for the implementation of air quality plans and legislation at local, regional, multi- regional, national and trans-national level. _________________ 26 Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC (OJ L 344, 17.12.2016, p. 1).
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 121 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
(18) Directive 2000/60/EC established a framework for the protection of the Union’s surface waters, coastal waters, transitional waters and groundwater. The objectives of the Directive are supported by the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources27 which calls for better implementation and increased integration of water policy objectives into other policy areas. The Programme should therefore support projects which improve the integrity of water resources and contribute to the effective implementation of Directive 2000/60/EC and of other Union water legislation that contributes to achieving a good status of the Union’s water bodies through applying, developing and replicating best practices, as well as through mobilising complementary actions under other Union programmes or financial sources. _________________ 27 COM(2012) 673 final. COM(2012) 673 final.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 122 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19 a (new)
(19a) The Common Agricultural Policy plays a decisive role in achieving the Union’s environmental, biodiversity, climate and sustainability goals. A systemic evaluation, a „fitness check“ of the CAP has not been undertaken by the European Commission, despite strong demands from key stakeholders including the REFIT platform. Nevertheless, a recent evidence-based study28a following the better regulation rules of the European Commission clearly show that the environmental engagement of the CAP is insufficient to halt biodiversity decline or environmental degradation. CAP does not address SDGs adequately either. CAP in its current form will not provide adequate ecosystem services in the EU and will completely fail to address the challenges of climate change. Synergies with CAP shall ensure that, CAP, after a comprehensive reform, better meets current challenges, that resources are shifted away from direct payments which are nor efficient nor well-justified and farmers who commit themselves to sustainable agricultural practices and actively contribute to biodiversity and environment objectives, inter alia via Natura2000 site management, eco- schemes and organic farming, are better rewarded. _________________ 28a G.Pe’er, S. Lakner, R. Müller, G. Passoni, V. Bontzorlos, D. Clough, F. Moreira,C. Azam, J. Berger, P. Bezak, A. Bonn, B. Hansjürgens, L. Hartmann, J.Kleemann, A. Lomba, A. Sahrbacher, S. Schindler, C. Schleyer, J. Schmidt, S.Schüler, C. Sirami, M. von Meyer- Höfer, and Y. Zinngrebe (2017). Is the CAP Fit for purpose? An evidence based fitness-check assessment. Leipzig, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena- Leipzig.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 123 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19 b (new)
(19b) The current conservation status of Natura 2000 sites in agricultural land is very poor, which indicates that these areas are still in need of protection. Current CAP payments for Natura 2000 areas are the most effective mean of preserving biodiversity in agricultural areas.28a However, such payments are insufficient and they do no represent their high value to society. To incentivise environmental protection of these areas, CAP payments for Natura 2000 areas should therefore be increased. _________________ 28a G.Pe’er, S. Lakner, R. Müller, G. Passoni, V. Bontzorlos, D. Clough, F. Moreira,C. Azam, J. Berger, P. Bezak, A. Bonn, B. Hansjürgens, L. Hartmann, J.Kleemann, A. Lomba, A. Sahrbacher, S. Schindler, C. Schleyer, J. Schmidt, S.Schüler, C. Sirami, M. von Meyer- Höfer, and Y. Zinngrebe (2017). Is the CAP Fit for purpose? An evidence based fitness-check assessment. Leipzig, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena- Leipzig.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 124 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
(20) The improvement of governance on environmental, biodiversity, climate change and related clean energy transition matters requires involvement of civil society by raising public awareness, consumer engagement, and broadening of stakeholder involvement, including non-governmental organisations, in consultation on and implementation of related policies. the transition towards a net- zero emission society requires a multilevel approach with robust and evidence-based procedures and broader engagement, including of local and regional authorities and civil society, in the preparation and implementation of related policies, and in raising public awareness. The work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and network of non-profit-making entities which pursue an aim of general Union interest and are primarily active in the field of environment and climate action should therefore receive increased support from this Programme. Standard action projects in this regard are of particular importance, therefore the technical details including the minimum total amount of projects should be set in a way that enables good NGO participation in the Programme.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 131 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
(21) Whilst improving governance at all levels should be a cross-cutting objective for all sub-programmes of the Programme, the Programme should support the development and implementation and effective compliance with and enforcement of the environment and climate acquis, in particular of the horizontal legislation on the environmental governance, including the legislation implementing the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters29 29a, also with regard to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee. The Programme should, in particular, support the development of cooperation platforms and the sharing of best practices for more effective compliance and enforcement of environmental and climate policy and legislation, including training programmes for judges and public prosecutors, as well as awareness raising activities with regards to access to information and access to justice on environmental and climate matters. _________________ 29 OJ L 124, 17.5.2005, p. 4. 29a OJ L 264, 25.9.2006, pp. 13-19.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 135 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
(22) The Programme should prepare and support market players for the shift towards a cleansustainable, circular, resource- and energy-efficient, low-carbnet zero-emission and climate-resilient economy by testing new business opportunities, upgrading professional skills, facilitating consumers' access to sustainable products and services, engaging and empowering influencers and testing novel methods to adapt the existing processes and business landscape. To support a broader market uptake of sustainable solutions, general public acceptance and consumer engagement should be promoted.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 136 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
(23) At Union level, large investments in environmental and climate actions are primarily funded by major Union funding programmes (mainstreaming). It is therefore primordial to step up the mainstreaming efforts, to ensure sustainability, biodiversity and climate proofing of other Union funding programmes and fitting all EU instruments with sustainability safeguards. The Commission should have the power to adopt a common methodology and take effective measures to ensure that LIFE projects are not negatively affected by other Union programmes and policies. In the context of their catalytic role, strategic integrated projects and strategic nature projects to be developed under the Programme should leverage financing opportunities under those funding programmes and other sources of funding such as national funds, and create synergies.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 138 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23 a (new)
(23a) The success of strategic integrated projects and strategic nature projects is dependent on close cooperation between national, regional and local authorities and the non-state actors concerned by the LIFE Programme’s objectives. The principles of transparency and disclosure of decisions concerning the development, implementation, assessment and monitoring of projects should therefore be applied, in particular when the Programme is implemented in synergies with other sources of funding.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 139 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23 b (new)
(23b) As the European Union spans across different regions, challenges related to the sub-programmes of LIFE, including the proper management of Natura 2000 sites as well as tackling climate changes impacts and vulnerabilities, often vary due to natural, biogeographical characteristics and factors. Areas across Member States with similar characteristics can better work towards the objectives of this Programme by working together at regional level, via solutions tailored to their specific needs, applying biogeographical regions and delineations as a guiding principle.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 142 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
(24) Reflecting the importance of tackling climate change in line with the Union's commitments to implement the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this Programme will contribute to mainstream climate actions and to the achievement of an overall target of 250 % of the EU budget expenditures supporting climate objectives. Actions under this Programme are expected to contribute at least 61% of the overall financial envelope of the Programme to climate objectives. Relevant actions will be identified during the Programme's preparation and implementation, and reassessed in the context of the relevant evaluations and review processes.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 148 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
(25) In the implementation of the Programme due consideration should be given to the strategy for outermost regions30 in view of Article 349 TFEU and the specific needs and vulnerabilities of these regions. Union policies other than environmental, climate and relevant clean energy transidecarbonisation policies should also be taken into account. _________________ 30 COM(2017) 623 final
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 149 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 26
(26) In support of the implementation of the Programme, the Commission should collaborate with the Programme’s national contact points, including in the set-up of an advisory network at local level to facilitate the development of projects with high added-value and policy impact and to ensure the provision of information on complementary financing, transferability of projects as well as long-term sustainability, organise seminars and workshops, publish lists of projects funded under the Programme or undertake other activities to disseminate project results and to facilitate exchanges of experience, knowledge and best practices and the replication of project results across the Union. Such activities should in particular target Member States with a low uptake of funds and should facilitate the communication and cooperation between project beneficiaries, applicants or stakeholders of completed and ongoing projects in the same field.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 151 #

2018/0209(COD)

(28) It is appropriate to lay down a financial envelope for the Programme of 1% of the overall Union budget for 2021- 2028, and which is to constitute the prime reference amount, within the meaning of point 17 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management31 , for the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budgetary procedure. _________________ 31 OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1. OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 152 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28 a (new)
(28a) The maximum co-financing rates should be set at such levels that are necessary to maintain the effective level of support provided by the Programme, while taking into account the necessary flexibility and adaptability that is needed to respond to the existing range of actions and entities.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 159 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 36
(36) Pursuant to points 22 and 23 of the Inter-institutional agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making, there is a need to evaluate this Programme on the basis of information collected through specific monitoring requirements, while avoiding overregulation and administrative burdens, in particular on Member States. These requirements, where appropriate, may include measurable indicators, as a basis for evaluating the effects of the Programme on the ground. The full impact of the Programme accrues through indirect, long-term and difficult-to-measure contributions towards achieving the full range of Union environment and climate objectives. For monitoring of the Programme, direct output indicators and tracking requirements set out in this Regulation should be complemented by aggregation of specific project level indicators to be described in work programmes or calls for proposals, inter alia regarding the changes in natural value (the status and distribution of selected species and habitats including fragmentation, ecosystem coverage), land use change (shifts to natural semi-natural land categories, the surface area of green infrastructure, rehabilitated land or Natura 2000 and emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants. sites covered by protection and restoration measures), financing of biodiversity management, shift towards green economy or climate resilience and governance (emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, nitrogen balance, water quality, chemicals, noise, ecological footprint), public awareness and the population benefitting from quality improvement measures or having access to upgraded land or green infrastructure.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 161 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
(38) Since the objectives of this Regulation, namely contributing to sustainable developmenthigh level of environmental protection and ambitious climate action with good governance and a multi-stakeholder approach and to the achievement of the objectives and targets of the Union environment, climate and relevant clebiodiversity, climate, circular economy and relevant renewable energy and energy efficiency legislation, strategies, plans or international commitments cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of scale and effects of this Regulation, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 166 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) 'strategic nature projects' means projects that support the achievement of Union nature and biodiversity objectives, laid down in particular in Directive 2009/147/EC and Council Directive 92/43/EEC, by implementing coherent programmes of action in the Member States to mainstream these objectives and priorities into other policies and financing instruments, including through coordinated implementation of the priority action frameworks established pursuant to Directive 92/43/EEC;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 168 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
(2) 'strategic integrated projects' means projects that implement on a regional, multi-regional, metropolitan, national or transnational scale, environmental or climate strategies or action plans developed by Member States' authorities and required by specific environmental, climate or relevant clean energy Union legislation or policy, while ensuring involvement of stakeholders and promoting the coordination with and mobilisation of at least one other Union, national or private funding source;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 174 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. The general objective of the Programme is to substantially improve the state of environment, to halt and reverse the loss and the degradation of natural capital and ecosystem services including clean air, water and soil, to support the implementation and long-term management of the Natura2000 network, to contribute to the shift towards a cleansustainable, circular, green, resource-and energy-efficient, low-carbnet zero-emission and climate-resilient economy, including through the transition to clean energy, to the protection and improvement of the quality of the environment and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss, thereby contributing to sustainable developmenta highly energy- efficient and renewables-based energy system, thereby contributing to sustainable development, a high level of environmental protection and ambitious climate action.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 185 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) to develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques and approaches for reaching the objectives of the Union legislation and policy on environment and climate action, including the transition to clean energrenewable energy and improving energy efficiency, and to contribute to the application of best practice in relation to nature and biodiversity;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 190 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) to support the development, implementation, monitoring, effective compliance and enforcement of the relevant Union legislation and policy, including by improving governanceUnion’s General Environment Action Programme under Article192(3) TFEU and other relevant Union legislation and policy, including by supporting better environmental and climate governance at all levels, including through enhancing capacities of public and private actors and, improving awareness-raising and reinforcing the involvement of civil society;, NGOs and local actors.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 198 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b
(b) the sub-programme Circular Economy, Health and Quality of Life;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 201 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point a
(a) the sub-programme Climate Change Governance, Mitigation and Adaptation;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 202 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b
(b) the sub-programme Clean Energy TransitionRenewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Communities.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 203 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1
1. The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period 2021-2027 shall be EUR 5 450 000 000 in currentamount to at least 1% of the total EU budget for the pericesod 2021-2027.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 211 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a – introductory part
(a) EUR 3 500 000 00073,19% for the field Environment, of which
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 214 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a – point 1
(1) EUR 2 150 000 00061,28% for the sub- programme Nature and Biodiversity and
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 218 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a – point 2
(2) EUR 1 350 000 00038,72% for the sub- programme Circular Economy, Health, and Quality of Life;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 223 #

2018/0209(COD)

(b) EUR 1 950 000 00026,81% for the field Climate Action, of which
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 225 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point b – point 1
(1) EUR 950 000 00048,72% for the sub- programme Climate Change Governance, Mitigation and Adaptation and
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 228 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point b – point 2
(2) EUR 1 000 000 00051,28% for the sub- programme Clean Energy TransitionRenewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Communities.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 236 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 4
4. The amount referred to in paragraph 1 may be used for technical and administrative assistance for the implementation of the Programme, such as preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities including corporate information technology systemsa systemic ex-post evaluation on the long-term sustainability and maintenance of the results achieved by the Programme.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 238 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. The Programme may finance activities implemented by the Commission in support of the preparation, implementation and mainstreaming of Union environmental, biodiversity, climate or relevant clerenewable energy and energy transitionefficiency legislation and policies for the purpose of achieving the objectives set out in Article 3. Such activities may include:
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 240 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point a
(a) information and communication, including awareness raising campaigns. Financial resources allocated to communication activities pursuant to this Regulation shall also cover corporate communication regarding the political priorities of the Union, as well as regarding the implementation and transposition status of Union environmental, biodiversity, climate or relevant clerenewable energy and energy efficiency legislation;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 241 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point c a (new)
(ca) capacity building to improve governance;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 242 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5 – point d
(d) workshops, trainings, conferences and meetings;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 250 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1
The Programme shall be implemented in a way which ensures its consistency withCommission shall ensure the consistent implementation of the Programme and ensure coherence and coordination with and the mainstreaming of EU environmental objectives into all EU policies and instruments, with special regard to the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility and Invest EU, in order to create synergies, particularly as regards strategic nature projects and strategic integrated projects, and to support the uptake and replication of solutions developed under the Programme. For that purpose, the Commission shall adopt, no later than 1 December, delegated acts in accordance with Article 21 in order to supplement this Regulation by specifying detailed rules on the procedures to ensure sustainability, biodiversity and climate proofing of other Union funding programmes.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 261 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 a (new)
Article 8 a Co-financing rates 1. In view to ensure the effective level of support provided by the Programme necessary to fulfil the objectives set out in Article 3, each multiannual work programme referred to in Article 17 shall lay down maximum co-financing rates (up to 75%). 2. Small non-governmental organisation beneficiaries active in only one Member State shall be granted an extra 10% co- financing rate 3. For projects referred to in point (d a) of Article 10(2), the Union co-financing rate shall amount to100% of the total eligible costs.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 265 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point d a (new)
(d a) capacity-building projects, in particular projects that support better environmental and climate governance at all levels, including better involvement of civil society, NGOs and local actors;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 271 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 5
5. Operating grants shall support the functioning of non-profit making entities which are involved in the development, implementation and enforcement of Union legislation and policy and which are primarily active in the field of environment or climate action, including clean energy transrenewable energy, energy efficiency and renewable communitiones.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 282 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) projects financed by the Programme shall avoidbe subject to sustainability and proofing and should not undermininge environmental, climate or relevant clean energybiodiversity, or decarbonisation objectives of the Programme and, whereas often as possible, shall promote the use of green public procurement;.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 286 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(a a) projects financed by the Programme shall make a significant contribution to the achievement of the objectives set out in Article 3;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 290 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) projects with the greatest policy impact and the highest potential of being replicated and taken-up by the public or private sector or of mobilising the largest investments or financial resources (catalytic potential) shall be given priority;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 292 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(e a) the Commission shall ensure geographical balance for the project financed by the Programme taking into account biogeographical characteristics;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 294 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point f
(f) where appropriate, special regard shall be given to projects in geographical areas with high natural value under protection or specific needs or vulnerabilities, such as areas with specific environmental challenges including on air, soil and water quality, or natural constraints, trans- border areas, regions particularly affected or at risk of being particularly affected by climate change, or outermost regions.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 300 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 a (new)
Article 13 a A long-term sustainability of the project outcomes and impacts All proposals should include a thorough long-term sustainability strategy with respective activities and deliverables going beyond transfer of knowledge or networking. The European Commission should create a common database providing a territorial overview of on- going or implemented projects from LIFE or other programmes in synergistic relation to LIFE and serving as a tool for achieving the highest possible level of coherence and synergies.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 304 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 1
Blending operations under this Programme shall be implemented in accordance with the [InvestEU Regulation] and Title X of the Financial Regulation, with due regard to sustainability and transparency requirements.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 309 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 1
1. The Programme shall be implemented byCommission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 21 to supplement this Regulation by adopting at least two multiannual work programmes referred to in Article 110 of the Financial Regulation. Work programmes shall set out, where applicable, the overall amount reserved for blending operations.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 316 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – point a a (new)
(a a) the maximum co-financing rates for the projects referred to in Article 10(2);
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 324 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. The Commission shall ensure co- legislators and relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations, are adequately consulted in the process of drafting each multiannual work programme.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 327 #

2018/0209(COD)

1. Evaluations shall be carried out in a timely manner to feed into the decision- making process with due regard to the aspects of coherence, synergies and trade- offs, EU added value and long-term sustainability, using priority are as of the relevant Environment Action Programme and biogeographical characteristics and delineations used as a guiding principle.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 328 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 2
2. The interim evaluation of the Programme shall be performed once there is sufficient information available about the implementation of the Programme, but no later than four years after the start of the Programme implementation, making use of the result and output indicators as set in the work programmes in accordance with Annex II, but no later than 3 years after the start of the Programme implementation.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 331 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission shall communicatepublish the conclusions of the evaluations and communicate them, accompanied by its observations, to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 332 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 20 – paragraph 1
1. The recipients of Union funding shall acknowledge the origin and ensure the visibility of the Union funding (in particular when promoting the projects and their results), including the LIFE Programme logo, by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 338 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 4
4. Reflows from financial instruments established under Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 may be invested in the financial instruments established under [InvestEU Fund]actions under this Programme.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 339 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 1 – point 1.1
1.1. Number of projects developing, demonstrating and promoting innovative techniques and approaches including nature-based solutions;
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 344 #

2018/0209(COD)

1.5a. Surface area of restored land
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 345 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 1 – point 1.5 b (new)
1.5b. Surface area of supported Natura 2000 sites covered by protection or restoration measures
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 346 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 1 – point 1.5 c (new)
1.5c. Surface area of green infrastructure supported
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 347 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 1
– Nature and Biodiversity; covering the improvement of natural value e.g. in form of changes the status or distribution of species, habitats, changes in land use towards natural/semi-natural areas, surface area of rehabilitated land
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 350 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 3 b (new)
- Chemicals
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 351 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 3 a (new)
- Nutrient balance
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 352 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 5
— Water quality and management
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 353 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 5 a (new)
- Noise
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 354 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 6
— Waste, waste hierarchy
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 355 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 6 a (new)
- Resource use and efficiency
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 356 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – indent 8
Clean Energy TransiEnergy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, decentralisation.
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 358 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.2 a (new)
2.2a. Public Awareness
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 359 #

2018/0209(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.4 a (new)
2.4a. Population benefitting from quality improvement measures or having access to upgraded land or green infrastructure
2018/10/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 4 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that 2021-27 MFF shall not decrease in volume from 2020 levels, even in case of Brexit and that new EU initiatives must be matched with new and adequate financial resources and be treated under the co-decision procedure;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 5 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises that full respect for the rule of law is an essential precondition for sound financial management and effective EU funding. Therefore supports the new mechanism that would allow the European Commission to dispose of effective and appropriate measures in cases of risk of financial loss caused by generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law in a Member State with special regard to tackling grand corruption.
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 10 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls that the Paris Agreement requires all financial flows to be aligned with the agreed long-term climate objective and stresses the need for greater coherence between the EU´s commitment under the Paris Agreement and its funding policies; underlines the significant, yet untapped, potential of the MFF to catalyse the transition towards a net-zero carbon European economy; subsequently calls for a comprehensive earmarking of at least 50% of the MFF funds towards climate-related spending and making support for fossil fuels ineligible in the next MFF;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 13 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates Parliament’s call for an increased overall budget of at least EUR 120 billion for Horizon Europe; welcomes the possibility of transferring financial allocations for programmes from one fund to another introduced by the Common Provisions Regulation; believes that appropriate conditions and mechanisms for such transfers should bunderlines the necessity of Horizon Europe’s investments to focus on researching, developing and bringing to society the technological and non-technological solutions that address pressing societal challenges, such as fighting climate change, the transition to sustainable and renewable energy, an energy- and resource-efficient, toxic-free circular economy, sustainable food and farming practices, and affordable health care and medicine. Welcomes a far reaching harmonisation of the rules of different funds while further elaborated to ensure compatibility with the structural funds; ging that each fund be governed under its own rules, taking account of sector-specific characteristics, diverse territorial needs and different target groups, in order to provide for a funding environment tailored to specific circumstances
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 23 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that EUR 3.5 billion of the Horizon Europe budget is dedicated to InvestEU; believes that the InvestEU research, innovation and digitisation window should use the same rules as the successful InnovFin instrument, apply all underlying criteria and cover the highest risk tranche;;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 26 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the amount allocated to the energy and digital components of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF); believes that CEF should be more ambitious on the issue of synergies, as indicated in its mid-term reviewfully in line with the long-term EU energy and climate objectives, hence excluding fossil gas infrastructure projects, and focus on cross-border connections for sustainable modes of transports, including renovation, missing links, intermodality and net-zero GHG emissions solutions; electricity infrastructure; cross-border renewable projects , smart grids and energy efficiency projects to foster the energy transition; high-speed broadband in the ICT sector as well as synergies between sectors such as the modernisation of infrastructure related to the new digitisation;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 38 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Is cConcerneds about the proposed 5 % decrease in financial resources for the decentralised agencies under the remit of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ECHA, ECDC, EEA, EFSA,EMA); calls for the decentralised agencies to be allocated more financial and human resources, at least at the level of 2014-2020 in real terms, where appropriate and based on their individual needs, in particular if new tasks are allocated, such as in the case of ECHA;
2018/09/13
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 41 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that in the energy sector, emphasis should be placed on energy security and a functioning single market; considers it essential to reach the 15 % interconnectivity target by 2030;finalising the Energy Union in accordance with the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainability Goals; urges the Commission to provide the necessary funding for the five mutually supportive dimensions of the Energy Union: energy security, solidarity and trust; the internal energy market; energy efficiency as a contribution to the moderation of energy demand; decarbonisation of the economy; and research, innovation and competitiveness; recalls in this context the adopted ‘energy efficiency first’ principle as well as the need for targeted investment in renewables and energy efficiency based technologies that have the potential to address climate change and environmental concerns, ensure security of supply and maintain the EU's competitive advantage.
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 52 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets that its call for the creation of an energy transition fund for coal- intensive regions under the new multiannual financial framework (MFF) was not reflected in the new MFF proposal; reiterates its appeal for additionaldedicated funds to be provided exclusively to support energy transition in these regionsthese regions in the development of inclusive, local and just transition strategies and in addressing societal, socio-economic and environmental impacts along with the reconversion of sites and the replacement of the electricity generation capacity with renewables or energy efficiency solutions;;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 56 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Regrets the proposal for European Defence Fund which draws away funds from important investment and innovation programmes under Heading 1a such as investments in the energy transition and tackling climate change. Believes that large efficiency gains can be made instead in the defence sector by dramatically improving Member States coordination and through the enforcement of the Defence Procurement Directive
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 60 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Underlines that even if the ITER project would one day deliver, it would be too late to comply with the Paris Agreement commitment to maintain climate change well below 2 degrees and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees; therefore calls for the next MFF to redirect nuclear fusion funding towards areas, such as renewables or energy- efficiency based technologies and other non-technical solutions, which help to accelerate the transition to a net-zero GHG emission economy, contribute to the EU innovation leadership and competitiveness in combination with sustainability;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 61 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Recalls that the UK will have to leave Euratom which will have negative consequences on Member States’ contribution to the related research programmes, in particular ITER; underlines that leaving Euratom leads the UK to finance alone the Joint European Torus (JET) experiment in Culham Centre for Fusion Energy; reminds that the departure of the UK could open the possibility to amend Euratom in order to fully equip the EU’s energy market for the challenges of the 21stcentury;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 62 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Underlines that nuclear safety is of primary importance for the population of the whole EU and emphasizes the need to increase the amount allocated to the Nuclear decommissioning assistance programme of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania to 780 million euros in order to adequately assist Lithuania in meeting the technological challenge of Chernobyl-type graphite reactor core dismantling;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 63 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for a timely adoption of the MFF and the related legal bases to ensure a frictionless transition from one programme to another and to avoid implementation delays; yet insists on quality over speed providing for adequate time for thorough consultation and deliberation, in order to ensure diligent policy-making and not to undermine the powers of the European Parliament as co-legislator;
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 67 #

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Believes that the EU budget should reflect the majority vote of the EU citizens; therefore considers that the MFF should be adopted by a Qualified Majority in the Council as provided for in Article 312(2) of the TFEU and by a Qualified Majority in the EP; is convinced of the necessity to maintain Underlines the need for a legally binding and compulsory MFF mid-term revispost-electoral revision enshrined in the new MFF Regulation; believes that Parliament’s involvement should be ensured in any revision of the MFF.
2018/09/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 61 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
(2) The rule of law requires that all public powers act within the constraints set out by law, in accordance with the values of democracy and fundamental rights, and under the control of independent and, impartial and effective courts. It requires, in particular, that the principles of legality7 , legal certainty8 , prohibition of arbitrariness of the executive powers9 , separation of powers10 , and effective judicial protection by independent courts11 are respected12 . _________________ 7 Judgment of the Court of Justice of 29 April 2004, CAS Succhi di Frutta, C- 496/99 PECLI:EU:C:2004:236, paragraph 63. 8 Judgment of the Court of Justice of 12 November 1981, Amministrazione delle finanze dello Stato v Srl Meridionale Industria Salumi and others Ditta Italo Orlandi & Figlio and Ditta Vincenzo Divella v Amministrazione delle finanze dello Stato. Joined cases 212 to 217/80, ECLI:EU:C:1981:270, paragraph 10. 9 Judgment of the Court of Justice of 21 September 1989, Hoechst, Joined cases 46/87 and 227/88, ECLI:EU:C:1989:337, paragraph 19. 10 Judgment of the Court of Justice of 10 November 2016, Kovalkovas, C-477/16, ECLI:EU:C:2016:861, paragraph 36; Judgment of the Court of Justice of 10 November 2016, PPU Poltorak, C-452/16, ECLI:EU:C:2016:858, paragraph 35; and Judgment of the Court of Justice of 22 December 2010, DEB,C-279/09, ECLI:EU:C:2010:811, paragraph 58. 11 Judgment of the Court of Justice of 27 February 2018, Associação Sindical dos Juízes Portugueses v Tribunal de Contas C- 64/16, ECLI:EU:C:2018:117, paragraphs 31, 40-41. 12 Communication from the Commission "A new EU Framework to strengthen the Rule of Law", COM(2014) 158 final, Annex I.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 75 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) The independence of the prosecution and the judiciary comprises both the formal (de jure) and actual (de facto) independence of the prosecution and the judiciary and the individual prosecutors and judges.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 78 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
(8) Respect for the rule of law is not only important for citizens of the Union, but also for business initiatives, innovation, investment, economic, social and territorial cohesion and the proper functioning of the internal market, which will flourish most where a solid legal and institutional framework is in place.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 95 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
(12) The identification of a generalised deficiency requires a qualitative assessment by the Commission. That assessment could be based onIn order to provide an objective and systematic assessment, the Commission should regularly publish an assessment of threats to the rule of law, including risks of systemic corruption, in each Member State based on a set of indicators and independent reports, including the information from all available sources and recognized institutions, including judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union, reports of the Court of Auditors, and conclusions and recommendations of relevant international organisations and networks, such as the bodies of the Council of Europe and the European networks of supreme courts and councils for the judiciary.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 97 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12 a (new)
(12a) The Commission in its analysis of risks of systemic corruption in each Member State should include the following set of indicators: avoiding the publication of calls for tenders in the official public procurement journal, leaving little time for bidders to submit, changing the technical criteria of eligibility after publication, overly complex eligibility criteria (proxy of tailoring the conditions to a single company), use of invitation tenders, use of hard-to-quantify evaluation criteria (increasing room for discretion) with large weight, extremely short decision time (suggesting premeditation) or excessively long decision time due to legal challenge, single bid received on an otherwise competitive market, recurrent contract award to the same. The data should be received from the analysis of big data obtained from individual public procurement procedures and contract using data mining techniques.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 100 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
(13) The possible measures to be adopted in the event of generalised deficiencies and the procedure to be followed to adopt them should be determined. Those measures should include the change of shared management to direct/indirect management, to reallocate funds to the Rights and Values Programme, and ultimately the suspension of payments and of commitments, a reduction of funding under existing commitments, and a prohibition to conclude new commitments with recipients.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 107 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14 a (new)
(14 a) The rights of the final beneficiaries should be upheld and guaranteed when measures are executed, unless the final beneficiaries are involved in damaging the Union’s financial interest in any way.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 125 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) 'the rule of law' refers to the Union value enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union which includes the principles of legality, implying a transparent, accountable, democratic and pluralistic process for enacting laws; legal certainty; prohibition of arbitrariness of the executive powers; checks and balances; effective judicial protection by independent courts, including of fundamental rights; separation of powers and equality before the law;
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 164 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a – point -1 (new)
(-1) reallocating payments to the Rights and Values Programme;
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 169 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b – point -1 (new)
(-1) taking the funds of one or more programmes into direct or indirect management of the Commission;
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 170 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b – point -1 a (new)
(-1a) reallocating payments to the Rights and Values Programme;
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 195 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph -1 (new)
-1. The Commission shall establish a risk assessment framework that assesses the state of the rule of law in all Member States, based on criteria laid down in Article 3. The Commission shall prepare and publish these assessments annually.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 196 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. The Commission in its risk assessment framework shall implement a system of continuously assessing the presence of corruption risks in the public procurement processes involving EU funds by analysing data on individual procurement processes and contracts, and by monitoring the ownership structure of recurrent contract winners with a large share of total contract value, with the aim of detecting the channelling of EU funds to closed networks, if it occurs, and, in the case of Member States not participating in the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, a system of regularly monitoring the follow-up to OLAF’s recommendations made to the national prosecutorial authorities.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 198 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. If the European Parliament considers it necessary it may initiate the action of the European Commission set out in paragraph 1.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 200 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2
2. TBefore resorting to a written notification pursuant to paragraph 1 the Commission mayshall take into account all relevant information, including decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union, reports of the Court of Auditors, and conclusions and recommendations of relevant international organisations. . The Commission shall take into account in particular: (i) the Venice Commission’s Rule of Law Checklist; (ii) the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec (2010)12 ‘Judges: independence, efficiency and responsibilities’; (iii) the Venice Commission Report on the Independence of the Judicial System Part I: the Independence of Judges (CDL- AD(2010)004); (iv) the Venice Commission Report on Part II: the Prosecution Service (CDL- AD(2010)040); (v) the relevant evaluation and compliance reports of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO); (vi) the relevant anti-corruption recommendations of the European Semester; (vii) the relevant findings of the EU Justice Scoreboard; (viii) the reports and recommendations of OLAF. The Commission may take into account: (i) the conclusions and recommendations of relevant international organisations; (ii) the studies of the academia and other scientific institutions; (iii) the findings of relevant non- governmental organisations.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 215 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. The Commission shall publish its proposal in the Official Journal including the justification and the methodology used in the procedure.
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 237 #

2018/0136(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Information of the European Parliament The Commission shall immediately inform the European Parliament of any measures proposed or adopted pursuant to Articles 4 and 5Article 7 deleted
2018/11/09
Committee: BUDGCONT
Amendment 26 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
(8) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred to the Commission to adopt the lists of reserved and blocked domain names by Member States, to establish the criteria and the procedure for the designation of the Registry and to designate the Registry on duly justified grounds of urgency. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers. Such lists should be compiled subject to the domain names' availability taking into account domain names at second level already reserved or registered by the Member States.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 29 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
(14) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedures should take into account the international best practices in this area and in particular the relevant World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recommendations, to ensure that speculative and abusive registrations are avoided as far as possible. ADR should respect a minimum of uniform procedural rules, in line with the ones set out in the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy adopted by ICANN.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 30 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
(15) The policy on abusive registration of .eu domain names should provide for verification by the Registry of data it receives, specifically concerning the identity of registrants, as well as revocation and blocking from future registration of domain names considered by a final decision of a Member State court to be defamatory, racist or otherwise contrary to the law of the Member State. The Registry should undertake utmost care to ensure the correctness of the data it receives and holds, taking into account the fact that domain registration can be done through registrars and mechanisms should be in place to ensure as much as possible the accuracy of data.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 32 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
(16) The Registry should support law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime by implementing technical and organisational measures aimed at enabling competent authorities to have access to the data in the Registry for purposes of prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes, as provided by Union or national law and after securing the appropriate checks and balances.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 37 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) "Registry" means the entity entrusted with the organisation, administration and management of the.eu TLD including maintenance of the corresponding databases and the associated public query services, registration of domain names, operation of the Registry of domain names, operation of the Registry TLD name servers and dissemination of TLD zone files where appropriate;
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 49 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 5
5. Where a domain name is considered by a court of a Member State to be defamatory, racist or contrary to public policycontrary to the law, it shall be blocked by the Registry upon notification of a court decision and shall be revoked upon notification of a final court decision. The Registry shall block from future registration those names which have been subject to such a court order as long as such order remains valid.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 66 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – point f
(f) measurpolicies aimed at enabling competent authorities to have access to the data in the Registry for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime, as provided by Union or national law and with the appropriate checks and balances;
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 67 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 1
1. The Registry shall set up and manage with due diligence a WHOIS database facility for the purpose of providing accurate and up to date registration information about the domain names under the .eu TLD.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 73 #

2018/0110(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 2
2. The .eu Multistakeholder Council shall be composed of representatives drawn from the private sector, the technical community, Member States and international organisations, civil society and academia and appointed by the Commission on the basis of an open and transparent procedure. The principle of gender equality should be followed as much as possible in establishing the membership in the group.
2018/09/27
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 88 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
(1) Persons who work for an organisation or are in contact with it in the context of their work-related activities are often the first to know about threats or harm to the public interest which arise in this context. The purpose of this Directive is to create a climate of trust that enables whistleblowers to report observed or suspected breaches of law, wrongdoing, misconduct and threats to the public interest. By ‘blowing the whistle’ they play a key role in exposing and preventing breaches of the law and in safeguarding the welfare of society. However, potential whistleblowers are often discouraged from reporting their concerns or suspicions for fear of retaliation.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 91 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 5
(5) Accordingly, common minimum standards ensuring effective whistleblower protection should apply in those acts and policy areas where i) there is a need to strengthen enforcement; ii) under-reporting by whistleblowers is a key factor affecting enforcement, and iii) breaches of Union law cause serious harm toundermine the public interest.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 96 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 19
(19) Each time a new Union act for which whistleblower protection is relevant and can contribute to more effective enforcement is adopted, consideration should be given to whether to amendit should be added to the Annex to the present Directive in order to place it under its scope.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 97 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 20
(20) This Directive should be without prejudiceis a complement to the protection afforded to employees when reporting on breaches of Union employment law. In particular, in the area of occupational safety and health, Article 11 of Framework Directive 89/391/EEC already requires Member States to ensure that workers or workers' representatives shall not be placed at a disadvantage because of their requests or proposals to employers to take appropriate measures to mitigate hazards for workers and/or to remove sources of danger. Workers and their representatives are entitled to raise issues with the competent national authorities if they consider that the measures taken and the means employed by the employer are inadequate for the purposes of ensuring safety and health.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 98 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 22
(22) Persons who report information, particularly about threats or harm to the public interest obtained in the context of their work- related activities, make use of their right to freedom of expression. The right to freedom of expression, enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the Charter’) and in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), encompasses freedom of information as well as media freedom and pluralism.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 99 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 24
(24) Persons need specific legal protection where they acquire the information they report through their work-related activities and theand their decision to refpore run thet it results in a risk of work-related or other retaliation (for instance, for breaching the duty of confidentiality or loyaltyEU legislation on trade secrets). The underlying reason for providing them with protection is their position of economic vulnerability vis-à-vis the person on whom they de facto depend for work. When there is no such work-related power imbalance (for instance in the case of ordinary complainants or citizen bystanders) there is no need for protection against retaliationare reporting or on whom they de facto depend for work.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 102 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 25
(25) Effective enforcement of Union law requires that protection is granted to the broadest possible range of categories of persons, who, irrespective of whether they are EU citizens or third-country nationals, by virtue of work-related activities (irrespective of the nature of these activities, whether they are paid or not), have privilegedhave access to information about breaches that would be in the public’s interest to report and who may suffer retaliation if they report them. Member States should ensure that the need for protection is determined by reference to all the relevant circumstances and not merely by reference to the nature of the relationship, so as to cover the whole range ofall persons connected in a broad sense to the organisation where the breach has occurredto the report.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 104 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 28
(28) Effective whistleblower protection implies protecting also further categories of persons who, whilst not relying on their work-related activities economically, may nevertheless suffer retaliation for exposing breaches. Retaliation against volunteers and unpaid trainees may take the form of no longer making use of their services, or of giving a negative reference for future employment or otherwise damaging their reputation. Retaliation against investigators or reporters could take the form of strategic litigation suits, for example regarding libel or defamation.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 105 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 30
(30) Effective prevention of breaches of Union law requires that protection is also granted to persons who provide information about potential breaches, which have not yet materialised, but are likely to be committed. For the same reasons, protection is warranted also for persons who do not provide positive evidence but raise reasonable concerns or suspicions. At the same time, protection should not apply to the reporting of informaunsubstantiated rumours and hearsay. Protection should be given to individuals working at institutions which is already in the public domain or of unsubstantiated rumours and hearsay. ithin the Union, but also to individuals working in European entities located outside Union territory. It should also apply to officials as well as other employees and interns working at the institutions, agencies and bodies of the Union.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 112 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 42
(42) Provided the anonymity or confidentiality of the identity of the reporting person is ensured, it is up to each individual private and public legal entity to define the kind of reporting channels to set up, such as in person, by post, by physical complaint box(es), by telephone hotline or through an online platform (intranet or internet). However, reporting channels should not be limited to those amongst the tools, such as in-person reporting and complaint box(es), which do not guarantee anonymity nor confidentiality of the identity of the reporting person.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 113 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 43
(43) Third parties may also be authorised to receive reports on behalf of private and public entities, provided they offer appropriate guarantees of respect for independence, confidentiality, the possibility for anonymity data protection and secrecy. These can be external reporting platform providers, external counsel or auditors or trade union representatives.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 114 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 44
(44) Internal reporting procedures should enable private legal entities to receive and investigate in full confidentiality and with respect of anonymity if appropriate reports by the employees of the entity and of its subsidiaries or affiliates (the group), but also, to any extent possible, by any of the group’s agents and suppliers and by any person who acquires information through his/her work-related activities with the entity and the group.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 116 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 47
(47) Persons who are considering reporting breaches of Union law should be able to make an informed decision on whether, how and when to report. Private and public entities having in place internal reporting procedures shall provide information on these procedures as well as on procedures to report externally to relevant competent authorities. They should also provide information on rights guaranteed to whistleblowers, particularly their right to disclosure guaranteed by this Directive, and their right to turn to civil society organisations involved in whistleblower protection to this end, in particular those who provide strategic and legal advice to whistleblowers .Such information must be easily understandable and easily accessible, including, to any extent possible, also to other persons, beyond employees, who come in contact with the entity through their work-related activities, such as service-providers, distributors, suppliers and business partners. For instance, such information may be posted at a visible location accessible to all these persons and to the web of the entity and may also be included in courses and trainings on ethics and integrity.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 117 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 48
(48) Effective detection and prevention of breaches of Union law requires ensuring that potential whistleblowers can easily and in full confidentiality and anonymity bring the information they possess to the attention of the relevant competent authorities which are able to investigate and to remedy the problem, where possible.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 118 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 48 a (new)
(48a) In all cases, the reporting person should be informed of the investigation’s progress and should be able to access the draft report at least once so as to be able to revise it, comment on it and correct it if necessary, albeit with no obligation to do so. These comments must be incorporated and taken into account in the monitoring of the investigation. The reporting person should be informed of the investigation's outcome and should be able to revise and comment on the final report of the investigation. These comments must be included in the final report.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 122 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 58
(58) Protection of personal data of the reporting and concerned person, as well as of the report itself is crucial in order to avoid unfair treatment or reputational damages due to disclosure of personal data, in particular data revealing the identity of a person concerned. Hence, in line with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation, hereinafter also referred to as 'GDPR'), competent authorities should establish adequate data protection procedures specifically geared to the protection of the reporting person, the concerned person and any third person referred to in the report that should include a secure system within the competent authority with restricted access rights for authorised staff only.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 123 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 59
(59) The regular review of the procedures of competent authorities and the exchange of good practices between them and competent civil society organisations should guarantee that those procedures are adequate and thus serving their purpose.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 125 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 61
(61) The requirement of a tiered use of reporting channels, as a general rule, is necessary to ensure that the information gets to the persons who can contribute to the early and effective resolution of risks to the public interest as well as to prevent unjustified reputational damage from public disclosure. At the same time, some exceptions to its application are necessary, allowing the reporting person to choose the most appropriate channel depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Moreover, iIt is necessary to protect public disclosures taking into account democratic principles such as transparency and accountability, and fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and media freedom, whilst balancing the interest of employers to manage their organisations and to protect their interests with the interest of the public to be protected from harm, in line with the criteria developed in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights57 . _________________ 57 One of the criteria for determining whether retaliation against whistleblowers making public disclosures interferes with freedom of expression in a way which is not necessary in a democratic society, is whether the persons who made the disclosure had at their disposal alternative channels for making the disclosure; see, for instance, Guja v. Moldova [GC], no 14277/04, ECHR 2008.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 126 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 62
(62) As a rule, reporting persons should first use the internal channels at their disposal and report to their employer. However, it may be the case that internal channels do not exist (in case of entities which are not under an obligation to establish such channels by virtue of this Directive or applicable national law) or that their use is not mandatory (which may be the case for persons who are not in an employment relationship), or that they were used but did not function properly (for instance the report was not dealt with diligently or within a reasonable timeframe, or no action was taken to address the breach of law despite the positive results of the enquiry).deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 129 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 63
(63) In other cases, internal channels could not reasonably be expected to function properly, for instance, where the reporting persons have valid reasons to believe that they would suffer retaliation in connection with the reporting; that their confidentiality would not be protected; that the ultimate responsibility holder within the work-related context is involved in the breach; that the breach might be concealed; that evidence may be concealed or destroyed; that the effectiveness of investigative actions by competent authorities might be jeopardised or that urgent action is required (for instance because of an imminent risk of a substantial and specific danger to the life, health and safety of persons, or to the environment. In all such cases, persons reporting externally to the competent authorities and, where relevant, to bodies, offices or agencies of the Union shall be protected. Moreover, protection is also to be granted in cases where Union legislation allows for the reporting person to report directly to the competent national authorities or bodies, offices or agencies of the Union, for example in the context of fraud against the Union budget, prevention and detection of money laundering and terrorist financing or in the area of financial services.deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 132 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 65
(65) Reporting persons should be protected against any form of retaliation, whether direct or indirect, taken by their employer or customer/recipient of services and by persons working for or acting on behalf of the latter, including co-workers and managers in the same organisation or in other organisations with which the reporting person is in contact in the context of his/her work-related activities, where retaliation is recommended or tolerated by the concerned person. Protection should be provided against retaliatory measures taken vis-à-vis the reporting person him/herself but also those that may be taken vis-à-vis the legal entity he/she represents, such as denial of provision of services, blacklisting or business boycotting. Protection against retaliation should also be granted to natural or legal persons closely linked to the reporting person, irrespective of the nature of the activities, and whether they are paid or not. Indirect retaliation also includes actions taken against relatives of the reporting person who are also in a work-related connection with the latter’s employer or customer/recipient of services and workers’ representatives who have provided support to the reporting person.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 134 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 67
(67) Potential whistleblowers who are not sure about how to report or whether they will be protected in the end may be discouraged from reporting. Member States should ensure that relevant information is provided in a user-friendly way and is easily accessible to the general public and support the work of CSOs providing this information. Individual, impartial and confidential advice, free of charge, should be available on, for example, whether the information in question is covered by the applicable rules on whistleblower protection, which reporting channel may best be used and which alternative procedures are available in case the information is not covered by the applicable rules (‘signposting’). Access to such advice can help ensure that reports are made through the appropriate channels, in a responsible manner and that breaches and wrongdoings are detected in a timely manner or even prevented.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 138 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 74
(74) Action taken against reporting persons outside the work-related context, through proceedings, for instance, related to defamation, breach of copyright, trade secrets, confidentiality and personal data protection, can also pose a serious deterrent to whistleblowing. The protection of whistleblowers provided for in this Directive shall prevail over Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council58 exempts reporting persons from the civil redress measures, procedures and remedies it provides for that, in case the alleged acquisition, use or disclosure of the trade secret was carried out for revealingcan reasonably be assumed to serve as proof of actual misconduct, wrongdoing or illegal activity, provided that the respondent acted for the purpose of protecting the general public interest. Also in other proceedings, reporting persons should be able to rely on having made a report or disclosure in accordance with this Directive as a defence. In such cases, the person initiating the proceedings should carry the burden to prove any intent on the part of the reporting person to violate the law. _________________ 58 Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure (OJ L 157, 15.6.2016, p. 1).
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 140 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 78
(78) Penalties are necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the rules on whistleblower protection. Penalties against those who take retaliatory or other adverse actions against reporting persons can discourage further such actions. Penalties against persons who make a report or disclosure demonstrated to be knowingly false are necessary to deter further malicious reporting and preserve the credibility of the system. The proportionality of such penalties should ensure that they do not have a dissuasive effect on potential whistleblowers.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 144 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. With a view to enhancing the enforcement of Union law and policies in specific areas, this Directive lays down common minimum standards for the protection of persons reporting on the following unlawful activities or, abuse of law or threats to the public interest, including:
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 146 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
(a) breaches falling within the scope of the Union acts set out in the Annex (Part I and Part II) as regards, including but not limited to the following areas:
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 148 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
(ii) financial services, prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing;, corruption and organised crime
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 149 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point v
(v) protection of the environment, sustainable development, waste management, sea, air and noise pollution, protection and management of water and soils, protecting the natural world and biodiversity as well as combating climate change and wildlife crime;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 150 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point viii
(viii) public health or public safety;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 151 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point x a (new)
(xa) employment and working conditions;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 152 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point x b (new)
(xb) tax fraud, tax evasion and tax optimisation
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 153 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point x c (new)
(xc) violations of human rights or of the rights enshrined in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 154 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point x d (new)
(xd) company law;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 155 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point x e (new)
(xe) asylum and migration law
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 156 #

2018/0106(COD)

(b) competition law, especially breaches of Articles 101, 102, 106, 107 and 108 TFEU and breaches falling within the scope of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 and Council Regulation (EU) No 2015/1589;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 157 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) breaches relating to the internal market, as referred to in Article 26(2) TFEU, particularly as regards acts which breach the rules of corporate tax or arrangements whose purpose is to obtain a tax advantage that defeats the object or purpose of the applicable corporate tax law.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 159 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2
2. Where specific rules on the reporting of breaches are provided for in sector-specific Union acts listed in Part 2 of the Annex, those rules shall apply. The provisions of this Directive shall be applicable for all matters relating to the protection of reporting persons not regulated in those sector-specific Union acts. This paragraph shall apply only in cases where the protection foreseen in sector-specific acts is higher than the one guaranteed by this directive.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 162 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) any person fitting the descriptions in a-d presenting new information on a breach.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 166 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) ‘breaches’ means actual or potential unlawful activities, omissions or abuse of law relating to the Union acts and, notably in areas falling within the scope referred to in Article 1 and in the Annex;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 167 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 5
(5) ‘report’ means the provision of information relating to a breach which has occurred or is likely to occur in the organisation at which the reporting person works or has worked or in another organisation with which he or she is or was in contact through his or her work;and/or in the event of a serious, imminent threat or where there is a risk of irreversible damage to human life, the environment and/or public health
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 168 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 9
(9) ‘reporting person’ means a natural or legal person who reports or discloses information on breaches acquired in the context of his or her work-related activiti, or who contributes, assists or aids to reveal or make public information on breaches;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 170 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 12
(12) ‘retaliation’ means any threatened or actual act or omission prompted by the internal or, external reporting which occurs in a work-related context andor disclosure and which causes or may cause unjustified detriment to the reporting person, suspected reporting person or their family members, relatives and facilitators;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 173 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 2
2. Such channels and procedures shall 2. allow for reporting by employees of the entity. They mayshall allow for reporting by other persons who are in contact with the entity in the context of their work-related activities, referred to in Article 2(1)(b),(c) and (d), but the use of internal channels for reporting shall not be mandatory for these categories of persons.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 174 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – point c a (new)
(ca) private legal entities of any size whose conducted activities are likely to constitute a danger to the environment or to public health
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 176 #

2018/0106(COD)

(da) European Union institutions, agencies and bodies.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 179 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) diligent follow up to the report by the designated person or department and appropriate and timely action if needed;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 182 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) written reports in electronic or paper format and/or oral report through telephone lines, whether recorded or unrecorded; in case the phone conversation is recorded, the prior consent of the reporting person is necessary;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 183 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) physical meetings with the person or department designated to receive reports accompanied, if the reporting person requests it, by a union representative, by a representative of civil society or his/her legal representative.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 184 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Member States shall ensure the protection of report to an employer other than his or her direct employer where there are multiple organisations or employers involved and the worker reasonably believes the information relates solely or mainly to the conduct of that person or organisation, or is a matter for which that person or organisation has legal responsibility. Any such disclosure shall be treated as internal reporting.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 185 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) establish independent and autonomous external reporting channels, which are both secure and ensure confidentiality, for receiving and handling information provided by the reporting person and allow for anonymous reporting;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 186 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) acknowledge receipt of the report within 5 working days, give feedback to the reporting person about the follow-up of the report within a reasonable timeframe not exceeding three months or six months in duly justified casewo months;
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 187 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 4
4. Member States shall ensure that any authority which has received a report but does not have the competence to address the breach reported transmits it to the competent authority and that the reporting person is informed. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities receiving reports they do not have competence to address have clear procedures for handling all disclosed information securely with due regard to confidentiality or anonymity.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 188 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) they guarantee free and independent advice and legal support for reporting persons and intermediaries.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 189 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) physical meeting with dedicated staff members of the competent authority accompanied, if the reporting person requests it, by a union representative by a representative of civil society or his/her legal representative.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 190 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 4
4. Member States and EU Bodies shall establish procedures to ensure that, where a report being initially addressed to a person who has not been designated as responsible handler for reports that person is refrained from disclosing any information that might identify the reporting or the concerned person.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 191 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities have an adequate number of competent staff members dedicated to handling reports. Dedicated staff members shall receive specific training for the purposes of handling reports.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 193 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1
1. A reporting person shall qualify for protection under this Directive provided he or she has reasonable grounds to believe that the information reported was true at the time of reporting and that this information falls within the scope of this Directive, regardless of the reporting channel chosen.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 195 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. A person reporting externallywho anonymously disclosed information that falls within the scope of this directive and whose identity was revealed shall also qualify for protection under this Ddirective where one of the following conditions is fulfilled :.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 196 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) he or she first reported internally but no appropriate action was taken in response to the report within the reasonable timeframe referred in Article 5;deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 197 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) internal reporting channels were not available for the reporting person or the reporting person could not reasonably be expected to be aware of the availability of such channels;deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 198 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) the use of internal reporting channels was not mandatory for the reporting person, in accordance with Article 4(2);deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 199 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) he or she could not reasonably be expected to use internal reporting channels in light of the subject-matter of the report;deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 201 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point e
(e) he or she had reasonable grounds to believe that the use of internal reporting channels could jeopardise the effectiveness of investigative actions by competent authorities;deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 202 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point f
(f) he or she was entitled to report directly through the external reporting channels to a competent authority by virtue of Union law.deleted
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 203 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
(1) Persons who work for an organisation or are in contact with it in the context of their work-related activities are often the first to know about threats or harm to the public interest which arise in this context. By ‘blowing the whistle’ they play a key role in exposing and preventing breaches of the law and in safeguarding the welfare of society. However, potential whistleblowers are often discouraged from reporting their concerns or suspicions for fear of retaliation. The purpose of this Directive is to create a climate of trust that enables whistleblowers to report observed or suspected breaches of law, as well as threats to the public interest.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 204 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 4
4. A person publicly disclosing information on breaches falling within the scope of this Directive shall qualify for protection under this Directive where: (a) and/or externally in accordance with Chapters II and III and paragraph 2 of this Article, but no appropriate action was taken in response to the report within the timeframe referred to in Articles 6(2)(b) and 9(1)(b); or (b) expected to use internal and/or external reporting channels due to imminent or manifest danger for the public interest, or to the particular circumstances of the case, or where there is a risk of irreversible damage.deleted he or she first reported internally he or she could not reasonably be
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 207 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3
(3) In certain policy areas, breaches of Union law may cause serious harm to the public interest, in the sense of creating significant risks for the welfare of society. Where weaknesses of enforcement have been identified in those areas, and whistleblowers are in a privileged position to disclose breaches, it is necessary to enhance enforcement by ensuring effective protection of whistleblowers from retaliation and introducingto ensure that there are effective reporting channels.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 210 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 15 – paragraph 7
7. In addition to the exemption from measures, procedures and remedies provided for in Directive (EU) 2016/943, in judicial proceedings, including for defamation, breach of copyright, breach of secrecy or for compensation requests based on private, public, or on collective labour law, reporting persons shall have the right to rely on having made a report or disclosure in accordance with this Directive to seek dismissal. The reporting persons shall benefit from the best protective measures in Member States where the entity in question, or the group of which it is a subsidiary, are located wherever relevant.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 211 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 16 a (new)
Article 16a Rights of Persons Implicated Member States shall ensure that any findings or reports resulting from an assessment or an investigation of, or prompted by, one or more protected disclosure(s) does not unjustly prejudice any individual, whether directly or indirectly. The right to a fair hearing or trial shall also be fully respected.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 212 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) breach the duty of maintaining the confidentiality or the anonymity of the identity of reporting persons.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 213 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 10
(10) Evidence-gathering, detecting and addressing environmental crimes and unlawful conduct or omission as well as potential breaches against the protection of the environment remain a challenge and need to be reinforced as acknowledged in the Commission Communication "EU actions to improve environmental compliance and governance" of 18 January 201840 . Whilst whistleblower protection rules exist at present only in one sectorial instrument on environmental protection41 , the introduction of such protection appears necessary to ensure effective enforcement of the Union environmental acquis, whose breaches can cause serious harm to the public interest with possible spill-over impacts across national borders. This is also relevant in cases where unsafe products can cause environmental harm. _________________ 40 COM(2018) 10 final. COM(2018) 10 final. 41 Directive 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 12 June 2013, on safety of offshore oil and gas operations (OJ L 178, p. 66).
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 217 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall provide for effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties applicable to persons making malicious or abusive reports or disclosures, including measures for compensating persons who have suffered damage from malicious or abusive reports or disclosures by retaining the protection and applying the rules of general law.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 218 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 17 a (new)
Article 17a No Waiver of Rights and Remedies The rights and remedies provided for under this Directive may not be waived or limited by any agreement, policy, form or condition of employment, including by any pre-dispute arbitration agreement. Any attempt to waive or limit these rights and remedies shall be considered void and unenforceable and may be subject to penalty or sanction.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 220 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 22 a (new)
Article 22a Updating the Annexes Whenever a new EU legal act falls into the material scope laid down in Article 1 (1) (a) or Article 1 (2), the Commission shall update the Annexes accordingly via a delegated act.
2018/09/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 224 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 47
(47) Persons who are considering reporting breaches of Union law should be able to make an informed decision on whether, how and when to report. Private and public entities having in place internal reporting procedures shall provide information on these procedures as well as on procedures to report externally to relevant competent authorities. Such information must be easily understandable and easily accessible, including, to any extent possible, also to other persons, beyond employees, who come in contact with the entity through their work-related activities, such as service-providers, distributors, suppliers and business partners. For instance, such information may be posted at a visible location accessible to all these persons and to the web of the entity and may also be included in courses and trainings on ethics and integrity. They should also provide information on rights guaranteed to whistleblowers, particularly their right to disclosure guaranteed by this Directive, and their right to turn to civil society organisations involved in whistleblower protection to this end, in particular those who provide strategic and legal advice to whistleblowers .
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 225 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 48 a (new)
(48 a) In all cases, the reporting person should be informed of the investigation’s progress and should be able to access the draft report at least once so as to be able to revise it, comment on it and correct it if necessary, albeit with no obligation to do so. These comments must be incorporated and taken into account in the monitoring of the investigation. The reporting person should be informed of the investigation's outcome and should be able to revise and comment on the final report of the investigation. These comments must be included in the final report.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 228 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 62
(62) As a rule, reporting persons should first use the internal channels at their disposal and report to their employer. However, it may be the case that internal channels do not exist (in case of entities which are not under an obligation to establish such channels by virtue of this Directive or applicable national law) or that their use is not mandatory (which may be the case for persons who are not in an employment relationship), or that they were used but did not function properly (for instance the report was not dealt with diligently or within a reasonable timeframe, or no action was taken to address the breach of law despite the positive results of the enquiry).deleted
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 229 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 63
(63) In other cases, internal channels could not reasonably be expected to function properly, for instance, where the reporting persons have valid reasons to believe that they would suffer retaliation in connection with the reporting; that their confidentiality would not be protected; that the ultimate responsibility holder within the work-related context is involved in the breach; that the breach might be concealed; that evidence may be concealed or destroyed; that the effectiveness of investigative actions by competent authorities might be jeopardised or that urgent action is required (for instance because of an imminent risk of a substantial and specific danger to the life, health and safety of persons, or to the environment. In all such cases, persons reporting externally to the competent authorities and, where relevant, to bodies, offices or agencies of the Union shall be protected. Moreover, protection is also to be granted in cases where Union legislation allows for the reporting person to report directly to the competent national authorities or bodies, offices or agencies of the Union, for example in the context of fraud against the Union budget, prevention and detection of money laundering and terrorist financing or in the area of financial services.deleted
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 230 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 65
(65) Reporting persons should be protected against any form of retaliation, whether direct or indirect, taken by their employer or customer/recipient of services and by persons working for or acting on behalf of the latter, including co-workers and managers in the same organisation or in other organisations with which the reporting person is in contact in the context of his/her work-related activities, where retaliation is recommended or tolerated by the concerned person. Protection should be provided against retaliatory measures taken vis-à-vis the reporting person him/herself but also those that may be taken vis-à-vis the legal entity he/she represents, such as denial of provision of services, blacklisting or business boycotting. Protection against retaliation should also be granted to natural or legal persons closely linked to the reporting person, irrespective of the nature of the activities, and whether they are paid or not. Indirect retaliation also includes actions taken against relatives of the reporting person who are also in a work-related connection with the latter’s employer or customer/recipient of services and workers’ representatives who have provided support to the reporting person.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 233 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
a) breaches falling within the scope of the Union acts, and especially those set out in the Annex (Part I and Part II) as regards the following areas:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 235 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point a – point v
(v) protection of the environment, sustainable development, waste management, sea, air and noise pollution, protection and management of water and soils, protecting the natural world and biodiversity as well as combating climate change and wildlife crime;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 236 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2
2. Where specific rules on the reporting of breaches are provided for in sector-specific Union acts listed in Part 2 of the Annex, those rules shall apply. The provisions of this Directive shall be applicable for all matters relating to the protection of reporting persons not regulated in those sector-specific Union acts. This paragraph shall apply only in cases where the protection foreseen in sector-specific acts is higher than the one guaranteed by this directive.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 238 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 3
(3) ‘abuse of law’ means acts or omissions falling within the scope of Union law which do not appear to be unlawful in formal terms but defeat the object or the purpose pursued by the applicable rules, or represent a danger or a potential danger to the public interest;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 241 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 5
(5) ‘report’ means the provision of information relating to a breach which has occurred or is likely to occur in the organisation at which the reporting person works or has worked orand/or in the event of a serious, imminent threat or where there ins another organisation with which he or she is or was in contact through his or her work risk of irreversible damage to the environment and/or public health;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 242 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 9
(9) ‘reporting person’ means a natural or legal person who reports or discloses information on breaches acquired in the context of his or her work-related activities; who contributes, assists or aids to reveal or make public information on breaches; as well as persons representing the reporting person and family and relatives of the reporting person;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 243 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 6 – point d a (new)
d a) European Union institutions, agencies and bodies;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 244 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
c) diligent follow up to the report by the designated person or department and appropriate and timely action if needed;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 245 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
d) a reasonable timeframe, not exceeding 30 days or three months following the report,in duly justified cases following the report, with an acknowledgement of the report within 30 days to provide feedback to the reporting person about the follow-up to the report;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 249 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2
2. A person reporting externally shall qualify for protection under this Directive where one of the following conditions is fulfilled : a) he or she first reported internally but no appropriate action was taken in response to the report within the reasonable timeframe referred in Article 5; b) internal reporting channels were not available for the reporting person or the reporting person could not reasonably be expected to be aware of the availability of such channels; c) the use of internal reporting channels was not mandatory for the reporting person, in accordance with Article 4(2); d) he or she could not reasonably be expected to use internal reporting channels in light of the subject-matter of the report; e) he or she had reasonable grounds to believe that the use of internal reporting channels could jeopardise the effectiveness of investigative actions by competent authorities; f) he or she was entitled to report directly through the external reporting channels to a competent authority by virtue of Union law.deleted
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 250 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. A person who anonymously disclosed information that falls within the scope of this directive and whose identity was revealed shall also qualify for protection under this Directive.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 251 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 3
3. A person reporting to relevant bodies, offices or agencies of the Union on breaches falling within the scope of this Directive shall qualify for protection as laid down in this Directive under the same conditions as a person who reported externally in accordance with the conditions set out in paragraph 2.deleted
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 252 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – point b
b) he or she could not reasonably be expected to use internal and/or external reporting channels due, for instance, to imminent or manifest danger for the public interest, or to the particular circumstances of the case, or where there is a risk of irreversible damage.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 260 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 22 a (new)
Article 22 a Delegated acts to update the annex Whenever a new EU legal act falls into the material scope laid down in Article 1 (1) (a) or Article 1 (2), the Commission shall update the Annexes accordingly via a delegated act.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 261 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart A – point 1 – introductory part
1. Procedures for procurement relating to supplies contracts for defence products and supplies and services contracts for water, energy, transport and postal services and any other contract or service as regulated in particular under Union legislation:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 262 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart A – point 2 – introductory part
2. Review procedures regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 263 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart C – point 1 – introductory part
1. General safety requirements of products placed in the Union market as defined and regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 264 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart D – point 3 – introductory part
3. Safety requirements in the road sector as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 265 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart E – title
E Article 1(a)(v) – protection of the environment:, sustainable development, waste management, sea, air and noise pollution, protection and management of water and soils, protecting the natural world and biodiversity as well as combating climate change and wildlife crime;
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 266 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart E – point ix a (new)
(ix a) Other legislative acts relevant to the protection of the environment, sustainable development, waste management, sea, air and noise pollution, protection and management of water and soils, protecting the natural world and biodiversity as well as combating climate change and wildlife crime, in particular: Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006 of 4 May 2006laying down detailed rules concerning the implementation of Council Regulation(EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 of 29 September2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, amending Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93,(EC) No 1936/2001 and (EC) No 601/2004 and repealing Regulations (EC)No 1093/94 and (EC) No 1447/1999 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7) Directive2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7) Regulation(EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 35) Council Regulation (EC) No 1936/2001 of 27 September 2001 laying down control measures applicable to fishing for certain stocks of highly migratory fish (OJ L 263,3.10.2001, p. 1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1239/98 of 8 June 1998 amending Regulation (EC) No 894/97laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources Council Regulation (EC) No 708/2007 of 11 June 2007 concerning use of alien and locally absent species in aquaculture (OJ L 168, 28.6.2007, p. 1) Council Directive 83/129/EC of 28 March 1983 concerning the importation into Member States of skins of certain seal pups and products derived therefrom (OJ L 91,9.4.1983, p. 30) Regulation(EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September2009 on trade in seal products (OJ L 286, 31.10.2009, p. 36) Council Regulation (EC) No 734/2008 of 15 July 2008 on the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the high seas from the adverse impacts of bottom fishing gears (OJ L 201, 30.7.2008, p. 8) Council Regulation (EC) No 812/2004 of 26 April 2004 laying down measures concerning bycatches of cetaceans in fisheries and amending Regulation (EC) No 88/98 (OJ L150, 30.4.2004, p. 12) Regulation(EC) No 1523/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December2007 banning the placing on the market and the import to, or export from, the Community of cat and dog fur, and products containing such fur (OJ L 343,27.12.2007, p. 1) Council Directive 1999/22/EC of 29 March 1999 relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos (OJ L 94, 9.4.1999, p. 24) Council Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 of 20 December 2005 on the establishment of a FLEGT licensing scheme for imports of timber into the European Community (OJ L347, 30.12.2005, p. 1) Commission Regulation (EU) No 1307/2014 of 8 December 2014 on defining the criteria and geographic ranges of highly biodiverse grassland for the purposes of Article7b(3)(c) of Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and Article 17(3)(c) of Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (OJ L 351, 9.12.2014, p.3) Directive2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive90/313/EEC Regulation(EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents Regulation(EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2007establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) Regulation(EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December2013 on the establishment of a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action(LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 614/2007 Directive2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC Directive2009/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the Community (OJ L 140, 5.6.2009, p. 63), and all related Regulations; Regulation(EU) No 421/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014amending Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community, in view of the implementation by 2020of an international agreement applying a single global market-based measure to international aviation emissions (OJ L 129, 30.4.2014, p. 1); Directive2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of carbon dioxide and amending Council Directive85/337/EEC, European Parliament and Council Directives 2000/60/EC, 2001/80/EC,2004/35/EC, 2006/12/EC, 2008/1/EC and Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 (OJ L 140,5.6.2009, p. 114); Regulation(EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and for reporting other information at national and Union level relevant to climate change and repealing Decision No 280/2004/EC (OJ L 165, 18.6.2013, p. 13); Regulation(EU) No 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014on fluorinated greenhouse gases and repealing Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 (OJ L150, 20.5.2014, p. 195) Council Directive 2003/96/EC of 27 October 2003 restructuring the Community framework for taxation of energy products and electricity (OJ L 283 of 31.10.2003 p. 51) Directive2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC (OJ L 315, 14.11.2012, p. 1) Directive2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives (OJ L 312, 22.11.2008, p. 3) Commission Regulation (EU) No 1357/2014 of 18 December 2014 replacing Annex III to Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste and repealing certain Directives (OJ L 365, 19.12.2014, p. 89–96) Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste (OJ L 182, 16.7.1999,p. 1) Regulation(EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006on shipments of waste (OJ L 190, 12.7.2006, p. 1) European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste (OJ L 365, 31.12.1994, p. 10) Directive(EU) 2015/720 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2015amending Directive 94/62/EC as regards reducing the consumption of light weight plastic carrier bags (OJ L 115, 6.5.2015, p. 11) Directive2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (OJ L 197,24.7.2012, p. 38) Directive2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC (OJ L 266, 26.9.2006, p. 1) Directive2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (OJ L 174, 1.7.2011, p. 88) Directive2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000on end-of life vehicles (OJ L 269, 21.10.2000, p. 34) Directive2005/64/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2005 on the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to their reusability, recyclability and recoverability and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC (OJL 310, 25.11.2005, p. 10); Council Directive 96/59/EC of 16 September 1996 on the disposal of polychlorinatedbiphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCB/PCT) (OJ L 243, 24.9.1996, p. 31) Directive2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (OJ L 174, 1.7.2011, p. 88) Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1493/93 of 8 June 1993 on shipments of radioactive substances between Member States (OJ L 148, 19.6.1993, p. 1) Directive2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment(OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p. 30) Regulation(EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November2009 on the EU Ecolabel (OJ L 27, 30.1.2010, p. 1) Directive2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (OJ L 152, 11.6.2008, p. 1) Directive2004/107/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004relating to arsenic, cadmium, mercury, nickel and polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons in ambient air Regulation(EC) No 850/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004on persistent organic pollutants and amending Directive 79/117/EEC (OJ L 158,30.4.2004, p. 7) Regulation(EC) No 1005/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September2009 on substances that deplete the ozone layer (OJ L 286, 31.10.2009, p. 1) Directive2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2001 on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants (OJ L 309,27.11.2001, p. 22) European Parliament and Council Directive 94/63/EC of 20 December 1994 on the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations (OJ L 365, 31.12.1994,p. 24) Directive98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending Council Directive 93/12/EEC Directive2009/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 on Stage II petrol vapour recovery during refuelling of motor vehicles at service stations (OJ L 285, 31.10.2009, p. 36) Regulation(EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2007on type approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 5 and Euro 6) and on access to vehicle repair and maintenance information (OJ L 171, 29.6.2007, p. 1) Regulation(EC) No 595/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009on type-approval of motor vehicles and engines with respect to emissions from heavy duty vehicles (Euro VI) and on access to vehicle repair and maintenance information and amending Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 and Directive 2007/46/EC and repealing Directives 80/1269/EEC, 2005/55/EC and 2005/78/EC (OJ L 188,18.7.2009, p. 1) Directive2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (OJ L 307, 28.10.2014, p. 1) Regulation(EC) No 443/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the Community's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles (OJ L 140, 5.6.2009, p. 1) Directive1999/94/EC relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions in respect of the marketing of new passenger cars (OJ L 12,18.1.2000, p. 16) Regulation(EU) No 510/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2011setting emission performance standards for new light commercial vehicles as part of the Union's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles (OJ L 145, 31.5.2011, p. 1) Directive2006/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006relating to emissions from air conditioning systems in motor vehicles and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC (OJ L 161, 14.6.2006, p. 12) Directive2009/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (OJ L 120,15.5.2009, p. 12) Regulation(EU) 2016/1628 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September2016 on requirements relating to gaseous and particulate pollutant emission limits and type- approval for internal combustion engines for non-road mobile machinery, amending Regulations (EU) No 1024/2012 and (EU) No 167/2013, and amending and repealing Directive 97/68/EC (OJ L 252, 16.9.2016, p. 53) Directive2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (OJ L 334,17.12.2010, p. 17) Directive2008/101/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to include aviation activities in the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community (OJ L8, 13.1.2009, p. 3) Directive2006/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006amending Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures (OJ L 157, 9.6.2006, p. 8) Regulation(EC) No 549/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004laying down the framework for the creation of the single European sky (the framework Regulation) (OJ L 96, 31.3.2004, p. 1) Directive2002/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002amending the Directives on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution from ships (OJ L 324, 29.11.2002, p. 53) Regulation(EU) No 546/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014amending Council Regulation (EC) No 718/1999 on a Community-fleet capacity policy to promote inland waterway transport Directive2009/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive93/12/EEC (OJ L 140, 5.6.2009, p. 88) Regulation(EC) No 782/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 April 2003on the prohibition of organotin compounds on ships (OJ EU L 115, 9.5.2003, p.1) Directive2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (OJ L 189,18.7.2002, p. 12) Directive2000/14/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 May 2000 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors (OJ L 162, 3.7.2000, p. 1) Directive2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise Directive2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy Directive2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC,84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 348, 24.12.2008, p. 84) Directive2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration (OJ L 372,27.12.2006, p. 19) Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment (OJL 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40) Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption Regulation(EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004on detergents (OJ L 104, 8.4.2004, p. 1) Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (OJ L 375,31.12.1991, p. 1) Directive2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks (OJ L 288, 6.11.2007, p. 27) Directive2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ L 124, 25.4.2014, p. 1) Directive2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment Text with EEA relevance
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 270 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart F – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Rules on nuclear safety as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 271 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart F – paragraph 1 – point i
(i) Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations (OJ L 172, 2.7.2009, p. 18) as well as Council Directive2014/87/Euratom of 8 July 2014 amending Directive 2009/71/Euratom establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations (OJ L 219, 25.7.2014, p.42–52);
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 272 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart G – title
G Article 1(a)(vii) – food and feed safety, animal health and animal welfare: Rules on food and feed safety, as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 273 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart G – point 3 a (new)
3 a. Other legislative acts relevant to food and feed safety, in particular: Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to fertilisers Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing Council Directives 91/414/EEC and 79/117/EEC Directive 2009/128/EC establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels (MRLs)of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin Council Regulation (Euratom) 3954/87 laying down maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs and of feedingstuffs following a nuclear accident or any other case of radiological emergency Council Regulation (Euratom) 944/89 laying down maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination in minor foodstuffs following a nuclear accident or any other case of radiological emergency Council Regulation (EURATOM) 770/90 laying down maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination of feedingstuffs following a nuclear accident or any other case of radiological emergency Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed Regulation (EC) No 1830/2003 on the traceability and labelling of GMOs and the traceability of food and feed products produced from GMOs and amending Directive 2001/18/EC Council Decision 2002/628/EC concerning the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety(2002). Official Journal of the European Communities, L 201/48 Directive2009/41/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on the contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms (recast) (OJ L 125,21.5.2009, p. 75) Regulation(EC) No 1946/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2003on trans boundary movements of genetically modified organisms (OJ L 287,5.11.2003, p. 1) Regulation(EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products Directive 2001/82/EC on the Community code relating to veterinary medicinal products Regulation (EC) No 470/2009 laying down Community procedures for the establishment of residue limits of pharmacologically active substances in foodstuffs of animal origin (repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90) Directive 96/23/EC on measures to monitor certain substances and residues thereof in live animals and animal products Council Directive 96/22/EC concerning the prohibition on the use in stock- farming of certain active substances having a hormonal or thyrostatic action and of beta-agonists Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the hygiene of foodstuffs Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption Council Directive 2002/99/EC on products of animal origin Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 on the control of Salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic agents Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 on a common authorisation procedure for food additives, enzymes and flavourings Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 on food enzymes Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on food flavourings Regulation (EC) No 2065/2003 on smoke flavourings Directive 2009/32/EC on extraction solvents used in the production of foods and food ingredients Council Regulation (EEC) No 315/93 laying down Community procedures for contaminants in food Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs Directive 1999/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning foods and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation Regulation (EC) No 258/97 concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food Council Directive 82/711/EEC laying down the basic rules necessary for testing migration of the constituents of plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers Council Directive 90/496/EEC of 24 September 1990 on nutrition labelling for foodstuffs Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 on food intended for infants and young children, food for special medical purposes, and total diet replacement for weight control Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and(EC) No 1234/2007 Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development(EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing rules for direct payments to farmers under support schemes within the framework of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No637/2008 and Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and(EC) No 1234/2007 Regulation(EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition Council Directive 90/167/EEC of26 March 1990 laying down the conditions governing the preparation, placing on the market and use of medicated feedingstuffs in the Community Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community coderelating to veterinary medicinal products Directive 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2002 on undesirable substances in animal feed Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, amending European Parliament and Council Regulation(EC) No 1831/2003 and repealing Council Directive 79/373/EEC, Commission Directive 80/511/EEC, Council Directives 82/471/EEC, 83/228/EEC, 93/74/EEC,93/113/EC and 96/25/EC and Commission Decision 2004/217/EC (Text with EEA relevance) Commission Directive 2008/38/EC of 5 March 2008 establishing a list of intended uses of animal feedingstuffs for particular nutritional purposes Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 oft he European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005 laying down requirements for feed hygiene
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 274 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart G – point 4 – introductory part
4. Protection of animal health and welfare as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 275 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart G – point 4 – point iii a (new)
(iii a) Other legislative acts relevant to animal health and welfare, in particular: Council Directive 74/577/EEC of 18 November 1974 on stunning of animals befores laughter Council Directive 90/425/EEC of 26 June 1990 concerning veterinary and zootechnical checks applicable in intra- Community trade in certain live animals and products with a view to the completion of the internal market Council Directive 91/496/EEC of 15 July 1991 laying down the principles governing the organization of veterinary checks on animals entering the Community from third countries and amending Directives 89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC and 90/675/EEC Council Directive 91/628/EEC of 19 November 1991 on the protection of animals during transport and amending Directives 90/425/EEC and 91/496/EEC Council Directive 95/29/EC of 29 June 1995 amending Directive 91/628/EEC concerning the protection of animals during transport Council Regulation (EC) No 411/98 of 16 February 1998 on additional animal protection standards applicable to road vehicles used for the carriage of livestock on journeys exceeding eight hours Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 of 22 December 2004 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations and amending Directives 64/432/EEC and93/119/EC and Regulation (EC) No 1255/97 Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing (Text with EEA relevance) Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes Council Directive 1999/22/EC of 29 March1999 relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos Commission Regulation (EC) No 1739/2005 of21 October 2005 laying down animal health requirements for the movement of circus animals between Member States (Text with EEA relevance) Commission Regulation (EC) No 318/2007 of 23 March 2007 laying down animal health conditions for imports of certain birds into the Community and the quarantine conditions thereof (Text with EEA relevance) Regulation(EC) No 1523/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December2007 banning the placing on the market and the import to, or export from, the Community of cat and dog fur, and products containing such fur (Text with EEA relevance ) Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7) Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein Council Regulation(EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 35) Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products Directive2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (OJ L 276,20.10.2010, p. 33) and Directive 86/609/EEC Directive 86/609/EEC(no longer in force)Council Directive 86/609/EEC of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes Council Directive 88/320/EEC of 9 June 1988 on the inspection and verification of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No1234/2007 Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing rules for direct payments to farmers under support schemes within the framework of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 637/2008 and Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 Council Regulation (EEC) No 1906/90 of 26 June 1990 on certain marketing standards for poultry Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 of 26 June 1990 on certain marketing standards for eggs Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1538/91 of 5 June1991 introducing detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 1906/90 on certain marketing standards for poultry meat Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on zootechnical and genealogical conditions for the breeding, trade in and entry into the Union of pure bred breeding animals, hybrid breeding pigs and the germinal products thereof and amending Regulation (EU) No 652/2014, Council Directives 89/608/EEC and90/425/EEC and repealing certain acts in the area of animal breeding (‘Animal Breeding Regulation’) (Text with EEA relevance) Council Directive 2008/73/EC of 15 July 2008simplifying procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields and amending Directives 64/432/EEC, 77/504/EEC,88/407/EEC, 88/661/EEC, 89/361/EEC, 89/556/EEC, 90/426/EEC, 90/427/EEC,90/428/EEC, 90/429/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 91/68/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 92/35/EEC,92/65/EEC, 92/66/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 94/28/EC, 2000/75/EC, Decision 2000/258/EC and Directives 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC and 2005/94/EC (Text with EEA relevance) Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/97 of 25 June1997 concerning Community criteria for staging points and amending the route plan referred to in the Annex to Directive 91/628/EEC Council Directive 96/93/EC of 17 December 1996 on the certification of animals and animal products Directives 2009/156/EC Council Regulation (EC) No 21/2004 Commission Decision 2006/968/EC Council Decision 1999/879/EC: Council Decision of 17 December 1999 concerning the placing on the market and administration of bovine somatotrophin (BST) and repealing Decision 90/218/EEC Council Directive 1999/74/EC of 19 July 1999laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens Directives 86/113/EEC and 88/166/EEC Laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens kept in battery cages Council Directive 2007/43/EC of 28 June 2007laying down minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production Council Directive 2008/119/EC of 18 December2008 laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves Council Directive 2008/120/EC of 18 December2008 laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs Council Regulation (EEC) No 3254/91 of 4November 1991 prohibiting the use of leghold traps in the Community and the introduction into the Community of pelts and manufactured goods of certain wild animal species originating in countries which catch them by means of legholdtraps or trapping methods which do not meet international humane trapping standards Regulation (EU) 2016/429 Transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (Animal Health Law) and other legislation aimed at minimising animal Directive 2013/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 amending Council Directive92/65/EEC as regards the animal health requirements governing intra- Union trade in and imports into the Union of dogs, cats and ferrets Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals and repealing Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 Council Directive 2009/156/EC of 30 November2009 on animal health conditions governing the movement and importation from third countries of equidae Council Directive 92/35/EEC of 29 April 1992laying down control rules and measures to combat African horse sickness Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC Council Regulation (EC) No 1239/98 of 8 June 1998 amending Regulation (EC) No 894/97laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources Council Directive 83/129/EC of 28 March 1983 concerning the importation into Member States of skins of certain seal pups and products derived therefrom (OJ L 91,9.4.1983, p. 30) Regulation(EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September2009 on trade in seal products (OJ L 286, 31.10.2009, p. 36)
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 276 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart H – point 1 – introductory part
1. Measures setting high standards of quality and safety of organs and substances of human origin, as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 277 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart H – point 2 – introductory part
2. Measures setting high standards of quality and safety for medicinal products and devices of medical use as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 278 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart H – point 5
5. Manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products regulated by Directive 2014/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products and repealing Directive 2001/37/EC (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 1), and the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products as regulated by Directive 2003/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 279 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart H – point 5 a (new)
5 a. Other legislative acts relating to public health, in particular: Commission Directive (EU)2016/1214 of 25 July 2016 amending Directive 2005/62/EC as regards quality system standards and specifications for blood establishments (OJ L 199,26.7.2016, p. 14) Commission Directive2005/61/EC of 30 September 2005 implementing Directive 2002/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards traceability requirements and notification of serious adverse reactions and events (OJ L 256, 1.10.2005, p.32) Commission Directive2004/33/EC of 22 March 2004 implementing Directive 2002/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards certain technical requirements for blood and blood components (OJ L 91, 30.3.2004, p. 25) Commission Directive2005/62/EC of 30 September 2005 implementing Directive 2002/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards Community standards and specifications relating to a quality system for blood establishments (OJ L 256,1.10.2005, p. 41) Directive 2010/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2010 on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation Regulation (EU) 2017/745 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 on medical devices, amending Directive 2001/83/EC, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and Regulation (EC) No1223/2009 and repealing Council Directives 90/385/EEC and 93/42/EEC Regulation (EU) 2017/746 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices and repealing Directive 98/79/EC and Commission Decision 2010/227/EU Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products.
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 280 #

2018/0106(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – part I – subpart I – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Consumer rights and consumer protection as regulated in particular by:
2018/07/04
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to the State of the Nature in the EU report of the European Commission,
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 17 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses the need to ensure full and strict implementation of the Union nature legislation;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 32 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Recalls that European Court of Auditors in their Special Report No 1/2017 found that coordination between responsible authorities and other stakeholders in the Member States was not sufficiently developed;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 33 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the Commission to provide effective support to national and regional actors in the implementation of the nature legislation and the improvement of environmental inspections, including through competence and capacity building and better allocation of resources;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 38 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to come forward with a new legislative proposal on minimum standards for access to judicial review, and a revision of the Aarhus Regulation implementing the Convention to Union action to take account of the recent Aarhus Committee Compliance Committee Recommendation;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 80 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 16
16. Recalls that the coexistence between people and conflict species, such as large carnivores, can have negative impacts on parts of the agriculture sector in certain areas or regions if not managed properly; calls on the Commission and the Member States to consider furtherput in place further preventive measures to address these issues, and asks the Commission to strengthen the stakeholder involvement building on the dedicated stakeholder platforms that have been set up;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 87 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Highlights the need to strengthen the environmental liability directive and to make sure all EU infrastructure developments are fitted with proper environmental safeguards in order to ensure true and successful policy integration;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 90 #

2017/2819(RSP)


Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Recalls the findings of the State of Nature in the EU report on the value of the benefits that flow from the Natura 2000 network which were in the order of €200 to €300 billion/year, thus investing in the Natura2000 network makes sound economic sense;
2017/09/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 18 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative to introduce an EIR and recognises its enormous potential, if the right political importance and full transparency will be given to it; the EIR has the potential of putting implementation problems high on the political agenda, to serve as an 'early warning' mechanism for decision makers and to ultimately improve the implementation of European environmental legislation and policy;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 24 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 4
4. Considers that the EIR should be one of the tools used to create greater coherence with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to evaluate progress made by Member States and by the Union towards the achievement of the environmentally relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 31 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes that the EIR covers the majority of thematic objectives of the 7th Environmental Action Programme (7th EAP); however regrets that important areas such as climate change, chemicals and industrial emissions and some systemic and environment challenges linked to energy, transport, product and regional policies have not been covered and calls on the Commission to ensure that they are included in future versions;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 46 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 12
12. Believes that lack of administrative capacity and governance, two of the main causes of defective implementation, partly derives from a lack of adequate funding as well as to an inefficient use of the available funds by Member States and call on them for improvement;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 47 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Believes that for the sake of good and strong governance, improved effectiveness, partnership and transparency of public authorities at all levels, a clear division of responsibilities, adequate resourcing, capacity building and better coordination mechanisms are imperative;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 57 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen compliance assurance, including via improving and stepping up efforts in the implementation of the Environmental Liability Directive;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 61 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. In the context of good governance and compliance assurance, calls on the Commission to come forward with a new legislative proposal on minimum standards for access to judicial review, and a revision of the Aarhus Regulation implementing the Convention to Union action to take account of the recent Aarhus Committee Compliance Committee Recommendation;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 68 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the competent authorities at the relevant level in the Member States to seize the opportunity of organising implementation dialogues and, calls on the Commission to engage in those dialogues and provide tailored support for each Member State and their authorities at local, regional level;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 72 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the policy proposals of the Commission on the dedicated framework for the structured implementation dialogue, but considers it imperative to ensure that this process is transparent and involves relevant NGOs and key stakeholders;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 76 #

2017/2705(RSP)


Paragraph 20
20. Urges that the issue of implementation should figure as a recurring item in trio-presidency priorities and programmes, be discussed at the Environment Council at least once a year, perhaps through a dedicated Implementation Council and be complemented by another forum where also the Parliament and Committee of Regions are involved. Calls for joined Council meetings to address implementation of horizontal issuecross-sectoral, horizontal issues and common challenges, emerging issues with possible cross- border impacts;
2017/09/11
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 3 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A
A. whereas de jure the Member States and the Commission have shared responsibility for implementing approximately 74% of the Union’s budget for 2016 de facto however, Member States spending those resources and the Commission is responsible for having overview of those projects vis a vis providing a certain level of control; whereas Member States are primarily responsible for the collection of own resources, particularly in the form of VAT and customs duties;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas corruption affects all Member States, particularly in form of organised crime and burdens not only the EU economy, but undermines democracy and rule of law all across Europe; however the exact figures are unknown as Commission has decided not to publish data in the report on the EU's anti- corruption policy;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas fraud is an example of purposeful wrongdoing and is a criminal offence, while an irregularity is a failure to comply with the rules;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas until creation of European Public Prosecutor Office and reform of Eurojust, OLAF is the sole European body specialized in protection of the Union’s financial interest; emphasizes that in several Member States even after the setting up of EPPO it will remain the only body to protect the EU’s financial interest;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the fact that not all Member States have adopted national anti- fraud strategies; calls on the Commission to actively get engaged to help Member States creating their national anti-fraud strategies particularly because they manage approximately 74% of the EU budget;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Calls again on the Commission to establishNotes that the European Commission has put in place an uniform system for the collection of comparable data on irregularities and cases of fraud from the Member States in order to standardise the reporting process and ensure the qualthrough adoption in 2015 of four Delegated and four Implementing Regulations on the reporting of irregularities harmonizing the areas of shared management ( EU 2015/1970, 2015/1971,2015/1972, 2015/1973,2015/1974, 2015/1975, 2015/1976, 2015/1977) as well as introducing in 2016 a common module in the Irregularity Mand comparability of the data providedagement System for the transmission of irregularities;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the decision of 20 Member States to proceed with the establishment of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office through enhanced cooperation and looks forward to fruitful; recalls that cooperation between OLAF and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has to be based on avoidance of duplications of efforts, efficient exchange of information and OLAF’s support in the EPPO’s activities; regrets however that not all EU Member States have been willing to participate in this initiative, and underlines the importance of maintaining equivalent fraud detection efficiency rates in all Member States;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2017/2216(INI)

8. Welcomes the decision of 20 Member States to proceed with the establishment of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office through enhanced cooperation and looks forward to fruitful cooperation between OLAF and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office; regrets however that not all EU Member States have been willing to participate in this initiative, and underlines the importance of maintaining equivalent fraud detection efficiency rates in all Member States; calls on the Commission to incentivise the so far reluctant Member States to join to the EPPO;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the adoption of short- term measures to tackle losses on VAT mentioned in the Commission’s Action Plan entitled ‘Towards a single EU VAT area’ published on 7 April 2016; looks forward with emphasizes that the problems related to cross-border VAT fraud need strong, coordinaterest to the Commission’s proposals for a definitive VAT system as provided for in the action pland and speedy measures; urges the Commission speed up its procedures to present its proposals for a definitive VAT system as provided for in the action plan in order to avoid the loss of tax revenue in the EU and in the Member States;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to report annually the amount of EU own resources recovered following the recommendations made by OLAF and to communicate the amounts still to be recoveredDeplores the fact that the European Commission is not capable to calculate the total amount of recoveries arose from OLAF’s recommendations for recovery; urges the Commission to introduce a system allowing calculation of the total sums recovered and to publish the cooperation of recommendation and sums factually recovered in the OLAF’s annual reports;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 42 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4 a (new)
Public Procurement
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 43 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. recalls, that public procurement was one of the major source of error in the last programming period, notes that the level of irregularities due to non- compliance with public procurement rules remains high; repeatedly calls on the Commission to develop a database on irregularities, capable of providing a basis for meaningful analysis in a comprehensive way of the frequency, seriousness and causes of public procurement errors; calls on the relevant authorities in Member States to develop and analyse their own databases on irregularities, including those arising in public procurement, and to cooperate with the Commission to provide such data in a form and at a time that facilitates the Commission’s work; calls on the Commission to monitor and evaluate the transposition of the 2014/24/EC and 2014/25/EC Directives on public procurement into national rules as soon as possible;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 44 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. recalls on the Commission and the Member States to comply with the provisions setting out the ex-ante conditionalities in cohesion policy, in particular in the field of public procurement; calls on the Member States to step up their efforts in the areas highlighted by the Commission’s annual report, in particular as regards public procurement, financial crime, conflict of interest, corruption, whistle-blowing and the definition of fraud;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 61 #

2017/2216(INI)

36. Reiterates its opinion that corruption is an enormous challenge for the EU and the Member States, and that, without effective measures against it, corruption undermines economic performance, the rule of law and the credibility of democratic institutions and the trust in those institutions within the Union;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 62 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. is alarmed by the results of research which show that the risk of fraud and corruption is higher when Member States spending European resources, particularly when the share of European funding is significantly over 50% of the total costs, therefore is of the opinion that Member States do not comply completely with Article 325 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which requires Member States to take the same measures to counter fraud affecting the financial interests of the Union as they take to counter fraud affecting their own financial interests; therefore calls on the Member States to fully apply the principle of Article325 (2) and the Commission to make sure that Member indeed do so;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 63 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Is concerned by some Member States which have been blocking reforms, or even hampering existing anti- corruption legislation; is on an opinion that those countries should be subject supplementary and rigorous controls on expenditure of EU funds
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 64 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36b. recalls on the Member States to ratify fully the EU Directive on money- laundering, with the introduction of a public register of beneficial ownership of companies and also trusts;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 65 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 c (new)
36c. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop a system of strict indicators and easily applicable, uniform criteria based on the requirements set out in the Stockholm Programme, to measure the level of corruption in the Member States and to evaluate their anti- corruption policies; invites the Commission to develop a corruption index in order to rank the Member States; is of the opinion that a corruption index could provide a sound basis on which the Commission could establish its country- specific control mechanism when controlling the spending of EU resources;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 66 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 d (new)
36d. Reiterates that prevention should involve constant training and support for the staff responsible for the management and control of funds within the competent authorities, as well as exchanges of information and best practices between Member States; points to the decisive role of local and regional authorities and stakeholders in combating fraud;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 67 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 e (new)
36e. recalls that the Commission does not have access to the information exchanged between Member States with a view to preventing and combating Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud, commonly called carousel fraud; is of the opinion that the Commission should have access to Eurofisc, in order to better control, assess and improve the exchange of data among Member States; calls on all Member States to participate in all of Eurofisc’s fields of activity so as to facilitate and accelerate information exchange with judicial and law enforcement authorities such as Europol and OLAF, as recommended by the Court of Auditors; calls on the Member States and the Council to grant the Commission access to these data in order to foster cooperation, strengthen data reliability and fight cross-border crime;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 69 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Is of the opinion that investigative journalism plays a key role in fostering the necessary level of transparency in the EU and the Member States, and that it must be encouraged and supported by legal and financial (through an intermediary organization) means both in the Member States and within the EU;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 71 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
38. Recalls the Commission’s decision not to renew the PMI agreement, which expired on 9 July 2016; recalls that it asked the Commission on 9 March 2016 not to renew, extend or renegotiate the PMI agreement beyond its expiry date; believes that the three other agreements (BAT, JTI, ITL) should not be renewedbe terminated with the effect of 20 May 2019; calls on the Commission to present a report by the end of 2018 presenting the feasibility of stopping the 3 remaining agreements;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 72 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
45. Deplores the fact that despite numerous OLAF recommendations and investigations the prosecution rate is only 30% in the Member States and the judicial authorities of some Member States do not regard OLAF’s recommendations on the misspending of EU money as a priority and even OLAF does not follow up its recommendations properly; calls on the Commission to establish rules on the follow up of OLAF recommendations;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 76 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45a. Deplores the fact that secrecy of OLAF judicial recommendations often impedes to hold accountable Member States authorities and EU institutions;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 77 #

2017/2216(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 b (new)
45b. Calls on the Commission that at the revision of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No. 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council to create a proper balance of competences between EPPO and OLAF; to strengthen the procedural guarantees, to clarify and strengthen investigative powers of OLAF and establish a certain level of transparency of OLAF recommendations and reports and to clarify the rules on cooperation and access to data between OLAF and its Supervisory Committee;
2018/02/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 33 #

2017/2211(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Is concerned aboutWelcomes China’s new restrictive approach to European waste, as this will have a negapositive impact on EU waste management; welcomes in this context the Commission’s new plastic strategyconsiders it an opportunity to boost a speedy transition to the Circular Economy for all the Member States; welcomes in this context the Commission’s new plastic strategy; considers that the Commission should strengthen financial support and incentivise further this transition;
2018/03/08
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 41 #

2017/2211(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls on the Commission to strengthen the tracking of the implementation by the Member States to ensure the achievement of the transmission to the Circular Economy;
2018/03/08
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 46 #

2017/2211(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that at least two thirds of the ESI waste related funds are spent to implement the top three levels of the waste hierarchy;
2018/03/08
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 51 #

2017/2211(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the Commission to supplement the ex ante conditionalities with the requirement of a national strategy for the circular economy and its implementation plan;
2018/03/08
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 52 #

2017/2211(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Underlines the need to incite the application of Green Public Procurement in the future use cohesion funds;
2018/03/08
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 53 #

2017/2211(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Calls on the Commission in order to fight fraud and corruption more effectively in the field of cohesion policy to strengthen ex-ante conditionalities particularly by adding the membership in the European Public Prosecutor to the requirements; calls on the Commission to improve the thoroughness and efficiency of the financial controls and apply the principle of performance based budgeting;
2018/03/08
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 11 #

2017/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2017/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2017/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2170(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2017/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2017/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2017/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2017/2163(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2162(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Observes that on 21 June 2017, the management board of the Authority adopted a new policy on independence to ensure the independence of all professionals involved in its scientific operations; notes that the new policy includes a new definition of what constitutes a conflict of interest, a comprehensive set of “cooling-off” rules, a requirement that experts declare the proportion of their annual earnings received from any organisation, body or company whose activities fall within the Authority’s areas of work; notes moreover that the Authority adopted unconditional restrictions to financial investments into business operators directly or indirectly concerned by the Authority’s outputs: notes that such interests are considered incompatible with any involvement as a member of the Authority’s scientific committee, scientific panels, working groups or peer review meetings; notes that experts sent by Member States will now have to fill the declarations of interests form;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Observes that on 21 June 2017, the management board of the Authority adopted a new policy on independence to ensure the independence of all professionals involved in its scientific operations; notes that the new policy includes a new definition of what constitutes a conflict of interest, a comprehensive set of “cooling-off” rules including a ban on consultancy contracts, a requirement that experts declare the proportion of their annual earnings received from any organisation, body or company whose activities fall within the Authority’s areas of work; notes moreover that the Authority adopted unconditional restrictions to financial investments into business operators directly or indirectly concerned by the Authority’s outputs: notes that such interests are considered incompatible with any involvement as a member of the Authority’s scientific committee, scientific panels, working groups or peer review meetings;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Is concerned that the scope of the Authority’s new independence policy, which only takes into account interests on “matters falling under the mandate of the relevant EFSA scientific group” and not “all material interests related to the companies whose products are assessed by the Authority and to any organisations funded by them” as the Parliament demanded, remains too narrow and thus perpetuates the Authority’s previous independence policy’s biggest limitation;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Is concerned that the Authority ignored the repeated calls of the Parliament to include research funding in the list of interests to be covered by the two-year cooling-off period, research funding being the main source of financial conflicts of interests among the Authority’s external experts;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12 c. Is concerned that the Authority did not follow the European Ombudsman’s January 2015 ruling which, observing that the Authority had “failed to take adequate account of the changing nature of universities in its conflict of interest rules and its Declarations of Interests forms”, asked the Authority to “revise its conflict of interest rules and the related instructions and forms it uses for declarations of interests” to make sure academia experts declare the details of the financial relationships between their university employers and their university employers’ industry partners;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)
12 d. Stresses that the Authority’s independence policy implementing rules, which were adopted end of 2017, did not remedy the above-mentioned problems, and that the Authority failed to seize the opportunity of the review of its independence policy to better prevent the occurrence of conflicts of interest scandals in the future;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)
12 e. Calls on the Authority to report to the discharge authority on the implementation of its new independence policy;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Notes with concern that criminal complaints have been filed against the Authority and Germany’s Bundesinstitute für Risikobewertung (BfR) by environmental NGOs in Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and France over accusations of plagiarism and misconduct in their risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31 a. Notes with concern that the Authority currently lacks the financial resources to pay its external experts and perform all the new tasks it is asked to do, in particular on novel foods, risk communication and stakeholder engagement;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 31 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31 b. Notes that the Authority often comes under criticism for issues that are beyond its powers to change, such as specific aspects of the Union’s pesticides regulation in the case of glyphosate, or, on conflicts of interests, the shrinking availability of independent experts caused by Union and national research funding policies that encourage public private partnerships between universities and industry;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2017/2159(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 c (new)
31 c. Insists that the Commission and Member States substantially increases the Authority’s budget, and that the Commission reviews the Authority’s Founding Regulation, to give it the financial and legal resources it needs to perform all the tasks it is facing in correct conditions; in this perspective, any possible introduction of fees for industry should be done in a manner that protects the Authority’s integrity;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2158(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2157(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, whilst protecting their confidentiality and offering them the support and advice that they need;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2156(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2017/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2017/2154(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2017/2153(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2017/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Observes that there is a need to establish an independent body, with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to deal with disclosure, advice and referral; notes that the purpose of such a body would be to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering necessary support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2017/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2017/2150(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2148(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2017/2147(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2017/2145(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Reminds the EEAS that there is a silver lining between economic diplomacy and lobbying, calls on the EEAS therefore set up rules on lobbying in order to distinguish between the two and to transparency for lobbying both in the Headquarter and the Delegations;
2018/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 34 #

2017/2145(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2017/2144(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2017/2144(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes with satisfaction that the organisation chart of the Ombudsman has been clarified and is available in its website; asks the Ombudsman to ensure that an updated version of its organisation chart is always available on its website;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes the results achieved in the complaints handling in 2016 and welcomes the fact that the Union institutions complied with the Ombudsman’s proposals at a rate of 85 %; reiterate its call on the Ombudsman to provide a breakdown of compliance of the Union institutions with its proposals and asks the Union institutions to improve their compliance rate further;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Welcomes the introduction of the new fast track procedure for access to document cases as a clear sign that the ombudsman does its utmost to reach a high level of transparency of Union documents; is of the opinion that there is still a room for improvement by almost every other Union institution;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the importance of making Union citizens aware of the possibility to turn to the Ombudsman in case of maladministration; asks the Ombudsman to interpret maladministration as widely as possible when performing its duties; reiterates its call for closer cooperation between the Ombudsman and the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control in its strategic work concerning its inquiries and initiatives;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. 7. Reiterates its concern on the “internal revolving door” between the Ombudsman and other institutions, particularly the Directorates of Commission which might be under the scrutiny of the Ombudsman;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the gender balance at management level and within the administrators; encourages the Ombudsman to maintain this trend and to do the necessary to improve the still considerable geographic imbalance, particularly in managerial positions;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 3 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants the Secretary-General of the Committee of the Regions discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Committee of the Regions for the financial year 2016; / Postpones its decision on granting the Secretary-General of the Committee of the Regions discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Committee of the Regions for the financial year 2016;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
- having regard to the Judgments of the Civil Service Tribunal of 7 May 20131a, and of 18 November 20142a OLAF Final Case Report dated 8 October 2003, the Commission PMO department’s report of 8 May 2008, Parliament’s resolutions of 29 January 20043a , 21 April 20044a , 12 April 20055a, 27 April 20066a , 29 April 20157a , 28 April 20168a , 27 April 20179a in support of the Committee’s Internal Auditor’s case. _________________ 1a case F-86/11(ECLI:EU:F:2011:189) 2a case F-156/12(ECLI:EU:F:2014:247) 3a (OJ L 57, 25.2.2004, p. 8) 4a (OJ L 330, 4.11.2004, p. 153) 5a (OJ L 196, 27.7.2005, p. 54) 6a (OJ L 340, 6.12.2006, p. 44) 7a (OJ L 255, 30.9.2015, p. 132) 8a (OJ L 246, 14.9.2016, p. 152) 9a (OJ L 252, 29.9.2017, p. 135)
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Is still concernedObserves the lack of progress with the continued shortage of women holding senior and middle management posts; notes the adoption of a new five-year equal opportunities strategy foreseeing actions to strive for a more balanced gender representation, particularly in management positions; encourages the Committee to improve its performance in this regard;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2017/2142(DEC)

12. Notes with great concern that the number of days of sick leave within the Committee staff has only slightly decreased keeping in mind that already in 2015 the Committee had by far the highest rate of absence due to sick leave among all EU’s “Other Institutions”; underlines the importance of putting in place measures for improving the wellbeing at workof staff, review its HR management but also of duly verifying absences;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 34 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes with concern that the translation output objective was not achieved and that therefore further rationalisation measures are needed; asks the Committee to include detailed information in this regard in its annual activity report for 2017;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 35 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that onewith concern that another whistleblowing file was opened in 2016 and has been forwarded to OLAF; asks the Committee to keepdemands that the Committee changes its understanding of the EU’s policy on transparency and the protection of the whistle blowers and keeps the Parliament informed of the progress of the case;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 38 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. RegDeplorets that the whistleblower file of the Committee’s former internal auditor is still not closed; insists that the Committee do its utmost to find a just, honourable and equitable settlement of the case as soon as possible; requests that the Committee keep Parliament informed of its progress; e fact that after the two Union Civil Service Tribunal’s rulings1a and the European Anti-Fraud Office’s (“OLAF”) case report2a, the Commission’s PMO department’s report3a and Parliament’s resolutions4a and especially after the Parliament’s resolution for the 2015 discharge calling on the Committee to bring the whistle blower file of the Committee’s former internal auditor to a just, honourable and equitable settlement before the end of 2017, the Committee did not manage to solve the case neither has shown its sincere efforts to do so; calls on the Committee to do so before the final vote on 2016 Discharge in October 2018 in support of the Committee’s Internal Auditor’s case. _________________ 1aJudgments of the Civil Service Tribunal of 7May 2013, case F-86/11 (ECLI:EU:F:2011:189), and of 18 November 2014, case F-156/12 (ECLI:EU:F:2014:247) 2a OLAF Final Case Report dated 8 October 2003 3aThe Commission PMO department’s report of 8May 2008 4a Parliament’s resolutions of 29 January 2004(OJ L 57, 25.2.2004, p. 8), 21 April 2004 (OJ L 330, 4.11.2004, p. 153), 12April 2005 (OJ L 196, 27.7.2005, p. 54), 27 April 2006 (OJ L 340, 6.12.206, p.44), 29 April 2015 (OJ L 255, 30.9.2015, p. 132), 28 April 2016 (OJ L 246,14.9.2016, p. 152) and 27 April 2017 (OJ L252, 29.9.2017, p. 135)
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 42 #

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes a general increase of the absence rate due to sickness in the Committee; stresses the importance to put in place measures for improving wellbeing at work and asks for a closer monitoring of absences; welcomes the initiatives taken by the Committee to foster respect for human dignity in the work place; calls on the Committee to report back to the discharge authority on the progress achieved in staff well-being in 2017;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 38 #

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2017/2140(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
- whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2017/2140(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Maintains that information on the external activities of each judge should be made accessible to the general public and therefore published on the website of the CJEU and included in its annual activity report, including the name of the event, the venue, the role of the judges and the travel and subsistence costs and if it was paid by the CJEU or third party;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 43 #

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that following the reform of the CJEU’s judicial structure, the allocation of judges to the chambers is made according to the caseload in different areas; is interested to know how this allocation is made and whether specialised chambers are in place for certain areas; and asks for an analysis how the allocation affects the speed of the handling of cases
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 45 #

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Notes the high rate of occupation of posts (almost 98%) despite the high staff turnover rate; notes the difficulties stated by the CJEU with recruiting permanent staff in entry-level grades; asks for an assessment by the CJEU on the reasons of the high turnover and the measures put in place or intended to put in place to improve the situation;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 47 #

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Encourages the CJEU’s actions taken in 2016 to improve gender balance in senior and middle-management posts; noreiterates withs concern on the geographic imbalance at middle and senior management level and calls on the CJEU to work towards improvements in this regard;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 57 #

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2017/2138(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2016 / Postpones its decision on granting the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2016;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament wishes to stress the special importance of further strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of the EU institutions through improving on transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of the Performance-Based Budgeting (PBB) and good governance of human resources;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses the paramount importance of further strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of the EU institutions through improving on transparency and accountability; notes the Ombudsman’s findings on Council’s systematic failure to record what each Member State proposes; notes the European Ombudsman’s finding on Council’s overuse of “LIMITE” status on their documents restricting access to documents; calls on the Council to systematically record Member State positions in Council working parties and in COREPER ambassador meetings and, in principle, to make these documents proactively available to the public in a timely manner; calls on the Council to also publish clear criteria for using the ‘LIMITE’ status and that the status be reviewed before a law is adopted;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes the existence of a gender balance policy in the General Secretariat of the Council (GSC); welcomes the positive trend of women’s representation in management posts reaching 31% by the end of 2016; calls on the Council to continue with the gender balance policy toward the truly balanced presentation of both genders in management posts;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that Parliament’s final appropriations for 2016 totalled EUR 1 838 613 983, or 19,39% of heading V of the Multiannual Financial Framework8 set aside for the 2015 administrative expenditure of the Union institutions as a whole representing a 2,4 % increase over the 2015 budget (EUR 1 794 929 112); stresses that the increase was higher than the inflation rate (0,3% in the Union and 1,8% in Belgium): _________________ 8 Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020.
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that the political groups are responsible to the Parliament for managing the funds allocated to them, within the powers conferred upon them by the Bureau; notes with concern that the Court found weaknesses in checks on the authorisation and settlement of expenditure related to one politicalthe Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) group and that the payments were being made without being covered by contracts resulting from a procurement procedure; highlights that the Court issued a qualified opinion on the ENF group; highlights that the external auditor ‘‘Ernest and Young’’ issued a qualified opinion as well; calls on the Bureau of the Parliament to take the appropriate measures, including possible reimbursement, concerning the ENF group;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Endorsestakes note of the responses given by the Parliament in the adversarial procedure with the Court;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recalls that both Parliament’s 2014 and 2015 discharge resolutions, asked for a technical solution that allows Members to use their individual page in the Parliament’s website for the voluntary publication of meetings with interest representatives; urges the Parliament’s Bureau and the Secretary-General to make this possible without further delay;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 36 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Encourages the Secretary-General to negotiate with the Belgian Railways to offer more direct trains between Gare Luxembourg and Zaventem Airport in peak arrival and departure time for Members in order to save travelling time and lower the carbon footprint for Members at the same time, and ask the secretariat to promote train travel for Members;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 37 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Recalls that openness to the public is a hallmark of the Parliament; supports the reorganisation and improvement of entrances to all Parliament buildings at the three places of work on the basis of a new security concept which guarantees a safe working environment for parliamentary activities while retaining Parliament’s openness; notes that these entrances, modernised in 2015, were equipped with new access control systems and have been incorporated into the new central integrated physical access control system; stresses that the entrance of the Louise Weiss building in Strasbourg (LOW) is one of the most used entrance by the Members, the Union staff and the visitors during the plenary sessions; stresses it is de facto the most visible entrance in Strasbourg; regrets that the ‘‘temporary’’ security check at entrance of the LOW building has become de facto permanent; urges the Secretary-General to propose an alternative to make facilitate the entrance in the LOW building while keeping the level of security and the attractiveness of this entrance;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 43 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. WelcomNotes the revision of allowance rates for accredited parliamentary assistants (APAs) incurred in respect of their duty travel between Parliament’s three places of work; notes that for officials and other servants, the hotel ceiling for Strasbourg missions is set at EUR 180 and daily allowance at EUR 192, whereas APAs’ accommodation, meals and ancillary expenses for Strasbourg missions are respectively reimbursed at a flat rate of EUR 137, EUR 160 or EUR 183; asks again the Bureau to take actions for a full alignment between officials, other servants and APAs;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 45 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Reiterates its will to find a workable solution for those APAs who, having worked for two parliamentary terms in the end of the current term will not be entitled to access to the European pension rights scheme, when they will reach the pension age, since they will be lacking some time out of the ten years’ service needed, due to early elections in 2014 and the delays in the validation of the APAs new contracts because of heavy workload during the periods after the elections of 2009 and after the elections of 2014; therefore requests two legislative terms to be considered as ten years of active service; requests the Commission to submit a legislative proposal before 1 September 2018;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 48 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Calls for a thorough revision of the Internal Rules governing missions and duty travel by officials and other servants in order to ensure a full alignment between officials, other servants and APAs; Notes that some missions’ reimbursements are subject to very long delays and suggests that solutions as to bring them within a reasonable timeframe should be explored;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 49 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Asks the Secretary-General to transmit to the Commission the Report on the evaluation of the new Statute for APA drawn up following the resolution adopted on 28 April 2016 on the discharge for the financial year 2014 and referred to in article 3 of Regulation 160/2009;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 50 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25d. Encourages the Bureau, when assessing the new rules on visitors’ groups introduced last year, to delete the possibility to appoint APAs as head of a group as it poses professional, juridical, ethical and data protection concerns;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 55 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Is of the opinion that in order to receive more independent and reliable opinion and studies there is a need to create rules on conflict of interest for experts hired by the Parliament’s Committees;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 88 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
35. Regrets that the number of women holding posts at the level of director- general fell from 33,3 % in 2015 to 16,7% in 2016; notes the number of women at director level remained steady from 2015 to 2016 at 29,2 % and 29, 8% respectively; considers this move in contradiction with the road map for “Gender Equality in the European Parliament Secretariat”;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 101 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. is of the opinion that in reaction to the #metoo-campaign, the Parliament should achieve zero-tolerance towards violence in any form be it structural, sexual, physical or psychological; therefore it demands: - a complete accountability of the perpetrators with full exhaustion of available penalties and sanctions; - a creation of a central complaints office for reporting harassment cases; - to ensure access to an independent harassment committee in the Parliament that does not reproduce the internal structures of power by having Members on board; - to grant victims and those reporting a whistleblower status and protection with full anonymity and discretion with their demands; - the Parliament to provide psychological support for victims: the Parliament must have a central office with doctors, social workers, and counselors; - a mandatory training on sexual harassment and mobbing for Members and officials in positions of power; - training and to offer information for staff to recognise sexual harassment and to know their rights;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 105 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Is concerned that the relatively low number of harassment complaints brought forward in 2016 both to the Advisory Committee on Harassment for staff and by APAs could imply the lack of appropriate channels; stresses that there are two kind of harassment recognized by the staff regulation (psychological and sexual harassment); is of the opinion that the fight against any kind of harassment should be one of the utmost priorities of the Secretary-General; welcomes in this regard the proposal of the Secretary- General to introduce a network of confidential counsellors who can be contacted by APAs, trainees working for Members, group staff and all other staff and trainees; acknowledges that these counsellors would be selected for their expertise and inter- personal skills, and would undergo targeted training; encourages revision of the composition of the advisory committees dealing with harassment complaints, ensuring equal representation of Members, APAs and staff, and gender balance; hopes that an external auditor can be appointed swiftly in order to further improve the internal processes;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 106 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Is concerned that the relatively low number of harassment complaints brought forward in 2016 both to the Advisory Committee on Harassment for staff and by APAs could imply the lack of appropriate channels; is of the opinion that an external audit should be implemented swiftly in accordance with what was agreed upon in the parliamentary resolution in order to further improve the internal processes; welcomes in this regard the proposal of the Secretary-General to introduce a network of confidential counsellors who can be contacted by APAs, trainees working for Members, group staff and all other staff and trainees; acknowledges that these counsellors would be selected for their expertise and inter- personal skills, and would undergo targeted training; encourages revision of the composition of the advisory committees dealing with harassment complaints, ensuring equal representation of Members, APAs and staff, and gender balance; hopes that an external auditor can be appointed swiftly in order to further improve the internal processes;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 107 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Is concerned that the relatively low number of harassment complaints brought forward in 2016 both to the Advisory Committee on Harassment for staff and by APAs could imply the lack of appropriate channels; welcomes in this regard the proposal of the Secretary-General to introduce a network of independent confidential counsellors who can be contacted by APAs, trainees working for Members, group staff and all other staff and trainees; acknowledges that these counsellors would be selected for their expertise and inter- personal skills, and would undergo targeted training; encourages revision of the composition of the advisory committees dealing with harassment complaints, ensuring equal representation of Members, APAs and staff, and gender balance; hopes that an external auditor can be appointed swiftly in order to further improve the internal processes;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 108 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Reiterates the vulnerable position accredited parliamentary assistants and Members interns hold in respect to internal whistle-blower protection rules; cautions the Secretary-General of potential financial consequences for the Parliament’s continued failure to provide the requisite whistleblower protection for APAs who report wrongdoing of Members; urges the Secretary-General to immediately address this situation;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 109 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 b (new)
37b. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistleblowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 121 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Urges the responsible services to make transparent its planning to conform with the statement by the Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the exemplary role of their buildings in the context of the Energy Efficiency Directive1 given the approaching 2020 deadline;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 146 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 11 a (new)
Voluntary Pension Fund
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 153 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47a. Notes that the voluntary pension fund increased its estimated actuarial deficit to EUR 326,2 million at the end of 2016; further notes that at the end of 2016 the amount of net financial assets to be taken into account and the accrued future payments obligations commitment amount to EUR 146,4 million and EUR 472,6 million respectively;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 157 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Points out that for the next five years, of the number of MEPs, which will reach the age of retirement and which will be entitled to pay-outs, as they have contributed to the fund and assuming that no beneficiary is (re)elected in 2019 or otherwise takes up a vacant European mandate the number of new pensioners for the years 2018 -2022 will be: 2018: 21; 2019: 74; 2020: 21; 2021: 12; 2022: 17;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 158 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 b (new)
47b. Considering the Fund’s current level of financial assets, combined with its future yearly payment obligations and the evolution of the rate of return of its investments on the financial markets, the estimated date of insolvency of the Voluntary Pension Fund is roughly estimated to vary between 2024 and 2026;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 159 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Points out that this raises concerns about the possible exhaustion of the fund and that Parliament is the guarantor for the payment of pension rights when and if this fund is unable to meet its obligations;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 160 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Calls once again on the Bureau to make an assessment as soon as possible of the current situation of the Pension Fund; Recalls Paragraph 112 of the 2014 discharge resolution that calls for an assessment of the current situation of the pension fund; regrets that such an assessment has not yet been delivered;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 161 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Recalls that the Court of Justice ruled in 2013 that the decision to increase the age of retirement for Fund subscribers from 60 to 63 years in order to avoid the early exhaustion of the capital and to align it with the new statute for Members was valid;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 162 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 c (new)
47c. Considers that, whereas national pension funds normally have to meet strict standards and are not allowed to have any actuarial deficit at all, the voluntary pension fund is now facing an actuarial deficit of 64 % of the actuarial commitment, calls on the Secretary- General to present the Bureau with a comprehensive plan of action to avoid the early exhaustion of the fund;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 163 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Requests the secretary-general to calculate what would happen to the Fund’s actuarial deficit if 25%, 50% or 75% of the current or former Members withdraw from it;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 164 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Requests the secretary-general to calculate the impact of possible reductions of the monthly payments, which happens with more pension funds when the return of their investments is decreasing;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 165 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 e (new)
47e. Request the Bureau to increase further the retirement age from 63 to 65 or 67, as most of retirement policies and pension schemes in the member states;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 166 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 d (new)
47d. Launches a “moral” call on the existing Members of the Voluntary Pension Fund to withdraw on a voluntary basis whereby the beneficiaries holding entitlements under the Fund’s scheme are invited them to voluntary reduce or relinquish their legally protected rights;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 172 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 11 a (new)
General Expenditure Allowance
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 177 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47a. Welcomes the formation of the Bureau’s working group on possible revisions to the General Expenditure Allowance (GEA); reminds the Bureau that the plenary has already appealed for greater transparency and an urgent need to audit the GEA; believes any revision of the GEA should incorporate previously adopted plenary recommendations concerning transparency and financial accountability;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 178 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 b (new)
47b. Calls on the Bureau to make the additional concrete changes concerning the general expenditure allowance: 1.A 5% sample checks of the general expenditure allowance spending should be introduced by the Parliament’s internal auditing;the final results and the findings should be part of the annual report published by the Parliament 2. The Members should publish, on an annual basis, an overview of their expenditures by category (communication costs, office rental, office supplies...);
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 181 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47a. Reminds the Parliament to fulfil its responsibility as a public institution to contribute to the security, reliability, and dependability of the common infrastructure of the Internet; calls on the Parliament to build up an Open Source Strategy similar to the one of the Commission; and to strengthen the use, reuse and sharing of software procured and produced by the Parliament and its services, taking into account existing Source Code Policies in the Union and abroad; reminds the Parliament to promote and implement the Tallinn Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment; is of the opinion that such an Open Source Strategy should comprise legal clarity for Parliament’s civil servants when they make use of, or build upon existing software from Open Source projects, or when they create new software, how they can contribute back to these Open Source projects (Source Code Policies);
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 189 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
54. Commends the Parliament’s commitment to green public procurement; notes that the “EP Implementation Guide on Green Public Procurement”, which is designed to help authorising officers at the Parliament to successfully launch green purchasing policy and procedures, was approved in June 2016; welcomes the installation of the inter-institutional Green Public Procurement (GPP) Helpdesk; calls for an evaluation of the introduction of criteria for a mandatory consultation of the GPP for public tenders above a certain financial threshold and/or for specific product categories;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 191 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54 a (new)
54a. Welcomes the installation of water fountains and the new system of re-usable glass jars; notes that water fountains are poorly advertised and not yet installed in office areas; regrets, despite tender specifications to reduce plastic waste, an increased number of meals in disposable packaging was sold by Parliament catering facilities and calls for transparency on plastic waste evolution generated by catering facilities; notes that the brand of bottled drinking water distributed in Parliament meetings has changed for three times in less than two years, which does not seem in line with earlier announced tender durations and is still plastic based; recognises that the Commission has scrapped plastic bottles for drinking water and calls on the Parliament to lay out a plan to follow it, especially given its exemplary role and in the light of a European Plastic Strategy policy initiative;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 194 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
55. Notes with satisfaction that the Bureau endorsed a road-map, proposed by the Secretary-General, to move towards an electric car fleet; acknowledges that by the end of 2017, half of all cars and minibuses for the Parliament’s car fleet should be electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as that from 2018, any car newly acquired for the Parliament’s car fleet should be a plug-in hybrid or electric; notes that in 2020, all cars in the Parliament’s car fleet should be electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles, while in 2021 this should also apply to all of the Parliament’s minibuses; acknowledges moreover that a cost-benefit analysis should be conducted before every major renewal of the car fleet; calls for increased efforts for the promotion of active mobility, including by offering more attractive, accessible and secured bike parking spaces;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 196 #

2017/2137(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55a. Notes that the Parliament has to conform with regional and local laws applicable and calls on the Parliament services to detail how it has implemented the Brussels regional COBRACE law, especially in the area of car parking spaces offered to employees;
2018/03/02
Committee: CONT
Amendment 33 #

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Expresses the need to establish an independent disclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering needed support and advice;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 413 #

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 266
266. Points out that the extension of the cooling off period to three years should also concern theall Members of the European Commission as requested by Parliament on several occasions; insists that the opinions of the Ethical Committee should be made public when there are issued;
2018/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2017/2131(INL)

Draft opinion
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas there are no Union rules on the transparency of OLAF recommendations at any stage of the procedures; whereas the transparency of such recommendations is, therefore, entirely at the discretion of the Hungarian authorities;
2018/04/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 170 #

2017/2084(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Urges the Commission and the Member States to assist EU regions in taking coordinated steps to incentivise energy innovation at local and trans- regional level with the aim of developing coherent strategies; stresses that particular focus should be put on regions faced with the challenges of phasing-out lignite and coal generation and mining industries; underlines the need for assisting them in the development of inclusive, local just transition strategies and addressing societal, socio-economic and environmental impacts along with the reconversion of sites; inclusive stakeholder processes should develop how best to attract alternative new and innovative businesses and start-ups or industries with the aim of building a sustainable regional economy and boost peoples´ dignity, and to replace electricity generation capacity with renewables or energy efficiency solutions; calls for research and innovation policies to focus on how to revitalise concerned regions in terms of sustainable employment and growth perspectives, in particular where retiring lignite or coal-generating capacity is linked to mining activities;
2017/10/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 43 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) to ensure that the deepening of relations between the EU and Azerbaijan is undertaken on the basis of mutually agreed ambitions and theconditional on upholding of the core values and principles of democracy, the rule of law, good governance, respect for and good governance, as well as on providing solid legal guarantees in the areas of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in the interest of both parties and especially their citizens;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 52 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) to remind the Azerbaijani authorities about the European Parliament’s position as expressed in its resolution of 15 November 2017 on the Eastern Partnership, which unambiguous and clearly states that no comprehensive agreement will be ratified with a country that does not respect EU values, in particular with regard to the non-implementation of decisions by the European Court of Human Rights and the harassment, intimidation and persecution of human rights defenders, NGOs and journalists; to ensurge that significant steps are taken as regards the release of political prisonere Azerbaijani authorities to implement the ECtHR decisions; to ensure that all political prisoners, including journalists, activists and prisoners of conscience in Azerbaijan are released before any new EU- Azerbaijan agreement; to ensureinclude in the new agreement a dedicated suspension mechanism related to human rights and fundamental freedoms is included in the new agreementwith clear provisions on respect for human rights, rule of law and fundamental freedoms;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 64 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
(d) to ensure that the future agreement with Azerbaijan is ambitious, comprehensive and forward-looking, and will delivering tangible and concrete benefits not only for large companies but also for SMEs and for the citizens of the EU and of Azerbaijan; to include in the new agreement specific supervision and control mechanisms against money laundering schemes, fraud and corruption;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 68 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) to ensure, in so far as the above conditions are fulfilled, speedy and steady progress in the negotiations with the objective of signing this new agreement before the next Eastern Partnership Summit in 2019, only in so far as the above conditions are fulfilled;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 74 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) to actively and clearly communicate about the conditions and aims of the new agreement, in order to improve public awareness, both in Azerbaijan and in the EU, about the expected opportunities and benefits that would arise from its conclusion, thereby countering all disinformation campaigns;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 81 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) to provide for regular and in-depth dialogue, notably on politicalpushing for solid reforms aimed at bolstering institutions, such as the judiciary in order to make them more democratic and independent, onwith a strong focus on the judiciary, upholding of human rights, and onprotecting investigative journalism, fostering a strong civil society and ensuring its involvement in the reform process; to include in the new agreement regular reporting mechanisms on the status of the above- mentioned reforms;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 90 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) to establish specific measures aimed at implementingnsure that the recommendations by the OSCE/ODHIR and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission with a view to ensuring progress towardsare implemented, with a view to establish new legislation guaranteeing the organization of elections and referenda that allow for a free and fair expression of Azerbaijani citizens’ views and aspirations; to put strong emphasis on the effectiveness and impartiality of the election administration, the conduct of the campaign and the respect for fundamental freedoms, media coverage of the elections and the administration of election day procedures, including the vote count and tabulation of results, as called for by the OSCE; to further monitor the organization of future elections until these requirements are met;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 93 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) to aim for provisions that enhance cooperation in promoting peace and international justice and in particular for Azerbaijan to sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC); to calsl upon Azerbaijan to respect its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and abide by the decisions of the ECtHR; to seek stronger cooperation measures in countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as well as tackling illicit trade in small arms and light weapons;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 98 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j
(j) to provide for closer cooperation in foreign and security matters to ensure as much convergence as possible, in particular as regards responses to global threats, conflict prevention, crisis management and regional cooperation;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 148 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m
(m) to provide support for reform of the judiciary aimed at ensuring its independence from the executive and at strengthening the rule of law, as well as developing a strong framework for the protection of human rights and gender equality; to make sure that strong legislation is in place for preventing and sanctioning politically exposed persons´ involvement in corruption, traffic of influence, money laundering, abuse of office and other related offences, particularly within the framework of the recent joint journalistic investigations revealing the involvement of a number of Azeri officials in such activities;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 160 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) to put in place specific proviclosely monitor and evaluate, before any agreement is in place, Azerbaijan´s progress in fighting corruption, money laundering and tax evasions; to support Azerbaijan in fighting corruption, money laundering and tax evasiontake into account and push for the investigation of all recent disclosures related to the Azeri Laundromat, a money-laundering operation which, according to OCCRP, handled $2.9 billion over a two-year period, between 2012 and 2014, through four shell companies registered in the United Kingdom, as well as for the investigation of the findings related to Azerbaijan in the PANA fact finding EP mission’s report in Malta; to be aware that there is evidence revealing government ministries as the direct source of some of this money, as well as strong connections to high-ranking Azeri officials;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 164 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n d (new)
(nd) to assist Azerbaijan in the fight against corruption and organised crime by establishing mechanisms restricting access to the European banking system, particularly in the form of opening or use of bank accounts on the territory of the Union, for all Azeri individuals, companies and their subsequent partners involved in money laundering and fraud schemes, throughout investigations and Court proceedings;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 171 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) to include provisions related to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms aimed at endingnd ensure that political prosecutions and abductions, the targeting of political dissidents, independent journalists, human rights defenders, NGO representatives and members of some minority groups including the LGBTQ community; to set up a reinforced forum for a human rights dialogue are put to an end by Azeri authorities and to reiterate that these practices are unacceptable for any potential partner country of the EU; to reinforce the dialogue on human rights and fundamental freedoms between the EU and Azerbaijan to encourage and to support in particular the implementation of comprehensive reforms of the judiciary, all in line with EU standards;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 192 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
(qa) to ensure an immediate review of legislation decriminalising online defamation, in particular that of the president, especially as the penalty for this offence has recently been increased to up to 5 years of imprisonment; to urge Azerbaijan to move away from such dictatorial practices and align to EU standards;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 196 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r
(r) to ensure, before the conclusion of the negotiations, that Azerbaijan takes significant steps as regards the release ofreleases the political prisoners and prisoners of conscience which, in 2017, exceeded 150 persons, including, among the most emblematic cases, Ilgar Mammadov, Afgan Mukhtarli, Mehman Huseynov, Ilkin Rustamzada, Seymur Hazi, Rashad Ramazanov, Elchin Ismayilli, Giyas Ibrahimov, Beyram Mammadov, Asif Yusifli, Fuad Gahramanli and Aziz Orujov, theand lifting ofs their travel bans, once released, including those of Khadija Ismayilova and Intigam Aliyev; to immediately secure the release and improvement of the situation of these individuals via the judiciary and the application of the rule of law;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 206 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r c (new)
(rc) to urge Azerbaijan to immediately address the unprecedented infringement proceedings launched by the Council of Europe in 2017 and ensure the unconditional release of opposition politician Ilgar Mammadov, thus complying with a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights from 2014;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 216 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point s
(s) to seek, before the conclusion of the negotiations, that Azerbaijan commits to investigations intoi authorities investigate into and report on results concerning all cases of mistreatment of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, notably in the case of the late Mehman Galandarov, who died in custody;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 231 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point t
(t) to underline the importance of a free and independent media, both off and on-line and to ensure a strengthened EU support for free and pluralistic media in Azerbaijan, with editorial independence and in line with EU standards, and pointing out that ain light of the fact that currently 5 major media outlets are permanently blocked by Azerbaijan under the pretext of national security and that for press freedom, Azerbaijan ranks 162 out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders; to point out that reinforced attention to press and media freedom cshould take the form of a regional initiative encompassing all the Eastern Partnership countries;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 245 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w
(w) to allow for increased cooperation in the energy sector in line with the EU’s and Azerbaijan’s strategic energy partnership, while taking into account that in March 2017, the EITI (The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) suspended Azerbaijan’s membership for failing to comply with the group’s civil society requirements; to push for Azerbaijan to realign to these requirements;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 251 #

2017/2056(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y
(y) to put in place ambitious provisions on environmental protection and climate change reduction, in line with the Union´s climate change agenda, as part of the new agreement, including through a mainstreaming of these policies as part of other sector policies;
2018/04/13
Committee: AFET
Amendment 1 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to structure the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) in a manner that clearly reflects the EU’s priorities for the coming years, particularly with respect to the resources needed to make the transition to a circular, low carbon economy, to sustain the EU’s leading role in tackling climate change and to ensure that it can meet its international obligations under the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as its internal and external biodiversity commitments and goals;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 21 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Recognising the difficulties that the EU and several Member States have in mainstreaming sustainable development in non-environmental thematic objectives of the current MFF, calls on the Commission to sustainability proof the next MFF in order to increase the efficiency of the Union spending and to improve coherence and balance of economic, social and environmental dimensions as required by the Treaty. This new methodological structure should take a step-wise approach and provide the most effective governance structure through the use of substantive, procedural and institutional tools throughout the policy and implementation cycles;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 24 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Believes that the next MFF should be a first mover, helping to catalyse sustainable finance across the Union. Notes that several of the recent first recommendations of the High Level Working group on Sustainable finance are applicable to the MFF, including the need to 'sustainability test' all future EU financial regulations and policies, and for financial instruments to achieve greater policy steering effects;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 44 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that the transition to a sustainable economy is the only way to ensure a healthy living environment and the long-term wellbeing of Union citizens and the European economy; considers that the EU should be the global frontrunner in the transition to a circular low-carbon economy and a sustainable production- consumption system;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 56 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Underlines that all EU-funded projects and financial instruments including EFSI and EFSD as well as EIB activities should be subject to sustainability proofing and should not have a negative impact on the transition to a circular, low-carbon economy; stresses that a comprehensive screening of the MFF is therefore urgently needed in order to identify environmentally harmful spending and to develop, and commit to, a strategy to make sure such lending is not permitted under the next MFF;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 68 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that future financial instruments for agriculture, rural and regional development contain dedicated envelopes for biodiversity and management of the Natura 2000 network, under co- management by national and regional environmental authorities;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 72 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Emphasises the potential offered by green infrastructure and nature based solutions to deliver for society in a cost- effective way;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 74 #

2017/2052(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Stresses the need for various funds to be more coherent and better work together to respond to national, regional and local challenges, so as to enable the just transition of coal dependent regions or to fight energy poverty, for example;
2017/12/05
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 8 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 20201a, the related mid-term-review and resolution of the European Parliament; _________________ 1a Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 (COM/2011/0244 final)
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 11 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
- having regard to the Habitat III New Urban Agenda Agreement adopted in Quito on 20 October 2016,
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 12 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 c (new)
- having regard to the UNEP International Resource Panel report on the policy coherence of the SDGs, providing a natural resource perspective,
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 13 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 d (new)
- having regard to the General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 - 'Living well, within the limits of our planet2a; _________________ 2aDecision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 17 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas many of the SDGs directly concern the powers of the EU in addition to the national, regional and local authorities thus their implementation require a true multi-level governance approach with an active and broad-based civil society engagement;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 18 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas the Europe 2020 climate change and energy sustainability targets are reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 20 %, meeting 20 % of EU energy demand with renewables, and increasing energy efficiency by 20 %; and the EU is committed to at least 40% domestic GHG emission reduction by 2030 compared to 2005 levels; recalls that the European Parliament has called for a binding 2030 energy efficiency target of 40% and a binding RES target of at least 30%, stressing that such targets should be implemented by means of individual national targets;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 25 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas the EU and its Member States are all signatories to the Paris Agreement, and as such are committed to limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, and therefore limiting the worst risks of climate change, both phenomena which undermine sustainable development;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 28 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the EU has committed under the 2030 agenda on sustainable development to promote the implementation of sustainable management of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and increase afforestation and reforestation globally by 2020;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 30 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas according to WHO figures 100 million people in the European region still do not have a household connection to drinking-water, and 67 million people have no access to improved sanitation and as a result of unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene, 10 Europeans die every day, poor and rural population being the most vulnerable;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 31 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas the European Environment Agency's assessments show that more than half of the river and lake water bodies in Europe hold less than good ecological status or potential and around 70 million Europeans experience water stress during the summer months;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 32 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas the Commission is required under the 7th Environment Action Programme to assess the environmental impact, in a global context, of Union consumption of food and non- food commodities;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 38 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Highlights that the aim of the 2030 Agenda is to achieve greater well-being for all and that sustainable development rests equally on social, economic and environmental pillars; underlines that sustainable development is a fundamental objective of the Union as laid down in Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union and should play a central role in the debate on the Future of Europe;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 44 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the Commission's commitment to mainstreaming SDGs into all EU policies and initiatives, guided by an integrated approach and the three pillars of sustainable development, social, environmental and economic; highlights the need for a thorough analysis of interactions between natural, socio- economic and governance systems; in this context calls on the Commission to conduct a full screening of the existing EU policies against the SDGs, including the assessment of potential co-benefits and synergies as well as the policy gaps, inconsistencies and implementation deficiencies which would form a baseline for the strategy for the implementation and mainstreaming of SDGs and the 2030 Agenda in the EU and enable comprehensive policy responses; stresses the need to create strong linkages with the Environmental Implementation Review and the European Semester processes in this regard;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 54 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to develop effective, participatory and transparent monitoring, review and accountability mechanism, with active involvement of the European Parliament, notably through a binding interinstitutional agreement;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 55 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Emphasises the global significance of the 2030 Agenda and that the SDGs can only be achieved through both internal and external action; calls on the EU and its Member States to continue to play the leading role in the implementation of the SDGs, including at the international level, in line with the 'no one left behind' principle;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 56 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Notes that the set of SDGs have 169 associated targets to guide action for environmental, social, economic development, good governance and poverty measures, in this context calls on the Commission, in cooperation with stakeholders, to establish a set of specific progress indicators for the EU-level implementation and mainstreaming of the SDGs also with a view to the new global indicator framework to be developed by the UN Statistical Commission against which performance will be measured globally;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 57 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls for the identification and differentiation of the governance level at which the targets should be implemented; calls on the establishment of clear and coherent sustainable development pathways at national and, if necessary, subnational or local levels for those Member States who have not done so already; stresses that the Commission should provide guidance for this process in order to ensure a harmonised format;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 58 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Urges the Commission to develop effective monitoring, tracking and review mechanisms for the implementation and mainstreaming the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda and calls on the Commission, in cooperation with Eurostat, to establish a set of specific progress indicators for the internal application of the SDGs in the EU;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 59 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Highlights the importance of transparency and democratic accountability when monitoring the EU 2030 agenda and consequently underlines the role of the co-legislators in this process; considers that the conclusion of a binding interinstitutional agreement under Article 295 of the TFEU would provide an appropriate arrangement for cooperation in this regard;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 62 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Commission's commitment to mainstreaming the SDGs into its Better Regulation strategy; underlines the need for good governance for the implementation and mainstreaming of SDGs in all EU policies and calls upon Vice-President Timmermans to take a lead on this;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 68 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Reiterates the European Parliament's calls on the Commission to come forward with a proposal for an overarching Sustainable Development Strategy encompassing all relevant internal and external policy areas, with a detailed timeline up to 2030, a mid-term review and a specific procedure ensuring Parliament's full involvement; stresses the fact that the EU and its Member States have made a commitment to implementing all the goals and targets fully, in practice and in spirit;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 70 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Stresses that strengthening Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development across all policy areas is a key means of delivering the 2030 Agenda; Calls on the Commission and the Member States to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and to strengthen existing and introduce new mechanisms for mitigation, accountability and redress; emphasises the role of regular and adequate ex-ante impact assessments in this regard; recalls the Treaty obligation to take into account the objectives of development cooperation in all policies which are likely to affect developing countries;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 73 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3f. Considers the Commission should encourage Member States to promote the establishment or enhancement of sustainable development councils at the national level, including at the local level. Also to enhance the participation and effective engagement of civil society and other relevant stakeholders in the relevant international forums and, in this regard, promote transparency and broad public participation and partnerships to implement sustainable development;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 88 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises that in order to meet the SDGs, multi-stakeholder engagement will be required from the EU, Member States, local and regional governments, civil society, businesses, and third partners;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 91 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must be reoriented towards the 2030 Agenda and ensure enhanced mainstreaming of sustainable development in all funding mechanisms and budgetary lines, reiterating that long- term policy coherence plays an important role in cost minimization;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 96 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Highlights the significance of the Cohesion Policy as the main investment policy of the EU and emphasizes its contribution to the attainment of the SDGs; recalls that a horizontal application of sustainability criteria and performance based objectives for all EU structural and investment funds, including the European Fund for Strategic Investments, is needed in order to achieve a comprehensive transition to sustainable and inclusive economic growth;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 109 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Warns however that the Environmental Implementation Review should not be considered as a replacement for other tools such as infringement action where Member States show a lack of political will to comply with EU law; calls on the Commission to use all necessary means to put a halt to the poor implementation of EU legislation;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 112 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. As set out in its 12 May 2016 resolution, the Parliament should have a clear role in the EU's implementation of the 2030 Agenda;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 120 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. WStresses that restoration, conservation, efficiency and decoupling strategies are all critical for the fulfilment of the SDGs; welcomes recent developments around resource and waste efficiency and the circular economy in the EU; calls on the Commission to retain an upward trajectory with targets while supporting and guiding Member States as regards achieving waste reduction; calls on the Commission to come up withoverall waste reduction, moving up the waste hierarchy and the achievement of non- toxic material cycles; calls on the Commission to come up with further proposals on the missing elements of the circular economy including an ambitious and comprehensive strategy on plastics while also keeping with the 2020 target for environmentally sound management of chemicals;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 137 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the environmental significance and socio-economic benefits of biodiversity and notes that according to the latest 'Planetary boundaries' report, biodiversity loss is the biggest challenge the planet is facing; callnotes with concern that the targets onf the EU and Member States in this respect to step up's 2020 biodiversity strategy and of the Convention on Biological Diversity will not be met without substantial additional efforts; to achieve their goals of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 and restoring at least 15 % of degraded ecosystemhus calls on the Commission and Member States to step up their efforts - including fully implementing the Nature Directives - to achieve these targets;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 144 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that sufficient resources must be allocated for biodiversity conservation, in particular to the Natura 2000 network and the LIFE programme , and reiterates the necessity for a common tracking methodology that takes into account all direct and indirect spending on biodiversity and their efficiency;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 147 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes with concern the deficiencies in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, inter alia in terms of governance and strategic planning and calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure full and effective implementation of the Directive;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 152 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Notes with concern the severe deficiencies in access to water, sanitation along with other natural resources and basis services, particularly hitting vulnerable, marginalized groups, urges on the Commission and Member States to ramp up their efforts and correct these deficiencies;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 160 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Recognises that many of the aims of the SDGs are at the heart of the 7th Environment Action Programme; welcomes the focus on biodiversity, natural resources and ecosystems, and the acknowledged link between these elements and human health; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take all necessary steps to fully implement the 7th EAP;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 166 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Recognises that changes in the soil biodiversity and soil organic carbon are mostly driven by land management practices and land use change as well as climate change with severe negative impacts on entire ecosystems and the society, thus calls on the Commission to attribute particular attention to soil related issues in the forthcoming 8th EAP;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 168 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission to propose in a timely manner a Union Environmental Action Programme for the period after 2020, as required by Article 192(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as this will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in Europe;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 211 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recognises the crucial role of the European Fund for Sustainable Development. Calls for the EFSD to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and be guided by the objectives set out in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 208 TFEU and the internationally agreed development effectiveness principles, thus contributing to the Union's development and Neighbourhood policies, with a particular focus on poverty eradication, long-term sustainable and inclusive growth, decent job creation, socio-economic sectors and on the support to micro, small and medium sized enterprises. The EFSD shall also contribute to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement by targeting investments to sectors that advance climate change mitigation and adaptation.
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 213 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to conduct a systemic screening of all EU public funding to address any possible gaps and to make sure none of these are counter productive in achieving the EU long-term targets or the SDGs; and calls of the Commission and Member States to completely phase out all environmentally harmful subsidies;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 216 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Calls on the EIB to commit 40% of its lending portfolio to low-carbon and climate-resilient growth by 2030.
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 217 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Asks that the EIB allocate more funds to the ELENA initiative to provide grants for technical assistance focused on the implementation of energy efficiency, distributed renewable energy and urban transport projects and programmes.
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 220 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Recognises that resilient and sustainable infrastructure is a key principle of achieving a low-carbon sustainable future and brings a number of co-benefits; considers that any transition to a sustainable society can only be achieved by ramping up our share of renewable energy and continuing efforts to achieve better energy efficiency in building stock, appliances and the power grids; thus calls for a fundamental reorientation of infrastructure development to avoid any overdimensioned projects or any fossil- fuel or nuclear infrastructure lock-in with severe negative consequences;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 248 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Commission and member States to build capacities for integrated assessment, technological and institutional innovation and financial mobilization for the achievement of SDGs;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 255 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the intention to mainstream trade and investment policy with sustainable development, as well as the initiatives for consumption and production in the EU; calls for a rethinking of the investment policy and for the broad use of innovative financing tools for the achievement of the SDGs;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 259 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Commission to design, with the involvement of relevant stakeholders, and provide specific, tailor- made support for marginalized, low- income households and groups e.g. Roma people to ensure healthy lives and access to basic services and safe, clean natural resources such as air, water, affordable and modern energy and healthy nutrition, which would also contribute to attaining SDGs 1, 10 and 15 on ending poverty, reducing inequality and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 264 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Calls on the Commission to scale up efforts and funding for awareness raising, targeted education campaigns as well as enhancing citizens' commitments and action for sustainable development;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 287 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to come forward in the framework of the upcoming mid-term review of the common agricultural policy with proposals to further strengthen the greening measures as well as to ensure the attainment of, to facilitate the transition of agricultural systems and phase out subsidies for monoculture farming; also calls on the Commission to develop a sustainable food policy and actively encourage a dietary shift towards locally and ecologically produced food with a low carbon, land and water footprint in particular with a view to SDGs 2, 12 and 15;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 291 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to come forward in the framework of the upcoming mid-termongoing review of the common agricultural policy with proposals to further strengthen the greening measures as well as toshift from the current area-based payments towards a results- based system that supports farmers in the transition to a sustainable farming system that ensures the attainment of SDG 2;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 304 #

2017/2009(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Calls on the Commission to report on progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the EU to the high-level political forum (HLPF) on sustainable development before the end of its mandate in 2019;
2017/04/25
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2017/0347(COD)

Draft legislative resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Adopts its position at first reading, taking overRejects the Commission proposal;
2018/04/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 2 #

2017/0347(COD)

Draft legislative resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it replaces, substantially amends or intends to substantially amendwithdraw its proposal;
2018/04/26
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 212 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 18
(18) The European Parliament, in its Resolution on the "follow-up to the European citizens’ initiative Right2Water"86 , "called "on the Commission to recognise the importance of the human right to water and sanitation and of water as a public good and a fundamental value for all EU citizens and not as a commodity", and requested that Member States should pay special attention to the needs of vulnerable groups in society"87 . The specific situation of minority cultures, such as Roma, Sinti, Travellers, Kalé, Gens du voyage etc., whether sedentary or not – in particular their lack of access to drinking water – was also acknowledged in the Commission Report on the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies88 and the Council Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States89 . In light of that general context, it is appropriate that Member States pay particular attention to vulnerable and marginalised groups by taking the necessary measures to ensure that those groups have access to water. Without prejudice to the right of the Member States to define those groups, they should at least include refugees, nomadic communities, homeless people and minority cultures such as Roma, Sinti, Travellers, Kalé, Gens du voyage, etc., whether sedentary or not. Such measures to ensure access, left to the appreciation of the Member States, might for example include providing alternative supply systems (individual treatment devices), providing water via tankers (trucks and cisterns) and ensuring the necessary infrastructure for camps. _________________ 86 87 88P8_TA(2015)0294 P8_TA(2015)0294 87 P8_TA(2015)0294, paragraph 62. P8_TA(2015)0294, paragraph 62. 88 COM(2014) 209 final COM(2014) 209 final 89 Council Recommendation (2013/C 378/01) of 9 December 2013 on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States (OJ C 378, 24.12.2013, p. 1).
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 258 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. The objective of this Directive shall also be to ensure universal and affordable access to water intended for human consumption for all European inhabitants in a resource-efficient manner.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 292 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 7
7. 'priority premises' shall mean large premises with many users potentially exposed to water-related risks, such as hospitals, healthcare institutions, schools, universities and crèches, buildings with a lodging facility, penal institutions and campgrounds as well as sports, recreation and leisure facilities, as identified by Member States.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 355 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. Supply risk assessments shall be carried out by very large water suppliers and large water suppliers by [3 years after the end-date for transposition of this Directive], and by small water suppliers by [65 years after the end-date for transposition of this Directive]. They shall be reviewed at regular intervals of no longer than 6 years, and updated where necessary.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 369 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(c a) evaluation of hazards due to leaking pipes;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 401 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) prevention measures to reduce the level of treatment required and to safeguard the water quality, including measures referred to in Article 11(3)(d) of Directive 2000/60/EC as well as measures to reduce leakages in the system;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 404 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) mitigating measures, which are considered necessary on the basis of the monitoring carried out under paragraph 1(d), in order to identify and address the pollution source, after exhaustion of all possible prevention measures.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 410 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
The supply risk assessment shall also include a risk assessment with regard to the ability to provide the necessary water resources for the next three years.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 415 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Member States shall ensure that water suppliers perform an assessment of the average leakage level of the system. Member States shall ensure that water suppliers take all necessary action to reduce the average leakage level to less than 10% by 2025.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 425 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) an assessment of the potential risks associated with the domestic distribution systems, and with the related products and materials, including the risk of leakages, and whether they affect the quality of water at the point where it emerges from the taps normally used for human consumption, in particular where water is supplied to the public in priority premises;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 439 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Where Member States consider, on the basis of the assessment carried out under paragraph 1(a), that there is a risk to human health stemming from the domestic distribution system or from the related products and materials, including from leakages or where monitoring carried out in accordance with paragraph 1(b) demonstrates that the parametric values set out in Annex I, part C, are not met, Member States shall:
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 445 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
(b a) take all necessary measures to prevent leakages;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 540 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
(ii) encouragsuring the free provision of such water in administrations and public buildings;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 547 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c – point iii
(iii) encouraging the free provision ofsuring the possibility to get such water for free in restaurants, canteens, and catering services.
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 605 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a – point ii
(ii) extraction, production, treatment and distribution of water intended for human consumption, including water leakages and energy use;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 622 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a – point iv a (new)
(iv a) measures taken to ensure the long- term availability of water and the maintenance of water infrastructures;
2018/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 763 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) identification of the relevant water supplier, the area and number of people supplied, and the method of water production;
2018/07/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 821 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 5 – paragraph 1
Those parametric values and other non- ionised compounds and trace elements mayshall be displayed with a reference value and/or an explanation with regard to their relevance for health, if any;
2018/07/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 827 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – introductory part
(7) for very large water suppliers, annual information on:
2018/07/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 831 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – introductory part
(7) for very large water suppliers, annual information on:
2018/07/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 870 #

2017/0332(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex IV – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point e
(e) the amount of investment considered necessary by the supplier to ensure the financial sustainability of the provision of water services (including maintenance of infrastructure) and the amount of investment actually spent, received or recouped, and by whom;
2018/07/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Notes with concern that the transposition of the Environmental Liability Directive into national liability systems has not resulted in a level playing field and that the minimum standards set by the ELD are interpreted differently across the EU leading to implementation deficiencies;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 10 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that activities which have the potential to cause significant damage to biodiversity and the environmentith significant potential negative impacts on biodiversity and environment, such as the pipeline transport of dangerous substances, mining, and invasive alien species, are currently not covered by the requirement ofor strict liability; in particular for biodiversity damage, the Annex III activities do not sufficiently cover the sectors with potential damage;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 25 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. In the context of a review of the ELD, considers it paramounta priority to extend strict liability to non-Annex III activities for all environmental damage in order to render the legislation more effectiveto improve the effectiveness of the legislation; in the interest of clarity of the law recommends to the Commission to remove the Annex III;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 32 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. In the context of a review of the ELD, calls on the Commission to also impose liability for damage caused to human health and the environment; considers that doing so would br, e.g. air and wetlands; considers that this would streamlinge the ELD into line with other EU legislation based on the protection of human health and the environmenprotecting human health and the environment and would facilitate adding provisions in the ELD, such as the requirement to carry out preventive measures and emergency remedial action either in the Directive or in national law implementing it;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 38 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Calls furthermore for the removal of the options for granting permit defence and state-of-the art defences in order to create a level playing field and promote the polluter pays principle as well as improve the effectiveness of the legislation;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 46 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. In the context of a review of the ELD, restates its preference for mandatory financial security, e.g. a mandatory environmental liability insurance for operators; calls on the Commission to assess differentiated maximum liability thresholds for activities and to come forward with proposals to supplement this with an EU-wide fund designed to address remediation costs beyond the mandatory financial security;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 56 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Considers criminal sanctions another important deterrent against environmental damage and notes with regret that the Directive 2008/99/EC on the protection of the environment through criminal law is not up to date; calls for the Commission to review its scope to cover all applicable Union environmental legislation without further delay;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 57 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Stresses the urgency of establishing European legislation on minimum standards for implementing the Aarhus Convention access to justice pillar;
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 58 #

2016/2251(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Reinstates its call on the Commission to come forward with a proposal for environmental inspections at the European level without further delay.
2017/04/26
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital A
A. whereas whistle-blowers play an important and sometimes even crucial role in reporting irregularities, illegalities, fraud, corruption and other wrongdoing or breaches of the rule of law at European and national level both in the public and the private sectors;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital B
B. whereas the courage of those who, notwithstanding their personal and professional risks,whistleblowers do a service to the society by reporting or discloseing information inon wrongdoing in defence of the public interest is such, and therefore that the public authorities owes them adequate legal safeguards and protection;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph –1 (new)
-1. Believes that the lack of adequate whistleblower protection has a negative impact on the protection of the EU's financial interest;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to take all necessary steps to implement the resolution on the role of whistle-blowers in the protection of EU’s financial interests and, in particular, to submit legislative proposals aimed at establishing a minimum level of protection for European whistle- blowers with a horizontal approach and an effective and comprehensive European whistle-blower protection programme;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that only a few Member States have introduced sufficiently advanced whistleblower protection systems, notwithstanding the essential need of whistleblower protection in the prevention of, and fight against, corruption, and despite the fact that whistleblower protection is recommended in Article 33 of the UN Convention against Corruption;calls on those Member States which have not yet adopted the principles to protect whistle- blowers in their domestic law, to do so as soon as possible;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, although the focus of the resolution adopted by Parliament is on whistle-blowers in the context of the financial interests of the EU, many of the proposed measures canshould also apply to whistle-blowers in a broader sense, including, but not limited to, environmental protection, workers' rights, consumer protection;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the lack of adequate whistleblower protection may havehas a negative impact on the development and implementation of EU policy on environmental protection, public health and food safety;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 29 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Is convinced that whistleblowers play a keyn indispensable role in reducing risks to public health, the environment and food safety, and thatreas in which certain risks are hard to control externally, and that increased whistleblower protection will further encourage the disclosure of dangers to public health and the environment and improve food safetypublic interest disclosures related to these areas;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 34 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5a (new)
5 a. Regrets that not all of the EU's agencies have implement internal rules to protect whistle-blowers and calls on those agencies to implement the internal rules in accordance with Articles 22a, 22b and 22c of the Staff Regulations;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 35 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Expresses the view that the adoption of sector- specific legislation, such as in the field of the protection of the financial interests of the EU, cshould be fast- tracked and should not have to wait for the adoption of more generpreceded by adoption of general provisions with uniform minimum standard of legal protection, in order to efficiently protect the whistle- blowers who act in various issues under various jurisdictions within the EU or in various sectors of the common market; therefore calls on the Commission to submit a proposal of horizontal legislation on the protection of whistle-blowers. without any further delay;
2017/06/28
Committee: CONT
Amendment 36 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls recent high-impact cases such as Dieselgate, Nestle and the horsemeat scandals in which environmental, public health or food safety risks have been uncovered where disclosures from whistleblowers were instrumental in the detection of the risk, or where stronger protections of whistleblowers might have led to earlier risk detection and more limited damage;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 37 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Stresses that key advances in public health, notably in tobacco control, can ultimately be traced back to the release of internal documents by whistleblowers;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 38 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Draws attention to the fact that environmental, public health and food safety risks rarely stop at borders, meaning that weak or non-existent whistleblower protection in one Member State, which may prevent the timely detection of such risks, puts the health and safety of all EU citizens, as well as their ability to protect the environment, in jeopardy;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 39 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Points out that wildlife trafficking has become one of the world's most profitable forms of organised crime and notes the key role played by whistleblowers who report illegal trafficking, logging, fishing and other crimes against wildlife;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 40 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Stresses that evidence of violations of EU animal protection and food safety laws on farms and abattoirs relies almost exclusively on whistleblowers as these locations are not accessible to the general public and official controls are usually announced in advance;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 41 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2f. Recognises that fishing boats are extremely isolated when in operation at sea and that strong protection of whistleblowers is essential to enable them to provide evidence of illegal fishing and other violations of EU law;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 42 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 g (new)
2g. Deplores the fact that regulators, including those monitoring the food chain, are under resourced and thus dependent on whistleblowers for information, and that therefore both increased funding for regulators and effective protection for whistleblowers are essential;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 43 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses its concern at retaliation against whistle-blowers in their personal and professional lives, and at the possibility of initiating criminal and civil judicial proceedings against whistle- blowers; considers that people who want to reveal irregularities, mismanagement, misuse of funds, maladministration or potential corruption related to the activity of public and private bodies within the Union are not truly protected and do not feel protected; this is why many of them use other means to reveal the wrongdoing or even refrain from acting; therefore, calls for the creation of a clear horizontal legal framework that includes definitions, protection against different forms of reprisals, and exemptions from criminal and civil proceedings, according to criteria to be established; strongly believes that this will increase the citizens´ trust in their European and national bodies;
2017/07/06
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 45 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that proper legislation in this area will also help to rebuild trust in scientific expertiseswift and robust EU legislation to protect whistleblowers will also help to rebuild trust in democratic institutions, to facilitate scientific expertise and debate and to demonstrate the added value of EU action for citizens;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 55 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the creation of legal and secure disclosure channels at national and European level to facilitate reporting to the competent authorities of information on threats to the public interest; underlines the importance of confidentiality in all whistle-blowing related files and recalls that basic rules for the protection of anonymous whistle-blowers should be put in place, in cases where such protection is required;
2017/07/06
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 58 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that some provisions to protect whistleblowers in EU law are already in existence, but that these provisions are often limited in scope or scattered across different laws, leaving loopholes and gaps;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 63 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Urges the Commission to put forward a proposal for a whistleblower protection directive or any other EU instrument to the same effecthorizontal directive that puts in place robust common minimum standards in the EU for whistleblower protection and which builds on the Treaty provisions regarding environmental protection, public health and consumer protection;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 66 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls for the establishment of an independent advisory and referral Unit within the European Ombudsman in a position to receive reports, complaints, gather information and adequately advise on the protection of whistle-blowers;
2017/07/06
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 73 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that disclosures on environmental crimes, and other threats to the public interest which may result in health and food rissuesks, including in relation to emerging technologies for which the long-term environmental and health effects are still unknown, should fall within the scope of any EU instrument protecting whistleblowers;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 83 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights the fact that EU whistleblower protection legislation must be comprehensive and, wide in scope, fast- acting and must protect the whistleblower and his or her colleagues and relatives from any kind of retaliatory action and from civil, criminal or administrative procedures arising from the procedure;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 88 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Highlights the need for legal certainty regarding the protective provisions afforded to whistleblowers, as a continued lack of clarity and a fragmented approach deters potential whistleblowers from coming forward, and is detrimental to their employers, especially in the case of businesses that operate in multiple jurisdictions or sectors;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 96 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises that protection is needed not just for internal disclosures made through designated channels within the workplace or disclosures to public authorities or oversight bodies, but - taking into account the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights - also external disclosures made to the general public, via the media or otherwise;
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 101 #

2016/2224(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that EU legislation should establish a clear procedure for handling disclosures from start to finish to ensure proper follow-through on the actions taken by whistleblowers, from report submission and processing to ensuring effective whistleblower protection.
2017/06/19
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 10 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
- having regard to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. which was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan and entered into force on 12 October 2014;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 12 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 b (new)
- having regard to the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, and the related mid-term-review; 1a _________________ 1a Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 (COM/2011/0244 final)
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 13 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 c (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 2 February 2016 on the mid-term review of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy; 1b _________________ 1b (2015/2137(INI))
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 14 #

2016/2222(INI)

- having regard to the European Court of Auditor's Special report No 18/2016 on the EU system for the certification of sustainable biofuels;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 70 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas the Commission is required under the 7th Environment Action Programme to assess the environmental impact, in a global context, of Union consumption of food and non- food commodities and, if appropriate, develop policy proposals to address the findings of such assessments, and consider the development of a Union action plan on deforestation and forest degradation;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 73 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
I b. whereas the EU has committed under the 2030 agenda on sustainable development to promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally by 2020; as well as to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle and to promote sustainable public procurement practices; in accordance with national policies and priorities globally by 2020;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 103 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Notes the existence of various types of voluntary certification schemes, including RSPO, ISPO and MPOCC, and welcomes their development towards the sustainable cultivation of palm oilrole in promoting sustainable palm oil cultivation, but also notes that their standards are subject to criticism as regards sustainability criteria, especially in terms of ecological and social integrity;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 108 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes the importance of being able to distinguish between sustainably- and non-sustainably sourced palm oil and its residues and by-products, for all actors along the supply chain; notes the importance of traceability of commodities and transparency throughout all stages of the supply chain;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 111 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Is concerned by the European Court of Auditors report that concluded that certification schemes do not guarantee genuinely sustainable palm oil, notably certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) certification, which is not effective in ensuring relevant standards and compliance therewith; notes that the Court found some schemes were insufficiently transparent or had biased governance structures, thus increasing the risk of conflicts of interest and preventing effective communication with the Commission, national authorities, other schemes, certification bodies and economic operators;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 114 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Notes that once Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) is taken into account, crop-derived biofuels can in some cases even result in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, e.g. burning of habitats with high carbon stocks like tropical forests and peatland; is concerned that the impact of ILUC is not covered by the Commission's assessment of voluntary schemes;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 135 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the EU to continue to initiate voluntary partnership agreements, such as FLEGT; notes that a similar approach could also be taken with regard to palm oil,stresses the need to ensure these agreements are in line with international law and commitments concerning environmental protection, human rights and sustainable development and that it couldthey lead to improved controls on the palm industry in countries of destinationadequate measures for the conservation and sustainable management of forests, including the protection of the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples, notes that a similar approach could also be taken with a view to ensuring responsible supply chains of palm oil;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 146 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Calls foron the EU to create, as a supplementary element of voluntary partnership agreements, follow-up legislation on such agreements with regard to palm oil along the lines of the EU Timber RegulationCommission to come forward with a legislative proposal creating a compulsory certification scheme to guarantee that only sustainably produced palm oil (and other agricultural commodities and related products) enters the EU market. This includes at least that all palm oil (and other agricultural commodities and related products) placed on the EU market does not come from plantations that are linked to ecosystem degradation, e.g. deforestation or the degradation or destruction of peatlands, or disrespect for the rights of indigenous people and local communities;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 166 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – introductory part
8. Observes with regret that RSPO, ISPO, MPOCC and all other recognised certification schemes do not currently prohibit their members from converting rainforests or peatlands into palm plantations, and that they fail to limit greenhouse gas emissions during the establishment and operation of the plantations, and as a consequence of this they have been unable to prevent massive forest and peat fires; calls on the Commission to urge the RSPO to modify its certification criteria and to implement these criteria strictly; calls on the Commission to support the development of multilateralrecognises that the standards of the Palm Oil Innovation Group do prohibit forest and peatland conversion, and human rights abuses, and regrets that these standards are not widely adopted by industry; calls on the Commission to urge the RSPO to integrate the Palm Oil Innovation Group's standards into its principles and criteria and to ensure they are strictly respected; calls on the Commission to ensure an independent auditing and monitoring of those certification schemes that will, guaranteeing that the palm oil certified by themplaced on the EU market:
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 170 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 1
- has not led to ecosystem degradation, such as deforestation or the destruction of peatlands or other ecologically valuable habitats,
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 174 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 – indent 2
- has not given rise to social problems or conflicts, and that the rights of indigenous people and local communities were respected,
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 188 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal ensuring that loans provided by and projects financed by EU financial institutions are in no way related to deforestation, forest degradation, and unsustainable methods of palm oil production;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 192 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Calls on the Commission to press ahead with developing an EU action plan on deforestation and forest degradation, in line with the 7th Environment Action Programme, as well as an EU action plan on palm oil; these action plans should include adequate instruments and tools and should serve as the basis for legislation;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 207 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to increase import duties onnot to permit palm oil that is directly linked to deforestation and that does not reflect the real costs associated with the environmental burden on the EU market; notes that this instrument will require the involvement of reliable certification schemes;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 252 #

2016/2222(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to push for the use of palm oil as a component of biodiesel to be phased out by 2020 at the latesttake immediate measures to phase out land- based biofuels, such as palm oil biodiesel, that drive deforestation and compete for land against food production, put at risk our ecosystems or do not significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, at latest by 2020;
2016/12/07
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes with satisfaction that some agencies already cooperate according to their thematic grouping, such as the justice and home affairs agencies4 and the European Supervisory Authorities5 ; encourages other agencies which have not already started, to cooperate further with other agencies within the same thematic grouping whenever possible, not only in establishing shared services and synergies, but in their common policy areas as well; encourages the Court to consider presenting landscape reviews of the agencies’ common policy areas; calls on Commission and the Council when deciding on the reallocation of the agencies based in the United Kingdom to also take in account the possibilities to better cooperate with other agencies in the same thematic grouping and introduce shared services; _________________ 4 European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), European Agency for the Operational Management of Large- Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA), European Asylum Support Office (EASO), European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), European Police College (CEPOL), European Police Office (Europol), European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), The European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) 5 European Banking Authority (EBA), European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes with concern that Union regulatory agencies in charge of the risk assessment of regulated products, in particular EFSA, ECHA or EMA do not have the financial and legal resources to fulfil their mission properly: the Agencies can only afford very little or even no in- house research, pay the external experts they work with, and cannot publish in an easy and exhaustive way the scientific evidence they use because most of it is the property of regulated companies; takes also note of the fact that under the current regulatory framework industry as a whole faces much higher regulatory costs than the necessary because each applicant needs to provide a new, full dossier and numerous studies are repeated multiple times where once or twice would suffice; moreover, having regulated companies pay for the cost of their products' evaluation in an ad-hoc manner is unfair for SMEs, and this high entry cost to the market drives market concentration, harming innovation and consumers;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)
Calls on the Commission in line with recent statements from Juncker and Andtriukaitis1a , therefore to reform, harmonise and simplify the Union's legal framework for the risk assessment of regulated products to ensure sufficient funding for the risk assessment while ensuring that the industry bears the costs in a manner that ensures independence from the risk-assessor, for instance by contribution linked to total sales of the products falling under the scope of the regulating agency, and that the research is commissioned by the agencies and performed by independent laboratories and all results of all scientific experiments performed are published in the peer- reviewed scientific literature, and the complete raw data made available on request to enable scientific scrutiny and constant progress; _________________ 1aAndriukaitis and Juncker's remarks in the College meeting on the need to reinforce the scientific base of decisions, p. 28 & 32 respectively available online here: http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/r ep/10061/2017/EN/PV-2017-2198-F1-EN- MAIN-PART-1.PDF
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 b (new)
Calls on the Commission to better coordinate between the expertise needs of Union regulatory agencies and Union's Research Policy;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Acknowledges the efforts taken aboard to establish the equal presentation of both genders among the staff and members of the agencies' management; urges those agencies whose staff records still show an unsatisfactional gender balance for this imbalance to be further corrected and the results communicated back to the discharge authority as quickly as possible;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 23 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Notes from the Network that all agencies already adopted generic rules on whistleblowing as part of the ethics guidelines on whistleblowing and in accordance with the provisions of the staff regulations; notes with concern however, that only 65 % of the agencies adopted additional internal rules on whistleblowing; acknowledges from the Network that, in the cases where the relevant rules are not yet in place, the process is ongoing with pending adoption; notes that in several cases, the agencies are waiting for guidance or input from the Commission before they can finalise their rules; acknowledges moreover that the rules should be finalised and implemented in the first half of 2017; calls on the agencies to ensure that they not only formally oblige officials to report irregularities of all kinds but also to lay down adequate protection forwhich have still not adopted the internal whistleblowing rules to do so without delay and by doing so reinforce its internal whistleblowing policy in order to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, follow up the substance of whistle-blowers; call' alerts oin the agencies which have not sa timely manner keeping both the whistleblower and any potentiall adopted the internal whistleblowing rules to do so without delay, and equally cy involved person informed of the progress of the procedure, and put in place a channel for anonymous internal reporting; calls on the agencies to annually report back to the discharge authority on the number of whistleblower cases and their follow-up activities; calls on the agencies and equallsy on the Commission to provide the necessary guidance and approval where required;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Notes that out of the 16 agencies which use expert groups, scientific panels and committees, 13 took into account into their staffing policies the concerns raised by the Ombudsman’s own-initiative inquiry OI/6/2014/NF concerning the composition of the Commission expert groups; encourages the remaining agencies to take the Ombudsman’s concerns into account as soon as possible; whereby all documents and research submitted to the Agency by external experts should be accessible under the conditions provided for by Regulation 1049/2001, with due regard being given to the public interest in the research received from external experts where this research is used for market approvals or for the drafting of legislation;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
31. Takes note that the CVs and declarations of interests of the management board members, management staff and in house experts were published by 84 % of the agencies, compared to 74 % in the previous year; notes moreover that 60 % of the agencies check the factual correctness of the given declarations of interests of experts, management board and staff at least once a year; encourages the agencies which have not yet introduced such policy to verify the declarations on regular basis, if their resources allow for it; calls on all the agencies to adopt strict guidelines for a coherent policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest for members of the management board and directors, experts in scientific committees, and members of boards of appeal and to adopt and implement a clear policy on conflicts of interest, in accordance with the Roadmap on the follow-up to the Common Approach on Union decentralized agencies; calls on the agencies which have not yet introduced such policy to do so immediately and by publishing these documents allow the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 34 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls on the agencies to develop common guidelines for applying public access to documents, especially as regards intellectual property rights;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 36 #

2016/2206(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. Reiterates its position from the 2013 and 2014 discharge procedures that, according to the agreement of the Parliament, the Council and the Commission in paragraph 54 of the Common Approach, all aspects of outsourced external audits “remain under the full responsibility of the Court, which manages all administrative and procurement procedures required”; reiterates moreover that the new audit approach involving private sector auditors has resulted in a significant increase of the administrative burden on the agencies, as well as that the time spent on procurement and administration of audit contracts created additional expenditure thus straining further the diminishing resources of the agencies; expresses its concern by the possible conflicts of interests in cases when such private auditors or their respective companies also take on audit or consultancies task with the private sector companies with clear business interests with the Union agencies; emphasises that it is imperative to resolve this issue within the context of the ongoing revision of the Financial Regulation and the subsequent revision of the Framework Financial Regulation; calls on all parties involved in these revisions to provide clarity on this issue as a matter of urgency so as to significantly reduce the excessive administrative burden and to return to the preferred approach of a public audit scheme;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2193(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting (PBB) and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2193(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that, further to its audit of the Agency’s procurement procedures, the Court concluded that the Agency engaged in contractual agreements or negotiations with a single contractor, without precisely defining the services requested; is deeply concerned as such agreements involve a high risk of acting contrary to the principle of "economy", damaging the "cost-effectiveness" of such procurements and are much more exposed to the risk of corruption; observes that such agreements could also further limit competition and increase dependence upon the contractor; acknowledges that, in particular for the systems under management, factors outside the control of the Agency limit the possibility to systematically re-open competitions; encourages the Agency to conclude agreements with multiple suppliers or to define the services required more precisely, whenever possible;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2193(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that the Agency is awaiting further guidance from the Commission before formulating its internal whistleblowing rules; notes also that the Agency intends to adopt those rules during 2017has not yet adopted its internal whistleblowing policy; notes also that the Agency intends to adopt those rules during 2017; calls on the agency to effectively adopt and implement its internal whistleblowing policy in order to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, to regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, to follow up on the substance of whistleblowers' alerts in a timely manner and to put into place a channel for anonymous internal reporting. Annual reports on the number of whistleblower cases and the follow-up they received should also be published and provided to the discharge authority; asks the Commission to provide this further guidance as soon as possibleto the Agency and calls on the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the establishment and implementation of its whistleblowing rules;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2193(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Notes with concern that the curriculum vitae (CVs) of the Agency’s management board members and the CVs and the declarations of interest of the members of its advisory groups are not published on the Agency’s website; notes that the Agency did not forsee checking the factual correctness of the declarations of interest or, nor did it provide a process for updating them; urges the Agency to adopt guidelines for a coherent policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest for members of the management board and directors, experts in scientific committees, and members of boards of appeal and to adopt and implement a clear policy on conflicts of interest, in accordance with the Roadmap on the follow-up to the Common Approach on EU decentralised agencies and to publish such documents without exceptions and to grant the public any necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2016/2193(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in the composition of the Agency’s management board; urges the Agency to correct this imbalance and to communicate the results to the Parliament promptly;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2192(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2016/2192(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that the Office openly acknowledges that it does not publish the curriculum vitae of either the management board or the senior management teams; calls on the agency to publish such documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2192(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Acknowledges that, in order to improve its efficacy in relation to translation and interpretation costs, the Office signed a service level agreement with the Commission’s Directorate- General for Interpretation; notes moreover that the Office launched an open call for framework contracts in five lots in cascade, with the award criterion being the lowest price; calls on the agency to report back to the Parliament on the savings achieved;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2191(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2191(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that the Institute intends to conclude its internal rules on whistleblowing in the first half of 2017; calls on the Institute to adopt the internal whistleblowing policy which will foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, follow up the substance of whistleblowers’ alerts in a timely manner and put in place a channel for anonymous internal reporting. Annual reports on the number of whistleblower cases and the follow-up they received should also be published and provided to the discharge authority; asks the Institute to keep the discharge authority informed of its progress in this matter;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2191(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Notes from the Court that for the selection of external experts evaluating KIC proposals and business plans, the Institute makes use of Article 89 of the Financial Regulation to derogate from the obligation of launching a call for expression of interest; notes, however, that Institute has not fully established internal procedures to regulate implementation of this derogation; notes that in practice, Institute established its pool of experts using existing expert lists and databases of other institutions of the Union and individuals not on these lists following recommendations from the Institute governing board and staff members; calls on the Institute to ensure maximum transparency and integrity in the expert selection procedure by setting relevant internal measures, while ensuring absence of potential conflict of interest;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2191(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Notes with concern that the Institute has not taken specific initiatives in order to increase transparency relating to its contacts with stakeholders and lobbyists; calls on the Institute to enact a proactive lobby transparency policy, to refuse meetings with unregistered lobbyists that fall within the scope of the transparency register, and to maintain a balance between economic and non- economic actors in their contacts with interest representatives;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2016/2191(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes with concern that general visibility of the Institute is low and some of the KICs´ partners are not aware of their affiliation with the Institute; calls for a better visibility and promotion of the Institute brand as a unique innovation community; welcomes the recent success in listing 18 Institute Community Members in the Forbes 30 under 30 list, featuring Europe´s best young innovators and entrepreneurs;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2190(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2190(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Office expects to conclude its internal rules on whistleblowing in the first half of 2017; calls on the agency to adopt the internal whistleblowing policy which will foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, follow up the substance of whistleblowers' alerts in a timely manner and put in place a channel for anonymous internal reporting. Annual reports on the number of whistleblower cases and the follow-up they received should also be published and provided to the discharge authority; asks the Office to report to the discharge authority on the establishment and implementation of its whistleblowing rules;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2189(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2016/2189(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that the Agency’s administrative Board adopted the policy for the prevention and management of conflicts of interests, applicable to its staff with specific provisions for management, as well as to its administrative board, its board of regulators, its board of appeal, its working group chairs and co-chairs and its task-force convenors; notes, furthermore, that the Agency published the declarations of conflicts of interests on its website but points out that some CVs and declarations of the members of the board of regulators remain missing; calls on the Agency to publish these documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management; notes that in 2016, the administrative board detected a potential conflict of interests of one of its members and followed the ad hoc procedure provided for; asks the Agency to provide further information about this issue to the discharge authority;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2188(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2188(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Notes from the Court’s report that regarding the three comments made in the Court’s 2011 and 2012 reports, the status of corrective action is still marked as “Ongoing”; urges the agency for this corrective actions to be implemented as quickly as possible and the results communicated to the discharge authority;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2016/2188(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that Management Board members of the Authority are required to sign a declaration of the absence of conflict of interest in contrast to a declaration of interests, but that declarations and the CVs of its Board members are not published on the Agency’s website; calls on the agency to publish such documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2016/2188(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Considers that the minutes of meetings of the Board of Supervisors and of the Stakeholder Groups, which are publicly available, should be published immediately after the meeting to provide better insight into the discussions held, members' positions and voting behaviour; believes that outreach to EU citizens could also be enhanced by web streaming events; is concerned about de facto unequal accessibility of documents and information from internal meetings to different stakeholders, including the European Parliament; is of the opinion that ESMA should establish a secure channel for whistle-blowers in the framework of its action plan for the years to come.
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2187(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2187(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Notes with concern that, with the exception of the CVs of the Senior Management Board, the CVs and the declarations of interest of the Authority’s Management Board members and of the Senior Management Board are not published on the Authority’s website; calls on the agency to publish such documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2016/2187(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Considers that the minutes of meetings of the Board of Supervisors and of the Stakeholder Groups, which are publicly available, should be published immediately after the meeting to provide better insight into the discussions held, members’ positions and voting behaviour; believes that outreach to Union citizens could also be enhanced by web streaming events; is concerned about de facto unequal accessibility of documents and information from internal meetings to different stakeholders, including the European Parliament; is of the opinion that EIOPA should establish a secure channel for whistle-blowers in the framework of its action plan for the years to come.
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2186(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting, good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2016/2186(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the Authority adopted a conflict of interest policy in October 2014 and has ethics guidelines in place since 2012; acknowledges that during the recruitment procedure, future staff must declare potential conflicts of interest, in addition to the assessment of their curriculum vitae; takes note that all staff must declare potential conflicts of interest on an annual basis, which are assessed by the Authority’s ethics officer; notes that the members of the Board of Supervisors and their alternates must also declare their actual or potential conflicts of interest, including economic interests, in particular any holdings in shares of financial institutions; notes further that all these declarations and those of the Authority’s senior management are published on its website and are updated annually; notes, however, that the curriculum vitaes of neither the Management Board nor the Board of Supervisors are published on the Authority’s website; calls on the agency to publish such documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2016/2186(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Considers that the minutes of meetings of the Board of Supervisors and of the Stakeholder Groups, which are publicly available, should be published immediately after the meeting to provide better insight into the discussions held, members' positions and voting behaviour; believes that outreach to Union citizens could also be enhanced by web streaming events; is concerned about de facto unequal accessibility of documents and information from internal meetings to different stakeholders, including the European Parliament; is of the opinion that EBA should establish a secure channel for whistle-blowers in the framework of its action plan for the years to come.
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2016/2186(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Following the triggering of the Article 50 by the Government of the United Kingdom calls on the Commission and the Council to make the merits and the decision making process on the EBA's reallocation destination transparent and democratic;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2185(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2185(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that some of the curriculum vitae and declarations of interest of the Institute’s management board members and staff are not published on its website; calls on the Institute to publish such documents and enable the public to perform the necessary overview of its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that the curriculum vitae (CVs) and declarations on the absence of conflicts of interest of the Office’s Director and Deputy Directors have been published on its website since September 2015; notes with concern that the CVs and declarations of interest of the Office’s management board are not published on its website; notes that Regulation (EU) 2016/794 (the new Europol Regulation) is set to apply from 1 May 2017; acknowledges that once the new Europol Regulation applies, the Office’s management board will adopt rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of its members, including in relation to their declarations of interest; asks the Office to publish CVs and declarations of interest of the Office's management board on its website and to grant the public any necessary overview on its senior management, and to report to the discharge authority on the establishment and implementation of its conflict of interest rules;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that 75 % of all pending audit recommendations by the Court, the IAS, the Europol Joint Supervisory Body, the Data Protection Officer of the Commission, and the Internal Audit Function, graded as critical or very important, were addressed in 2015; asks the agency to report to the discharge authority on the progress of implementing the remaining recommendations or the reasons as to why the agency decided not to address them;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Notes with concern the use by the Agency of the controversial private database WorldCheck, which often links individuals and organisations to terrorism purely on the basis of public resources, without any proper investigation, transparency or provision of effective means of redress; calls on the Agency to explain to the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs the way in which it uses this private database in its work in order to assess the relevance of the use of public funds for acquiring licences for WorldCheck;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2183(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2182(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2182(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Agency has implemented a robust conflict of interest policy and a detailed anti-fraud strategy in order to contribute to a culture of high ethical behaviour among the staff and experts working for the Agency, but not hashas not set up specific rules on obligations after leaving the service for its experts and staff; calls on the Agency to set up and implement those specific rules;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2181(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of the EU institutions through improving on transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of the Performance Based Budgeting (PBB) and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2181(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that declarations of absence of conflicts of interests and the CVs of the Executive Director, Management Board members and senior management teams were submitted and published on the Agency’s website; notes that the factual accuracy of the declarations of interests were not checked; calls on the Agency to introduce the regular checks and updates on the accuracy of the declarations of interests;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2180(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2180(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Notes from the Court’s report that the Agency experienced high staff turnover in 2015, with 14 staff members leaving and 26 joining; acknowledges from the Agency that the high staff turnover results from difficulties in attracting and retaining key staff in a very competitive and technical segment of the employment market, essentially due to its headquarters location and the related disproportionately low and steadily decreasing correction coefficient affecting salary levels in the Czech Republic; notes, moreover, that the Agency is pursuing all available ways in which to increase its attractiveness, in particular by insisting on the significance of its mission; calls on the Agency and the Commission to report back to the discharge authority on the possible improvements in the attractiveness of the posts at the agency;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2180(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Agency’s administrative board has agreed to request all of its members to complete individual declarations of interest; notes also that the declarations of interest of the chair and deputy chair of the administrative board will soon be published on the website; asks the Agency to gather and publish declarations of interest and CVs without further delay and by doing so allow the public the necessary overview on its senior management and to update the discharge authority on developments related to this matter;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2016/2180(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that the Agency has not implemented specific rules in relation to whistleblowers in addition to what is provided for in the Staff Regulations; calls on the Agency to adopt the internal whistleblowing policy in order to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, follow up the substance of whistleblowers’ alerts in a timely manner and put in place a channel for anonymous internal reporting. Annual reports on the number of whistleblower cases and the follow-up they received should also be published and provided to the discharge authority; acknowledges that the Agency has informed staff about those whistleblowing rules; asks the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the establishment and implementation of internal whistleblowing rules;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2016/2180(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in the Agency’s senior management board members; urges the Agency for this imbalance to be corrected and the results communicated to the Parliament as quickly as possible;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Notes that, according to the Court's report, Frontex did not sufficiently address the potential for conflicts of interest when setting up negotiation teams managing the negotiations of joint operation grants; notes with concern that the negotiation teams have the power to accept or renegotiate the resources proposed by the participating states, while neither the decision on team composition nor on the appointment and resources requested is taken by the Director or by the management board; notes with concern that such a procedure can result in granting finances for joint operations that do not fully safeguard the principles of transparency and equal treatment; further notes that there is no formal requirement for staff to declare an absence of conflicts of interest before participating in bilateral negotiation teams; calls on the Agency to introduce measures and an appropriate conflict of interest policy that will ensure the transparency of the procedure and the absence of conflicts of interest on the part of the negotiators;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Welcomes the contribution of the Agency to saving more than 250 000 people at sea in 2015; welcomes the increase of the Agency's search and rescue capacity following the tragic events of spring 2015; believes, nevertheless, that a coherent European response to search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean must be independent from border management and control missions and must be designed as a stand-alone mission;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls for a greater exchange of information between Frontex, Union justice and home affairs agencies and the Member States, in full respect of data protection rules and, in particular, the principle of purpose limitation, in order to improve the effectiveness of Frontex grant-funded joint operations; regrets that the actual impact of joint operations is difficult to assess;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2178(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance=based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2177(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2177(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that, according to the Agency, its new policy on prevention and management of conflicts of interest for its Administrative Board members was approved; takes note that the Agency consequently published the declarations of absence of conflicts of interests and CVs of its Administrative Board members on its website; notes furthermore that an action for publishing the CVs and declarations of interest of the Agency’s Management board will follow once the policy on conflict of interests is revised in 2017; calls on the Agency to publish CVs and declarations of interests of its Management Board members on Agency´s website without further delay and carry out the revision of the policy parallel to it; calls on the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the result of the action;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2177(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance both in the Agency´s senior management and management board members; urges the Agency for this imbalances to be corrected and the results communicated to the Parliament as quickly as possible;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Acknowledges the fact that the Agency finds it difficult to recruit, attract and retain suitably qualified staff, mainly due to the types of post that are being offered (contract agents posts) and the low coefficient factor which applies to salaries of the Agency’s employees in Greece; calls on the Agency and the Commission to report back to the discharge authority on the possible solutions to the problem;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the Agency intends to adopt internal rules on whistleblowing during the first quarter of 2017; calls on the agency to adopt the internal whistleblowing policy that will foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, follow up the substance of whistleblowers' alerts in a timely manner and put in place a channel for anonymous internal reporting. Annual reports on the number of whistleblower cases and the follow-up they received should also be published and reported to the discharge authority; asks the Agency to report to the discharge authority on the establishment and implementation of its whistleblowing rules;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes with concern that the CVs and declarations of interest of the Agency’s management board members and of its executive board are not published on its website, except for the CV of the management board chair; notes with concern that the Agency has not provided for any arrangements for checking or updating of the declarations of interest; calls on the Agency to publish these documents without further delay and by doing so allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management and provides for regular checking and updating of the declarations of interest;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Notes with concern that the Agency has not provided for any specific initiative for improving transparency in its contacts with lobbyists and stakeholders; calls on the Agency to enact a proactive lobby transparency policy, to refuse meetings with unregistered lobbyists that fall within the scope of the Transparency Register, and to maintain a balance between economic and non-economic actors in their contacts with interest representatives;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Centre has taken specific initiatives in order to increase transparency relating to its contacts with lobbyists, and that an internal procedure on meetings with the pharmaceutical sector is under preparation; calls on the Centre to enact a proactive lobby transparency policy, to refuse meetings with unregistered lobbyists that fall within the scope of the Transparency Register;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the contribution of the Authority to the safety of the Union food and feed chain, by providing Union risk managers with comprehensive,and stresses that independent and up-to-date scientific advice on questions linked to the food chain, as well as clear communicationg clearly to the public on its outputs and the information on which they are based, and cooperating with interested parties and institutional partners to promote coherence and trust,are crucial in order to strengthen public trust in the Authority and in the Union food safety system;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 11 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Fails to understand why the Authority hired without any cooling-off period a lobbyist from the food industry as its Communications Director; considers that in the current climate of strong criticism against the Union such a decision is particularly unfortunate;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the Authority should continue paying special attention to public opinion, and commit itself, as much as possible, to openness and, transparency, and independence from all companies whose products it has to evaluate; welcomes, in this respect, that in 2015, the Authority successfully tested its new methodological approach to the use of scientific evidence; also welcomes, in this context, the improvements in sharing data by opening up the data warehouse of the Authority to a growing number of stakeholders; calls on the Authority to review its independence policy swiftly and in a way that reassures the public about its independence from all regulated companies; calls on the Authority to strictly follow its independence policy whenever new members are appointed to its scientific panels and working groups; encourages the Authority to further progress on this path;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 13 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses that experts with financial interests linked to companies whose substances are evaluated by the Authority shall not be allowed to sit in the Authority's scientific panels or working groups, and that no such expert should be appointed by the Authority before two years after his/her interests have expired; is convinced that the Authority should be endowed with a sufficient budget to hire independent in-house experts with no conflicts of interests;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Takes note that the Authority has already committed to introduce two-year cooling-off periods in relation to the following interests: membership of a managing entity or scientific advisory body, employment and consultancy; calls on the Authority to ensure that a two-year cooling-off period covers all material interests related to commercial companies whose products are assessed by the Authority, as well as organisations funded by them;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Takes note that the Authority has already committed to introduce two-year cooling-off periods in relation to the following interests: membership of a managing entity or scientific advisory body, employment and consultancy; calls on the Authority to swiftly implement the measure in line with the Discharge Authority's repreated requests;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses that a core element of scientific credibility is transparency as regards the scientific studies which have been considered, as well as reproducibility of the results;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 18 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the Authority to revise its access to documents policy, following the European Court of Justice's rulings on requests related to access to environmental documents from 23rd November 20161a . The Court ruled that, when a person requests access to environmental documents, the concept of 'information on emissions into the environment' covers, inter alia, information concerning the nature and effects of the release of a pesticide into air, water or soil, or onto plants, and that the confidentiality of commercial and industrial information may not be invoked to preclude the disclosure of such information; _________________ 1aJudgments in Cases C-673/13 P Commission v Stichting Greenpeace Nederland and PAN Europe and C- 442/14 Bayer CropScience and Stichting De Bijenstichting v College voor de toelating van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden; see http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/a pplication/pdf/2016-11/cp160128en.pdf
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 20 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Believes that, in order to strengthen public trust in the Authority, the European Parliament should be closely involved in this process of revision of the Authority's conflict of interest rules and the related composition of a special working group in the board;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 21 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Stresses that experts with financial interests in companies whose substances are regulated by the Authority shall not be allowed to sit in the Authority's scientific panels or working groups, and that no such expert should be appointed by the Authority before two years after his/her interests have expired; is convinced that the Authority should be endowed with a sufficient budget to hire independent in- house experts with no conflicts of interests;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 22 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6 e. Is concerned that any staff reduction within the Authority could seriously damage its capacities and reputation; believes, therefore, that it should be ensured that no reduction of staff takes place;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 23 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6 f. Believes that, in order to further the trust of the citizens of the Union, the Authority should take further steps as regards transparency and accountability, such as publishing the minutes of the its management board meetings, as well as the remunerations for experts' declared activities, and it should regularly check declarations of interests and publish the results as an annex to its yearly report;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 24 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges from the Authority that, since the adoption of its 2011 policy on independence, it assesses and validates 100 % of the declarations of interest submitted by its experts, which on average corresponds to a grand total ranging from 6 000 to 7 000 declarations of interest per year that are assessed and validated by the Authority’s staff, in accordance with its policy on independence and its rules on declarations of interest; takes note that the Authority additionally, twice per year, performs additional compliance and veracity checks by staff not involved in the ordinary checks mentioned above; calls on the Authority to publish the results of its checks as an annex to its yearly report; notes that a review of the 2011 policy is ongoing with a public consultation planned for spring 2017 and a target date of adoption of the new independent policy by summer 2017; notes with concern that the Authority’s policy on prevention and management of conflicts of interests is not applied to its interim staff;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that there were important milestones in the Authority’s communications with risk managers and the public in 2015: the launch of its new website based on extensive user research, and the move of the EFSA Journal to an external professional publishing platform. Progress was also made by the Applications Helpdesk, the Authority’s front office and support desk for the safety assessment of regulated products. With those and many other projects and initiatives, the Authority ensured that it remained an effective and trusted service of scientific advice for the interests of consumers Such projects and initiatives help enhancing a positive perception of the Authority within the Unionpublic;
2016/12/14
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 25 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges from the Authority that, since the adoption of its 2011 policy on independence, it assesses and validates 100 % of the declarations of interest submitted by its experts, which on average corresponds to a grand total ranging from 6 000 to 7 000 declarations of interest per year that are assessed and validated by the Authority’s staff, in accordance with its policy on independence and its rules on declarations of interest; calls on the Authority to publish the remunerations for experts' declared activities at least in brackets; takes note that the Authority additionally, twice per year, performs additional compliance and veracity checks by staff not involved in the ordinary checks mentioned above; notes that a review of the 2011 policy is ongoing with a public consultation planned for spring 2017 and a target date of adoption of the new independent policy by summer 2017; notes with concern that the Authority’s policy on prevention and management of conflicts of interests is not applied to its interim staff;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Insists that the Authority implements its independence policy consistently, and in particular for panel chairs and vice-chairs;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Is concerned that a vice-chair of the Authority's Pesticides Panel is currently involved in a research project half-funded (at 50%) by the European Crop Protection Association;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. Is concerned that at four members of the working group on the food additive titanium dioxyde (E171) interveded at the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) according to a TV documentary screened on 26/02 on France 5; reminds the Authority that ILSI is the same institute which has caused the scandal leading to the postphonement of the Authority's discharge in 2012;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that only some of declaration of interests of the Authority’s Management Board members are published on its website; calls on the Athuroty to ensure that all declarations are published urgently;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 37 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on the Authority to revise its access to documents policy, following the European Court of Justice's rulings on requests related to access to environmental documents from 23rd November 2016 1a ; the Court ruled that, when a person requests access to environmental documents, the concept of 'information on emissions into the environment' covers, inter alia, information concerning the nature and effects of the release of a pesticide into air, water or soil, or onto plants, and that the confidentiality of commercial and industrial information may not be invoked to preclude the disclosure of such information; _________________ 1aJudgments in Cases C-673/13 P Commission v Stichting Greenpeace Nederland and PAN Europe and C- 442/14 Bayer CropScience and Stichting De Bijenstichting v College voor de toelating van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden; see http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/a pplication/pdf/2016-11/cp160128en.pdf
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 39 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Calls on the Authority to publish its list of Food Safety Organisations, as well as the outcome of its evaluations of experts' interests;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 41 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19 c. Request that the Authority, as a matter of principle, uses only published and peer reviewed studies for the assessment of regulated products, so that any scientist qualified in the field can replicate its findings; urges the Commission to review the applicable legal framework to enable the Authority to do so in secure legal conditions; suggests that this legal review is performed in line with the following requirements: (a) the research necessary is performed much earlier in the process of authorisation; (b) the evidence is produced by laboratories independently from the producers; (c) the data is made entirely available to the scientific community; (d) the cost is met by the producer in a way that does not penalise SMEs against large corporations;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 42 #

2016/2174(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19 d. Calls on the Authority to verify systematically the correctness of the GLP– status of the scientific studies that are used for risk assessments;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that the Agency published the declarations of absence of conflicts of interests and the CVs of their respective management board members on its website; points out however that some of the CVs are still missing or show inconsistencies; notes moreover that the Agency has put in place a policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest which takes into account its external staff members, interim staff and second national expert; notes, however, that the Agency did not foresee any checks of the factual correctness or a process for updating the declarations of interest; notes that the Agency set up and implemented internal rules on whistleblowing; calls on the agency to publish the missing CVs and implement systematic checks on the declarations of interest and by doing so allow the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes with concern that the Agency has not taken specific initiatives in order to increase transparency relating to its contacts with stakeholders and lobbyists; calls on the agency to enact a proactive lobby transparency policy, to refuse meetings with unregistered lobbyists that fall within the scope of the Transparency Register, and to maintain a balance between economic and non-economic actors in their contacts with interest representatives.
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2016/2173(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in its Management Board members; urges the Agency for this imbalance to be corrected and the results communicated to the Parliament as quickly as possible;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes with concern that the declarations of interest of its Administrative Board members are not published on its website and that the Agency has not foreseen any check or update of the declarations of interest of its management board members; calls on the Agency to publish such documents with no exceptions, introduce the regular checks and updates of its management board members' declarations of interest and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that the Agency has not taken specific initiatives in order to increase transparency relating to its contacts with stakeholders and lobbyists; calls on the Agency to enact a proactive lobby transparency policy, to refuse meetings with unregistered lobbyists that fall within the scope of the Transparency Register, and to maintain a balance between economic and non-economic actors in their contacts with interest representatives;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2172(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in the Agency’s Management Board members; urges the Agency for this imbalance to be corrected and the results communicated to the Parliament as quickly as possible;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the exercise of collecting tFoundation has not collected and published declarations of conflicts of interests of the Foundation’all of its governing board members is; not complete, although a majority of the members have submitted the requested documents; acknowledges thaes that at the moment there is no mechanism which obliges the members to provide thesuch documents; notes that even some of the available declarations are publishednd CVs on the Foundation's website but that in some cases the system requests a password in order to access the CVs and declarations; takes note of the fact that the Foundation is actively pursuing the publication of the residual number of outstanding declarations, which will be published upon receipt, provided that consent for publicatiare accessible only with a password; calls on the Foundation to adopt strict guidelines for a coherent policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest for members of the management board and to adopt and implement a clear policy on conflicts of interest, in accordance with the Roadmap on the follow-up to the Common Approach on EU decentralised agencies; calls on the Foundation to publish, in accordance with the guidelines above, all such documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its givsenior management; welcomes the fact that all declarations of conflicts of interests of the Foundation's relevant staff have been collected;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2170(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2170(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Regrets that Eurojust faced budgetary availability issues and that for the second successive year Eurojust was forced to resort to mitigation measures subject to an amending budget; regrets that the financial uncertainty with which Eurojust was confronted required the postponement of some of its on-going activities and the deferral of valuable technological developments; requests that Eurojust and the Commission solve these known structural problems and secure a proper level of funding for the coming years;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2016/2170(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance both in Eurojust’s senior management and manaCollege ment board membersmbers; urges Eurojust for this imbalance to be corrected as quickly as possible and the results communicated to the European Parliament and to he Council;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes with concern, that despite the 2015 reform, the Agency’s conflict of interests’ policy remains flexible; is especially concerned that revolving doors for experts receiving grants from the private sector have not been prohibited, in the context of the reform for both being hired at the Agency and for the post- employment period;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Reminds the Agency that Directive 2003/63/EC states that medicines can only be considered for Union marketing authorisation if they have been tested according to ethical guidelines, and reminds the Agency of its commitment to perform extra checks on clinical trials carried out outside the European Union before granting a drug market authorisation 1a ; therefore, due to the special vulnerabilities of those tests, asks the Agency to report to the Discharge Authority every year on actions taken to ensure drugs for the Union Market were tested ethically in lower and middle income countries, in accordance with the law; _________________ 1a Reflection paper on ethical and GCP aspects of clinical trials of medicinal products for human use conducted outside of the EU/EEA and submitted in marketing authorisation applications to the EU Regulatory Authorities http://www.fercap- sidcer.org/publications/pdf/201205/08- FERCAP-21- EMA%20Reflection%20Paper%20on%20 Ethical%20and%20GCP%20Aspects%20 of%20Clinical%20Trials.pdf
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2169(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Notes that the Agency launched a pilot project on "adaptive pathways" in March 2014 aiming to accelerate market authorisations for specific medicines using the so-called post-marketing authorisation; is concerned that the pilot project raises numerous public health concerns and undermines the core mission of the Agency, namely to ensure safety of medicines; asks the Agency to report to the Discharge Authority on the project and the measures it has taken to ensure that this acceleration of the procedure does not undermine its core mission;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2168(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2168(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges that the Centre’s anti-fraud strategy was adopted by its management board in October 2016; notes that the Centre will include a standard chapter regarding transparency, accountability and integrity in its 2017 annual report; notes with concern the absence on the Centre’s website of the curriculum vitae of the Director, the members of the management board and their alternates; calls on the Centre to publish such curricula vitae, allowing the public to have a necessary overview of its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2016/2168(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that, according to the Centre’s Annual Activity Report, on the basis of the end-of-year review performed by the Centre’s management, and applying the new weighting factors, the overall implementation of the Centre’s work programme for 2015 was 83,2 %, representing a 2,3 % decrease compared to the previous year; invites the Centre to recheck its planning for the annual work programme and the overall implementation and report back to the discharge authority on the possible interventions or improvements;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of the performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Agency has yet to implement internal rules on whistleblowing; acknowledges the fact that the Agency is awaiting guidelines from the Commission and it foresees adoption of the necessary rules in the near future; asks the Agency to report to the discharge authority; calls on the Agency to adopt the rules that will allow its internal whistleblowing policy to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace, regularly inform and train employees on their duties and rights, ensure protection of the whistleblower from reprisal, follow up the substance of whistleblowers' alerts in a timely manner and put in place a channel for anonymous internal reporting. Annual reports on the number of whistleblower cases and the follow-up they received should also be published and, together with the report on the establishment and implementation of itsthe whistleblowing rules reported back to the discharge authority;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2167(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Notes with concern that the Agency’s policy on the prevention and management of conflicts of interests does not take into account external staff members, interim staff and seconded national experts; calls on the Agency to update their policy to also include external staff members, interim staff and seconded national experts and to report back to the discharge authority;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of the performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2016/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes with concern that the Agency’s Management Board members are not required to make their CVs and declarations of interest publicly available, and consequently only a few can be found on its website; notes that the CVs and declarations of interest of its senior management team are published in the website; calls on the agency to publish the CVs of its Management Board members and to allow the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2016/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Takes note that the Agency is striving for improved gender balance in the junior management but notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in its senior management team; urges the Agency to correct this imbalance and to communicate the results to Parliament as quickly as possible;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2164(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of the performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2163(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2163(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Regrets the fact that the Agency's mandate still limits its role as regards the support for fundamental rights; stresses that the Agency should be able to offer opinions on legislative proposals on its own initiative and that its remit should extend to all areas of rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including, for example, issues of police and judicial cooperation;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2163(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with concern a significant gender imbalance in the Agency’s senior management board members; urges the Agency to correct this imbalance and to communicate the results to the European Parliament as soon as possible;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2162(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2162(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges the fact that the Foundation was committed to increasing the number of declarations of interest and CVs available on its website and that it aimed to collect declarations from all board members as the new governing board was to be appointed after the expiration of the mandate of the current board in November 2016; notes, however, that some of the governing board’s CVs and declarations of interests are still missing; calls on the Foundation to acquire and publish such documents and allows the public the necessary overview on its senior management;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2016/2162(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Foundation’s target of 80 % regarding the number of planned outputs in its work programme was not achieved, even though the Foundation improved its performance in comparison to 2014; acknowledges the fact that the reasons why the Foundation missed the target are principally related to delays by contractors and the scarcity of staff resources; notes, furthermore, that a more realistic number of projects and deliverables was planned and implemented in 2016, in line with the Foundation’s reduced resources; is concerned that, with the current resources outlook, the Foundation’s pan-European surveys are not secured in the long term as well as that the Foundation cannot commit to embark on further work, such as on migrants and refugees or undeclared work, despite strongly worded requests by its governing board; calls on the Foundation and the Commission to tackle the scarcity of staff resources and report back to the discharge authority on the possible solutions;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2161(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, Parliament stresses the special importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the institutions of the Union by improving transparency and accountability, implementing the concept of performance based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2161(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Acknowledges the fact that, as a standard procedure, the Centre’s Director requested newly appointed governing board members to sign a declaration of conflicts of interests in compliance with the Centre’s policy on the prevention and management of conflict of interests adopted in October 2014; notes, moreover, that the Centre regularly reminded and encouraged the few members of the governing board which have not yet submitted a declaration of absence of conflict of interest to do so; urges those remaining Members shouldto submit signed declarations as soon as possiblewithout further delay; calls on the Centre to publish these documents on their website as to allow the public the necessary overview on the Centre's senior management;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2161(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Takes note of the fact that the Centre is addressing various safety issues related to the construction of the building; notes in particular a safety issue concerning the building’s glass façade and the skylights of the Centre’s conference rooms, which is affecting the availability of the Centre’s facilities; calls on the Centre and the Commission to prepare a risk- assessment paper to serve as a basis for future decisions to be taken as to possible repairs to the construction or eventual decisions on reallocation to another building;
2017/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2016/2160(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Reminds the EEAS that there is a silver lining between economic diplomacy and lobbying; calls therefore on the EEAS to set up rules on lobbying in order to distinguish between the two, join the future Inter-Institutional Agreement on a Mand ato enhance try Transparency for lobbying both in the headquarter and the delegationsRegister, including for the Union delegations, insofar as this is legally possible;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2160(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Takes note of the annual expenditure of EUR160 million devoted to the Union’s delegation network, which represent more than a 50 % increase compared to the preceding financial year; notes that 80 % of the delegations are still rented, the rents amounting to EUR 53,04 million in 2015; welcomes the loan facility of EUR200million for better managing the building policy and reducing the purchasing costs of delegations; regrets that despite the loan facility and the increase in expenditure only a few delegation buildings are owned by the EEAS; calls on the EEAS to present not only the delegation building contracts of the referred year but to provide an overview of the situation of all delegation buildings for the yearly activity report;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2016/2158(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the continuation of the Ombudsman's investigations into "revolving door" cases in the Commission; raises the concern on the "internal revolving door" between the Ombudsman and the other institutions which might have beenbe under scrutiny of the Ombudsman or between the other institutions which might scrutinising each other's work; calls on the Ombudsman to analyse the situation and to work out rules in order to avoid conflicts of interests if it considers it to be necessary;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 3 #

2016/2158(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the importance of the Ombudsman’s strategic and own initiatives and invites the Ombudsman to inform regularly inform the discharge authority about the impact of its inquiries; reiterates, however, that the Ombudsman’s first priority should be to address complaints from citizens within a reasonable time frame and that own-initiative inquiries should under no circumstances infringe that objective; asks the Ombudsman to interpret maladministration as widely as possible when performing its duties; invites the Ombudsman to develop closer cooperation with Parliament’s Committee on Bbudgetary Ccontrol in its strategic work;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2016/2158(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes the results achieved in the complaints handling in 2015 and welcomes the fact that the Union institutions complied with the Ombudsman's proposals at a rate of 90 %; calls on the Ombudsman to provide a breakdown of compliance of the Union institutions with its proposals for its yearly Activity Report, asks the Ombudsman to provide an analysis on the possible reasons of non-compliance and asks the Union institutions to improve their compliance rate further;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2158(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Expresses the wish, that the Ombudsman and authorities of the Member States and of the Union institutions provide more help to the European Ombudsman by drawing the attention of the European citizens to the possibility of turning to the European Ombudsman in cases of maladministration by any of the institutions and bodies of the Union.
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 3 #

2016/2157(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes with concern that none of the targets set by the Committee in 2015 to increase involvement of Parliament and Council in activities related to the Committee opinions were achievdeleted;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2157(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Reiterates its request for a joint assessment of the budgetary savings resulting from the Agreement to be included in its mid-term review or in the next follow-up report of the Agreement;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2016/2157(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes with concern a consistent decrease in the payment execution rate in 2015 all over thin some budgetary items; takes note that 2015 was the starting year of the sixth term in office of the Committee, nevertheless is of the opinion that the Committee should not allow it to impact in the budgetary management; calls on the Committee to improve its performance and better prepare for the starting year of the seventh term in office of the Committee;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2016/2157(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Considers it fundamental that the Committee immediately follows-up on the two EU’s Civil Service Tribunal’s rulings6 and the European Anti-Fraud Office’s (“OLAF”) case report7 , the Commission’s PMO department’s report8 and Parliament’s resolutions9 and brings the whistle-blower case of the former internal auditor of the Committee to a just, honourable and equitable settlement before the end of 2017immediately after the final Court ruling in this case will be delivered; after years of the Committee’s failure to close this case and come to a just settlement considers the successful closure of the case in 2017 as one of the deciding criteria to grant the Committee the 2016next discharges; _________________ 6 Judgments of the Civil Service Tribunal of 7 May 2013, case F-86/11 (ECLI:EU:F:2011:189) and of 18 November 2014, case F-156/12 (ECLI:EU:F:2014:247). 7 OLAF Final Case Report dated 8 October 2003. 8 The Commission PMO department’s report of 8 May 2008. 9 Parliament’s 6 different resolutions of 29 January 2004 (OJ L 57, 25.2.2004, p. 8), 21 April 2004 (OJ L 330, 4.11.2004, p. 153), 12 April 2005 (OJ L 196, 27.7.2005, p. 54), 27 April 2006 (OJ L 340, 6.12.206, p. 44), 29 April 2015 (OJ L 255, 30.9.2015, p. 132) and 28 April 2016 (OJ L 246, 14.9.2016, p. 152) in support of the Committee’s Internal Auditor’s case..
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2157(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Considers it fundamental that the Committee work together with the EESC to immediately follow-up on the ruling of the Union's Civil Service Tribunal in a harassment case involving officials from both institutions[1], that it reports to the Parliament on the progress and that it review its procedures for handling future allegations of harassment to ensure that they are in line with the jurisprudence of the Civil Service Tribunal. [1] Affaire F-124/10: Vassilliki Labiri contre Comité économique et social européen (CESE).
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2016/2156(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Considers it fundamental that the Committee work together with the COR to immediately follow-up on the EU's Civil Service Tribunal's ruling in a harassment case involving officials from both institutions[1], report to the Parliament on the progress and that it review its procedures for handling future allegations of harassment to ensure that they are in line with the jurisprudence of the Civil Service Tribunal. [1] Affaire F-124/10: Vassilliki Labiri contre Comité économique et social européen (CESE).
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2016/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the creation of the transparency portal on the Court’s websiCalls on the Court to join the future Inter-Institutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2016/2154(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that, according to its annual management report for 2015, the Court of Justice works closely with the Court of Auditors' team designated to carry out its performance review; in this regard, regretnotes the fact that the Court of Justice raised obstacles to the audit team work at the beginning of the audit process; calls onwelcomes that the Court of Justice to improved its cooperation with the auditors and to facilitate access to the documents requested by themprovided further documents to ECA; is aware that the principle of secrecy of deliberations is necessary to help preserve the independence of decision-makers, to promote consistency and finality of decisions and to prevent decision-makers from having to spend more time testifying about their decisions than making them; points out however, that the secrecy of deliberations as principle ab ovo prevents any external control, therefore invites the ECJ to develop an internal control/remedy mechanism in order to provide in such cases a certain level of control;
2017/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas scrutiny, particularly in the form of the yearly discharge procedure is essential to ensure that Parliament's political leadership and administration are held accountable to citizens in the Union; whereas there is permanent scope for improvement in terms of quality, efficiency, and effectiveness in the management of public finances; whereas the principle of performance- based budgeting and good governance of human resources should be the core element when executing the budget;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Points out, however, that the reputational risk in the case of the Parliament’s budgetary and financial management is relatively high, especially against the background of the Members of Parliament (MEPs) being the representatives of the citizens in the Union and hence any irregularities do not only damage the administration’s reputation, but also undermine the credibility of the MEPs as an institution, the Union as a whole and democratic principles and the rule of law in Europe;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages therefore the Court to consider issuing more special reports on specific areas of Parliament’s operations, such as its communications policies and, its management of the grants for European political parties and foundations and the proper use of the general expenditure allowances;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that ‘mopping-up’ transfers accounted for EUR 83 419 000, which represents 4,6 % of final appropriations with a total of EUR 71 000 000 transferred from provisional appropriation headings and from other sources, so as to help fund the annual lease payments for the Konrad Adenauer building; reaffirms, yet again, that Parliament's property policy should be set with sufficient clarity as part of the budgetary strategy; considers that level of the 'mopping-up' transfer as very high; is of the firm opinion that an effective management of the budget should reduce this transfer to the bare minimum;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 40 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Takes note of the written answers to the 2014 discharge resolution provided to CONT on 20 October 2016 and of the presentation by the secretary-general to the various questions and requests of Parliament's 2014 discharge resolution and the exchange of views with MEPs that followed; considers some answers as unsatisfactory; is of the firm opinion that the secretary-general should respect and implement the decision by the Plenary;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 48 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Considers that according to the Court the costs of the geographic dispersion of the Parliament amount to EUR 114 million per year and notes the finding that in the 2013 Fox-Häfner report 78 % of all missions by Parliament statutory staff arise as a direct result of the Parliament’s geographic dispersion; reminds that the estimation of the environmental impact of this dispersion is between 11 000 to 19 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions; calls on the Bureau to request the secretary-general to develop without delay a roadmap to a single seat for Parliament; reiterates its call on Parliament and the Council to address, in order to create long-term savings, the need for a roadmap to a single seat, as stated by Parliament in several previous resolutions; believes that the withdrawal of the UK and the need to reallocate the European Agencies which have currently their seat in the UK could provide an excellent opportunity to solve several issues in the same time;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 61 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Deplores the fact that the Parliament granted discharge to its President in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Parliament for the financial year 2014 and deleted at the last minute important paragraphs raising further questions concerning the President's political activities and financial behaviour during the 2014 European elections;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 81 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
36. Calls on the bureau to make it possible for MEPs who wish to do so, to have their accounts relating toReminds the Parliament's position concerning the general expenditure allowance audis (GEA) as voted byin the Parliament’s administration in a manner that is both efficient and effective (for example, by taking samples or by concentrating on expenditures over a certain financial threshold) Discharge for 2014; furthermore calls on the bureau to define and to publish the resultes con their personal webpages on the Parliament’s website; alternatively, to earmark a percentage of the general expenditure allowance for MEPs to hire an external audit;cerning the use of the GEA which should be yearly checked by an authorised accountant
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 91 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Similarly, calls on the Secretary- general to make it possible for MEPs who wish to do so, that payments of all other allowances are also published on their personal webpages on the Parliament’s websitCalls on the bureau to make the following change concerning the general expenditure allowance;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 92 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 – point 1 (new)
(1) The general expenditure allowance should be handled in all cases in a separate bank account; all receipts should be kept by the MEPs;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 93 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 – point 2 (new)
(2) The unspent amount should be returned at the end of the mandate;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 94 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 – point 3 (new)
(3) A 5% sample checks of the general expenditure allowance spending should be introduced by the EP internal auditing; the final results and the findings should be part of the annual report published by the EP;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 95 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 – point 4 (new)
(4) The MEPs should publish, on an annual basis, an overview of their expenditures by category (communication costs, office rental, office supplies...);
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 110 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Recalls the obligation on MEPs to inform the administration immediately of any change in their declarations of interests; regrets that the CVs and declarations of interests of the MEPs are uploaded to Parliament's website very late; believes that the MEPs' declarations of interest should be published in a machine-readable format; is of the opinion that the ethical ad hoc advisory committee should conduct its work more transparently;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 118 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – indent 2
engaging in lobbying activities directed towards the European institutionsa clear cooling off period by former MEPs during the period of time in which they are entitled to a transition allowance while engaging in lobbying activities directed towards the European institutions period ;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 119 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 – indent 3
a strict oversight over the registration of declarations of MEPs’ interests;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 122 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42a. Strongly believes that Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Members should be rephrased to include a clear ban on MEPs holding additional jobs or other paid work;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 131 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
45. Is, however, not convinced of the effectiveness ofCalls for a more active approach in Parliament's communication strategy in respect oftowards those who are not automatically interested in Parliament's activities or are even sceptical about its functioning; invites the secretary- general to develop a new strategy toactions to further reach out also to these citizens and to concentrate in that respect less on “sending messages” than on facilitating access to information and on, facilitating access to information, making full use of Parliament's strong social media platforms and adequately addressing unjustified prejudices against the Parliament;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 144 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
46. Is not convinced of the need to have information offices of the Parliament in all Member States, especially in view of the fact that for effective communication physical presence may not always be necessary and can easily be replaced by effective and responsive internet facilities; is in particular sceptical about having an information office in the cities of Brussels and Strasbourg as in both cities the Parliament itself can be visited and in addition for interested visitorsUnderlines the need to update the mission of the information offices of the Parliament so as to optimise the use of new communication technologies and patterns and take advantage of their privileged geographical position close to citizens for further intensifying the "going local" activities, such as organising debates with MEPs and civil society, with a view to listen to people and engage with them. Online debate and media attention triggered by therse is or will be a Parlameevents should contarium at bute to furtheir disposal;increase outreach to citizens.
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 150 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
48. RecallWelcomes the joint presentation made to CONT and the Committee on Culture and Education of the survey as requested in the 2013 discharge conducted to determine whether the LUX Prize is well known and how, if at all, it is viewed in their respective Member States and of the findings therein;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 152 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
49. Regrets, however,calls that the survey mainly related to awareness of the LUX Film Prize among MEPs and film-makers, whereason the aim of the Prize which is to illustrate to citizens Parliament's commitment to consensual values such as human rights and solidarity, as well as its commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 153 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
50. Notes that the survey obtained a low response rate of 18 %, corresponding to 137 MEPs, and that it must be concluded that even among MEPs there is no consensus on the usefulness of the from all political groups and Member States, and that it must be concluded that even the awareness rate among MEPs is higher than 90%, the understanding on the LUX Film Prize purpose by 75% of the MEPs is accurate and more than 80% have a positive image of the LUX Film Prize;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 157 #

2016/2152(DEC)

51. Is not convinced of the selection method, in which MEPs decide about the nominations and the final election of theCalls for alternative models to be consider for example, by establishing partnerships between the Parliament and third parties with the objective to further promote the LUX Film Prize winner and invites particular within the European film industry and the BEureau to report on alternative models for obtaining the desired results, for example, by supporting a comparable initiative taken by film-makers’ organisations themselves;opean public sphere, which will allow the Parliament to reinforce the budget of the LUX Film Prize but recalls that any kind of agreement must enhance, not weaken, the role and the visibility of the Parliament.
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 161 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
52. Notes that, although the decreasing trend in budgetary support to the LUX Film Prize itself during the years the amount of spectators has increased, a number of 43.000 within the Union is still very low and makes the justification of the Lux Prize questionable;thanks to communication activities and social media
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 166 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
55. Calls therefore on the bureau to consider the separation of the management of the House from Parliament’s own administration and to create for this purpose a separate body with the necessary expertise for running a museum;deleted
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 173 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
56. Notes that with the establishment of the Parlamentarium and the opening of the House of European History, the Parliament and its surroundings are becoming a citizens' and tourist attraction, of which the Brussels municipalities benefit and that will bring about a better knowledge of the role of the Parliament and illustrate citizens on Parliament's commitment to consensual values such as human rights and solidarity request the Bureau to consider to enter into a dialogue with the local authorities to see how the latter can contribute to the financing and management of the House of European History;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 175 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
59. Welcomes the fact that the number of female directors-general rose from 18,2 % in 2014 (2 out of 11) to 33,3 % in 2015 (4 out of 12), but notes with concern that the number of female directors fell from 34 % in 2014 to 31,1 % in 2015. Notes that the percentage of female heads of unit continued to rise from 30 % at the end of 2014 to 31,2 % at the end of 2015. E; reminds that the absolute majority of the Parliament staff is composed by women but that women represent a limited part of the managerial posts; emphasises that imbalances for managerial posts therefore persist and that an equal opportunities programme for these posts remains of utmost importance; is of the firm opinion that the Parliament should have at least 40% of women at the managerial posts by 2019;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 191 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67
67. Points out that in cases of harassment or whistle-blowing APAs are in a particularly vulnerable position, as their contracts are based on mutual trust between the MEP and the assistant; if this trust is lacking, that in itself is reason for terminating the contract; furthermore, if the MEP has to resign because of reputational damage as a consequence of harassment or other irregularitiesany criminal offence or other violation of law, this normally means that the contracts of all his/her assistants will also be terminated; calls therefore for the immediate strengthening of the representation of APAs in the advisory committee on harassment, as already requested in the context of the 2014 discharge, and financial compensatory measures, for example, by paying the APAs concerned up to their salaries until the end of the term of Parliament, if their contracts are dissolved and the unemployment benefits do not offer full compensation of lost income;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 196 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67 a (new)
67a. Is concerned about the alleged practice that the APAs are illegally obliged by MEPs to undertake missions, particularly to Strasbourg, without mission orders, without mission costs or simply without travel costs; is of opinion that such a practice creates a room for abuse, where the APAs have to pay for the costs by their own means and the meanwhile they are not covered by workplace insurance without mission order; calls on the Bureau make sure that the Staff Regulation are properly implemented and sanction MEPs in case of breach of the rules;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 238 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 95 a (new)
95a. Welcomes the installation of the inter-institutional helpdesk on green public procurement, which now has to be fully implemented by setting clear targets in the field, as well as stepping up efforts in internal information, promotion and effective governance on green public procurement; underlines that also sub- contracted service providers must equally comply with the rules; deplores the high use of plastic bottles, cups, containers and packaging in the Parliament in this respect;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 240 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 97
97. Deems it of utmost importance, therefore, that the Parliament sets itself new, more challenging target, quantitative targets that should be regularly measured by the responsible services; notes on this regard the Bureau 2015 decision to offset the total amount of Parliament's carbon emissions, including emissions from flights by MEPs between their country of origin and the Parliament's working places;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 241 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 97 a (new)
97a. Reminds the Parliament commitment of Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency which stipulates that it will, "without prejudice to applicable budgetary and procurement rules, undertake to apply the same requirements to the buildings they own and occupy as those applicable to the buildings of Member States' central government under Articles 5 and 6" of that same directive, due to the high visibility of the buildings and the leading role it should play with regard to buildings' energy performance; underlines the urgency of compliance with this declaration, not at least for its own credibility in the currently ongoing revisions of the energy performance of buildings and the energy efficiency directives;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 243 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 98 a (new)
98a. Welcomes the creation of a Mobility Working Group which should work inclusively and clearly mandated; underlines that the Parliament has to conform with all regional applicable laws at the places of work, including in that area; advocates the promotion of use of the established direct train connection between the Brussels Parliament site and the airport; invites the responsible services to re-evaluate the composition and size of its own vehicle fleet against this background;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 249 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 101
101. Requests the secretary-general to coordinate an extensive progress report in respect of the necessary improvements of the internal control systems of the political groups, as even if it is first of all the responsibility of the political groups themselves to take the necessary actions, reputational risk of any irregularities in this regard affects Parliament as an institution and the European democracy as a whole;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 250 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 104
104. Notes with concern that in the cases of the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe, the Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy, the Initiative for Direct Democracy in Europe and the Foundation for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy major irregularities have been detected, relating to prohibited direct or indirect financing of national parties and to donations; is of the firm opinion that corrective measures should be taken without delay once the irregularities are proved and confirmed;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 252 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 105
105. Expresses its concern about the reputational risk for Parliament any such irregularities constitute and is convinced of the need for quick and effective action to prevent and address any similar irregularities in the future; considers, however, that these irregularities have occurred only in relation to a limited number of political parties and foundations; is of the opinion that those irregularities should not question the financial management of the others political parties and foundations;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 253 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106
106. Is aware of the new Regulations 1141/2014 and 1142/2014 which will start to affect the funding of European political parties and foundations for the financial year 2018, and of the important role of the newly established authority for European political parties and European political foundations, as well as of the on-going discussions in the Bureau of the proposals of the secretary-general to address a number of issues not resolved by the above-mentioned regulations; calls on the Parliament's internal auditor to make a new audit report on the financing of the European political parties and foundations as soon as possible after the entry into force of the new regulation;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 254 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 107
107. Emphasises nevertheless that the current system of internal and external controls is clearly insufficient to avoid major irregularitiesshould be improved in order to better detect and prevent the major irregularities; believes however that corrective measures should be taken as soon as possible once any irregularity is detected; takes note of the declarations of the external accountant, EY, that its audits are aimed at obtaining a reasonable assurance that the annual accounts are free of material misstatements and that the entity has complied with in scope rules and regulations, and that they include examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the opinion; also notes, however, that the examinations do not include investigations of possible fraudulent statements and documents; that, therefore,believes that the audits should provide only for a superficiala better insight in the dealings of European political parties and foundations; is of the firm opinion that the proportionality principle should fully apply for the political parties and foundations;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 259 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 108
108. Is particularly worried about the lack of human resources (effectively 2 FTEs) in DG FINS devoted to checking the accounts of European political parties and foundations and expresses the view; is of the firm opinion that considering the high reputational risk involved, more resources should be devoted to this activity;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 270 #

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 112
112. Calls on the bureau to examine for the longer-term whether it is logical to have the responsibility for subsidies for European political parties and foundations attributed to the Parliament, whereas in most Member States subsidies for national political parties and foundations are administered by the ministry of the interior, since conflicts of interest may arise for bureau members representing political groups in Parliament who are affiliated with European political parties and foundations.deleted
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 47 #

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Is worried that in 2015 the share of the Climate-related spending of the EU budget was only 17.3% in 2015 and was only 17.6% in average for the period 2014-2016 according to the European Court of Auditors1a while the objective was to reach, at least, 20% over the financial period; stresses therefore that according to the ECA there is a serious risk that the 20% target will not be met without more effort to tackle climate change; _________________ 1a ECA special report 31/2016
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 48 #

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Points out furthermore that the 20% climate-related spending was decided before the Paris agreement; is convinced that further efforts should be made in order to make the EU budget even more Climate-friendly; underlines, moreover, that the revision of the MFF creates an excellent opportunity to ensure that the 20% target of spending on climate-related actions is reached and to provide for a possible increase of this threshold in line with the EU's international commitments taken during the COP 21;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 55 #

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Endorses all recommendations made by the Court of Auditors in its special report 31/2016 and especially that the European Commission should explore all potential opportunities, including the midterm MFF revision and the revision of some legal bases, to ensure a further real shift towards climate action; calls on the ECA to issue a follow-up report on the Climate-related spending of the EU budget by the end of 2018
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 60 #

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the Commission to take into account the Paris agreement and to increase immediately the Climate-related spending target in the EU budget from 20% to 30%;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 61 #

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Calls on the Commission to draft the forthcoming EU budgets in order to make it more efficient and more effective and to better align them with the EU 2020 targets, EU's climate targets, and EU's international commitments;
2017/03/10
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A
A. whereas de jure the Member States and the Commission have shared responsibility for implementing approximately 80 % of the Union's budget, de facto however, Member States spending those resources and the Commission is responsible for having overview of those projects vis-à-vis providing a certain level of control ; whereas Member States are primarily responsible for the collection of own resources, inter alia in the form of VAT and customs duties;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E
E. whereas the diversity of legal and administrative systems in the Member States presents a challenging environment in which to overcome irregularities and combat fraud; and whereas the Commission should therefore step up its efforts to ensure that the fight against fraud is implemented effectively and produces more tangible and more satisfactory results;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas corruption affects all Member States, particularly in form of organised crime and burdens not only the EU economy, but undermines democracy and rule of law all across Europe; however the exact figures are unknown as Commission has decided not to publish data in the report on the EU's anti- corruption policy;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 23 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas fraud is an example of purposeful wrongdoing and is a criminal offence, and that an irregularity is a failure to comply with a rule;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 39 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that the situation of Member States not transmitting data in a timely manner or providing inaccurate data has been recurring for many years; emphasizes that it is impossible to make comparisons and an objective assessment of the scale of fraud in the Member States of the European Union;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 54 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Takes good note of the fact that 75% of all cases reported as fraudulent concern goods as tobacco, electrical machinery, footwear, textiles, iron and steel and that China, the UAE, the US, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are most frequently reported as countries of origin of such goods; asks the Commission to raise these problems during trade negotiations with these countries;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 66 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Points out that the Commission does not have access to the information exchanged between Member States with a view to preventing and combating Missing Trader Intra-Community fraud, commonly called carousel fraud;; calls on all the Member States to participate in all of Eurofisc’s fields of activity so as to facilitate the exchange of information with the aim of helping to combat fraud; calls on the Member States and the Council to grant the European Commission access to these data in order to foster cooperation, strengthen reliability of data and fight against cross border crimes;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 73 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. WelcomNotes the Commission action plan on ‘’''VAT-Towards a single EU VAT area’’'' published on 7 April 2016; deeply regrets that the publication of the "Measures to improve cooperation between tax administrations and with customs and law enforcement bodies and to strengthen tax administrations' capacity" foreseen in the action plan for 2016 will be delayed by one year; emphasizes that the problems related to cross border VAT fraud need strong, coordinated and speedy measures, urges therefore the Commission to speed up its procedures and come up with solutions in order to avoid the loss of tax revenue in the EU and in the Member States;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 91 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Regrets that more than two-thirds of the estimated level of errors in 2015 EDF expenditure were caused by the absence of supporting documents to justify the expenditure and non-compliance with public procurement rules; calls on the Commission and Member States to address these shortcomings; calls on the Commission to monitor and evaluate the transposition of the 2014/24/EC and 2014/25/EC Directives on public procurement into national rules as soon as possible;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 141 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Reiterates its call on the Commission to submit urgently a legislative proposal on the protection of whistle-blowers in order to effectively prevent and combat fraud affecting the financial interests of the European Union;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 146 #

2016/2097(INI)

36. Deeploresy saddened by the fact that the Commission didoes not kfeep its word tol the need to further publish anthe EU Anti- Ccorruption reports biannually, as there has been no report published in 2016, is of the opinion, that whatever the Commission's intentions on fighting corruption, this last minute cancellation sends out the wrong signal not only to the Member States but also to the citizens;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 149 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Reiterates its opinion that corruption is an enormous challenge for the EU and the Member States; and without effective anti-corruption measures it undermines the economic performance, the rule of law and the credibility of democratic institutions within the EU;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 152 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36b. is alarmed by the results of research which show that the risk of fraud and corruption is higher when Member States spending European resources, particularly when the share of European funding is significantly over 50% of the total costs, therefore is of the opinion that Member States do not comply completely with Article 325 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which requires Member States to take the same measures to counter fraud affecting the financial interests of the Union as they take to counter fraud affecting their own financial interests; therefore calls on the Member States to fully apply the principle of Article 325 (2) and the Commission to make sure that Member indeed do so;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 153 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 c (new)
36c. Is of the opinion that the supporting schemes of the Cohesion Funds need to be revised before the adoption of the new MFF in order to develop and more effective performance based funding system;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 154 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 d (new)
36d. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop a system of strict indicators and easily applicable, uniform criteria, based on the requirements set out in the Stockholm Programme, to measure the level of corruption in the Member States and evaluate the Member States' anti-corruption policies; invites the Commission to develop a corruption index in order to categorise the Member States; is of the opinion that Corruption index could provide a sound basis on which the Commission could establish its country specific control mechanism when controlling the spending EU resources;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 155 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 8 a (new)
Investigative Journalism
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 156 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 e (new)
36e. Is of the opinion that investigative journalism plays a key role to foster the necessary level of transparency in the EU and the Member States, is of the opinion that investigative journalism should be encouraged and supported both by legal means in the Member States and in the EU and supports the preparatory action, which establish grant scheme for trans- border investigative journalism, which is to be distributed by an intermediary organisation, namely the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom in Leipzig;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 163 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
38. Recalls Parliament's resolution on EPPO adopted on 5th of October 2016; strongly believes that an efficient EPPO will strengthen the fight against fraud in the EU provided that it is given the necessary legal provisions and is able to work efficiently with other existing EU bodies and Member State authorities; is of the opinion that EPPO can be effective if its scope covers all Member States of the EU; calls on the Member States to revise their position and do their utmost to reach a consensus in the Council;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 165 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Points out the decision of the European Commission not to renew the PMI agreement which expired on July 9th 2016; reminds that on March 9th 2016 the EP asked the Commission not to renew, extend or renegotiate it beyond its date of expiry; believes that the 3 other agreements (BAT, JTI, ITL) should not be renewed;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 166 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 9 a (new)
Tobacco
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 167 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Points out that the decision of the European Commission not to renew the PMI agreement which expired on July 9th 2016; reminds that on March 9th 2016 the EP asked the Commission not to renew, extend or renegotiate it beyond its date of expiry; believes that the 3 other agreements (BAT, JTI, ITL) should not be renewed;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 168 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 c (new)
38c. Urges the Commission to put in place, at EU level, all the necessary measures to track and trace PMI tobacco products, and to bring legal action for any illegal seizures of this manufacturer's products until all provisions of the Tobacco Products Directive are fully enforceable, so that there is no regulatory gap between the expiry of the PMI agreement and the entry into force of the TPD and FCTC;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 169 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 d (new)
38d. Reminds that to date 25 parties have ratified it of which only 7 EU member states and the EU as a whole; urges the EU members states to ratify the protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 170 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 10 a (new)
Calls on the Commission to revise Regulation (EU, Euratom) No. 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and submit a proposal on strengthening the investigative powers of OLAF;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 173 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Welcomes the analysis of OLAF on the follow up of its recommendations, request further and more detailed and country specific information; is of the opinion that OLAF should add a chapter to its yearly report on the follow up of these recommendations; request OLAF in cooperation with the Commission to provide detailed analysis, including figures on the recovery of EU funds as well;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 175 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Calls on OLAF to compare in its Annual Activities Reports OLAFs recommendations for financial recoveries with the amounts, which were factually recovered;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 176 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 b (new)
39b. Is of the opinion that the proportion of OLAF recommendations submitted to the national authorities, which lead to indictments (around 50%) is not sufficient; calls on the Member States authorities to improve their level of cooperation with OLAF, calls on Member States, Commission and OLAF to lay down conditions which ensure the admissibility of the evidences provided by OLAF; encourages Member State authorities and OLAF in order to reach the optimal result to carry out joint investigations; calls on the Member States and the Commission to cooperate on the approximation of criminal and criminal procedural laws;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 186 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Stresses that the mandate of the OLAF Director-General ends in February 2018; calls on the Commission to start the procedure as soon as possible in order to give the time to the candidates to apply properly and to let to 3 institutions the time to appoint someone fit for the post and willing to cooperate with the OLAF supervisory committee amongst other priorities and to establish the conditions of a smooth transition;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 189 #

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41b. Deplores the fact that judicial authorities of some of Member States consider OLAF's recommendations related to the misspending of EU money as a low priority; recalls that according to Art. 325 (2) TFEU Member States shall take the same measures to counter fraud affecting the financial interests of the Union as they take to counter fraud affecting their own financial interests;
2017/03/01
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital B
B. whereas the Code of Conduct for Commissioners adopted in 2011 fails to sufficiently address several of Parliament’s recommendations for improvements, in particular as regards the declarations of financial interests of Members of the Commission, the post-office employment restrictions and the strengthening of the ad-hoc Ethical Committee responsible for the assessment of conflicts of interests;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. RegretsDenounces the fact that the 2011 code of conduct has failed to address all the recommendations issued by Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control on 2 March 20111 and points out, in particular, that Commissioners are notshould be required to declare all their financial interests or assets buand not only those interests or assets ‘which might create a conflict of interest in the performance of their duties’, that there is no requirement to declare debts and liabilities and that dependent children are not required to produce the same information as spouses; __________________ 1 Letter from Mr De Magistris, chair of the Committee on Budgetary Control, to Mr Lehne, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs.
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. SConsiders that conflict of interests can only be assessed by an independent third party and stresses in particular that the Commissioners are expected tocannot make their own judgement on what might create a conflict of interest in the absence of a clear definition to guide them;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 – point c
(c) with regard to the declaration of possession of company shares, stock and other property or rights representing assets and other intangible assets;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Regrets the code of conduct fails to adequately codify the requirement under the Article 245 TFEU that "both during and after their term of office, Commissioners will respect the obligations... in particular their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits."
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets that the Commission does not report regularly on the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, in particular as regards their declarations of interests and that the code of conduct does not provide for complaints or sanctions with regard to infringements with the exception of serious misconduct as referred to in Articles 245 and 247 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 37 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Regrets that the code of conduct does not require former commissioners to make publicly available information on their meetings and telephone calls with officials of the European Institutions or officials of the governments of the Member States up to 10 years after they have ceased to hold office;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 46 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point d
(d) that Commissioners disclosein office suspend and former Commissioners disclose for 10 years their membership of any non-governmental organisations or trade unions, and any donations to NGOs of more than EUR 500;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 48 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point d a (new)
(da) that the Code of Conduct be amended, in line with Article 245 TFEU to extend Commissioners' post-office employment restriction to three years;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 49 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point d b (new)
(db) that the code of conduct include specific divestment requirements;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 50 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point e
(e) that Commissioners designate submit their declarations within a specific time frame before theirso that the Ad Hoc Ethical Committee can submit to Parliament its views on potential conflicts of interests well in time for the hearings in Parliament;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 56 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point e a (new)
(ea) that Commissioners designate include in their declarations all professional EU interest representation activities and all their financial interests in such activities in the past three years;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 57 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point g
(g) that the Commission guides the Commissioners on how to implementrevises section 1.3 of the code of conduct, which stipulates that the Commissioners must declare any financial interest or asset which might create a conflict of interests in the performance of their duties, and in particular on the definition of conflicts of interests in order to make sure that all financial interests and related rules are clearly defined and guides both Commissioners designate and Commissioners in office how to implement section 1.3 of the code of conduct fully and comprehensively;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 63 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point i a (new)
(ia) that the decisions on the authorisation of post term-of-office activities of former Commissioners, as well as the opinions of the Ad Hoc Ethical Committee are proactively published;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 65 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point i b (new)
(ib) that the Ad Hoc Ethical Committee is composed of independent experts who have not themselves fulfilled positions as Commissioner or as Member of the European Parliament;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 66 #

2016/2080(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point i c (new)
(ic) that the Ad Hoc Ethical Committee shall draw up and publish an annual report on its activities and may include any recommendations on the improvement of the Code of Conduct or of its implementation, as it may see fit;
2016/09/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the EU strategy for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas storage is one element of the Energy Union, which aims to gives concrete expression to the EU’s ambition to bring about a transition to a sustainable, secure and competitive energy system; stresses that one of the goals of the Energy Union is to make the EU the world leader in renewable energies;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 6 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that existing LNG infrastructure in the EU is heavily underused (46% of gas import pipelines and 32% of LNG terminals were used in 2014) and that the European gas demand is persistently overestimated; stresses therefore that gas infrastructure planning should be based on decreasing demand;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 14 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the European Union and its Member States should first of all focus on theirenergy efficiency improvements as well as the deployment of renewable resources and derive maximum benefit from their renewable production capacity; stresses that this should not prevent efforts being made to extract added value from other segments of the energy markets, such as LNG, provided that this is dany hydrocarbon extraction must be fully consistent with the EU’s environmental legislatione, in a sustainable manner that is fully consistent with the EU’s environmental protection principlcluding as regards groundwater, water quality objectives and nature conservation objectives;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 19 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers that permits for new hydrocarbon extraction operations could involve environmental risks and are incompatible with climate goals inscribed in the Paris Agreement; furthermore considers that Union gas policy should be better adapted to long term climate goals and the Paris Agreement in particular, including by phasing out gas infrastructure before 2050;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 22 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the EU’s domestic natural gas production will continue to decline in the coming decades, and while there can be benefits from further diversification of the EU’s natural gas supply, therefore remains a key objective, while nevertheless underlining its demand will also decline thanks to renewables and energy efficiency policies; considers that natural gas can only play a transitional role, as a short and medium-term solutionnd that the phasing-out of fossil subsidies and a comprehensive switch from gas to renewable energy sources are necessary in the medium term, bearing in mind the European commitment to the objective of decarbonisation as set out in the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low- carbon economy in 2050Paris Agreement;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 40 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the need for impact assessments to be made to ascertain the added value of constructing new LNG transport and storage infrastructure, and the need to focus new investments on areas with poor interconnection, or to supply the most vulnerable Member Statein particular as regards the risk of locking in fossil fuel infrastructure and possible stranded assets;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 42 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for revised demand assessments that properly factor in structural changes as well as the EU’s long-term energy and climate targets as also requested by the European Court of Auditors, calls for a thorough analysis of supply alternatives and solutions in a regional perspective; calls for increased regional cooperation to better coordinate investments and avoid overcapacities in LNG, storage and transmission; stresses that no new LNG infrastructure should be realised if electricity interconnections or the use of renewable energy sources coupled with energy efficiency measures can deliver the same results;
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 50 #

2016/2059(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Draws attention to the irreversible environmental damage caused by oil-based emissions and marine fuels to the oceans, polar regions and the Arctic, and highlights the potential that the transition to LNG offers for decarbonising maritime transport; urges the Commission to make funds available to support European projects to this endbenefits of switching from heavy fuel oil to gas; notes however that in order to assess any potential for GHG savings and overall environmental impact, the whole lifecycle, including the upstream methane leaks and impacts of the extractive process would need to be taken into account.
2016/07/18
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
– having regard to the Paris Agreement made in December 2015 at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC,
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 2 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 15 December 2011 Energy Roadmap 2050 (COM(2011) 0885)
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 4 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
– having regard to Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC,
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 9 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A
A. whereas 50% of the energy used for heating and cooling in the EU is primary energythe 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change (COP 21) aims at 'holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels; whereas 50% of the primary energy in the EU is used for heating and cooling; whereas a heating and cooling sector compatible with the EU´s energy and climate goals needs to be based on 100% renewables by 2050 at the latest, which can only be achieved through reducing our energy consumption and making full use of the "energy efficiency first / first fuel" principle;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 23 #

2016/2058(INI)

B. whereas – although there is potential – the share of RES energy in heating and cooling in the Member States is insufficithe share of RES energy in heating and cooling has been slowly increasing, providing up to 18% of primary energy supply in 2012, but the potential for increased energy efficiency measures as well as renewable heating and cooling is still largely untapped and at current rates will be insufficient to reach the 2050 decarbonisation target in line with the Paris agreement;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 34 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas the share of primary energy from fossil fuels in heating and cooling is 75% and does not guaranteecurrently 75%, whereas fossil fuels are still heavily subsidised, despite the Commission´s recommendations and G20 commitments to phase-out such subsidies, thereby impeding decarbonisation, thereby while accelerating climate change and causing significant harm to the environment;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 38 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas ambitious policies for renewable heating and cooling in combination with reduced energy consumption and energy efficiency measures, are a major driving force to reduce the EU´s import dependency and it´s overall external energy bill, cutting costs for household, industry and business, increasing competitiveness and achieving the EU´s energy and climate goals in line with the Paris Agreement 1.5 °C goal;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 43 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas Member States need to fully implement the existing Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive; whereas an integrated approach on transforming energy sources as well as heating and cooling systems is indispensable and would deliver major environmental, economic and social benefits; whereas with their upcoming revision the coherence and synergies between and within the EED, RED and EPBD need to be reinforced accordingly;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 44 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas the use of progressive heating or cooling systems in buildings presumably means thatbulk of European heat is consumed in existing, energy inefficient buildings; whereas vast synergies can be exploited by promoting the use of renewable heating or cooling systems in combination with energy efficiency measures in those buildings will first have to undergo a thorough process of thermomodernisation; sector, thereby reducing energy demand and the costs for consumers and contributing to alleviating energy poverty as well as triggering the creation of qualified local jobs;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 54 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E
E. whereas the energy efficiency of buildings that have been through a complex thermomodernisation process for the sake of thermal comfort or comfort cooling also depends on the use of adequate energy systems that provide for the effective conversion of energy from primary sourcedepends also on the use of adequate energy systems;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 61 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F
F. whereas architecture, urban planning, heat map analysis and the diversity of European climate zones, as well as the building type (public, residential, commercial), must be taken into account in the planning of energy- efficient, low- emission public and residentialrenewable-energy- equipped buildings with maximum thermal comfort or comfort cooling;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 71 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G
G. whereas natural gas is becoming ever more important in heating given that the chemical energy stored in it can be converted into heat energy highly efficientlyew investments in natural gas infrastructure risk becoming stranded assets and will not be compatible with the EU´s long-term security of supply and its energy and climate goals; whereas every 1% increase in energy savings reduces gas imports by 2.6%;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 79 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas local authorities, regions and cities, due to their suitable scale and closeness to the energy source, are key actors in deploying sustainable and efficient heating and cooling solutions, such as through district heating and cooling systems, that provide clean renewable and affordable energy to citizens;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 94 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas 85% of the energy consumed in buildings is used for space heating and hot water production and 45 % of the heating and cooling in the EU is used in the residential sector;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 103 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Stresses that improved energy efficiency in buildings is of paramount importance in reducing CO2 emissions, improving energy security, reducing energy poverty and boosting our economy;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 106 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Considers that energy efficiency should be treated as an energy source in its own right when considering heating and cooling;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 110 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the efficiency of extracting and using energy from various sources, disWelcomes the Commission´s communication entitled ´An EU Strategy on Heating and Cooling´ emphasising the need for phasing-out fossil fuels, which arging energy (cooling) and preventing energy from flowing from ae still accounting for three quarter of primary energy supply in the sector; acknowledges that making full use of energy efficiency measureas of a higher temperature to areas of a lower temperature, using thermally insulated partitions that pose maximum resistance to that flow, are fundamental elements in the EU's– our first fuel – and of the 'energy efficiency first principle' will lead to an overall reduction of our energy consumption which will allow renewable energy sources (sustainable biomass, geothermal, aerothermal, solar thermal and renewable electricity) to fully remove the need for fossil fuels in heating and cooling strategy;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 116 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets the slow progress for renewable use in heating and cooling; stresses the importance of avoiding the locking-in of technologies in compatible with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and hence urges the immediate phasing-out of subsidies and other -direct and indirect- incentives for fossil-based heating and cooling technology;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 120 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Commission to fully integrate its Heating and Cooling Strategy into all forthcoming energy legislative proposals, especially its Market Design initiative, the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive, as well as into the guidance to Member States in the implementation of the existing ones; calls on the Commission to assess how this can be taken into account in energy planning;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 126 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view that thCalls on the Commission to exploit more sthorter the chain by which primary energy is converted into other forms to generate usable heat, the higher the energy efficiencyoughly synergies between renewable heating and cooling and energy efficiency measures through comprehensive measures, such as the ´Smart Finance for Smart Buildings Initiative' promoting a greater up-take of energy efficiency measures in combination with renewables in the building sector;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 131 #

2016/2058(INI)

3. Considers that domestic appliances (washing machines, dishwashers, etc.) should be the most energy efficient and designed in such a way that they can use the hot water supply at the place where they are installed; accordingly eco-design minimum requirements as well as strong energy labelling policies should be updated on a regular basis, and revised upwards;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 135 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Requests the Member States to fully implement the current EED and the EPBD and urges the Commission to accompany Member States in the implementation of the 'Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB)' that will be the rule as of 2021 for all new buildings; calls on the Member States to fully implement their long-term renovation strategies taking into account that similar standards should be progressively applied to existing buildings in order to mobilise sufficient investment for the modernisation of their building stock and to achieve a nearly- zero energy building stock by 2050 at EU level;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 140 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls that nZEB should be primarily based on better insulation techniques and smart buildings management making it possible to reduce the absolute energy consumption of buildings to nearly-zero, followed by on- site or near-site energy generation from renewable sources in order to meet residual demand;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 142 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Stresses the need for enabling consumers to accelerate the modernisation of their old and inefficient heating systems in Europe in order to deliver energy efficiency gains with available technologies, including district heating systems fuelled by renewable energy sources; calls on the European Commission to bring forward concrete proposals to increase the modernisation rate of individual and district heating systems installed in existing buildings;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 144 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Stresses the need for a favourable framework for tenants and those living in multi-dwelling buildings, to enable them to also benefit from self-generation and consumption of renewable heating and cooling and energy efficiency measures thereby tackling the challenges of split incentives and sometimes impeding tenancy rules;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 149 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the fundamental role of RES, and in particular photovoltaic cells and solar panels, when combined with energy efficiency, of renewable heating and cooling (such as solar thermal, geothermal, aerothermal and sustainable biomass), in the heating of water and the provision of thermal comfort in buildings, if necessary in conjunction with thermal storage facilities that can be used at nightfor daily or seasonal balancing onsite or at district level;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 166 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the use of mapping resources for heat purposes, appropriate architectural solutions and urban design principles, in the planning of whole residential areas should be the basis forcluding urban level network solutions, such as district heating and cooling, should contribute to energy- efficient and low- emissionrenewable energy equipped construction in the various climate zones in Europe;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 176 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Believes that, in this context of heating and cooling, the Energy Union should have the interests of present and future generations at its core and should empower the people to produce, consume, store or trade their own renewable energy either individually or collectively, to take energy-saving measures, to become active participants;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 184 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on local authorities to take the necessary steps towards thGiven the decentralised nature of the heating and cooling sector, considers local authorities, cities and regions to have a key role in fostering energy efficiency and renewable thermomodernisation of existing public or residential buildings with low thermal comfort or comfort coolingating and cooling in existing public, commercial and residential buildings with low energy performance and thermal comfort; highlights in this context the importance of movements and bodies such as the Covenant of Mayors allowing sharing of knowledge and best practice and that should be further encouraged, strengthened and properly financed;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 204 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that in dense urban agglomerations it is imperative that the use of individual heating systems that depend on fossil fuels be restricted and replaced with large-scale local cogeneration systems that produce heat and electricityConsiders district heating and cooling systems as strategic assets, especially in dense urban areas, as they can integrate locally available renewable energy sources, store surplus renewable electricity in times of lower electricity consumption, and effectively distribute heating and cooling to buildings and industrial sites; underlines that based on heat density calculations and taking account of the need to respect the 'energy efficiency first' principle and to optimise energy efficiency improvements, there should be a case-by-case assessment based on where district heating/cooling is economically and environmentally expedient and new systems should be installed or the renovation of existing ones should be encouraged;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 234 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that outdated heating plants with low energy efficiency should be replaced by small, environmentally- friendly CHP plants that use natural gas or other greenefficient renewable based CHP plants while following the Sustainability Biomass Policy and excluding municipal solid waste as fuels;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 252 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses the view that, in Europe's temperate climate zone, reverse systems for heating (winter) and cooling (summer) using efficient heat pumps could become very important; that are based on RES electricity will become very important; urges to ban electric space heaters as the main heating system since it is extremely costly for the user due to their bad energy efficiency performance;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 262 #

2016/2058(INI)

10. Takes the view that the Member States should explore the possibility of using heat from geothermal waters directly or from other sources indirectly, for example the heat contained in deep- sea mines which could, with the help of huge heat pumps, heat whole towns, not just individual buildings;deleted
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 271 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Expresses the view that heat storage facilities, for example in the form of thermally insulated water tanks that use electric resistance to stay hot overnight (outside the hours of peak demand) and thereby improve the quality of electricity supply, could play a very important role in heatingcould play a very important role; as heat production can be stored rather than curtailed if not needed at certain moments;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 277 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Takes the view that the waste heat obtained through cogeneration in the production of electric energy in conventional power plants and from residential buildings using recuperative methods should play a much greater role in heating and cooling than beforeat avoiding industrial waste heat and cold is an important aspect of increasing energy efficiency and fully seizing the opportunities of a circular economy; stresses that industries and nearby residential or service buildings should be encouraged to cooperate (notably through industrial parks) and share their energy production and needs;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 291 #

2016/2058(INI)

13. Calls on the Member States to use legal and economic means to accelerate the gradual phasinge -out of outdated solid- fuel furnaces with an energy efficiency level of less than 80%and to substitute them with efficient and sustainable heating and cooling systems that tap in the potential of locally available and sustainable renewable energy sources (e.g. sustainable biomass, geothermal and solar); urges the Commission and Member States to ban co-firing of coal and renewable sources;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 302 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Calls onUrges the Commission to draw up a plan to promote the sustainable use of organic waste for heating and cooling as part of the 'Waste to energy' programme; only for biogas generation in order not to destroy valuable resources or undermine the circular economy approach and the necessity to waste less; commands that any type of waste used to produce energy is assessed in consistency with the waste hierarchy and allowed in cases where it is the only alternative to land-filling, in order to avoid a further technology lock-in;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 311 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Member States to take legal and administrative steps to ban the use of outdated furnaces that generate ‘low hehight’ emissions – releasing into the atmosphere natural pyrolytic gases from incomplete combustion, NOx, soot and fly ash dispersed by convection – in the heating of agglomerations and to channel investment in favour of efficient renewable solutions instead;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 322 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Takes the view that the Member States should, as a matter of urgency, take steps towards phasinge out low-temperature furnaces used for the combustion of solid fuels and organic waste, which, during the combustion process, release into the atmosphere carcinogenic substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzopyrene, etc.); Takes the view that the use of old and inefficient wood-burning fireplaces in densely built towns and cities should be banned; and replaced by efficient renewable solutions; stresses the risks of a lock-in effect bearing in mind that newly installed devices tend to last for more than 25 years on average;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 330 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Takes the view that heat exchangers can play a vital role in local cooling via the expansion of liquefied natural gas in LNG terminalsCalls on the Commission to develop a definition and a methodology to calculate renewable cooling considering that demand for cooling is on the rise in Europe;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 337 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that heat exchangers can play a vital role in cooling in the food industry in transferring heat to natural bodies of water (free cooling) located close to sites at which products are stored, the temperature of which does not exceed 6°C throughout the yearrenewable technologies, such as geothermal, aerothermal, sustainable biomass and solar thermal can play a vital role in the industrial sector, where an important share of the processes requires low level temperatures, such as the paper and food industry;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 341 #

2016/2058(INI)

19. Takes the view that high-power stationary fuel cells could, in the very near future, b become an environmentally friendly alternative to coal as a solid fuel, thanks to the use of hydrogen obtained, for example, from water gas, produced via the thermal processing of coal in an atmosphere containing water vapourway of storing energy produced from renewable energy sources;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 350 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Given that fossil fuels account for 75% of the primary energy supply in heating and cooling, and therefore for more than 37% of the EU’s total energy consumption, points out to the Commission the possibility of includingcalls on the Member States to introduce equivalent measures for tackling emissions from installations that do not fall under those sectors in thecope of EU ETS, including fuel combustion facilities with a capacity of less than 20 MWemission performance standards applying to all fuel combustion facilities regardless of their capacity;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 359 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Takes the view that research under the Horizon 2020 framework programme should cover, inter alia, the development of new materials with maximum thermal conductivity (heat exchangers), minimum conductivity – i.e. maximum thermal resistance (thermal insulation), and maximum heat accumulation rates (heat stores) and of new industrial processes to allow substituting gas by renewable technologies for high temperature needs;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 367 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Emphasises the importance of extensive scientific research into the developfurther development and deployment of innovative technological solutions designed to deliver appliances and entire heating and cooling systems that are energy efficient and based on renewables and the further need to support these under the H2020 and structural funds;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 379 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Recommends that individual thermal renovation systems be designed for architectural landmarks in line with the relevant provision of the EPBD (Article 4(2)), with a particular focus on insulating roofs and, replacing windows so as not toas well as exploring how best to provide them with renewable heating and cooling without spoiling the unique architectural style of the buildings concerned;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 391 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Takes the view that there should be no restrictions on EU funding that is used for the thermal renovation of buildings linking energy efficiency improvements and renewable heating and cooling; takes the view that the restrictions that have been in place thus far on ERDF funding for this purpose have had an adverse effect in hampering these processes, in particular as regards the large number of buildings and entire housing estates built using large- panel system building methods; calls on the Commission, Member States, the EIB and national promotional banks to further develop robust financial mechanism to stimulate public and private investment in RES-based, energy efficient heating and cooling solutions as well as to reinforce conditionality in the allocation of EU funds, including EFSI, to make sure that the EU budget is not spent on projects conflicting with the long-term decarbonisation goals of the EU; Recalls that these financial mechanisms should be accompanied by the necessary technical assistance, notably to bundle small diffuse projects into larger bankable ones;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 400 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls on the Commission to address the reform of the Eurostat rules of public debt and deficit, which still classify energy performance contracting as public debt in the account balance of local authorities;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 405 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Takes the view that a better cooperation between stakeholders could be achieved through the successful implementation of the renewables initiatives of the SET Plan;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 406 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Calls on the Member States to take targeted measures and strongly incentivise energy efficiency improvements and a broader use of RES in low-income and vulnerable households, calls on the Commission to allocate a much higher share of EU funds to energy efficiency and RES programmes for vulnerable, energy-poor households and to provide guidance to the Members States on specific energy poverty measures;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 407 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25d. Considers that citizens should be provided with better information on their energy consumption, possible energy savings as well as the benefits of renewable-based upgrades of their heating systems, respectively about possibilities to produce and consume their own produced renewable heating and cooling;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 409 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
26. Takes the view that consumers must be made fully aware, through information and communication campaigns, of the technological, environmental and economic benefits of newefficient renewable heating and cooling systems, so as to enable them to make the best possible choices and to provide them with access to sustainable and affordable energy; emphasises the importance of ongoing education, training, certification and control of installers and architects being first contact point for household consumers; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take concrete action in this regard;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 420 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Considers that there should be a clear EU regulatory framework on self- generation and self-consumption of renewable energy taking into account the heating and cooling sector; highlights the potential of prosumer groups involving households, micro and small businesses, cooperatives and local authorities for establishing collective energy systems that provide cost-efficient renewable heating and cooling; as well as the many synergies between energy efficiency and renewable energy; highlights in this context the added value of one-stops shops for project permits and support with financial and technical expertise;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 435 #

2016/2058(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Takes the view that in the key to combating energy poverty is to cut heating prices by ensuring that there is a significant increase long- term energy poverty can only be tackled by fostering renovations of housing stock combining energy efficiency at the three main stages of energy use: during conversion from primary energy to useful energy, during further transport of that energy, and during use by the end usermeasures and renewable heat and cool supply; accordingly requests Member States to make energy efficiency measures and the switch to renewable heating and cooling a true priority;
2016/05/30
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 26 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital I
I. whereas the protection of whistle- blowers at Member State level has not been harmonisedexists only in some Member States , which means that even when the financial interests of the European Union are at stake, it may be risky for whistle- blowers to provide Parliament with information on irregularities;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 31 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital K
K. whereas the Commission has so far failed to submit any legislative proposals aimed at the establishment of aing a mininum level of proection for European whistle-blower protection programmes;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
K a. whereas, the Union legislator has already provided for the protection of whistleblowers in sectorial instruments including Directive 2013/30/EU on safety of offshore oil and gas operations, Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse, Directive (EU) 2015/849 on money laundering and terrorist financing and Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 on occurrence reporting;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 37 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
N a. whereas the Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants introduced in its new version in force since 1st January 2014 several provisions on whistleblowing;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 43 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates its call on the Commission to submit a legislative proposal establishing an effective and comprehensive European whistle-blower protection programme and, in particular, calls on the Commission to submit a legislative proposal before the end of this year protecting whistle-blowers as part of the necessary measures in the fields of the prevention of and fight against fraud affecting the financial interests of the Union, with a view to affording effective and equivalent protection in the Member States and in all the Union’s institutions, bodies, offices and agencies;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 67 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses the need to establish an independent EU institutiondisclosure, advice and referral body with sufficient budgetary resources, in order to help whistle-blowers use the right channels to disclose their information on possible irregularities affecting the financial interests of the Union, while protecting their confidentiality and offering assistance against possible retaliatory measuresneeeded support and advice;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 93 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Reaffirms Parliament's longstanding support for the establishment of an efficient and independent European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) which is especially important in the context of the protection of the financial interests of the Union and the enforcement efforts to protect the EU budget, thus strengthening the fight against fraud in the European Union;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 101 #

2016/2055(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Reiterates its call on all EU institutions who have not yet done so to implement Article 22c of the Staff Regulations in a robust and comprehensive manner and without further delay;
2016/10/18
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2016/2047(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls the added value that ecosystems and biodiversity bring to the European environment, and calls therefore for sufficient resources to be allocated in the draft budget for 2017 to ensure the long-term protection of the biodiversity; reminds the Commission and the Member States, therefore, of their obligation under Article 8 of the Habitats Directive to ensure an adequate level of financing for the conservation measures needed to restore the species and habitats in Natura 2000 sites to a favourable conservation status;
2016/07/15
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 7 #

2016/2047(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that Union financial resources do not contain subsidies that are harmful for the climate, lock in fossil fuel infrastructure, such as fossil fuel subsidies, support activities which are harmful to biodiversity, damage ecosystems, or require increased use of resources and energy; calls on the Commission furthermore to introduce an effective method of tracking biodiversity spending in the Union budget;
2016/07/15
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 9 #

2016/2047(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that the revision of the MFF creates an excellent opportunity to ensure that the target of spending 20 % on climate-related actions is reached and possibly increased to 30 % in line with the Union's international commitments made during COP21; calls on the Commission to ensure that that the mechanism of climate action mainstreaming is fully put into operation and that the current method of tracking such spending is improved; recalls, furthermore, that the Union is also committed to implementing the United Nations Convention's Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and underlines that it should dedicate sufficient resources to fulfil its commitments in that respect.;
2016/07/15
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 3 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
– having regard to the Paris Agreement made in December 2015 at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 10 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the progress demonstrates the merits of Union renewables policy based on national binding targets as repeatedly called for by the European Parliament, providing the long-term certainty to industry and investors that is necessary for the investment in generation capacity as well as in transmission and distribution infrastructure;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 12 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas in line with the COP 21 Paris Agreement the renewable energy directive needs to be adapted complying with the concluded goal of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels; whereas an economy based on 100 % renewables can only be reached by reducing our energy consumption, increased energy efficiency and the boost of renewable energy resources;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 25 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the decisive development of renewable energy bears huge potential for sustainable economic development, innovation and job creation; whereas many renewable energy projects are owned by small, private companies and individuals;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 27 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas investment in renewables requires a long-term framework consistent with the EU’s 2050's climate commitments; arising from the Paris Climate Agreement; whereas Commission president Juncker committed to make the European Union 'the world number one in renewable energy'; whereas China has become the worldwide front-runner in investing in renewables, investments in Europe was down 21%, from € 54.61 billion ($ 62 billion) in 2014 to € 42.99 billion ($ 48.8 billion) in 2015, the lowest figure for nine years;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 34 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas public participation and supervision, regulatory clear policy guidelines atity and simplicity, and renewable support at local, regional, national and European level and the engagement of citizen, NGOs and social partners are key toand need to be strengthened further for the successful development of renewable energy;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 45 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E
E. whereas renewable energy offers an opportunity for greater energy democracy throughby empowering citizen to participate actively on equal footing with the other stakeholders in the energy market, to self- generate and self-consume, store and sell their own produced renewable energy, individually or in collective management, as well as through public investment and decentralised forms of energy production launched by cities, regions and local public authorities;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 49 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas biomass constitutes a significant part of the renewable energy mix, while there are no sufficient sustainability criteria to ensure that all the environmental concerns are fully considered;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 59 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Welcomes the commitment from the Commission to make the European Union 'the world number one in renewables'; urges the Commission to present an operational and workable strategy to this effect that should be based on a vivid domestic market for renewables, an innovation strategy coupled with a robust industrial policy and stronger support to export opportunities providing solutions for developing countries;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 60 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Concurs with the Commission's REFIT analysis of the current renewable energy directive that the current combination of binding national targets, National Renewable Energy Plans and biennial monitoring has been a key driver for renewable energy capacity development in the EU Member States and has greatly contributed to increasing predictability for investors; calls on a strengthening of these mechanisms for the post-2020 period;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 65 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. EWhile noting that the EU as a whole is on track to meet its 2020 target, expresses its concern at the large number of countries (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom) which may have to revisestrengthen their policies and tools to ensure they meet their 2020 objectives; notes that one Member State has already failed to achieve the 2013-2014 interimthe Netherlands has failed to reach its 2013- 2014 interim targets; regrets that retroactive regulatory changes in Spain led to a situation where barely no additional capacity was installed in 2015; deeply regrets the proposed changes of the regulatory framework pertaining to wind energy proposed by the Polish government; urges member states that are lagging behind to undertake additional measures to get back on track and even exceed their 2020 targets;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 68 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that renewable energy costs have significantly decreased in recent years making them increasingly competitive with conventional generation; whereas the access to capital is key, yet the cost of capital in the EU-28 has been diverging significantly resulting in a North West/ East South divide; notes that the existence of a variety of different policies for promoting renewable energy risks further widening the competitiveness gap among EU countries; points out the need to have an EU financial mechanism aimed at reducing high risk-derived capital costs of renewable energy projects;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 73 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the need to identify best practices in terms of national renewable energy policies and to promote their adoption; calls on the Commission to strengthen its role in monitoring and supporting the progress of renewable energies;deleted
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 89 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the fact that the national regulation of electricity markets is a key factor in the diverging advance of renewables, different energy costs for familiehouseholds and for industry and different levels of energy dependency; stresses that most national regulations require fundamental changes to allow for cost- effective renewable energy investments;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 95 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the role ofat stable renewable support schemes tailored to national needs and circumstances play a key role in attracting long-term investment and consolidating the renewable sector; rejects the retroactive elimination of renewable support schemescondemns frequent and/or retroactive changes of renewable support schemes that alter the return on already made investments and undermine investors' legitimate expectations; and calls on the Commission to swiftly check the compatibility of national support schemes with State aid rules in order to avoid any unnecessary delay in their implementation;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 109 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to challenge restrictive national policies designed to impeding the development of renewable energy and to rigorously put in place measures to ensure transparency, consistency and continuity for legal, financial and regulatory frameworks in order to strengthen investor confidence; calls on the Commission to always announce and widely consult stakeholders well ahead of any renewable support scheme adjustments';
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 119 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls Parliament’s target of 85 % of financing for non-fossil energy under the energy chapter of Horizon 2020; calls for public national investments of this kind to be exempted from deficit rules, since they are essential for providing long-term geopolitical security;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 125 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines the need for an integrated approach to public investments and credit in technical improvement, grid adaptation, storage, demand-side management, energy efficiency and new forms ofinnovative renewable energy production to avoid potential bottlenecksllow the further development of renewable energy sources, on a path towards a EU 100% renewable, energy efficiency based economy, fossil and nuclear free European energy system by 2050 at the latest; recalls the importance of cohesion policy funds in this context;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 137 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Urges the strengthening of transparency and public participation, with particular regard to social partners,civil society, NGOs and social partners, at an early stage in the development of future national plans for renewable energy; regrets the current lack of information regarding the implementation of Renewable Energy Directive provisions and stresses the need for more detailed Member States' biennial reports; calls on the Commission to strengthen its role in monitoring and supporting the progress of renewable energies; calls on the Commission to enhance the transparency over the use of its enforcement power;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 139 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Considers the contribution of consumers engaging in renewable self- generation as key to target fulfilment as well as to making the Energy Union truly citizen-centric; notes that in the most successful energy transition countries like Germany or Denmark, a large share of the existing renewable capacity is owned by citizen, cooperatives, local communities and authorities;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 141 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of local administrations and associationmovements, like the Covenant of Mayors, in the implementation of a renewables-based model of energy consumptionSmart Cities and Communities or the 100% RES communities, which allow sharing of knowledge and best practice on local bottom up and spatial planning of the energy transition, access to financial support and the implementation of renewables-based projects; advocates the strengthening of the local and regional level across all stages of the energy policy decision-making process;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 149 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Notes the changes in working conditions in thHighlights the enormous job creation potential in the renewable energy sectors; stresses that action is needed to ensure labour standards are not lowered as a result of energy transcalls for just transition roadmaps to be developed by local and regional governments, so they can manage change for the benefit of workers and communities guaranteeing that those green jobs will be decent, fairly paid with good working conditions;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 154 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Member States to fully implement the RES-Directive and asks the Commission to propose new measures, if needed, to reach the 20% target by 2020;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 156 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Reiterates Parliament’sStresses that the RES targets must be set in line with the climate target of 1.5°C as agreed by 195 countries in Paris, December 2015; calls for an EU 2030 binding targets of a 30 45% share of renewable energy consumption and 40 % in energy savings for 2030, translated into national binding targets; asks the Commission to develop at least a high renewables (45%) / high energy efficiency (40%) 2030 targets scenario in view of the upcoming legislative proposal for the Renewable Energy Directive; calls on the Commission to make sure that its revised Renewable Energy Directive is fully in line with the 1.5°C climate objective;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 167 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls for an urgent, ambitious upward revision of the 2030 renewable energy targets established by the Council, at least in line with the Paris agreement;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 170 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that the targets already agreed for 2020 must be taken as the minimum baseline when revising the Renewables Energy Directive after that date, excepting those cases where regional best practices can provide a more ambitious baseline;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 178 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. StressNotes that Member States should justify the use ofhave hardly used so far the provisions for statistical transfers and the development of cooperation mechanisms to meet their targets on the basis of feasibility constraints with regard to developing renewables, so as to ensure that national targets are actually binding; underlines the importance of regional cooperation between member states, as it would be beneficial to system optimisation and enhance cost-saving; accordingly member states shall be provided with strong incentives and required to include joint projects in their NREAPs; calls on the Commission to provide member states with further information, cost benefit analysis and guidance, such as templates for cooperation mechanisms agreements;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 186 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights the need to define a regulatory strategy that allows for the monitoring of Member States’ commitments while allowing for full democratic control and scrutiny of energy policies; stresses that the Commission should have enhanced oversight also beyond 2020 endowed with adequate tools for an effective and timely monitoring and the possibility to intervene in case of counterproductive measures; believes that such monitoring will only be possible, if the Commission determines national benchmarks for Member States to which their progress in renewable deployment can be compared;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 188 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Points to the importance of single binding templates for national energy and climate plans to ensure comparability, transparency and predictability for investors; believes that trajectories and policy planning for each member state must continue to be broken down by sector, technology and source;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 190 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of public consultation and participation in the planning of new energy infrastructure projects, in particular as regards new interconnecparticipation from an early stage in boosting environmentally-friendly renewable energy projects while taking account of local conditions;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 198 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Notes the gap between available skills and the changes in labour market demands adapted to the development of renewablesUnderlines that active education/training and skills strategies are fundamental in the transition to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy; stresses the importance of social partners and public authorities in developing skill schemes and training programmes to ensure that the adjustment to new technologies and patterns of energy production is a source of quality jobs;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 200 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Highlights the need for adequate and sufficient financing both at EU level, inter alia by applying conditionality in existing funds - Horizon2020, Structural and Cohesion Funds, European Fund for Strategic Investment and by comprehensively de-risking investments to incentivize a broad use of renewable energy sources;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 202 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Calls on the Member States to provide tailor-made instruments, support schemes and financial mechanisms according to technology and market maturity, size, technology-specific risk- profile enabling the next generation of RES progressing down their learning curve;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 203 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Citizen and Community Energy;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 204 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15d. Believes that local authorities, communities, households and individuals should form the backbone of the energy transition and should be actively supported to help them become energy producers and suppliers on an equal footing with other players in the energy market; in this context calls for a common comprehensive definition of the concept of 'prosumer' at EU level;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 205 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 e (new)
15e. Considers it of major importance to establish a basic right to self-generation and self-consumption as well as the right to store and sell excess electricity at a fair price;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 206 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 f (new)
15f. Member States shall on the basis of public participation develop a Citizen and Community Energy strategy describing in their national action plans how they will promote small and medium-sized renewable energy projects and energy cooperatives and intend to factor them in in their legislative framework, support policies and market accessibility;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 207 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 g (new)
15g. Calls for the introduction of a new Citizen and Community Energy chapter under the revised Renewable Energy Directive to address the main market and administrative barriers and provide a more conducive investment environment for self-generation and self-consumption of renewable energy;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 208 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 h (new)
15h. Notes that appropriate licencing and administrative procedures are not yet in place for all technologies in all countries; requests member states to supress administrative and market barriers to new self-generation capacity, and to replace lengthy authorisation procedures with a simple notification requirement and to put in place efficient one-stop-shops for project permits, grid access and support with financial and technical expertise as well as guaranteeing prosumers´ access to alternative dispute resolution- mechanisms; in this line urges the Commission to ensure full implementation and full continuity beyond 2020 of article 13 (administrative procedures) and 16 (access and operation of the grids) of the current Renewable Energy Directive;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 210 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Highlights the need for a differential treatment between micro, small and large producers; stresses the importance of ensuring financial and administrative facilities for ‘prosumers’ (house: while auctions are a good way to ensure cost-reflective deployment of new capacity; member states shoulds, micro and sma make full businesses, cooperatives, public administrations and non- commercial entities that engage in energy production)e of de minimis exemptions under the European Energy and Environment State Aid Guidelines, so that small and medium-sized projects continue benefiting from dynamic feed in tariffs exempting them from complex auctioning processes;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 218 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Stresses the importance of public participation from an early stage in boosting environmentally-friendly renewable energy projects while taking account of local conditions;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 219 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses the need to strike a balance between the developmentfor targeted measures for low-income consumers guaranteeing that they have access to the benefits of crentralised and decentralised energy production that ensures that consumers that cannot afford to become ‘prosumers’ are not discriminated against; stresses the need to provide technical and administrative facilities for the collective management of energy productionewable energy generation; emphasises that energy poverty affects one in four EU citizens, particularly in Eastern-Central and Mediterranean Europe, thus targeted measures, well- designed, dedicated financial mechanisms together with information, advisory services should be made available for low- income, vulnerable consumers to help them to reduce their energy use, diversify their energy sources and achieve household level energy autonomy as a strategic, long-term solution to energy poverty;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 228 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Stresses the need for a favourable framework for tenants and those living in multi-dwelling buildings, to enable them to also benefit from self-generation and energy efficiency measures;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 229 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Stresses the environmental, economic and social benefits of an integrated approach on energy and the need to promote synergies between and within the electricity, the heating and cooling and the transport sectors; further calls on the Commission to assess how flexible sources of renewable energy can complement variable energy sources and how this should be taken into account in energy planning as well as in the design of support schemes;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 241 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls for an integrated approach in energy policy encompassing grid development and regulation, storage, demand side management, energy efficiency improvements together with increasing the share of renewable energy sources, highlights the need to avoid locking-in technologies non-compatible with decarbonisation;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 246 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Stresses the need for further increased and long-term investment in smart distribution systems to effectively integrate renewable energy systems into electricity grids; urges Member States to take a harmonised approach to smart grid investment with the view of completing the internal energy market;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 247 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Stresses that priority access to the grid and priority dispatch for renewable energy as stipulated in the current Renewable Energy Directive should be maintained and reinforced; calls for a post-2020 regulatory framework that ensures proper compensation of renewable electricity curtailment;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 251 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Notes the Commission's strategy to increase demand-response mechanisms; stresses that this should notincreased demand-response should contribute to create aning additional financial burdengains for citizens;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 260 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights that stability in energy prices is necessarydynamic prices should be elaborated in order to induce the adequate demand responses from consumers and to incentivise energy savings and self- generation; recommends the Commission to further analyse their impact on various consumer groups;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 268 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that certain consumers (such as energy-poor households) have rigid consumption patterns and may bshould be offered adequate social guarantees avoiding that they are negatively affected by enhanced price- based efficiency mechanisms;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 280 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that the indirect taxation on energy should be closely linked to green energy policies and should take into account its distributional, social and economic effects, with automatic compensatory measures for vulnerable families and sectors;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 281 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Notes that consumers currently hardly contribute to the intended construction of new renewable energy generation capacities when they opt for electricity tariffs that are marketed with a fuel mix disclosing 100% renewable energy sources; calls for an accurate, reliable and transparent tracking mechanism so that 'green' claims are tied to measurable criteria regarding additional environmental benefits;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 285 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Regrets the lack of progress and low targets set for renewable use in heating and cooling considering that heating and cooling sector account for half of the EU´s final energy consumption and therefore plays a key role in achieving the EU objectives on climate and renewable energy resources; highlights the need to avoid locking-in technologies non- compatible with decarbonisation and hence urges the phasing-out of subsidies for fossil-based heating technology;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 290 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Welcomes the Commission´s heating and cooling strategy communication emphasising the need for phasing-out fossil fuels that are still accounting for 75% in the sector and fully replacing them with energy efficiency –our first energy fuel – measures and renewables;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 293 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Notes that biomass is the most widely used renewable energy for heating today, representing some 90% of all renewable heating; especially in Central-Eastern Europe it plays a key role in enhancing energy security in a sustainable manner;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 294 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Urges the European Commission to extend beyond 2020 the requirements to increase the share of renewables in 'Nearly Zero Energy Buildings' in line with and complementing the provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive; mandatory minimum share of renewables shall apply to existing buildings as well;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 301 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses the need to facilitate a transition towards energy efficient renewable heating devices, while ensuring adequate financial support and enhanced information and assistance for energy- poor citizens;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 303 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Emphasises the need to renovate and enhance the performance of district heating and cooling systems, as district heating and cooling networks can use and store electricity powered by renewables and then distribute it to buildings and industrial sites, boosting the level of renewable heating and cooling;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 304 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Highlights the potential of collective energy systems for renewable heating and coolingprosumer groups involving households, micro and small businesses, cooperatives and local authorities for establishing collective energy systems that provide cost-efficient renewable heating and cooling as well as the many synergies between energy efficiency and renewable energy;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 306 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Stresses that using electric space heaters as a main heating system is well known to be expensive for the user and at the price per kWh for heat output, especially when the housing is poorly insulated. It leads to a high energy bill for the householder and increase energy poverty; calls on Member States to ban the use of electric space heaters as a main heating system;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 314 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Notes the failure of the biofuel-based renewable strategy forrenewable target for transport; calls on Member States to increase efforts to deploy sustainable decarbonisation measures for the transport sector such as demand reduction, a modal shift towards more sustainable modes, better efficiency and electrification, such as electrified trainsport, tramways, electric bicycles and shared e- cars;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 331 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Draws attention to the need to limituse biofuel land-use to areas where they do not compete with feedstock production and to develop next-generation biofuels using biomass or waste that do not compete with other agricultural producs that meet the EU sustainability requirements and to gradually phase out the use of food crops for biofuels, and to develop next-generation biofuels using e.g. woody biomass, agricultural residues or waste, while ensuring consistency with the waste hierarchy and cascading use principles; asks for a revision of the sustainability criteria for biofuels and bioliquids as set out in the Renewable Energy Directive, and their extension to solid and gaseous biomass; highlights that sound, proportionate and simple bioenergy sustainability criteria must necessarily be part of the future Renewable Energy Directive;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 340 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Stresses the need for a shift from liberalisation to sustainable mobility regulation, including sustainable logistic systems, mobility management and sustainable urban policies that minimise overall energy consumption in transport; encouraging more active travel models, developing and implementing Smart Cities-solutions and supporting urban eco-mobility and adapted urban planning;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 343 #

2016/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Emphasises that a larger modal share of walking, cycling, car-sharing and car-pooling, combined with public transport systems, are crucial for reducing and avoiding EU oil dependency and thereby reducing GHG emissions;
2016/04/13
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 5 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the new VAT action plan as a long overdue key initiative to foster and concur with the implementation of the political priority ‘A deeper and fairer internal market’ through the EU Digital Single Market Strategy and the Single EU VAT Area; stresses that establishment of a single European VAT area and tackling VAT gap and tax-fraud shall be an urgent priority for the EU and the Member States; emphasizes the need for a deeper and more equitable single market and in order to help promote tax justice, sustainable consumption, employment, growth, investment and competitiveness;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. NoteRegrets that the new action plan includess unclear about the details of the further steps forward towards a more efficient and fraud-proof definitive regime;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Reminds the Commission to act on enhancing the effectiveness of VAT tax systems and on ensuring better compliance with VAT rules; welcomes the application of the ‘country of destination’ of the goods and services as the underlying principle of the definitive EU VAT system which willis expected to lead to the reduction of cross- border VAT fraud by EUR 40 billion per year; encourages the Commission to amend the VAT Directive to hold the importer jointly liable for VAT loss in the Member State of destination;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls for a change of the TFEU in order to introduce ordinary legislative procedure, with co-decision by Parliament and the Council, in the context of the VAT Directive; encourages the Commission to amend the VAT Directive to hold the importer jointly liable for VAT loss in the Member State of destination;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Support the Commission proposal for a single EU VAT area where VAT on a cross-border sale (goods or services) would be collected by the tax authority of the originating country, at the rate applicable in the country of consumption, and transferred to the country where the goods or services are ultimately consumed;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the current VAT system remains fragmented and creates significant administrative burdens, particularly for SMEs and online companies; calls on the Commission to propose amendments to the VAT Directive to enable a technologically neutral application of VAT rules, which will ensure that the physical and digital versions of a given product are treated in the same way; calls on the Commission to minimize unnecessary administrative burden in particular for SMEs; support the Commission proposal to introduce a VAT-free threshold to help start-ups and microbusinesses;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that the current plethora of VAT rates causes great uncertainty for companies involved in cross-border trading; calls for increasing convergence in VAT rates, including the re- introduction of higher VAT rates on luxury goods and to those products, which are most harmful for the environment and human health;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Takes the view that additional revenue, arising from VAT rates differentiation, could be used to reduce direct taxation for low income earners to smooth negative distributional effects;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 27 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on Member States to simplify their national tax systems and make them more consistent and robust so as to facilitate compliance, prevent, deter and sanction tax fraud and evasion, and boost the efficiency of VAT collection;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on Member States to better coordinate their policies on reverse charge mechanisms in order to facilitate the exchange of information; calls on the Commission to further explore and better assess possibilities for extending the application of the VAT reverse charge mechanism to business-to- business supplies of goods, as it already applies to digital products and servicein order to prevent VAT fraud to arise in new forms instead of 'carousel fraud' and to prevent the increase of administrative burdens for SMEs;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 33 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that the VAT gap and the estimated losses on VAT collection within the Union amounted to EUR 170 billion in 2015 and underlines the fact that in 13 of the 26 Member States examined in 2014, the average estimated VAT loss exceeded 15.2 %; calls on the Commission to make full use of its executive powers in order to both control and help the Member States; points out that effective action to reduce the VAT gap requires a concerted and multidisciplinary approach as this gap results not only from fraud but from a combination of factors, including bankruptcy and insolvency, statistical errors, late payment, tax evasion and tax avoidance; in order to better investigate and deter fraud reiterates its call on the Commission to swiftly promote legislation on the minimum level of protection for whistle-blowers in the EU and establish financial support for cross-border investigative journalism which clearly proved its effectiveness in the scandals of Luxleaks, Dieselgate and Panama papers;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 58 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 17
17. Believes that OLAF and Europol should have access to VIES and Eurofisc data and that Member States should benefit from intelligence information supplied by these bodies in order to gain efficiency in their fight against organised crime operating at a transnational level; is of the opinion that OLAF needs to have clear competences and tools to investigate intra- Community VAT fraud;
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 59 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that both the Directive on the fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law (PIF Directive) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office Regulation (EPPO Regulation) would complement and strengthen the legal framework and would considerably reinforce the fight against fraud; reiterates Parliament’s stance on the urgent need to adopt the PIF Directive and the EPPO Regulation, with VAT included in their scope; emphasizes that excluding VAT from the scope of these proposals would represent a major step backwards, since VAT fraud is covered by the current legal framework, namely, the PIF Convention, as it was recently recalled by the ECJ in the Taricco-case (C-105/14 of 8 September 2015, Taricco);
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 62 #

2016/2033(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 19
19. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to be more active at international level and to strengthen cooperation with non-EU countries and enforce VAT collection, so as to establish standards of cooperation based chiefly on the principles of transparency, good governance and exchange of information; encourages Member States to exchange information received from non-EU countries among themselves in order to facilitate the enforcement of VAT collection particularly in e-commerce; .
2016/06/13
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2016/2024(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. In light of the urgency of global action and to show Union leadership, calls upon the Commission to increase the climate spending in the Union budget from 20 to 30% and to introduce an effective method of tracking such spending;
2016/06/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 22 #

2016/2024(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission to ensure Union financial resources do not contain subsidies that are harmful for the climate or lock in fossil fuel infrastructure, such as fossil fuel subsidies, or support activities which are harmful to biodiversity or damage ecosystems, or require increased use of resources and energy; furthermore calls on the Commission to introduce an effective method of tracking biodiversity spending in the Union budget;
2016/06/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 23 #

2016/2024(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. On the basis of available evidence considers it very likely the Common Agricultural Policy - representing nearly 40% of the Union spending - will fail to deliver on its sustainable management of natural resources objectives; therefore calls for the Commission to start a Fitness Check of the CAP as soon as possible, on the basis of the five fitness check questions: EU value added, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and policy coherence;
2016/06/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 86 #

2016/2019(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Considers that the structural and organisational reforms aimed at achieving greater efficiency, environmental sustainability, and effectiveness should continue through the thorough examination of possible synergies and savings; recalls the substantial savings that could be made by having only one place of work instead of three (Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg); underlines that this process should be lead without endangering Parliament's legislative excellence, its budgetary powers and powers of scrutiny, or the quality of working conditions for Members, assistants, and staff;
2016/03/15
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 453 #

2016/0382(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 4
For the calculation of a Member State’s gross final consumption of energy from renewable energy sources, the contribution from biofuels and bioliquids, as well as from biomass fuels consumed in transport, if produced from food or feed crops, shall be no more than 7% of final consumption of energy in road and rail transport in that Member State. This limit shall be reduced to 3,80% in 2030 following the trajectory set out in part A of Annex X. Member States may set a lower limit and may distinguish between different types of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels produced from food and feed oil crops, for instance by setting a lower limit for the contribution from food or feed crop based biofuels produced from oil crops, taking into account indirect land use change.
2017/07/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1090 #

2016/0382(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex X – Part A
Part A: Maximum contribution from liquid biofuels produced from food or feed crops to the EU renewable energy target as referred to in Article 7 paragraph 1 Calendar year Minimum share 2021 7.0% 2022 6.73% 2023 6.4% 5.6% 2024 6.1% 4.9% 2025 5.84.2% 2026 5.43.5% 2027 5.02.8% 2028 4.62.1% 2029 4.21.4% 2030 3.8% 0%
2017/07/24
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 482 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1
1. Dispatching of power generation facilities and demand response shall be non-discriminatory and market based unless otherwise provided under paragraphs 2 to 4Member States shall ensure that when dispatching electricity-generating installations, transmission system operators shall give priority to generating installations using variable renewable energy sources in so far as the secure operation of the national electricity system permits and based on transparent and non-discriminatory criteria.
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 495 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2
2. When dispatching electricity generating installations, transmission system operators shall give priority to generating installations using renewable energy sources or high-efficiency cogeneration from small generating installations or generating installations using emerging technologies to the following extent: (a) generating installations using renewable energy sources or high- efficiency cogeneration with an installed electricity capacity of less than 500 kW; or (b) demonstration projects for innovative technologies.deleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 508 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) generating installations using renewable energy sources or high- efficiency cogeneration with an installed electricity capacity of less than 500 kW; ordeleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 518 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) demonstration projects for innovative technologies.deleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 532 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Where the total capacity of generating installations subject to priority dispatch under paragraph 2 is higher than 15 % of the total installed generating capacity in a Member State, point (a) of paragraph 2 shall apply only to additional generating installations using renewable energy sources or high-efficiency cogeneration with an installed electricity capacity of less than 250 kW.deleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 541 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
From 1 January 2026, point (a) of paragraph 2 shall apply only to generating installations using renewable energy sources or high-efficiency cogeneration with an installed electricity capacity of less than 250 kW or, if the threshold under the first sentence of this paragraph has been reached, of less than 125 kW.deleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 543 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 4
4. Generating installations using renewable energy sources or high- efficiency cogeneration which have been commissioned prior to [OP: entry into force] and have, when commissioned, been subject to priority dispatch under Article 15(5) of Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council or Article 16(2) of Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council35 shall remain subject to priority dispatch. Priority dispatch shall no longer be applicable from the date where the generating installation is subject to significant modifications, which shall be the case at least where a new connection agreement is required or the generation capacity is increased. _________________ 35 Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC (OJ L 140, 5.6.2009, p. 16).deleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 558 #

2016/0379(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 5
5. Priority dispatch shall not endanger the secure operation of the electricity system, shall not be used as a justification for curtailment of cross- border capacities beyond what is provided for in Article 14 and shall be based on transparent and non-discriminatory criteria.deleted
2017/09/25
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 39 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
(1) Moderation of energy demand is one of the five dimensions of the Energy Union Strategy adopted on 25 February 2015. Improving energy efficiency will benefit the environment, improve air quality through less solid heating fuel demand in energy efficient buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security by reducing dependence on energy imports from outside the Union, cut energy costs for households and companies, help alleviate energy poverty and lead to increased jobs and economy- wide economic activity. This is in line with the Union commitments made in the framework of the Energy Union and global climate agenda established by the Paris Agreement of December 2015 by the Parties of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 42 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 2
(2) Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council9 is an element to progress towards the Energy Union, under which energy efficiency should be treated as an energy source in its own right. The 'energy efficiency first' principle should be taken into account when setting new rules for the supply side and other policy areas, and recognised by the financial institutions by providing dedicated funds and instruments. The Commission should ensure that energy efficiency and demand side response can compete on equal terms with generation capacity. Energy efficiency needs to be considered whenever energy system relevant planning or financing decisions are taken. Energy efficiency improvements need to be realised whenever it is more cost-effective than equivalent supply-side solutions. This should help to exploit the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for Europe's society, in particular for citizens and businesses. __________________ 9 Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC (OJ L 315, 14.11.2012, p. 1).
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 46 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3
(3) The European Council of October 2014 set a 27 % energy efficiency target for 2030, to be reviewed by 2020 'having in mind an Union level of 30 %'. In December 2015, the European Parliament called uponasked the Commission to also assess the viability of a 40 % energy efficiency target for the same timeframeset a binding energy efficiency target of 40 % for 2030 which will reflect the level of cost-effective energy efficiency potential. It is therefore appropriate to review and consequently amend the Directive to adapt it to the 2030 perspective.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 49 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The large surplus of allowances in the Union Emissions Trading System (ETS), due to economic downturn, influx of international carbon credits and over- allocation, has resulted in a weak ETS allowance price. The carbon price is not projected to increase in the foreseeable future to a level that would sufficiently incentivise improvement in energy saving and renewable energy, hence it is necessary to maintain specific measures and a stable long-term framework at Union level for energy saving investments.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 57 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4
(4) TCurrently, there are no binding targets at national level in the 2030 perspective. The need for the Union to achieve its energy efficiency targets at EU level, expressed in primary and final energy consumption, in 2020 and 2030 should be clearly set out in the form of a binding 340 % target. This clarification at Union level should not restrict Member States as their freedom is kept to set their national contributions based on eitherapply measures and schemes of their choice. Member States set their national targets in both primary orand final energy consumption, primary or final energy savings, or energy intensity. Member States should set their national indicative energy efficiency contributionsterms, at least equal to or below the energy consumption level set out in Annex Va. The Member States national energy efficiency target setting should takinge into account that the Union’s 2030 energy consumption has to be no more than 1 1321 Mtoe of primary energy and no more than 987846 Mtoe of final energy. This means that primary energy consumption should be reduced by 23 % and final energy consumption should be reduced by 17 % in the Union compared to 2005 levels. A regular evaluation of progress towards the achievement of the Union 2030 target is necessary and is provided for in the legislative proposal on Energy Union Governance.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 63 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Local authorities play a crucial role in enabling the implementation of energy efficiency measures and schemes by engaging in ambitious energy savings through local action plans such as in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for climate and energy. Data from local action plans, such as the energy efficiency policies and measures outlined in more than 5000 sustainable energy and climate action plans, can effectively contribute in co-designing new measures and schemes and to achieve national efficiency targets. Together with other stakeholders from industry, social partners, civil society representatives and the public at large, local, regional and national authorities should be part of a permanent stakeholder dialogue on energy efficiency and savings policies.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 69 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) Energy efficiency improvements also have a positive impact on air quality, as more energy efficient buildings reduce the demand in heating fuels, especially also solid heating fuels. Therefore, energy efficiency measures contribute to improving in- and outdoor air quality and help achieving, in a cost effective manner, objectives of Union’s air quality policy, as established in particular by the Directive (EU) 2016/2284 (the “Air Quality Directive”)1a. The reduction of energy demand in buildings should be considered an element of air quality policy in general and especially in Member States where achieving the Union’s limits on emissions of air pollutants is problematic and energy efficiency could help attain these goals. __________________ 1aDirective (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC (OJ L 344, 17.12.2016, p. 1- 31)
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 86 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) Energy audits for business are a proven means of boosting energy efficiency and, also together with energy management schemes, they help Union companies to be more competitive. In order to harvest to the full the potential of Article 8 for businesses, its scope should be enlarged to all companies with high energy consumption and its implementation should be further guided by the Commission. Cost-effective measures resulting from the energy audit recommendations should be implemented in conjunction with planned maintenance.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 86 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
(1) Moderation of energy demand is one of the five dimensions of the Energy Union Strategy adopted on 25 February 2015. Improving energy efficiency will benefit the environment, improve air quality through less solid heating fuel demand in energy efficient buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security by reducing dependence on energy imports from outside the Union, cut energy costs for households and companies, help alleviate energy poverty and lead to increased jobs and economy- wide economic activity. This is in line withAmbitious energy efficiency programmes allow achieving in a reliable and less expensive way the Union commitments made in the framework of the Energy Union and global climate agenda established by the Paris Agreement of December 2015 by the Parties of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 88 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 12
(12) Improvements to the energy efficiency of buildings should benefit in particular consumers affected by energy poverty, as well as vulnerable and marginalized groups such as Roma people. Member States can already require obligated parties to include social aims in energy saving measures, in relation to energy poverty, and this possibility should now be extended to alternative measures and transformed into an obligation while leaving full flexibility to Member States with regard to the size, scope and content of such measures. In line with Article 9 of the Treaty, the Union's energy efficiency policies should be inclusive and therefore also ensure accessibility of energy efficiency measures for energy poor consumers. To this end, energy poverty should be properly defined, Member States objectives should be quantified, the implementation of measures monitored, and the schemes should be accompanied by adequate financial instruments.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 95 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
(13) Energy generated on or in buildings from renewable energy technologies reduces the supplied fossil energy. The reduction of energy consumption and the use of energy from renewable sources in the buildings sector are important measures to reduce the Union’s energy dependency and greenhouse gas emissions, especially in view of ambitious climate and energy objectives set for 2030 as well as the global commitment made in the Conference of the Parties of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris in December 2015. Member States should therefore be able to takeadopt ambitious, long- term renovation strategies into account a certain amount of renewable energy generated on or in buildings for own use into account to satisfy their energy savings requirements. For this purposrdance with Article 2a of Directive 2010/31/EU as in force, with the goal to arrive at a highly energy efficient, NZEB stock by 2050 with the Mrember States should be allowaining energy needs to use calculation methodologies established under Directive 2010/31/EUbe met by renewable energy.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 95 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 2
(2) Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council9 is an element to progress towards the Energy Union, under which energy efficiency should be treated as an energy source in its own right. The 'energy efficiency first' principle should be taken into account when setting new rules for the supply side and other policy areas, and recognised by the financial institutions by providing dedicated funds and instruments and by avoiding to drive investments into costly and redundant infrastructure. The Commission should ensure that energy efficiency and demand side response can compete on equal terms with generation capacity. Energy efficiency needs to be considered whenever energy system relevant planning or financing decisions are taken. Energy efficiency improvements need to be realised whenever it is more cost-effective than equivalent supply-side solutions. This should help to exploit the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for Europe's society, in particular for citizens and businesses. __________________ 9 Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC (OJ L 315, 14.11.2012, p. 1).
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 100 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 2 a (new)
(2a) To trigger large scale energy efficiency investments, Member States and the Union should base the development of their policies and targets on comprehensive cost-benefit analysis using a model of differentiated discount rates and develop tools and open source standards to measure actual energy savings from portfolio of projects, i.e. to facilitate investments through ESCO type contracts or Energy Saving Purchase Agreements.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 103 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 15
(15) Certain provisions of Article 15 of Directive 2012/27/EU on energy transformation, transmission and distribution should be repealed aligned with the relevant electricity market provisions. The review of the acquis in the energy field may result in Member States' obligations under the different energy related acts being structured differently. This restructuring should not affect Member States' obligation to comply with the substantive requirements of Directive 2012/27/EU which may be reintroduced, completely or partially, in other acts.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 104 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 16
(16) Reflecting technological progress and the growing share of renewable energy sources in the electricity generation sector, the default in certain Member States, the coefficient for savings in kWh electricity shin those could be reviewed in order to reflect changes in the primary energy factor (PEF) for electricity, reflecting the real energy mix of the relevant Member State, by way of a comparable and transparent methodology. Calculations of the PEF for electricity are based on annual average values. The Physical energy content accounting method is used for nuclear electricity and heat generation and the Technical conversion efficiency method is used for electricity and heat generation from fossil fuels and biomass. For non- combustible renewable energy, the method is the direct equivalent based on the Total primary energy approach. To calculate the primary energy share for electricity in CHP the method set out in Annex II of Directive 2012/27/EU is applied. An average market position is used rather than a marginal one. Conversion efficiencies are assumed to be 100 % for non-combustible renewables, 10 % for geothermal power stations and 33 % for nuclear power stations. Total efficiency for cogeneration is calculated based on the most recent data from Eurostat. As for system boundaries the PEF is 1 for all energy sources. Calculations are based on the most recent version of the PRIMES Reference Scenario. The PEF value is based on the projection for 2020. The analysis covers the EU Member States and Norway. The dataset for Norway is based on ENTSO-E data.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 106 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 18
(18) In order to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of Directive 2012/27/EU, a requirement forEnergy and climate law is complementary and should be mutually reinforcing. Thus, as part of the obligations under the Paris Agreement, within six months of the UNFCCC global stocktake in 2023 and aligned to the review process of the Governance Regulation [ ], the Commission should undertake a general review of the Directive and2012/27/EU and introduce a report to the European Parliament and the Council by 28 February 2024 should be introducedassessing the general effectiveness of Directive 2012/27/EU and the need to adjust the Union's energy efficiency policy according to the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Such a review and report should be undertaken in subsequent global stocktakes thereafter.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 106 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3
(3) The European Council of October 2014 setdefined the general political direction for the 2030 climate & energy framework, indicating its preference for a 27 % energy efficiency target for 2030, to be reviewed by 2020 'having in mind an Union level of 30 %'. In December 2015, the European Parliament called uponasked the Commission to also assess the viability of a 40 % energy efficiency target for the same timeframeset a binding energy efficiency target of 40 % for 2030 which will reflect the level of cost-effective energy efficiency potential. It is therefore appropriate to review and consequently amend the Directive to adapt it to the 2030 perspective.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 107 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. This Directive establishes a common framework of measures to promote energy efficiency within the Union in order to ensure that the Union’s 2020 20 % headline targets and itsa 2030 340 % binding headline targets on energy efficiency are met and paves the way for further energy efficiency improvements beyond those dates in line with the Union commitments made under the Energy Union and global climate agenda secured with the Paris Agreement of December 2015. It lays down rules designed to remove barriers in the energy market and overcome market failures that impede efficiency in the supply and use of energy, and provides for the establishment of indicative national energy efficiency targets and contributionin line with the 'energy efficiency first' principle, which should help exploit the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for Europe's society, in particular for citizens and businesses. It is an element to progress towards the Energy Union, under which energy efficiency should be treated as an energy source in its own right, and energy efficiency and demand side response can compete on equal terms with generation capacity. It also provides for the establishment of national energy efficiency targets for 2020 and 2030.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 114 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The large surplus of allowances in the Union Emissions Trading System, due to economic downturn, influx of international carbon credits and over allocation, has resulted in a weak ETS allowance price. The carbon price is not projected to increase in the foreseeable future to a level that would sufficiently incentivise improvement in energy saving and renewable energy, and energy efficiency projects face non-economic barriers which cannot be overcome through pricing instruments only. It is thus necessary to maintain specific measures and a stable long-term framework at Union level for energy saving investments.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 122 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4
(4) TCurrently, there are no binding targets at national level in the 2030 perspective. The need for the Union to achieve its energy efficiency targets at EU level, expressed in primary and final energy consumption, in 2020 and 2030 should be clearly set out in the form of a binding 340 % target. This clarification at Union level should not restrict Member States as their freedom is kept to set their national contributions based on eitherapply measures and schemes of their choice. Member States set their national targets in both primary orand final energy consumption, primary or final energy savings, or energy intensity. Member States should set their national indicative energy efficiency contributionsterms, at least equal to or below the energy consumption level set out in Annex V a (new). The Member States national energy efficiency target setting should takinge into account that the Union's 2030 energy consumption has to be no more than 1 1321 Mtoe of primary energy and no more than 987846 Mtoe of final energy. This means that primary energy consumption should be reduced by 23 % and final energy consumption should be reduced by 17 % in the Union compared to 2005 levels. A regular evaluation of progress towards the achievement of the Union 2030 target is necessary and is provided for in the legislative proposal on Energy Union Governance.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 136 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) In order to improve interaction between the EU ETS and increased ambition of the energy efficiency targets, a review of the intake rates of the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) is to be agreed within the context of the EU ETS review. More importantly, the EU climate and energy targets for 2030 should be increased in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 143 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 3 – paragraph 4
4. Each Member State shall set indicativeensure set that its binding national energy efficiency contributions towards the Union's 2030 target referred to in Article 1 paragraph 1 in accordance with Articles [4] and [6] of Regulation (EU) XX/20XX [Governance of the Energy Union]. When setting those contributions, Member States shall take into account thattarget for 2030 is at least equal to or below the energy consumption level set out in Annex Va in both primary and final energy terms, contributing to towards the Union's 2030 energy consumption has to betarget of no more than 1 1321 Mtoe of primary energy and no more than 987846 Mtoe of final energy referred to in Article 1 paragraph 1 in accordance with Articles [4] and [6] of Regulation (EU) XX/20XX [Governance of the Energy Union]. Member States shall notify those contributiontargets to the Commission as part of their integrated national energy and climate plans in accordance with the procedure pursuant to Articles [3] and [7] to [11] of Regulation (EU) XX/20XX [Governance of the Energy Union].
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 145 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Together with other stakeholders from industry, social partners, civil society representatives and the public at large, local, regional and national authorities - such as the Covenant of Mayors representing more than 7,000 EU local authorities - should be part of a permanent stakeholder dialogue on energy efficiency and savings policies. Local authorities play a crucial role in enabling the implementation of energy efficiency measures and schemes by engaging in ambitious energy savings through local action plans such as in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for climate and energy. Data from local action plans, such as the energy efficiency policies and measures outlined in more than 5000 sustainable energy and climate action plans, can effectively contribute in co-designing new measures and schemes and to achieve national efficiency targets.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 147 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 6
(6) In view of the climate and energy framework for 2030 the energy savings obligation should be extended beyond 2020. Extending the commitment period beyond 2020 would create greater stability for investors and thus encourage long term investments and long term energy efficiency measures, such as the deep renovation of buildings. to achieve a nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) stock by 2050. The energy savings obligation has been key in leading to the creation of local growth and jobs, and should be continued to ensure that the EU can achieve its energy and climate objectives by creating further opportunities and continue to decouple energy consumption from growth. The Commission shall help exchange the best practice in terms of job and growth creation through the energy saving obligation.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 149 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 3 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Member States shall report in their integrated national energy and climate progress reports on the progress achieved towards their national targets and measures in accordance with the procedure pursuant to the Governance Regulation [(EU) XX/20XX].
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 150 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
(2a) In Article 5, paragraph 1, subparagraph 1 is replaced by the following: " “Without prejudice to Article 7 of Directive 2010/31/EU, each Member State shall ensure that, as from 1 January 2014, 3 % of the total floor area of heated and/or cooled buildings owned and, occupied by its central governmentor managed by public authorities, hospitals and health care facilities, educational buildings and social housing is renovated each year to meet at least the minimum energy performance requirements that it has set in application of Article 4 of Directive 2010/31/EU.” (This amendment applies throughout the Article and the remainder of the Directive.)
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 151 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) Energy efficiency improvements also have a positive impact on air quality, as more energy efficient buildings reduce the demand in heating fuels, especially also solid heating fuels. Therefore energy efficiency measures contribute to improving in- and outdoor air quality and help achieving, in a cost effective manner, the objectives of Union’s air quality policy, as established in particular by the Air Quality Directive 1a. The reduction of energy demand in buildings should be considered an element of air quality policy, in general and especially in Member States where achieving Union’s limits on emissions of air pollutants is problematic and energy efficiency could help attain these goals. __________________ 1aDirective (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC (OJ L 344, 17.12.2016, p. 1- 31)
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 154 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 5 – paragraph 7 a (new)
(2 b) in Article 5, the following paragraph is inserted: 7a. Member States shall report on the annual energy savings resulting from the renovations, including on the share of deep renovations, and on the total floor area renovated, according to Article 19 of the Governance Regulation [ ].
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 156 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
With a view to ensuring a stable and predictable contribution toward achieving the long term objectives under the Paris Agreement, Member States shall achieve cumulative end-use energy savings at least equivalent to:
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 161 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) new savings each year from 1 January 2031 to 31 December 2040 of 1.5% of annual energy sales to final customers by volume, averaged over the most recent three-year period prior to 1 January 2029.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 163 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b b (new)
(bb) new savings each year from 1 January 2041 to 31 December 2050 of 1.5% of annual energy sales to final customers by volume, averaged over the most recent three-year period prior to 1 January 2039.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 170 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Member States shall continue to achieve new annual savings of 1.5% for ten year periods after 2030, unless reviews by the Commission by 2027 and every 10 years thereafter conclude that this is not necessary to achieve the Union's long term energy and climate targets foachieve year on year cumulative end-use savings from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2050.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 176 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3
For the purposes of point (b), and without prejudice to paragraphs 2 and 3, Member States may count only those energy savings that stem from new policy measures introduced after 31 December 2020 or policy measures introduced during the period from 1 January2014 to 31December 2020 provided it can be demonstrated that those measures result in individual actions that are undertaken after 31 December 2020 and deliver savings.deleted
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 181 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 10
(10) Energy savings which result from the implementation of Union legislation may not be claimed unless the measure in question goes beyond the minimum required by the Union legislation in question, whether by setting more ambitious energy efficiency requirements at national level or increasing the take up of the measure. Recognising that renovation of buildings is an essential and long term element in increasing energy savings, it is necessary to clarify that not all energy savings stemming from measures promoting the renovation of existing buildings can be claimed unless if they are additional to developments that would have happened in the absence of the policy measure and if the Member State demonstrates that the obligated, participating or entrusted party has actually contributed to the achievement of the savings claimed from the measure in question.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 183 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 4
TFor the purpose of point a) of paragraph 1 of this Article, the sales of energy, by volume, used in transport may be partially or fully excluded from these calculations.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 186 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 5
Member States shall decide how the calculated quantity of new savings is to be phased over each period referred to in points (a), (b), (ba) and (bb) as long as the required total cumulative savings have been achieved by the end of each period.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 186 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 12
(12) Improvements to the energy efficiency of buildings should benefit in particular consumers affected by energy poverty, as well as vulnerable and marginalised groups such as Roma people. Member States can already require obligated parties to include social aims in energy saving measures, in relation to energy poverty, and this possibility should now be extended to alternative measures and transformed into an obligation while leaving full flexibility to Member States with regard to the size, scope and content of such measures. In line with Article 9 of the Treaty, the Union's energy efficiency policies should be inclusive and therefore also ensure accessibility of energy efficiency measures for energy poor consumers. To this end, energy poverty should be properly defined, Member States objectives must be quantified, the implementation of measures monitored, and the schemes should be accompanied by adequate financial instruments.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 188 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Subject to paragraph 3 and only for the purposes of paragraph 1 point (a), each Member State may:
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 195 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point e
(e) exclude from the calculation of the energy savings requirement referred to in paragraph 1 the verifiable amount of energy generated on or in buildings for own use as a result of policy measures promoting new installation of renewable energy technologies.deleted
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 202 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) for the calculation of the amount of energy savings required for the period referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1 Member States may make use of points (b), (c), (d) and (e) of paragraph 2, provided individual actions in the meaning of point (d) continue to have a verifiable and measurable impact after 31 December 2020.deleted
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 205 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 7
7. Member States shall demonstratecalculate the savings in accordance with Annex V and demonstrate in their National Energy and Climate plans that where there is an overlap in the impact of policy measures or individual actions, there is no double counting of energy savings.;
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 207 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Member States shall report in their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) on the detailed methodology of the proposed operation, as well as on the progress achieved of the energy efficiency obligation schemes and alternative measures referred to in Articles 7a and 7b and Article 20(6) in accordance with Annex V of this Directive and in accordance with Article 19 and Annex VII Part 2 of the Governance Regulation [(EU) XX/20XX], including on long-term strategies up to 2050.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 213 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7a – paragraph 5 – point a
(a) shall include requirements with a social aim in the saving obligations they impose, including by requiring a share of energy efficiency measures to be implemented as a priority in households affected by energy poverty and in social housing coupled with the necessary financial support via adequate financial instruments;
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 213 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
(13) Energy generated on or in buildings from renewable energy technologies reduces the supplied fossil energy. The reduction of energy consumption and the use of energy from renewable sources in the buildings sector are important measures to reduce the Union’s energy dependency and greenhouse gas emissions, especially in view of ambitious climate and energy objectives set for 2030 as well as the global commitment made in the Conference of the Parties of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris in December 2015. Member States should therefore be able to takeadopt ambitious, long- term renovation strategies into account a certain amount of renewable energy generated on or in buildings for own use into account to satisfy their energy savings requirements. For this purpose Member States should be allowrdance with Article 2 a (new) of Directive 2010/31/EU (revised) with the goal to arrive at a highly energy efficient, NZEB stock by 2050 with the remaining energy needs to use calculation methodologies established under Directive 2010/31/EUbe met by renewable energy.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 216 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7a – paragraph 5 – point b
(b) mayshall permit obligated parties to count towards their obligation certified energy savings achieved by energy service providers or other third parties including when obligated parties promote measures through other State-approved bodies, such as social housing providers, or through public authorities that may or may not involve formal partnerships and may be in combination with other sources of finance. Where Member States so permit, they shall ensure that an approval process is in place which is clear, transparent and open to all market actors, and which aims at minimising the costs of certification;
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 217 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7a – paragraph 6
6. Once a year, Member States shall publish the energy savings achieved by each obligated party, or each sub-category of obligated party, and in total under the scheme. That report shall also include the contribution of deep decarbonisation of the economy on macro-economic development, and social development, and health risks and benefits and environmental protection. As part of the reporting obligations under 19 of the Governance regulation [ ], Member States shall report on: (i) the impact of these measures on consumer bills and living conditions (ii) national objectives with regard to energy poverty (iii) the number of households in energy poverty, with a particular focus on women and vulnerable groups (iv) the results of delivered measures and savings achieved from energy efficiency obligation schemes in households affected by energy poverty and in social housing, (v) the indicators chosen and level of achievement of the social aim under point Art 7a(5)(a).
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 219 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
2. In designing alternative policy measures to achieve energy savings, Member States shall take into account the effect onestablish specific measures benefitting households affected by energy poverty.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 222 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7b – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Once a year, Member States shall publish the energy savings achieved by each alternative measure and in total. This shall also include the contribution of deep decarbonisation of the economy on macro-economic development, and social development, and health risks and benefits and the environmental protection. As part of the reporting obligations under Article 19 of the Governance regulation [ ], Member States shall report on: (i) the impact of these measures on consumer bills and living conditions; (ii) national objectives with regard to energy poverty; (iii) the number of households in energy poverty, with a particular focus on women and vulnerable groups; (iv) the results of delivered measures and savings achieved from alternative measures in households affected by energy poverty.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 223 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 c (new)
4a. The following Article 7c is inserted: Article 7c Permanent stakeholder dialogue Member States shall develop their energy efficiency schemes and measures openly and transparently, and ensure that the public, social partners, businesses, investors, civil society including women organisation and vulnerable groups representatives, and other stakeholders are given early, effective and continued opportunities to participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of energy efficiency measures through a permanent stakeholder dialogue according to the principles established by the Arhus Convention*,,including compliance with Article 4 and 6 of the latter. __________________ *Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 228 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 15
(15) Certain provisions of Article 15 of Directive 2012/27/EU on energy transformation, transmission and distribution should be repealedaligned with the relevant electricity market provisions. The review of the acquis in the energy field may result in Member States' obligations under the different energy related acts being structured differently. This restructuring should not affect Member States' obligation to comply with the substantive requirements of Directive 2012/27/EU which may be reintroduced, completely or partially, in other acts.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 234 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 16
(16) RStrictly limited to the purposes of the present Directive and reflecting technological progress and the growing share of renewable energy sources in the electricity generation sector, the default in certain Member States, the coefficient for savings in kWh electricity shin those Member States could be reviewed in order to reflect changes in the primary energy factor (PEF) for electricity, reflecting the real energy mix of the respective Member State, by way of a comparable and transparent methodology. Calculations of the PEF for electricity are based on annual average values. The Physical energy content accounting method is used for nuclear electricity and heat generation and the Technical conversion efficiency method is used for electricity and heat generation from fossil fuels and biomass. For non- combustible renewable energy, the method is the direct equivalent based on the Total primary energy approach. To calculate the primary energy share for electricity in CHP the method set out in Annex II of Directive 2012/27/EU is applied. An average market position is used rather than a marginal one. Conversion efficiencies are assumed to be 100 % for non-combustible renewables, 10% for geothermal power stations and 33% for nuclear power stations. Total efficiency for cogeneration is calculated based on the most recent data from Eurostat. As for system boundaries the PEF is 1 for all energy sources. Calculations are based on the most recent version of the PRIMES Reference Scenario. The PEF value is based on the projection for 2020. The analysis covers the EU Member States and Norway. The dataset for Norway is based on ENTSO-E data.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 239 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 18
(18) In order to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of Directive 2012/27/EU, a requirement forEnergy and climate law is complementary and should be mutually reinforcing. Thus, as part of the obligations under the Paris Agreement, within six months of the UNFCCC global stocktake in 2023 and aligned to the review process of the Governance Regulation [ ], the Commission should undertake a general review of the Directive and2012/27/EU and introduce a report to the European Parliament and the Council by 28 February 2024 should be introducedassessing the general effectiveness of Directive 2012/27/EU and the need to adjust the Union's energy efficiency policy according to the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Such a review and report should be undertaken in subsequent global stocktakes thereafter.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 243 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 19 a (new)
(19a) Taking into account the Statement by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the exemplary role of their buildings in the context of the Energy Efficiency Directive 1a , it should be emphasised that the reporting on progress on renovations should equally be part of the reporting measures regarding public buildings in Article 5 of this Directive. __________________ 1aDirective 2012/27 /EU http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getD oc.do?pubRef=- %2f%2fEP%2f%2fTEXT%2bTA%2bP7- TA-2012- 0306%2b0%2bDOC%2bXML%2bV0%2f %2fEN&language=EN
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 246 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. This Directive establishes a common framework of measures to promote energy efficiency within the Union in order to ensure that the Union’s 2020 20 % headline targets and itsa 2030 340 % binding headline targets on energy efficiency are met and paves the way for further energy efficiency improvements beyond those dates in line with the EU commitments made under the Energy Union and global climate agenda secured with the Paris Agreement of December 2015. It lays down rules designed to remove barriers in the energy market and overcome market failures that impede efficiency in the supply and use of energy, and provides for the establishment of indicative national energy efficiency targets and contributions for 2020 and 2030.;in line with the 'energy efficiency first' principle, which shall help exploit the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for Europe's society, in particular for citizens and businesses. It is an element to progress towards the Energy Union, under which energy efficiency shall be treated as an energy source in its own right, and energy efficiency and demand side response can compete on equal terms with generation capacity. It also provides for the establishment of national energy efficiency targets for 2020 and 2030.; The 2030 headline targets on energy efficiency will increase industrial competitiveness, trigger additional economic growth and create additional, local jobs. These indicators shall be duly assessed by the Commission during the reviews foreseen under this Directive.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 251 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 19 a (new)
11a. The following Article 19a is inserted: Article 19a Financing energy efficiency by European banks The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) shall adapt their policy objectives with a view to recognise energy efficiency as an energy source in its own right and energy efficiency investments as part of their infrastructure investment portfolio. EIB and EBRD shall, also together with national promotional banks, design, generate and finance programmes and projects tailored to the efficiency sector, including for energy poor households. Member States shall make full use of the possibilities and tools proposed by the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings Initiative.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 253 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 13
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 24 – paragraph 12
12. The Commission shall evaluate this Directive by 28 FebruaryIn line with the Governance Regulation [ ], the Commission shall undertake a general review of this Directive within six months of the UNFCCC global stocktake in 20243 at the latest, and every five yearafter subsequent global stocktakes thereafter, and shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council assessing the general effectiveness of this Directive and the need to adjust the Union's energy efficiency policy in accordance with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. That report shall be accompanied, if appropriate, by proposals for further measures.;
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 257 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point a
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex IV – footnote 3
(a) in Annex IV, footnote 3 is replaced by the following: ‘(3) Applicable when energy savings are calculated in primary energy terms using a bottom-up approach based on final energy consumption. For savings in kWh electricity Member States mayshall apply a default coefficient of 2,0. Member States may apply a different coefficient provided they can justify itestablished through a transparent method comparable across Member States, which is reflecting their national energy mix.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 259 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) the savings must be shown to be additional to those that would have occurred in any event without the activity of the obligated, participating or entrusted parties and/or implementing authorities. To determine what savings can be claimed as additional Member States shall establish a baseline that describes how energy consumption would evolve in the absence of the policy measure and its resulting new individual actions in question. The baseline shall reflect at least the following factors: energy consumption trends, changes in consumer behaviour, technological progress and changes caused by other measures implemented at national and EU level;
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 263 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point h
(h) the calculation of energy savings shall take into account the lifetime of measures and the rate at which the savings effect declines over time. This mayshall be done by counting the savings each individual action will have achieved between its implementation date and 31 December 2020 or 31 December 2030 as appropriateat the end of the periods described in Article 7, § 1. Alternatively, Member States may adopt another method that is estimated to achieve at least the same total quantity of savings. When using other methods, Member States shall ensure that the total amount of energy savings calculated using these other methods does not exceed the amount of energy savings that would have been the result of their calculation when counting the savings each individual action will achieve between its implementation date and 31 December 2020 or 31 December 2030the end of the periods described in Article 7, § 1, as appropriate. Member States shall describe in detail in their notification as part of their Integrated National Energy and Climate plans under the Energy Union Governancein accordance with the Annex II of the Energy Union Governance Regulation, the lifetime of each individual action, the assumptions made by Member States to estimate those lifetimes or the other methods they have used and which provisions have been made to ensure they meet this binding calculation requirement.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 266 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 3
Member States shall ensure that the following requirements for policy measures taken pursuant to Article 7b and Article 20(6) are met:Policy measures and individual actions are aligned with the definition outlined in Article 2 and produce verifiable end use energy savings. Policy measures that are primarily intended to support policy objectives other than energy efficiency or energy services as well as policies that trigger end-use savings that are not achieved among final consumers should not count for this purpose.
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 267 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex 5 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
(aa) with a view to ensuring a stable and predictable contribution towards achieving the long-term objectives under the Paris Agreement and the decarbonisation of the building stock, policy measures for after 2020 that promote fossil fuel technologies with lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of more than 200g CO2/kWh shall not count for the purposes of Articles 7(1) and (2), Articles 7a and 7b and Article 20(6);
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 268 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/12/EU
Annex V – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
For policy measures taken pursuant to point (e) of Article 7(2) Member States may use the calculation methodology established under Directive 2010/31/EU as far as this is in line with the requirements of Article 7 of this Directive and this Annex.deleted
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 269 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 5 – point a a (new)
(aa) sources used in the calculation of energy sales data including justification for the use of alternative statistical sources and any differences of the resulting quantities (if sources other than Eurostat are used);
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 270 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 5 – point h
(h) the lifetimes of measures and how they are calculated or what they are based upon as well as any other method adopted that is estimated to achieve at least the same total quantity of savings;
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 271 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/12/EU
Annex V – paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reporting progress on implementation Member States shall report in accordance with Article 19 and Annex II Part 2, or Annex VII respectively, of the Governance Regulation [XX] on the progress achieved towards delivering the amount of energy savings required under Article 7 paragraph 1 and the contribution of the policy measures referred to in Articles 7a and 7b. Progress reports shall include details of: (a) the total energy savings achieved through national energy efficiency obligations and/or alternative measures adopted in application Articles 7a and 7b and Article 20(6); (b) the achieved cumulative amount of savings per energy efficiency obligation and/or alternative measure and individual action foreseen by the policy measure; (c) an explanation on how and on the basis of which data these savings have been estimated, including the baselines for each period; (d) an explanation on whether or not the Member State is on track to achieve the cumulative total savings required by the end of each period. If the Member State is not on track to achieve the required savings by the end of each period referred to in its notification pursuant Annex II of the Governance Regulation, the Member State shall describe the corrective actions it intends to take to deliver the required savings by the end of the each period; (e) in case the measures included in the progress report deviate from the measures included in the Member State’s notification, a justification; (d) an assessment of macroeconomic and other non energy benefits of the energy efficiency obligation and/or alternative measures implemented under Article 7 of Directive 2012/27/EU [revised].
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 272 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 1 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V a (new)
1a. The following Annex V a is inserted: Annex V a – National binding targets Maximum final energy consumption in 2030 (Mtoe) Maximum primary energy consumption in 2030 (mtoe) Austria 15.70 17.56 Belgium 28.15 32.25 Bulgaria 8.27 12.98 Croatia 6.59 7.82 Cyprus 1.71 1.94 Czech Republic 23.24 35.83 Denmark 11.72 13.11 Estonia 2.23 4.16 Finland 18.34 25.88 France 98.50 148.01 Germany 142.48 181.70 Greece 15.36 19.70 Hungary 12.88 19.22 Ireland 10.32 12.29 Italy 97.90 120.32 Latvia 4.26 4.56 Lithuania 3.38 4.83 Luxembourg 4.17 4.42 Malta 0.49 0.63 Netherlands 38.77 53.84 Poland 66.16 90.09 Portugal 15.53 17.67 Romania 25.63 33.55 Slovakia 7.92 11.73 Slovenia 4.44 6.25 Spain 67.05 87.39 Sweden 25.97 35.61 UK 88.77 117.79
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 280 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 2 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex IX – Part I – point g
2a. Annex IX, Part I, point g is replaced by the following: (g) Economic analysis: Inventory of effects The economic analyses shall take into account all relevant economic effects. Member States mayshall assess and take into account in decision making costs and energy savings from the increased flexibility in energy supply and from a more optimal operation of the electricity networks, including avoided costs and savings from reduced infrastructure investment, in the analysed scenarios. The costs and benefits taken into account shall include at least the following: (i) Benefits — Value of output to the consumer (heat and electricity) — External benefits such as environmental and health benefits, to the extent possible, green-house gas emissions and health benefits — Labour market effects, energy security, competitiveness (ii) Costs — Capital costs of plants and equipments — Capital costs of the associated energy networks — Variable and fixed operating costs — Energy costs — Environmental and health cost, to the extent possible — Labour market costs, energy security, competitiveness
2017/06/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 329 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 3 – paragraph 4
4. Each Member State shall set indicativeensure that its binding national energy efficiency contributions towards the Union's 2030 target referred to in Article 1 paragraph 1 in accordance with Articles [4] and [6] of Regulation (EU) XX/20XX [Governance oftarget for 2030 is at least equal to or below the Eenergy Union]. When setting those contributions, Member States shall take into account thatconsumption level set out in Annex -Ia in both primary and final energy terms, contributing towards the Union's 2030 energy consumption has to betarget of no more than 1 1321 Mtoe of primary energy and no more than 987846 Mtoe of final energy referred to in Article 1 paragraph 1 in accordance with Articles [4] and [6] of Regulation (EU) XX/20XX [Governance of the Energy Union]. Member States shall notify those contributiontargets to the Commission as part of their integrated national energy and climate plans in accordance with the procedure pursuant to Articles [3] and [7] to [11] of Regulation (EU) XX/20XX [Governance of the Energy Union].;
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 341 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 3 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Member States shall report in their integrated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) on the progress achieved towards their national targets and measures, including on local and regional energy efficiency policies, such as local action plans or roadmaps as in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors, in accordance with the procedure pursuant to the Governance Regulation [(EU) XX/20XX].;
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 347 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new)
Directive 2021/27/EU
Article 5
(2a) In Article 5, the words "owned and occupied by its central government" are replaced by "owned, occupied or managed by public authorities, hospitals and health care facilities, educational buildings and social housing". (This amendment applies throughout the Article and the remainder of the Directive)
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 350 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 5 – paragraph 7 a (new)
(2b) In Article 5, a new paragraph 7a is added: 7a. Member States shall report on the annual energy savings resulting from the renovations of public buildings owned, occupied or managed by public authorities, hospitals and health care facilities, educational buildings and social housing, as well as of EU institutions´ buildings, including on the share of deep renovations, and on the total floor area renovated, according to Article 19 of the Governance Regulation [(EU) XX/20XX].;
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 354 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7– paragraph 1– subparagraph 1– introductory part
With a view to ensuring a stable and predictable contribution towards achieving the long-term objectives under the Paris Agreement, Member States shall achieve year on year cumulative end-use energy savings at least equivalent to:
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 376 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) new savings each year from 1 January 2031 to 31 December 2040 of 1.5% of annual energy sales to final customers by volume, averaged over the most recent three-year period prior to 1 January 2029;
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 378 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b b (new)
(bb) new savings each year from 1 January 2041 to 31 December 2050 of 1.5% of annual energy sales to final customers by volume, averaged over the most recent three-year period prior to 1 January 2039.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 380 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 (new)
Directive 2012/12/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b c (new)
(bc) by derogation, small insular Member States shall achieve new savings each year from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2030 equivalent to 1.2% of annual energy sales to final customers by volume, averaged over the most recent three-year period prior to 1 January 2019.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 393 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Member States shall continue to achieve new annual savings of 1.5% for ten year periods after 2030, unless reviews by the Commission by 2027 and every 10 years thereafter conclude that this is not necessary to achieve the Union's long term energy and climate targets foachieve year on year cumulative end-use savings from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2050.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 406 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3
For the purposes of point (b), and without prejudice to paragraphs 2 and 3, Member States may count only those energy savings that stem from new policy measures introduced after 31 December 2020 or policy measures introduced during the period from 1 January2014 to 31December 2020 provided it can be demonstrated that those measures result in individual actions that are undertaken after 31 December 2020 and deliver savings.deleted
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 421 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 4
TFor the purpose of paragraph 1, point a) of this Article, the sales of energy, by volume, used in transport may be partially or fully excluded from these calculations.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 427 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 5
Member States shall decide how the calculated quantity of new savings is to be phased over each period referred to in points (a), (b), (c) and (bd) as long as the required total cumulative savings have been achieved by the end of each period.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 430 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Subject to paragraph 3 and only for the purposes of paragraph 1 point (a), each Member State may:
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 442 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point e
(e) exclude from the calculation of the energy savings requirement referred to in paragraph 1 the verifiable amount of energy generated on or in buildings for own use as a result of policy measures promoting new installation of renewable energy technologies.deleted
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 456 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. All the options chosen under paragraph 2 taken together must amount to no more than 25 % of the amount of energy savings referred to in paragraph 1. Member States shall apply and calculate the effect of the options chosen for the periods referred to in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 separately: point (a).
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 469 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) for the calculation of the amount of energy savings required for the period referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1 Member States may make use of points (b), (c), (d) and (e) of paragraph 2, provided individual actions in the meaning of point (d) continue to have a verifiable and measurable impact after 31 December 2020.deleted
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 477 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 7
7. Member States shall demonstrate that where there is an overlap in the impact of policy measures or individual actions, there is no double counting of energy savings.in their integrated National Climate and Energy Plans(NECPs) and reports that savings were calculated in accordance with Annex V of this Directive and that where there is an overlap in the impact of policy measures or individual actions, there is no double counting of energy savings. When reviewing these notifications from Member States, the Commission shall pay particular attention to the methods used to calculate the impact of national building standards and codes in addition to EU minimum requirements;
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 479 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Member States shall notify to the Commission in their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and Annex II of the Governance Regulation [(EU) XX/20XX] the energy efficiency obligation schemes and alternative policy measures referred to in Articles 7a and 7b and Article 20(6) and the detailed methodology for calculating their impacts, and report on the progress achieved in accordance with Annex V of this Directive and in accordance with Article 19 and Annex VII Part 2 of the Governance Regulation [(EU) XX/20XX], including on long-term strategies up to 2050;
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 482 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 – paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. The Commission shall make an assessment on whether Member States have fulfilled their obligation to achieve the required amount of savings required under Article 7(1), point (a) by 31 October 2022. The Commission shall assess, inter alia, whether the sum of the verified cumulative savings reported by each Member State as a result of the policy measures implemented to fulfil its obligation under Article 7(1), point (a) fully comply with the requirements of Articles 7a, 7b and Annex V. In carrying out this assessment the Commission shall take utmost account of the principles of additionality, eligibility, and materiality and ensure that double counting has been avoided. The Commission shall present this assessment to the Council and the Parliament by January 2023.
2017/07/07
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 502 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7a – paragraph 5 – point a
(a) shall include requirements with a social aim in the saving obligations they impose, including by requiring a share of energy efficiency measures to be implemented as a priority in households affected by energy poverty and in social housing coupled with the necessary financial support via adequate financial instruments;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 510 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7a – paragraph 5 – point b
(b) mayshall permit obligated parties to count towards their obligation certified energy savings achieved by energy service providers or other third parties including when obligated parties promote measures through other State-approved bodies, such as social housing providers, or through public authorities that may or may not involve formal partnerships and may be in combination with other sources of finance. Where Member States so permit, they shall ensure that an approval processccreditation framework is in place which is clear, transparent and open to all market actors, and which aims at minimising the costs of certification;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 521 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7a – paragraph 6
6. Once a year, Member States shall publish the energy savings achieved by each obligated party, or each sub-category of obligated party, and in total under the scheme. This shall also include the contribution of deep decarbonisation of the economy on macro-economic development, and social development, and health risks and benefits and environmental protection. As part of the reporting obligations under 19 of the Governance regulation [ XX/20XX], Member States shall report on: (i) the impact of these measures on consumer bills and living conditions; (ii) national objectives with regard to energy poverty; (iii) the number of households in energy poverty, with a particular focus on women and vulnerable groups; (iv) the results of delivered measures and savings achieved from Energy efficiency obligation schemes in households affected by energy poverty and in social housing; (v) the indicators chosen and the level of achievement of the social aim under point Article 7a(5), point (a).
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 528 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 b – paragraph 2
2. In designing alternative policy measures to achieve energy savings, Member States shall take into account the effect oinclude requirements with a social aim, including by requiring energy efficiency measures to be implemented as a priority in households affected by energy poverty and in social housing.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 537 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7b – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Once a year, Member States shall publish the energy savings achieved by each alternative measure and in total. This shall also include the contribution of deep decarbonisation of the economy on macro-economic development, and social development, and health risks and benefits and the environmental protection. As part of the reporting obligations under Article 19 of the Governance regulation [XX/20XX], Member States shall report on: (i) the impact of those measures on consumer bills and living conditions; (ii) national objectives with regard to energy poverty; (iii) the number of households in energy poverty, with a particular focus on women and vulnerable groups; (iv) the results of delivered measures and savings achieved from alternative measures in households affected by energy poverty; (v) the indicators chosen and the level of achievement of the social aim under Article 7b, point (2).
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 539 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7b a (new)
(4) The following Article 7ba is inserted: “Article 7ba Permanent Stakeholder dialogue Member States shall develop their energy efficiency schemes and measures openly and transparently, and ensure that the public, social partners, businesses, investors, civil society including women organisation and vulnerable groups representatives, and other stakeholders are given early, effective and continued opportunities to participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of energy efficiency measures through a permanent stakeholder dialogue according to the principles established by the Arhus Convention 2a , including compliance with Article 4 and 6 of the latter;” __________________ 2aConvention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 540 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 7 b b (new)
(4) The following Article 7 bb is inserted: “Article 7bb Energy Advisory Services Member States shall provide independent, easily accessible, free-of-charge energy advisory services to support citizen in energy savings projects, including on deep or staged-deep renovations, the choice of appliances, materials and technologies and financing instruments, as well as providing general information on energy efficiency measures and on instruments targeted to vulnerable groups and measures with a social aim according to Articles 7a and 7b of this Directive.”
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 546 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall ensure that, in so far as it is technically possible, financially reasonable and proportionate in relation to the potential energy savings, final customers for natural gas are provided, as regards the selected technology and functionality, with competitively priced individual meters and heating controls that accurately reflect the final customer's actual energy consumption and that provide information on actual time of use and others features, as applicable in alignment with the provisions related to electricity metering in Articles 19 to 22 of the Directive on common rules for the internal market in electricity (recast).;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 551 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5 – point d
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 9 – paragraph 3
(d)In Article 9 paragraph 3 is deleted; (d) replaced by the following: Concerning data format and functionalities the provisions shall be aligned to Articles 18-21 of the Directive on common rules for the internal market in electricity (recast) as far as appropriate. Consumer data shall be treated in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General data protection Regulation). No costs shall be charged to final customers for access to their data in a format that is useful for them.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 595 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point c
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Meters installed in accordance with Directive 2009/73/EC shall enablprovide accurate billing information based on actual consumption. Member States shall ensure that final customers have the possibility of easy access to complementary information on historical consumption allowing detailed self- checks.;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 608 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 10a – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) shall ensure that final customers are offered the option of electronic billing information and bills and that they receive, on request, a clear and understandable explanation of how their bill was drawn up, especially where bills are not based on actual consumption;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 612 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8 (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 10a – paragraph 2 – point da (new)
(da) shall ensure the privacy and data protection of final customers in compliance with relevant Union data protection and privacy legislation.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 615 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11 – point a – point iDirective 2012/27/EU

Article 15 – paragraph 5 – subparagraphs 1 and 2
(i) the first and the second subparagraphs are deletedaligned to the Regulation on the internal market for electricity (recast), in particular Article 11 and related provisions, as well as to Article 23 of Directive 2009/28/EC (recast);
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 616 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11 – point a – point ii
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 15 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 3
Transmission system operators and distribution system operators shall take into account the need to ensure continuity in heat supply when connecting, guaranteeing access to the grid and dispatching high efficiency cogeneration, and shall comply with the requirements set out in Annex XII.;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 617 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 15 – paragraph 8
(b) paragraph 8 is deletedaligned to the Regulation on the internal market for electricity (recast), in particular Article 11 and related provisions;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 618 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 19 a (new)
(11a) The following Article 19a is inserted: “Article 19a Financing energy efficiency with European financial institutions and through reformed accounting rules 1. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) shall adapt their policy objectives with a view to recognising energy efficiency as an energy source in its own right and energy efficiency investments as part of their infrastructure investment portfolio. 2. EIB and EBRD shall, also together with national promotional banks, design, generate and finance programmes and projects tailored to the efficiency sector, including for energy poor households. 3. Member States shall make full use of the possibilities and tools proposed by the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings Initiative. 4. Public contract rules shall be changed to enable authorities to choose providers offering the highest energy performance level. 5. By [please insert date of entry into force of this legislation] Eurostat rules on public debt and deficit shall be reformed, so that they do no longer classify energy efficiency investments by private third parties (energy performance contracting) as public debt in the account balance of local, regional and national authorities.”
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 622 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 11 b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 22 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
(11b) In Article 22(2), the following subparagraph 2 is added: 2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 23 to adapt to technical progress the values, calculation methods, default primary energy coefficient and requirements in Annexes I, II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X and XII. The Commission shall be empowered to increase the minimum annual energy savings requirement referred to in Article 7(1) if necessary to align with climate and energy objectives.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 629 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 13
Directive 2012/27/EU
Article 24 – paragraph 12
12. The Commission shall evaluate this Directive by 28 FebruaryIn line with the Governance regulation [ XX/20XX], the Commission shall undertake a general review of this Directive within six months of the UNFCCC global stocktake in 20243 at the latest, and every five yearafter subsequent global stocktakes thereafter, and shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council assessing the general effectiveness of this Directive and the need to adjust the Union's energy efficiency policy in accordance with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. That report shall be accompanied, if appropriate, by proposals for further measures.;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 636 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point - 1 a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex -I a (new)
Commission by the -1a. The following annex is added:: ‘ANNEX -I a National targets Maximum final Maximum primary energy consumption energy consumption in 2030 (Mtoe) in 2030 (mtoe) Austria 15.70 17.56 Belgium 28.15 32.25 Bulgaria 8.27 12.98 Croatia 6.59 7.82 Cyprus 1.71 1.94 Czech 23.24 35.83 Republic Denmark 11.72 13.11 Estonia 2.23 4.16 Finland 18.34 25.88 France 98.50 148.01 Germany 142.48 181.70 Greece 15.36 19.70 Hungary 12.88 19.22 Ireland 10.32 12.29 Italy 97.90 120.32 Latvia 4.26 4.56 Lithuania 3.38 4.83 Luxembourg 4.17 4.42 Malta 0.49 0.63 Netherlands 38.77 53.84 Poland 66.16 90.09 Portugal 15.53 17.67 Romania 25.63 33.55 Slovakia 7.92 11.73 Slovenia 4.44 6.25 Spain 67.05 87.39 Sweden 25.97 35.61 UK 88.77 117.79
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 641 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point a
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex IV – footnote 3
(a) in Annex IV, footnote 3 is replaced by the following: ‘(3) Applicable only in this Directive and when energy savings are calculated in primary energy terms using a bottom-up approach based on final energy consumption. For savings in kWh electricity Member States mayshall apply a default coefficient of 2,0coefficient established through a transparent method comparable across Member States, which is reflecting their national energy mix. Member States may apply a differenefault coefficient of 2,5 provided they can justify it.’.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 645 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2 – point d
(d) surveyed savings, where consumers’ response to advice, information campaigns, labelling or certification schemes or smart metering is determined. All savings shall be eligible only if they are additional to EU measures, binding at the national level and generate additional and verifiable energy savings. This approach may only be used for savings resulting from changes in consumer behaviour. It may not be used for savings resulting from the installation of physical measures.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 651 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) the savings must be shown to be additional to those that would have occurred in any event without the activity of the obligated, participating or entrusted parties and/or implementing authorities. To determine what savings can be claimed as additional Member States shall establish a baseline that describes how energy consumption would evolve in the absence of the policy measure and the resulting new individual actions in question. The baseline shall reflect at least the following factors: energy consumption trends, changes in consumer behaviour, technological progress and changes caused by other measures implemented at national and EU level;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 655 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) savings resulting from the implementation of mandatory Union legislation are considered as savings that would have occurred in any event without the activity of the obligated, participating or entrusted parties and/or implementing authorities, and thus may not be claimed under paragraph 1 of Article 7, except for savings related to the renovation of existing buildings provided the materiality criterion referred to in part 3(h) is ensured;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 659 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point c – point ii a (new)
(iia) Union requirements concerning the energy efficiency performance of installation covered by Annex I of Directive 2010/75/EU corresponding to the Best Available Technologies - associated energy efficiency levels (BAT- AEELs) as referred to in the BAT conclusions;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 660 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point c – point ii b (new)
(iib) national minimum energy performance requirements set in accordance with Articles 4, 5 and 6 of Directive 2010/31/EU [Energy Performance of Buildings Directive] (revised) for renovation of existing buildings in view of achieving deep renovations and highly energy efficient buildings to NZEB standard and resulting from the implementation of the long-term renovation strategies;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 661 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point c – point ii c (new)
(iic) national minimum energy performance requirements set in accordance with Article 6 and 9 of Directive 2010/31/EU [Energy Performance of Buildings Directive] (revised)
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 665 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 2 – point h
(h) the calculation of energy savings shall take into account the lifetime of measures and the rate at which the savings effect declines over time. This mayshall be done by counting the savings each individual action will have achieved between its implementation date and 31 December 2020 or 31 December 2030 as appropriateat the end of the periods described in Article 7(1). Alternatively, Member States may adopt another method that is estimated to achieve at least the same total quantity of savings. When using other methods, Member States shall ensure that the total amount of energy savings calculated using these other methods does not exceed the amount of energy savings that would have been the result of their calculation when counting the savings each individual action will achieve between its implementation date and 31 December 2020 or 31 December 2030the end of the periods described in Article 7(1), as appropriate. Member States shall describe in detail in their notification as part of their Integrated National Energy and Climate plans under the Energy Union Governancein accordance with Annex II of the Energy Union Governance Regulation, the lifetime of each individual action, the assumptions made by Member States to estimate these lifetimes or the other methods they have used and which provisions have been made to ensure they meet this binding calculation requirement.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 670 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 3 – point a
(a) policy measures and individual actions produce verifiable end use energy savingsshall comply with the respective definitions in Article 2(18) and (19) and produce verifiable end use energy savings. Policy measures that are primarily intended to support policy objectives other than energy efficiency or energy services as well as policies that trigger end-use savings that are not achieved among final consumers shall not count for this purpose;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 675 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
For policy measures taken pursuant to point (e) of Article 7(2) Member States may use the calculation methodology established under Directive 2010/31/EU as far as this is in line with the requirements of Article 7 of this Directive and this Annex.deleted
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 676 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 5 – point a a (new)
(aa) sources used in the calculation of energy sales data including justification for the use of alternative statistical sources and any differences of the resulting quantities (if other sources than Eurostat are used);
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 678 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 5 – point h
(h) the lifetimes of measures and how they are calculated or what they are based upon as well as any other method adopted that is estimated to achieve at least the same total quantity of savings;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 679 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 1 – point b (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex V – paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reporting progress on implementation Member States shall report in accordance with Article 19 and Annex II Part 2 of the Governance Regulation [XX/20XX] on the progress achieved towards delivering the amount of energy savings required under Article 7(1) and the contribution of the policy measures referred to in Articles 7a and 7b. Progress reports shall include details of: (a) the total energy savings achieved through national energy efficiency obligations and/or alternative measures adopted in application of Articles 7a, 7b and Article 20(6); (b) the achieved cumulative amount of savings per energy efficiency obligation and/or alternative measure and individual action foreseen by the policy measure; (c) an explanation on how and on the basis of which data these savings have been estimated, including the baselines for each period; (d) an explanation on whether or not the Member State is on track to achieve the cumulative total savings required by the end of each period. If the Member State is not on track to achieve the required savings by the end of each period referred to in its notification pursuant Annex II of the Governance Regulation, the Member State shall describe the corrective actions it intends to take to deliver the required savings by the end of each period; (e) in case the measures included in the progress report deviate from the measures included in the Member State’s notification, a justification; (f) an assessment of macroeconomic and other non energy benefits of the energy efficiency obligation and/or alternative measures implemented under Article 7.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 685 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 2 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex VII a – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
As of [Please insert here ….the entry into force] where remotely readable meters or cost allocators have been installed, billing or consumption information based on actual consumption shall be made available at least quarterly upon request orcontinuously where final customers have opted to receive electronic billing, or else twice yearmonthly.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 686 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 2 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex VII a – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
As of 1 January 2022, where remotely readable meters or cost allocators have been installed, billing or consumption information shall be made available at least monthlycontinuously in an electronic format and at least monthly for consumers that receive postal bills. Heating and cooling may be exempted from this outside the heating/cooling seasons.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 690 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 2 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex VII a – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) information on the real fuel mix used as well as the related CO2 amounts, including for final users supplied by district heating or district cooling and an explanation of the different taxes, levies and tariffs;
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 692 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – point 2 – point b
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex VII a – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 – point d
(d) contact information for final customers’ organisations, energy agencies, ombudsman services or similar bodies, including website addresses, from which information may be obtained on available energy efficiency improvement measures, comparative end- user profiles and objective technical specifications for energy-using equipment.
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 693 #

2016/0376(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I – point 2 – point b a (new)
Directive 2012/27/EU
Annex IX – Part 1 – point g
(ba) In Annex IX, Part 1, point g is amended as follows: "(g) Economic analysis: Inventory of effects The economic analyses shall take into account all relevant economic effects. Member States mayshall assess and take into account in decision making costs and energy savings from the increased flexibility in energy supply and from a more optimal operation of the electricity networks, including avoided costs and savings from reduced infrastructure investment, in the analysed scenarios. The costs and benefits taken into account shall include at least the following: (i) Benefits — Value of output to the consumer (heat and electricity) — External benefits such as environmental and health benefits, to the extent possible, greenhouse gas emissions and health and safety benefits — Labour market effects, energy security, competitiveness (ii) Costs — Capital costs of plants and equipments — Capital costs of the associated energy networks — Variable and fixed operating costs — Energy costs — Environmental and health cost, to the extent possible, health and safety cost — Labour market costs, energy security, competitiveness”
2017/07/04
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 83 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3
(3) Rapid technological developments continue to transform the way works and other subject-matter are created, produced, distributed and exploited. New business models and new actors continue to emerge. The objectives and the principles laid down by the Union copyright framework remain sound. However, legal uncertainty remains, for both rightholders and users, as regards certain uses, including cross-border uses, of works and other subject-matter in the digital environment. As set out in the Communication of the Commission entitled ‘Towards a modern, more European copyright framework’26 , in some areas it is necessary to adapt and supplement the current Union copyright framework. This Directive provides for rules to adapt certain exceptions and limitations to digital and cross-border environments, as well as measures to facilitate certain licensing practices as regards the dissemination of out-of- commerce works and the online availability of audiovisual works on video- on-demand platforms with a view to ensuring wider access to content. In order to achieve a well-functioning marketplace for copyright, there should also be rules on rights in publications, on the use of works and other subject-matter by online service providers storing and giving access to user uploaded content and on the transparency of authors' and performers' contracts. _________________ 26 COM(2015) 626 final. COM(2015) 626 final.
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 281 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 31
(31) A free and pluralist press is essential to ensure quality journalism and citizens' access to information. It provides a fundamental contribution to public debate and the proper functioning of a democratic society. In the transition from print to digital, publishers of press publications are facing problems in licensing the online use of their publications and recouping their investments. In the absence of recognition of publishers of press publications as rightholders, licensing and enforcement in the digital environment is often complex and inefficient.deleted
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 295 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 32
(32) The organisational and financial contribution of publishers in producing press publications needs to be recognised and further encouraged to ensure the sustainability of the publishing industry. It is therefore necessary to provide at Union level a harmonised legal protection for press publications in respect of digital uses. Such protection should be effectively guaranteed through the introduction, in Union law, of rights related to copyright for the reproduction and making available to the public of press publications in respect of digital uses.deleted
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 312 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 33
(33) For the purposes of this Directive, it is necessary to defineclarify the sconceptpe of press publication in a way that embraces only journalistic publications, published by a service provider, periodically or regularly updated in any media, for the purpose of informing or entertaining. Such publications would include, for instance, daily newspapers, weeklotection set out in Article s2 and 3 of Directive 2001/29/EC. In order to improve legal certainty for all concerned parties, and to ensure the freedom to carry out certain acts necessary for monthly magazines of general or special ithe normal functioning of the Internest and news websites. Periodical publications which are published for scientific or academic purposes, such as scientific journals, should not be covered by the protection granted to press publications under this Directive. This protection doess well as to take account of certain fundamental rights, these Articles should not extend to acts of hyperlinking, which do not constitute communication to the public.
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 326 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 34
(34) The rights granted to the publishers of press publications under this Directive should have the same scope as the rights of reproduction and making available to the public provided for in Directive 2001/29/EC, insofar as digital uses are concerned. They should also be subject to the same provisions on exceptions and limitations as those applicable to the rights provided for in Directive 2001/29/EC including the exception on quotation for purposes such as criticism or review laid down in Article 5(3)(d) of that Directive.deleted
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 340 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 35
(35) The protection granted to publishers of press publications under this Directive should not affect the rights of the authors and other rightholders in the works and other subject-matter incorporated therein, including as regards the extent to which authors and other rightholders can exploit their works or other subject-matter independently from the press publication in which they are incorporated. Therefore, publishers of press publications should not be able to invoke the protection granted to them against authors and other rightholders. This is without prejudice to contractual arrangements concluded between the publishers of press publications, on the one side, and authors and other rightholders, on the other side.deleted
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 519 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 4
(4) ‘press publication’ means a fixation of a collection of literary works of a journalistic nature, which may also comprise other works or subject-matter and constitutes an individual item within a periodical or regularly-updated publication under a single title, such as a newspaper or a general or special interest magazine, having the purpose of providing information related to news or other topics and published in any media under the initiative, editorial responsibility and control of a service provider.deleted
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 731 #

2016/0280(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 11
Protection of press publications 1. Member States shall provide publishers of press publications with the rights provided for in Article 2 and Article 3(2) of Directive 2001/29/EC for the digital use of their press publications. 2. The rights referred to in paragraph 1 shall leave intact and shall in no way affect any rights provided for in Union law to authors and other rightholders, in respect of the works and other subject- matter incorporated in a press publication. Such rights may not be invoked against those authors and other rightholders and, in particular, may not deprive them of their right to exploit their works and other subject-matter independently from the press publication in which they are incorporated. 3. Articles 5 to 8 of Directive 2001/29/EC and Directive 2012/28/EU shall apply mutatis mutandis in respect of the rights referred to in paragraph 1. 4. The rights referred to in paragraph 1 shall expire 20 years after the publication of the press publication. This term shall be calculated from the first day of January of the year following the date of publication.Article 11 deleted concerning digital uses
2017/04/28
Committee: JURI
Amendment 64 #

2016/0231(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
(14) As a means to enhance the overall cost-effectiveness of total reductions, Member States should be able to transfer part of their annual emission allocation to other Member States. The transparency of such transfers should be ensured and may be carried out in a manner that is mutually convenient, including by means of auctioning, the use of market intermediaries acting on an agency basis, or by way of bilateral arrangements. The revenue of such transfers should be made available for building renovation projects in particular for low income households affected by energy poverty and social housing in line with the Energy Efficiency Directive [...].
2017/01/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 108 #

2016/0231(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3
3. A Member State whose greenhouse gas emissions for a given year are below its annual emission allocation for that year, taking into account the use of flexibilities pursuant to this Article and Article 6, may bank up to 5% of that excess part of its annual emission allocation to subsequent years until 203029.
2017/01/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 125 #

2016/0231(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
3. For every EU ETS allowance taken into account for compliance under this Regulation, another 3 EU ETS allowances shall be cancelled. At a Member State's request, the Central Administrator designated under Article 20 of Directive 2003/87/EC (thereafter "the Central Administrator") shall take into account the quantity referred to in Article 4(4) for that Member States' compliance under Article 9. One-tenth of the quantity of allowances determined pursuant to Article 4(4) shall be cancelled pursuant to Article 12(4) of Directive 2003/87/EC for each year from 2021 to 2030.
2017/01/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 136 #

2016/0231(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(aa) the Member State has, by 30 June 2019, submitted an action plan to the Commission, that sets out the actions and financial measures that the Member State shall implement in order to ensure that any net removals in excess of the requirements under Article 4 of Regulation [ ][LULUCF] are constant over the five year periods set out in Article 9(2); that action plan shall, inter alia, address the use of relevant Union financing for climate change mitigation;
2017/01/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 170 #

2016/0231(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex III
Maximum amount expressed in million tonnes of CO2 equivalent Belgium 3,82,6 Bulgaria 4,12,8 Czech Republic 2,61,8 Denmark 14,6 9,9 Germany 22,3 15,2 Estonia 0,9 0,6 Ireland 26,8 18,2 Greece 6,7 4,6 Spain 29,1 19,8 France 58,2 39,5 Croatia 0,9 0,6 Italy 11,5 7,8 Cyprus 0,6 0,4 Latvia 3,1 2,1 Lithuania 6,5 4,4 Luxembourg 0,25 Hungary 2,1 1,4 Malta 0,03 Netherlands 13,4 9,1 Austria 2,5 1,7 Poland 21,7 14,8 Portugal 5,2 3,5 Romania 13,2 8,9 Slovenia 1,3 0,9 Slovakia 1,2 0,8 Finland 4,5 3,1 Sweden 4,9 3,4 United Kingdom 17,8 12,1 Maximum total: 28 190
2017/01/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 171 #

2016/0231(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV
[…]deleted
2017/01/17
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 26 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
(4) The Paris Agreement, inter alia, sets out a long-term goal in line with the objective to keep the global temperature increase well below 2°C above pre- industrial levels and to pursue efforts to keep it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels which requires the world to enter into a period of negative emissions, where forests will play a central role. In order to achieve this goal, the Parties should prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions. The Paris Agreement replaces the approach taken under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which will not be continued beyond 2020. The Paris Agreement also calls for a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century, and invites Parties to take action to conserve and enhance, as appropriate, sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases, including forests.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 29 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) To achieve negative emissions required to meet the Paris Agreement goals, removals of CO2 from the atmosphere through land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) must be ambitious, and should not be used to offset emissions reductions from other sources. As removals through LULUCF are reversible, they should not be used to compensate for emissions and should be treated as a separate pillar in the Union climate policy framework.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 30 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 b (new)
(4b) Agriculture and land use have a direct and significant impact upon Union biodiversity and related ecosystems services. An important objective of any policy affecting the sector needs to ensure coherence with Union Biodiversity Strategy objectives including halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as with the Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council1a and Council Directive 92/43/EEC1b. ___________________________ 1aDirective 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7). 1b Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7).
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 32 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
(4) The Paris Agreement, inter alia, sets out a long-term goal in line with the objective to keep the global temperature increase well below 2°C above pre- industrial levels and to pursue efforts to keep it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In order to achieve this goal, the Parties should prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions. The Paris Agreement replaces the approach taken under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which will not be continued beyond 2020. The Paris Agreement also calls for a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century, and invites Parties to take action to conserve and enhance, as appropriate, sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases, including forests. Increasing the absorption of CO2 by forests is a critical prerequisite for achieving the Paris Agreement objectives, particularly the 1.5°C target.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 36 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) To achieve negative emissions required to meet the Paris Agreement goals, removals of CO2 from the atmosphere through land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) must be ambitious, and should not be used to offset emissions reductions from other sources. As removals through LULUCF are reversible, they should not be used to compensate for emissions in the ETS and ESR sectors.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 38 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Agriculture and land use have a direct and significant impact upon Union biodiversity and related ecosystems services. An important objective of any policy affecting the sector needs to ensure coherence with the European Union biodiversity objectives, as the ecosystems provide the basis for our economies.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 44 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) Underlines the need, in the context of the Paris Agreement and the EU's climate objectives, to prioritise funding for climate change research – particularly as the United States is considering significant budgetary cuts to US environmental research institutions;
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 54 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
(11) The internationally agreed IPCC Guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories state that emissions from the combustion of biomass can be accounted as zero in the energy sector with the condition that these emissions are accounted for in the LULUCF sector. In the EU, emissions from biomass combustion are accounted as zero pursuant to Article 38 of Regulation (EU) No. 601/2012 and the provisions set out in Regulation (EU) No. 525/2013, hence consistency with the IPCC Guidelines would only be ensured if these emissions should be covered accurately under this Regulatione robust and transparent rules. However given the urgency for climate action to stay in line with Paris Agreement objectives, in terms of policies and measures, only bioenergy from waste and residues should be considered carbon neutral.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 58 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
(13) NAvoiding negative impacts on the forest carbon sink from natural disturbances, such as wildfires, insect and disease infestations, extreme weather events and geological disturbances that are beyond the control of, and not materially influenced by, a Member State, may result in greenhouse gas emissions of a temporary nature in the LULUCF sector, or may cause the reversal of previous removals. As reversal can also be the result of management decisions, such as decisions to harvest or plant trees, this Regulatishould be part of sustainable forest management practices by Member States. Such reasons should ensure that human-induced reversals of removals are always accurately reflected in LULUCF accounts. Moreover, this Regulation should provide Member States with a limited possibility to exclude emissions resulting from disturbances that are beyond their control from their LULUCF accounts. However, the manner in which Member States apply those provisions should not lead to undue under-accountingnot be used as an excuse for clear cutting or measures with undue negative impacts on biodiversity.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 61 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
(14) Depending on national preferences, Member States should be able to choose adequate national policies for achieving their commitments in LULUCF, including the possibility of compensating emissions from one land category by removals from another land category. They should also be able to cumulate net removals over the period 2021-2030. Trading among Member States should continue as an additional option to help compliance. Following the practice in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, there should also be a possibility for a Member State to use its overachievement under Regulation [] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 for a resilient Energy Union and to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement and amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change in order to ensure its compliance with its commitment under this Regulation.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 73 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)
It is the ultimate objective of this Regulation to contribute to the global objective to keep temperatures below 2 degrees, pursuing efforts to limit to warming to 1.5 degrees.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 74 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
(11) The internationally agreed IPCC Guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories state that emissions from the combustion of biomass can be accounted as zero in the energy sector with the condition that these emissions are accounted for in the LULUCF sector. In the EU, emissions from biomass combustion are accounted as zero pursuant to Article 38 of Regulation (EU) No. 601/2012 and the provisions set out in Regulation (EU) No. 525/2013, hence consistency with the IPCC Guidelines would only be ensured if these emissions should be covered accurately on a net-net basis under this Regulation. However given the urgency for climate action to stay in line with Paris Agreement objectives, in terms of policies and measures, only bioenergy from waste and residues should be considered carbon neutral.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 76 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) managed wetlands: land use reported as wetland remaining wetland, and settlement, other land converted to wetland and wetland converted to settlement and other land.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 78 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
(13) NAvoiding negative impacts on the forest carbon sink from natural disturbances, such as wildfires, insect and disease infestations, extreme weather events and geological disturbances that are beyond the control of, and not materially influenced by, a Member State, may result in greenhouse gas emissions of a temporary nature in the LULUCF sector, or may cause the reversal of previous removals. As reversal can also be the result of management decisions, such as decisions to harvest or plant trees, this Regulation should ensure that human-induced reversals of removals are always accurately reflected in LULUCF accounts. Moreover, this Regulatishould be part of sustainable forest management practices by Member States. Such reasons should provide Member States with a limited possibility to exclude emissions resulting from disturbances that are beyond their control from their LULUCF accounts. However, the manner in which Member States apply those provisions should not lead to undue under-accountingnot be used as an excuse for clear cutting or measures with undue negative impacts on biodiversity.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 79 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) harvested wood products
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 81 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
(14) Depending on national preferences, Member States should be able to choose adequate national policies for achieving their commitments in LULUCF, including the possibility of compensating emissions from one land category by removals from another land category. They should also be able to cumulate net removals over the period 2021-2030. Trading among Member States should continue as an additional option to help compliance. Following the practice in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, there should also be a possibility for a Member State to use its overachievement under Regulation [] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 for a resilient Energy Union and to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement and amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change in order to ensure its compliance with its commitment under this Regulation.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 81 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2
2. A Member State may choose to include managed wetland, defined as land use reported as wetland remaining wetland, and settlement, other land converted to wetland and wetland converted to settlement and other land, in the scope of its commitment pursuant to Article 4. Where a Member State chooses to do so, it shall account for emissions and removals from managed wetland in accordance with this Regulation.deleted
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 82 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to adapt the definitions in paragraph 1 to scientific developments or technical progress and to ensure consistency between those definitions and any changes to relevant definitions in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories ('IPCC Guidelines') and the 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 85 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1
For the period from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030, taking into account the flexibilities provided for in Article 11, each Member State shall ensure that emissions do not exceedare lower than removals, calculated as the sum of total emissions and removals on their territory in the land accounting categories referred to in Article 2 combined, as accounted in accordance with this Regulation.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 88 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Member States shall, by the end of 2019 [the date shall be in line with the proposed Governance regulation] submit an action plan to the Commission that sets out long-term targets for 2040, 2050 to increase removals. These plans shall be incorporated into the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 89 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. For removals to be included in the accounts of a member State, the member State concerned shall ensure that their mitigation activities in the land sector do not negatively impact Union biodiversity objectives or provisions of Birds and Habitats Directives.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 91 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall account for emissions and removals resulting from afforested land and deforested land, as the totalcalculated as emissions and removals for each of the years in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030 minus the value obtained by multiplying by five the Member State's average annual emissions and removals resulting from managed afforested land and deforested land, in its base period 2005-2007.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 92 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. By derogation from the requirement to apply the default value established in Article 5(3), a Member State may transition cropland, grassland, wetland, settlements and other land from the category of such land converted to forest land to the category of forest land remaining forest land after 30 years from the date of conversion.deleted
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 97 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)
This Regulation contributes to the compliance by the Union with the Paris Agreement commitments and objectives.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 100 #

2016/0230(COD)

3. Where a Member State chooses to include managed wetland in the scope of its commitment in accordance with Article 2, it shall notify that choice to the Commission by 31 December 2020 for the period 2021-2025 and by 31 December 2025 for the period 2026-2030.deleted
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 102 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 4
4. Member States that have chosen to include managed wetland in the scope of their commitments in accordance with Article 2 shall account for emissions and removals resulting from managed wetland, calculated as emissions and removals in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and/or from 2026 to 2030 minus the value obtained by multiplying by five the Member State’s average annual emissions and removals resulting from managed wetland in its base period 2005-2007.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 105 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall account for emissions and removals resulting from managed forest land, calculated as emissions and removals in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030 minus the value obtained by multiplying by five itsannual average emissions and removals in the forest reference levelperiod. A forest reference levelperiod is an estimate of the average annual net emissions or removals resulting from managed forest land within the territory of the Member State in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 20261990 to 20309.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 107 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) managed wetland: land use reported as wetland remaining wetland, and settlement, other land converted to wetland and wetland converted to settlement and other land.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 109 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2
2. Where the result of the calculation referred to in paragraph 1 is negative in relation to its forest reference levelperiod, a Member State shall include in its managed forest land accounts total net removals of no more than the equivalent of 3,5 per cent of the Member State’s emissions in its base year or period as specified in Annex III, multiplied by five.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 110 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall determine the new forest reference level based on the criteria set out in Annex IV, section A. They shall submit to the Commission a national forestry accounting plan including a new forest reference level, by 31 December 2018 for the period from 2021 to 2025 and by 30 June 2023 for the period 2026-2030.deleted
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 111 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) harvested wood products.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 112 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2
2. A Member State may choose to include managed wetland, defined as land use reported as wetland remaining wetland, and settlement, other land converted to wetland and wetland converted to settlement and other land, in the scope of its commitment pursuant to Article 4. Where a Member State chooses to do so, it shall account for emissions and removals from managed wetland in accordance with this Regulation.deleted
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 115 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
The national forestry accounting plan shall contain all the elements listed in Annex IV, section B and include a proposed new forest reference level based on the continuation of current forest management practice and intensity, as documented between 1990-2009 per forest type and per age classthe annual average emissions and removals in the forest reference period between 1990-2009, expressed in tones of CO2 equivalent per year. Member States shall maintain or increase the ratio of biomass used for long lived wood products against energy purposes. If the ratio ins national forests, expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent per yearot maintained or increased, it shall be counted against the reference period.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 122 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to adapt the definitions in paragraph 1 to scientific developments or technical progress and to ensure consistency between those definitions and any changes to relevant definitions in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories ('IPCC Guidelines') and the 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 133 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Member States shall endeavour to increase their removals so that they exceed their emissions for the periods 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030. For the periods from 2031, the total removals from each Member State as accounted in accordance with this Regulation shall increase, in line with the Union’s long term climate objectives and the commitments made under the Paris Agreement.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 141 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
In accounts pursuant to Article 6(1) and 8(1) relating to harvested wood products,Member States shall account for emissions and removals resulting from the changes in the pool of harvested wood products, as the total of emissions and removals for each of the years in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030. Member States shall reflect emissions and removals resulting from changes in the pool of harvested wood products falling within the following categories using the first order decay function, the methodologies and the default half-life values specified in Annex V:
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 144 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 a (new)
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to add product categories on the basis of IPCC Guidelines and to ensure the accounting for harvested wood products does not undermine environmental integrity of the Union LULUCF accounting.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 145 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10
Accounting for natural disturbances 1. 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030, Member States may exclude from their accounts for afforested land and managed forest land greenhouse gas emissions resulting from natural disturbances exceeding the average emissions caused by natural disturbances in the period 2001-2020, excluding statistical outliers ('background level') calculated in accordance with this Article and Annex VI. 2. Where a Member State applies paragraph 1, it shall submit to the Commission information on the background level for each land accounting category determined in paragraph 1 and on the data and methodologies used in accordance with Annex VI. 3. Where a Member State applies paragraph 1, it shall exclude from accounting until 2030 all subsequent removals on the land affected by natural disturbances. 4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to revise the methodology and information requirements in Annex VI in order to reflect changes in the IPCC Guidelines.rticle 10 deleted At the end of the periods from
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 146 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. For removals to be included in the accounts of a Member State, the Member State concerned shall ensure that its mitigation activities in the land sector do not negatively impact Union biodiversity objectives or provisions of Directive 2009/147/EC and Directive 92/43/EEC, and respect the tenure rights of local residents as prescribed in the International Labour Organization Indigenous Tribal Peoples' Convention (Convention 169) and the United Nations Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 147 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall account for emissions and removals resulting from afforested land and deforested land, calculated as the total emissions and removals for each of the years in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030 minus the value obtained by multiplying by five the Member State's average annual emissions and removals resulting from afforested land and deforested land in its base period 2005- 2007.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 148 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2
2. To the extent that total removals exceed emissions in a Member State and after subtraction of any quantity taken into account under Article 7 of Regulation [ ] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030, that Member State may transfer the remaining quantity to another Member State subject to a discount factor of 25%. The transferred quantity shall be taken into account when assessing the receiving Member State's compliance with its commitment pursuant to Article 4.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 149 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3
3. To the extent that total removals exceed emissions in a Member State in the period from 2021 to 2025, and after subtraction of any quantity taken into account under Article 7 of Regulation [ ] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 or transferred to another Member State pursuant to paragraph 2, that Member State may bank 25% of the remaining quantity to the period 2026- 2030.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 150 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. By derogation from the requirement to apply the default value established in Article 5(3), a Member State may transition cropland, grassland, wetland, settlements and other land from the category of such land converted to forest land to the category of forest land remaining forest land after 30 years from the date of conversion.deleted
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 152 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 4
4. In order to avoid double counting, the quantity of net removals taken into account under Article 7 of Regulation [ ] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 shall be subtracted from that Member State's quantity available for transfer to another Member State or banking pursuant to paragraphs 2-3.deleted
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 156 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 1
TWithin six months of the facilitative dialogue to be convened under the UNFCCC in 2018 to take stock of the collective efforts of Parties in relation to progress towards the global long-term goal, as well as within six months of the global stocktake in 2023 and subsequent global stocktakes thereafter, the Commission shall submit reports to the European Parliament and to the Council by 28 February 2024 and every five years thereafter on the operation of this Regulation, its contribution to the EU's overall 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target and its contribution to the goals of the Paris Agreement, and may makassessing the need to update and enhance the combined ambition of this Regulation, Regulation .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council1a and Directive .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council1b. Those reports shall assess the need to enhance the Union's 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions targets, including LULUCF, to ensure coherence with achieving the Paris Agreement's long- term goals, i.e. to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C, and to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century. Those reports shall be accompanied by legislative proposals if, as appropriate.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 165 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – part A
A. Criteria for determining forest reference levels Member State forest reference levels shall be determined in accordance with the following criteria: (a) consistent with the goal of achieving a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century; (b) Reference levels shall ensure that the mere presence of carbon stocks is excluded from accounting; (c) robust and credible accounting, to guarantee that emissions and removals resulting from biomass use are properly accounted for; (d) Reference levels shall include the carbon pool of harvested wood products, providing a comparison between assuming instantaneous oxidation and applying the first-order decay function and half-life values; (e) account the objective of contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources, as set out in the EU Forest Strategy, Member States' national forest policies, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy; (f) Reference levels shall be consistent with the national projections of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks reported under Regulation (EU) No 525/2013; (g) consistent with greenhouse gas inventories and relevant historical data and shall be based on transparent, complete, consistent, comparable and accurate information. In particular, the model used to construct the rdeleted Reference levels shall be Reference levels should ensure a Reference levels should take into Reference levels shall be able to reproduce historical data from the national greenhouse gas inventory.
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 166 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. Where a Member State chooses to include managed wetland in the scope of its commitment in accordance with Article 2, it shall notify that choice to the Commission by 31 December 2020 for the period 2021-2025 and by 31 December 2025 for the period 2026-2030.deleted
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 171 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 4
4. Member States that have chosen to include managed wetland in the scope of their commitments in accordance with Article 2 shall account for emissions and removals resulting from managed wetland, calculated as emissions and removals in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and/or from 2026 to 2030 minus the value obtained by multiplying by five the Member State's average annual emissions and removals resulting from managed wetland in its base period 2005-2007.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 176 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – paragraph 1 – indent 3
– Imported harvested wood products, irrespective of their origin, are not accounted for by the importing Member State ("producconsumption approach").
2017/03/28
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 182 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall account for emissions and removals resulting from managed forest land, calculated as emissions and removals in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030 minus the value obtained by multiplying by five itsannual average emissions and removals in the forest reference levelperiod. A forest reference levelperiod is an estimate of the average annual net emissions or removals resulting from managed forest land within the territory of the Member State in the periods from 2021 1990 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030.09. (The change of “forest reference level” to “forest reference period” applies throughout the text.)
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 193 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall determine the new forest reference level based on the criteria set out in Annex IV, section A. They shall submit to the Commission a national forestry accounting plan including a new forest reference level, by 31 December 2018 for the period from 2021 to 2025 and by 30 June 2023 for the period 2026-2030. deleted Or. en (Linked to an amendment to Article 8(1).)
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 203 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
The national forestry accounting plan shall contain all the elements listed in Annex IV, section B and include a proposed new forest reference level based on the continuation of curthe annual average emissions and removals in the forenst forest management practice and intensity, as documented between 1990-2009 per forest type and per age class in national forests, expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent per yearreference period between 1990-2009, expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. Member States shall maintain or increase the ratio of biomass used for long lived wood products against energy purposes.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 236 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
In accounts pursuant to Article 6(1) and 8(1) relating to harvested wood products,Member States shall account for emissions and removals resulting from the changes in the pool of harvested wood products, as the total of emissions and removals for each of the years in the periods from 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030. Member States shall reflect emissions and removals resulting from changes in the pool of harvested wood products falling within the following categories using the first order decay function, the methodologies and the default half-life values specified in Annex V:
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 240 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 a (new)
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to add product categories on the basis of IPCC Guidelines and to ensure that the accounting for harvested wood products does not undermine environmental integrity of the Union LULUCF accounting.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 242 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10
Accounting for natural disturbances 1. 2021 to 2025 and from 2026 to 2030, Member States may exclude from their accounts for afforested land and managed forest land greenhouse gas emissions resulting from natural disturbances exceeding the average emissions caused by natural disturbances in the period 2001-2020, excluding statistical outliers ('background level') calculated in accordance with this Article and Annex VI. 2. Where a Member State applies paragraph 1, it shall submit to the Commission information on the background level for each land accounting category determined in paragraph 1 and on the data and methodologies used in accordance with Annex VI. 3. Where a Member State applies paragraph 1, it shall exclude from accounting until 2030 all subsequent removals on the land affected by natural disturbances. 4. empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to revise the methodology and information requirements in Annex VI in order to reflect changes in the IPCC Guidelines.rticle 10 deleted At the end of the periods from The Commission shall be
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 249 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2
2. To the extent that total removals exceed emissions in a Member State and after subtraction of any quantity taken into account under Article 7 of Regulation [ ] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030, that Member State may transfer the remaining quantity to another Member State subject to a discount factor of 25%. The transferred quantity shall be taken into account when assessing the receiving Member State’s compliance with its commitment pursuant to Article 4.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 253 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3
3. To the extent that total removals exceed emissions in a Member State in the period from 2021 to 2025, and after subtraction of any quantity taken into account under Article 7 of Regulation [ ] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 or transferred to another Member State pursuant to paragraph 2, that Member State may bank 25% of the remaining quantity to the period 2026- 2030.
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 257 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 4
4. In order to avoid double counting, the quantity of net removals taken into account under Article 7 of Regulation [ ] on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 shall be subtracted from that Member State’s quantity available for transfer to another Member State or banking pursuant to paragraphs 2-3.deleted
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 261 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 a (new)
Article 12 a The Commission shall report in 2027 and 2032 on the cumulative balance of emissions and removals from managed forest land in the Union in reference to average emissions and removals in the period from 1990 to 2009. If the cumulative balance is negative, the Commission shall make a proposal to compensate and remove the corresponding amount from Member States emission allocations under Regulation .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council1a. __________________ 1a Regulation .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 for a resilient Energy Union and to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement and amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change (OJ L ..., ..., p. ...).
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 265 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 1
TWithin six months of the facilitative dialogue to be convened under the UNFCCC in 2018 to take stock of the collective efforts of Parties in relation to progress towards the global long-term goal, as well as within six months of the global stocktake in 2023 and subsequent global stocktakes thereafter, the Commission shall submit reports to the European Parliament and to the Council by 28 February 2024 and every five years thereafterassessing the need to update and enhance the combined ambition of this Regulation, Regulation .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council1a and Directive .../... onf the operation of this Regulation, its contribution to the EU's overall 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target and its contribution to the goals ofEuropean Parliament and of the Council1b. Those reports shall assess the need to enhance the Union's 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions targets, including LULUCF, to ensure coherence with achieving the Paris Agreement's long- term goals, i.e. to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C, and to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century. Those reports shall be accompanied by legislative proposals, as appropriate. ________________ 1a Regulation .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 for a resilient Energy Union and to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement, and may make proposals if appropriate. amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change (OJ L ..., ..., p. ...). 1b Directive .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... amending Directive 2003/87/EC to enhance cost-effective emission reductions and low-carbon investments (OJ L ..., ..., p. ...).
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 280 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – part A
A. Criteria for determining forest reference levels Member State forest reference levels shall be determined in accordance with the following criteria: (a) consistent with the goal of achieving a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century; (b) the mere presence of carbon stocks is excluded from accounting; (c) robust and credible accounting, to guarantee that emissions and removals resulting from biomass use are properly accounted for; (d) carbon pool of harvested wood products, providing a comparison between assuming instantaneous oxidation and applying the first-order decay function and half-life values; (e) account the objective of contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources, as set out in the EU Forest Strategy, Member States' national forest policies, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy; (f) consistent with the national projections of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks reported under Regulation (EU) No 525/2013; (g) consistent with greenhouse gas inventories and relevant historical data and shall be based on transparent, complete, consistent, comparable and accurate information. In particular, the model used to construct the reference level shall be able to reproduce historical data from the national greenhouse gas inventory. deleted Reference levels shall be Reference levels shall ensure that Reference levels should ensure a Reference levels shall include the Reference levels should take into Reference levels shall be Reference levels shall be Or. en (Linked to an amendment to Article 8(1).)
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 292 #

2016/0230(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – indent 3
- Imported harvested wood products, irrespective of their origin, are not accounted for by the importing Member State ("producconsumption approach").
2017/04/06
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital A
A. whereas NGOs are a huge asset to the European Union and play a vital role in the lives of EU citizens, by safeguarding their right to health and to a healnot-for-profit organisations which are independent from public authorities or commercial organisations and that develop activities aiming at enhancing EU public interest are a huge asset to the European Union and play a vital role in the lives of EU citizens, by safeguarding their right to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare, food safety, and by contributing to sustainability, addressing climate change and protecting thye environment ands well as by defending their rights as consumers, and whereas they boost research, innovation and development cooperation; they bridge the gap between the EU and its citizens through people's empowerment, both at a local and a European level.
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 5 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
A a. Whereas the financial crisis has limited access to public and private funding while the need for civil society action has increased; notes the diversity of so-called NGOs including in size, area of action and capacity;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 6 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that the Commission should come up with a clear EU-wide definition of "NGO", foster the independence of NGOs andfrom public involvement in their funding, with a view to dynamising the relationship between citizens and NGOsauthorities or commercial organisations and ensure transparency, accountability, control and traceability of EU public involvement in their funding; points out that NGOs’ primary task ishould be to promote and defend the public interests of civil society, which consists of citizenin its broadest sense, including also future generations and ecosystems; welcomes therefore the proposal of the European Commission within the review of the financial regulations to consider the contribution of volunteers as eligible funding and contributions in kind as co- funding; stresses nevertheless the need to increase the ceiling of indirect expenses;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 18 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the fact that the EU has a financial transparency system; emphasises, however, that it does not concern only NGOs; takes the view, therefore, that the information available about NGOs could be made clearer, in order to improve public understanding of their rolefor-profit and non-for- profit recipients of EU grants should be made clearer, in order to improve transparency, accountability and control of EU grant funding;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 21 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Takes the view that Financial Transparency System should be improved in order to improve its user friendliness and transparency of EU funding by allowing to identify funding amounts allocated to different categories of beneficiaries, including NGOs, according to different funding programmes; furthermore, it should also give details of the amount and purpose of the grants paid out to each recipient, including commitments and actual disbursements;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 26 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Asks the Financial Transparency System to be linked to the Transparency register;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 30 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Takes the view that a public register of EU-funded NGOs should set up and that it should also give details of the amount and purpose of the subsidies paid out;deleted
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 41 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission, with a view to optimising its cooperation with civil societytransparency, accountability and control of EU grant funding, to carry out regular assessments of the way in which funds allocated to NGObeneficiaries are administered, to develop uniform and transparent audit procedures across funding programmes;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 47 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Requests the EU logo to be clearly put on the communication tools for each project and/or product financed from an EU grant as well as links to the publicly available information in EU databases about the project on the digital outputs;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 54 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that a single portal giving access to rationalised and simplified subsidy application procedures should be set up for all EU subsidies intended for NGOgrants; stresses the importance of an approach based on interoperability between the directorates- general;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 59 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Takes the view that subsidiegrants should be proportional to the other resources available to NGOs, so as to ensure that EU funds are allocated fairly and more appropriatelyallocated fairly throughout the EU, in line with clear political objectives defined in EU legislation and following transparent granting criteria for all recipients;
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 63 #

2015/2345(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Calls, lastly, on the Commission, to give clear, systematic priority to the Union’s political objectives in the areas covered by the ENVI committee, in an effort to ensure that EU funds are allocated as effectively as possible.deleted
2016/12/09
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 10 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission Decision of 30 May 2016 establishing horizontal rules on the creation and operation of Commission expert groups, but regretsstrongly disagrees with the fact that, despite many non- governmental organisations having expressed their interest, the Commission did not organise a full public consultation;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to set up a n independent complaints mechanism, if the definition of balanced composition is contested by interested stakeholders;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Asks the Commission to assess the development of an allowance system that supports underrepresented groups in acquiring the expertise necessary for a fully effective participation in the expert group;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 36 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Invites the Commission to develop specific guidelines explaining how it interprets the provision that the minutes of the expert groups shall be meaningful and complete, especially when the meetings are not public, and urges the Commission to provide, in this regard, the maximum transparency possible, including publication of the agenda, background documents, voting records and detailed minutes, including dissenting opinions in line with the recommendation of the European Ombudsman;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 37 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Invites the Commission to develop specific guidelines -in consultation with stakeholders including the European Parliament- explaining how it interprets the provision that the minutes of the expert groups shall be meaningful and complete, especially when the meetings are not public, and urges the Commission to provide, in this regard, the maximum transparency possible, in line with the recommendation of the European Ombudsman;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 42 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to clarify that, if individuals appointed in their personal capacity have submitted false or incomplete declarations of interest, or have failed to keep these up to date, this will not only have consequences for their membership in the expert group concerned, but will also mean that they will be banned from other existing or future expert groups for a period of at least two years after the discovery of the errors in respect of their declarations of interest in a quasi- automatic manner;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 48 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Recalls that, in addition to experts appointed in their personal capacity, members from universities, research institutes, law firms and consultancies may also have conflicts of interest, as they do not necessarily represent a specific interest, and requests the Commission to clarify how itnd requests the Commission to draft rules including meaningful sanctions to be implemented for failure to comply so as to avoids conflicts of interest for these specific categories of experts;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 56 #

2015/2319(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that the Commission has stated that by the end of 2016, the new framework for Commission expert groups will have to be implemented by all Directorates-General, and requests the Commission to submit to Parliament an report on the implementation and evaluation report at the latest one year after the adoption of the Decision, i.e. before 1 June 2017;
2016/09/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 1 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
– having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001its legislative resolution of 15 December 2011 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents1 , __________________ 1 OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43. (recast) (P7_TA(2011)0580),
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 2 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
– having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies,
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 3 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
– having regard to the Annual Report 2014 of the Ombudsman,
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 5 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
– having regard to the resolution on public access to documents for the years 2011-2013 1 a, __________________ 1a PE524.641v02-00
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 9 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 0 (new)
0. Points out that many of the recommendations in the resolution on public access to documents for the years 2011-2013 have not been given a proper follow up by the three institutions; 2 a __________________ 2a PE524.641v02-00
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 17 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that transparency and full access to documents held by the institutions have to be the rule, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006, and that, as has already been laid down by the precedents consistently set by the EU Court of Justice, exceptions to that rule have to be properly interpreted, taking into account that there is an overriding public interest in disclosure, particularly where the information requested relates to emissions in the environment;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 37 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Urges all the institutions to apply the stronger transparency provisions contained in Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 when information requested relates to the environment, and to abide by their obligations to proactively publish environmental information;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 47 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Considers it regretunacceptable that the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 is still stalled in the Council and hopes that progress will be achieved as soon as possibleurges the Council to adopt a constructive position, taking into account the Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 15 December 2011 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents defining the general principles and limits governing the right of access to documents of Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 60 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Rejects the position taken by the Council in its letter to the Ombudsman in regard of this own-initiative inquiry that the organisation of trilogues is a political responsibility and falls outside the Ombudsman's mandate;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 68 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the institutions involved to ensure in future that negotiations will be transparent and, to that end, to allow meetings to be held in public and webstreamed and to arrange for agendas, minutes, and the main documents relating to issues discussed to be published;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 72 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on Parliament to make in principle all documents referred to in the agendas of the Bureau and the Conference of Presidents available by publishing them on the Parliament's website;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 75 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. WelcomesCalls upon the Commission’s intention of to submit without any further delay its proposingal for an interinstitutional agreement establishing a mandatory interinstitutional register of interest group representatives operating within the institutions and calls for that matter to be given the highest priority;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 81 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on Parliament as a first step in this regard to make available for those MEPs who wish to report on their contacts with lobbyists a template for Rapporteurs that can be annexed to their reports as well as space for this type of information on the webpages of the Parliament referring to individual MEPs;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 111 #

2015/2287(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Follow up Requests the Commission and calls upon the Secretary-General of the European Parliament to inform the European Parliament about the implementation of the recommendations in this resolution;
2015/12/02
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 2 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 23 and 24 OctoParis Agreement made in December 2014 on5 at the 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework1st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC,
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 13 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A
A. whereas increased energy efficiency and energy saving are key factors for environmental and climate protection and supply, they also bear important geopolitical and democratic dimensions for the EU, and they are a long term contribution towards peace and security; whereas the Energy Efficiency Directive provides an important basis in this connection;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 37 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas it is fundamental that the EU and Member States acknowledge the importance of including citizens-based initiatives such as cooperatives, community energy efficiency projects and stresses the need to remove economic, regulatory and administrative barriers to allow citizens to actively participate in the energy system;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 46 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Energy Efficiency Directive only inadequately implemented – savings targets achieved nonethelesfully implemented provides a real framework for delivering energy savings
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 53 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that up to now neither thethe implementation of 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive nor the 2010 Buildings Directive have been adequately implemented by the Member States; considers, therefore, that one reason why the energy efficiency targets are being achieved lies in the fact that citizens and undertakings themselves have an interest in low energy consumption and cutting costsby the Member States is ongoing; recalls that the deadline for the transposition of the Directive by the Member States was not so long ago since it was fixed on 5 June 2014;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 62 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that Member States are projected to reach only 17.6% primary energy savings by 2020 unless existing EU legislation is fully implemented, efforts are accelerated, ambition level is increased and investment conditions improved1a; calls on the Member States to fully implement the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive and the 2010 Buildings Directive; __________________ 1a European Commission State of the Energy Union report 18 November 2015
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 65 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that local authorities play a crucial role in enabling EED implementation by engaging in ambitious energy savings measures through local action plans, such as in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy; considers that data from local action plans, such as the energy efficiency policies and measures outlined in more than 5000 Sustainable Energy Action Plans in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, can effectively contribute in co-designing and raising the ambition of national energy efficiency targets;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 69 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. StressNotes that the directive’s flexibility has allowed many Member States to embark on energy efficiency measuresEnergy Efficiency Directive's considerable flexibility has been a factor in the underachievement of its targets; insists that loopholes in the existing Directive, especially in Article 7, must be eliminated, while keeping some flexibility for the Member States to choose among the available measures; notes in particular that phasing in and early actions are no longer relevant and that the 25% allowed for all exemptions applied has diminished the effectiveness of the 1.5% p.a. energy savings requirement;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 84 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that 2416 Member States have made use of the possibility of alternative measures to thechosen to establish an energy efficiency obligation scheme to partly or fully deliver end-use energy savings (Article 7); stresses that the largest share of the overall savings under Article 7 is expected to be generated by energy efficiency obligation schemes (Article 7)34%); notes that the number of policy instruments for the implementation of Article 7 varies hugely between Member States, randging from one to, in the case of Germany, 1121b; notes that 18 Member States have preferred alternative measures to the renovation quota (Article 5); criticises the fact that seven Member States have still not introduced energy audits (Article 8); __________________ 1bThe Member States 'plans and achievements towards the implementation of Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive, Tina Fawcett and Jan Rosenow for DG EPRS, March 2016
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 101 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that some key elementsthe continuation of the Energy Efficiency Directive (smart meters, cogeneration, renovation plans) need more time in order to give administrations and undertakings an opportunity to launch projects and innovationsbeyond 2020 is essential to ensure predictability and investor stability;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 109 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the Energy Efficiency Directive became an Energy Saving Directive as a result of political decisions; calls for the focus of the directive to be turned more towards energy efficiency considerationsStresses the importance of having fixed clear 2020 energy consumption targets; insists that the 2030 energy consumption targets must be in line with the climate target of 1.5°C as agreed by 195 countries in Paris, December 2015 and to be fixed at a level corresponding to the Parliament's energy efficiency target for 2030 of at least 40%;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 118 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Competing legal provisions slow down environmental progress, create red tape and increase energy costsdeleted
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 128 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Criticises the 2 000 or so energy reporting obligations imposed on businesses, consumeNotes that applying the 'energy efficiency first' principle requires reviewing energy planning and reporting and improving policy coherence to ensure their mutual reinforcement recognising that saving energy is Europe's first and public authorities; regrets that it is ultimately electricity consumers who bear the consequences of an overly complex reporting systemmost secure source of energy; notes that energy efficiency can be the best energy 'source' investment improving affordability of energy, driving down the need for additional and costly supply side infrastructure and tackling climate change;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 144 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that energy saving rules and rules on increased use of renewable energy sources have a direct and indirect impacNotes that greenhouse gas emissions from energy saving and increased use of renewable energy sources have been factored into the ETS system (certificate prices); underlines that the weak ETS certificate price is the result onf the carbon footprint and the ETS system (certificate prices)surplus created by lower demand from heavy industry and the power sector in times of economic downturn, the influx of international carbon credits and over- allocation to industry; notes that low ETS certificate prices reduce thedo not give any incentives for investment in energy saving and renewable energy; concludes that market forces alone are therefore not currently sufficient to deliver the necessary energy efficiency improvements;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 155 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that national legislation (exit from coal, payment schemes for renewable energy, capacity markets) restricts the scope for European solutions that provide the best possible results in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy enables Member States to tailor their requirements according terms of cost and supply and cancels out theo their local energy market and prices, advantages obtained through energy saving; calls for increasedilable technologies and solutions, and national circumstances; calls for investigation into possibilities for bindingcreased coordination by the Commission;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 168 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Is concerned that EuropeanNotes that although electricity prices for small and medium-sized industrial and business customers and private consumers are among the highest in the worldrelatively high in some Member States, actual energy costs remain competitive thanks to the implementation of energy efficiency measures; points out that investing in energy efficiency can not only boost the competitiveness of industrial and business customers but will also reduce the energy bills for households, including the energy poor;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 180 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned at the repercussionsNotes that the principle of g"eneral saving rules on the targets for expandinggy efficiency first"- by reducing total energy consumption- allows a more cost-effective expansion of the ushare of renewable energy sources in the energy mix; takes the view that improved cross-regional distribution and storage systems, as well as demand-side management and other energy savings measures help to increase the resilience of the energy system as a whole and provide good opportunities for the further expansion of optimal locations for wind, hydro and solar powerfor renewable energy to supply the whole of Europe; expects that this will have a dampening effect on energy pricfurther reduce the costs of integrating much larger shares of renewable energy in Europe, thereby enabling the EU to move forward to a 100% renewable-based, fossil fuel-free energy system by 2050 at the latest;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 191 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Energy Efficiency legislation needs to be more coherent and more flexiblea stable framework
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 197 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commissioner Timmermans as the Member of the Commission responsible for ‘better law-making’ to look more intens to take a societal perspectively into the extent to which competing or overlapping EU energy rules lead to a loss of legislative efficiency and effectiveness and increased costs for administrations, business, industry and householdsassessment of overall costs and benefits of different levels of energy efficiency ambition and to treat energy efficiency as an energy source on its own right;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 202 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes that energy efficiency can help increase the resilience of the energy system and therefore help transition towards a sustainable and secure situation;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 205 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to treat energy efficiency as an infrastructure priority, recognising that it fulfils the definition of infrastructure used by the International Monetary Fund and other economic institutions1c, and to make it a crucial element and a priority consideration in future investment decisions on Europe's energy infrastructure; __________________ 1cEnergy efficiency as infrastructure: leaping the investment gap – report from E3G published 3 March 2016
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 208 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Recalls that the moderation of energy demand through energy savings and energy efficiency impact positively on the EU's energy security, competitiveness, economic prosperity and sustainability, as well as on energy affordability, combating energy poverty and creating sustainable quality employment; underlines that energy efficiency must compete on equal terms with generation capacity;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 214 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that a barrier-free internal energy market for energy efficiency will optimise the costs of energy production and distribution and significantly improve energy efficiency across Europe;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 224 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the positive impact that certification schemes or saving obligations (Article 7) are having in many Member States; considers the flexibility of the rules to be a major factor in guaranteeing their acceptance; asks that the calculation of cnotes that energy efficiency policies and measures must be properly monitored; stresses the importance of ensuring that energy savings are vertification schemes andable and actually correspond to real- life energy- saving measures should not be hampered by overly restrictive interpretations and time limitss, especially for people who are in a vulnerable situation;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 238 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Takes the view that more flexibility is needed in order to reach the EU’s climate protection and efficiency targets; calls for ‘target flexibility’ for Member States; takes the view that rebates should be available for targets relating to energy saving and increasing the share of renewable energy sources (Article 3 of the Energy Efficiency Directive) where for example the CO2 targets have been exceeded;deleted
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 249 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Calls in this connection for the Energy Efficiency Directive to be adapted in line with the EU’s climate protection targets for 2030COP 21 Paris Agreement in particular towards the goal of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; recalls that energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way of achieving GHG reduction; recalls once more the position of the Parliament asking for a binding 40% energy efficiency target in 2030 to be implemented through individual national targets; urges the Council to revise its objective upwards in line with Parliament's adopted target; calls on the Commission to move to comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and a social discount rate;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 264 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
More energy efficiency – EU support, and best practice and optimising the Energy Efficiency Directive
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 265 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls for a continuation and an improvement of the EED framework to ensure predictability and investor stability in the long-term. This includes, in particular fixing binding energy consumption targets and the continuation of Article 7 beyond 2020, which will incentivise the creation of long-term measures and schemes to deliver savings, building on experience of creating successful and effective schemes;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 266 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Regrets the Court of Auditors' criticism of less-than-effective energy efficiency projects supported by the EU Structural Funds (2007 to 2013)Considers it an absolute priority to develop financing instruments, tools and innovative models to mobilise public funds and leverage private finance at local, national, regional and European level to support investments in key energy efficiency sectors such as the renovation of buildings, with special attention to vulnerable groups, while paying due attention to the specificities of long-term investments; emphasises, in this regard, the role of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and of the EFSI (managed by the EIB), and insists on the need to fully involve national promotional banks; calls for improved guidelines and more intensive Commission monitoring with a view to making betterdeploying widely Financial Instruments, making use of the Structural Funds and EFSI for energy efficiency investments;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 274 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes that energy efficiency projects are often small-scale and need to be bundled into larger portfolios; to this end, calls on the Commission, the European Investment Bank and Member States to deploy more technical assistance and project development assistance to facilitate investments;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 277 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Takes the view that the potential of local energy savings should be exploited much more, as local and regional authorities are central in driving forward energy efficiency and overall the energy transition; calls on the Commission to strengthen the city networks, such as the Covenant of Mayors, Smart Cities and Communities or the 100% RES communities, which allow sharing of knowledge and best practice between cities, local authorities, regions and Member States on local bottom up planning of the energy transition, the design and implementation of energy efficiency measures and self-generation as well as access to financial support;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 282 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. CWelcomes the increased technical support from the Commission to ensure correct and speedy implementation of the EED; calls for anfurther exchange of ideas and on benchmarking among Member States on the saving obligations and building and renovation plans (Articles 4, 5, 6 and 7) with the aim of applying existing instruments (tax incentives, support programmes, model contracts) more quickly; calls for Commission guidelines for future national plans; notes the recommendation of the EPRS report on EED Article 71d for more detailed provisions, extensive guidance and reporting templates for Member States; calls for improved and harmonised data provision from Member States and calls for a binding Commission template for future national plans, to ensure transparency and comparability; stresses the importance of ensuring that: (i) renovation road maps in Article 4 follow mandatory templates and include intermediate 5 year targets towards a goal of a nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) stock by 2050, as will become necessary to meet the goals of the COP21 Paris Agreement; (ii) Article 5 is extended to cover all public buildings and to include the adoption of best practice on financial support mechanisms; (iii) clearer guidelines are provided for Article 6, including better integration into the wider EU rules on public procurement, and that Article 6 is extended to all public contracts, with a clear nZEB performance level set for buildings newly built or rented by public authorities; (iv) loopholes in Article 7 are eliminated, bearing in mind that phasing in and early actions under Article 7.2 are no longer relevant and that the 25% flexibility has diminished the effectiveness of the 1.5% p.a. energy savings requirement; (v) alternative measures under article 7.9 are more tightly defined and easy to quantify, while keeping flexibility for the Member States to choose among the measures; __________________ 1dThe Member States 'plans and achievements towards the implementation of Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive, Tina Fawcett and Jan Rosenow for DG EPRS, March 2016.
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 299 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Considers high-level quality energy audits for businesses to be a proven means of boosting energy efficiency; welcomes the fact that energy audits and energy management schemes under Article 8 are helping to make EU companies more competitive; calls for a uniform definition and enforcement of the criteria set out in Article 8 (definition of SME, audits, no double certification for cross-border business structures); calls for the implementation of cost-effective energy audit recommendations to be required in conjunction with planned maintenance, with additional incentives provided where necessary, and for Article 8 to be extended to cover all companies with high energy consumption;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 310 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the fact that the Commission is working on guidelines for the implementation of Articles 9 to 11 of the Energy Efficiency Directive; considers cost transparency – taking account of cost-effectiveness and technical feasibility – to be a prerequisite for energy saving; takes the view that this topic could potentially be included in the Buildings Directive in order to help consumers to better control their energy consumption;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 313 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Believes that access to independent and reliable information and advice on suitable energy efficiency measures and financial schemes are essential, in particular for households but also for regional and local authorities, to make informed energy-conscious decisions and to better manage their energy consumption, including through smart meters and individual metering of heating and cooling consumption; recalls that Article 17 requires Member States, with the participation of all stakeholders, to promote and widely disseminate suitable and transparent information on available energy efficiency mechanisms, awareness-raising and training initiatives; calls on the Commission to ensure the full and rigorous implementation of Article 17 so that all EU citizens have wide access to energy efficiency information, advisory services and related financial frameworks;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 322 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Stresses that if Member States establish a levy funded energy efficiency scheme (Article 20), this should prioritise households affected by energy poverty; insists that the revised Energy Directive should provide the Member States with a long-term stable policy environment to ensure a sustainable increase in energy efficiency investments, in particular at the local level; requires that the EU and the EIB upscale their capacity-building and technical assistance efforts to develop bankable energy efficiency projects that attract private investment from the market; calls for the EU funding programs (e.g. Structural Funds, Juncker Plan, ELENA-EIB) to increase the proportion of funds allocated to energy efficiency capacity-building and technical assistance;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 325 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Stresses the need to reform the Eurostat rules of public debt and deficit, which still classify energy efficiency investments by private third parties (energy performance contracting) as public debt in the account balance of local authorities;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 326 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Stresses the relevance for the Member States to continue to submit regularly National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAPs) as set out in Article 24; believes that an additional obligation should be included within the future NEEAPs that Member States should report on the outcomes for consumers from the energy efficiency measures as well as on the progress of initiatives to reduce the extent and depth of fuel poverty;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 327 #

2015/2232(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Calls for an obligation to perform national cost-benefit assessments of energy efficiency programmes rolled out through - or in combination - with local authorities, and to follow through this approach where this delivers efficiencies and cost savings for consumers;
2016/03/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 2 #

2015/2205(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Takes note that a high level of cancellations of carry-overs from previous years was noted by the Court of Auditors only in eight cases; observes that such carry- overs indicate that the appropriations carried over were made on the basis of over-estimated needs or were otherwise not justified; urges these agencies to take action to avoid this issue in future; acknowledges from the Network that the level of cancellation is indicative of the extent to which the agencies have correctly anticipated their financial needs and is a better indicator of good budgetary planning than the level of carryovers; acknowledges from the Network that the agencies concerned have implemented various measures to improve their budgetary monitoring systems and address this issue;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2015/2205(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Expresses its concern towards those Agencies which are partly financed by fees paid by industry, whereas these financial ties may affect their independency; calls upon all Agencies to install measures that safeguard the independency of their internal and external policies;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2015/2205(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Recalls that paragraph 27 of the interinstitutional agreement6 calls for a progressive reduction of staff by 5 % in all institutions, bodies and agencies to be effected between 2013 and 2017; welcomes the fact that most agencies have already met or exceeded the 5 % reduction based on their respective 2012 establishment plans; recalls that the Commission started to implement the 5 % reduction in its 2013 establishment plan, basing the calculation on the level of posts in 2012; deeply regretstates that the Commission applied an additional levy of 5 % of staff to the agencies in order to create a redeployment pool from which it would allocate the posts to the agencies with new tasks entrusted to them or in a start-up phase; acknowledges from the Network that with the additional levy, fulfilmentcalls upon the Commission to run a SWOT analysis ofn the aAgencies, taking into account their mandates and annual work programmes, is proving increasingly difficult; calls on the Commission to look into other options to make these posts available, in order not to hinder the agencies' ability to fulfil their mandaten order to come to an informed decision which Agencies need more staff and which do not; __________________ 6 Interinstitutional agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1).
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 18 #

2015/2205(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls upon all European Agencies to use the framework to be created by the new Inter Institutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register and use it as a guiding instrument for their interaction with organisations and self- employed individuals engaged in EU policy-making and policy implementation in order to create more transparency on lobby activities;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2015/2205(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that the principle of “value for money” and “EU added value” also holds for agencies while ensuring that citizens are well informed of the results of the agencies’ activities; notes that achieving results is important; emphasizes that many Agencies do not explicitly include in their annual reports information on the effectiveness and efficiency of their activities in an accountable manner; reiterates that it is important for the Network to become a member of the new Inter-institutional Working Group on Performance in order to reach a common understanding of performance-based and results-oriented budgeting principles, as well as to identify possible improvements to the performance models currently applied in the agencies; requests that the Court of Auditors provide an evaluation of the agencies' performance and results in time for the review of the 2016 Multiannual Financial Framework;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2015/2203(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80
80. Is seriously concerned about the current flow of refugees, particularly because of the fact that while the share of war refugees and asylum seekers is high, the share of economic migrants is steadily growingasylum crisis and the high number of refugees fleeing from war zones;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Recalls that the Parliament raised serious concerns with regard to the work of Agency´s committees in 2014 in its resolution of 25 November 2015 on draft Commission Implementing Decision XXX granting an authorisation for uses of bis(2-ethylhexhyl) phthalate (DEHP) under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council1a, and expects a clear response from the Agency to the issues raised therein; __________________ 1a P8_TA(2015)0409.
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 3 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Notes furthermore with concern that in the case referred to in its resolution of 25 November 2015 on draft Commission Implementing Decision XXX granting an authorisation for uses of bis(2- ethylhexhyl) phthalate (DEHP) the Agency´s committees: - accepted deficient applications, - took the initiative to do the work of the applicants and tried to justify an authorisation under a route that the applicants did not even apply for, - used simplistic arguments that are not within their remit to justify the authorisation of substances of very high concern, and - accepted unsubstantiated economic arguments to justify the acceptance of serious health risks;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 5 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes that the Agency is continuously improving the dissemination of data to the European citizens and the public at large, inter alia by including the exposure scenarios and user friendly structured substance profiles to the dissemination portal; encourages the Agency to step up its efforts in order to allow all stakeholders to act on the basis of accurate data by disseminating all information held by the Agency on substances whether on their own, in preparations or in articles as listed in Article 119 of REACH Regulation, including the tonnage band within which a particular substance has been registered;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 6 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Recalls that the European Parliament raised serious concerns with regard to the work of ECHA committees in 2014 in its resolution of 25 November 2015 on draft Commission Implementing Decision XXX granting an authorisation for uses of bis(2-ethylhexhyl) phthalate (DEHP) under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council 1a, where it objected by a very large majority to that draft decision, in particular that: - granting an authorisation for a substance of very high concern based on an application that is fraught with so many deficiencies would set a very bad precedent for future authorisation decisions under REACH, - its committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) went beyond its mandate by providing a conclusion on the proportionality of an authorisation, - SEAC used simplistic political arguments that are not within its remit and against existing legal provisions to justify the authorisation; __________________ 1aP8_TA(2015)0409.
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Notes furthermore with concern that SEAC assessed whether the application could be granted under conditions that the applicant did not even apply for, and furthermore accepted unsubstantiated arguments to justify the acceptance of serious health risks;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Welcomes the initiative of ECHA to meet with staff of all political groups in the European Parliament on 26 February 2016 to respond to the concerns raised in its resolution of 25 November 2015 on draft Commission Implementing Decision XXX granting an authorisation for uses of bis(2-ethylhexhyl) phthalate (DEHP) under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and that ECHA high-level staff acknowledged at that meeting that ECHA and its committees should not take views on policy matters and that the statement on recycling in their opinion was inconsistent with SEAC's technical- scientific role;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 15
15. Recommends, based on the facts available, that discharge be grantedthe decision on the discharge to the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency with respect to the implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2014. is postponed until the Agency has provided a satisfactory response with regard to the Parliament´s resolution of 25 November 2015 on draft Commission Implementing Decision XXX granting an authorisation for uses of bis(2-ethylhexhyl) phthalate (DEHP) as well as the additional concerns raised in that context in paragraph 10b of this resolution.
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 9 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Notes however with great concern that ECHA continues to stand by the conclusions of the committees in favour of authorisation of DEHP despite the serious deficiencies across all aspects of the application and the assessment of the application under conditions that the applicant had not applied for; continues to consider that such an approach violates inter alia the principle laid down in Article 1(3) of REACH that it is up to manufacturers to prove the safety of chemicals, a principle which is especially relevant in the case of the authorisation of substances of very high concern, where the burden of proof is clearly on the applicant;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Stresses in the context of 'proportionality', i.e.whether or not the socio-economic benefits of an authorisation outweigh the risk to human health or the environment, that this task falls solely on the Commission as the risk manager pursuant to Article 60(4) of REACH, and not on SEAC, whose task pursuant to Article 64(4b) of REACH is to merely assess the socio-economic factors;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 f (new)
16f. Notes with great concern that the issues raised by the European Parliament are not an isolated case, as documented by the report "A roadmap to revitalise REACH" by the European Environment Bureau1a; _________________ 1ahttp://www.eeb.org/index.cfm/library/a- roadmap-to-revitalise-reach/
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 g (new)
16g. Calls on the Executive Director of ECHA to ensure that a) the committees take the initiative to revise their procedures to align them with the letter and the spirit of REACH to ensure inter alia that such deficient applications do not receive a positive opinion, that the committees do not assess applications under conditions that were not applied for by the applicants, and that they stay within their mandate, in particular by SEAC no longer concluding on the proportionality of an authorisation, b) the committees do not accept unsubstantiated arguments to justify authorisation, c) to prepare a draft opinion of the Management Board concerning the revision of the procedures of the committees, d) SEAC revises its opinion on DEHP accordingly;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2015/2184(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 h (new)
16h. Calls also on the Executive Director of ECHA to respond in a comprehensive manner to the recommendations by the European Environment Bureauin its report, and to take corrective action where necessary;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2015/2181(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Observes that Court finds the documentation supporting the expenditure claimed by those countries to be not always sufficient; takes note from the Court's report that the audit certificates, which would add further assurance on the legality and regularity of grant transactions, were not requested by the Agency; acknowledges from the Agency that such certificates were already made in 2010; takes noteregrets that, despite a briefing organised for the Agency's beneficiaries, the audit certificates were not issued by independent audit bodies and the delay in receiving the final claim was significantly extended; acknowledges thatcalls on the Agency wito fully explore the possibility of cooperation with the audit authorities set up under the External Border Fund and the Internal Security Fund; calls on the Agency and to report back to the discharge authority on the evaluation of such cooperation;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2015/2181(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the annual public statements of commitment were published on the Agency's website for the majority of members of its Management Board; takes note that the CVs of the Agency's Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director have been published on the Agency's website; calls for the publication of the declarations of interest of the Executive Director, the Deputy Executive Director and members of the Management Board; urges the Agency and its Management Board members to make the remaining unpublished statements available as soon as possible;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2015/2181(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Takes note that the Agency created a draft set of whistleblowing rules which is expected to be adopted by the end of the first half of 2016; calls on the Agency to also take due account of the Ombudsman's recommendations on this matter; calls on the Agency not to further delay the adoption and to report to the discharge authority on the final adoption of those rules;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2015/2181(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Recalls, that the Court noted in 2014 that "The high and constantly increasing number of grant agreements and the magnitude of related expenditure to be verified and reimbursed by FRONTEX raise the question whether more efficient and cost-effective alternative funding mechanisms could be used"; notes furthermore that in the past years the complexity and administrative burden of the current mechanisms has led to the Court not being able to assure the legality and regularity of the transactions; further notes that in 2015 there has been a further increase in the magnitude of operations undertaken by the Agency and a new and specific tasks that it was mandated within the EU Regional Task Force; calls on the Agency to take into account during review and reform its financing mechanisms the concerns expressed above;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2015/2177(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the development and launch of the Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases ("Atlas") on the Centre’s web portal; notes that by the end of 2014, the Centre was publishing Union level data together with some international data for four diseases via the Atlas; regrets at the same time that the Centre's communication was largely restricted to publications on the Centre's web portal and that the Centre had not been identified by EU media as a key information provider; calls on the Centre to take steps to improve media presence;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Is especially aware of the public interest in the decision-making process within the Authority, which is done within its legal role and responsibilities; highlights that communication and especially the perceived conflict of interest cases; highlights that credible integrity rules are essential and that furthermore communication and availability for the media is paramount in this respect; notes that the Authority is dedicating 74% of its human resources to scientific activities, evaluation and data collection and communication; encourages the Authority to further progress on this path;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 3 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
1. GPostpones its decision on grantsing the Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority discharge in respect of the implementation of the Authority's budget for the financial year 2014;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
8. Also welcomes the Authority's efforts to implement corrective actions following the comments made by the Parliament in the context of the 2013 discharge procedure, in the areas of financial controlling, internal audit, andcontrol standards, internal audit, and furthermore takes note of the Authority's efforts to improve the system in place to manage the interests of the Authority's scientific experts;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 5 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Looks forward to results of the Authority's systemic review of its policy on independence and scientific decision- making process; welcomes the Authority's commitment to consider the publication of remunerations for experts' declared activities;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 6 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Welcomes the introduction of a system within the Authority to centralize the screening of the experts' declarations of interests; calls on the Authority to include in its policy the prohibition to work with any expert including Member States' delegated experts who do not properly and faithfully fill in that declaration; calls on the Authority to include in its policy an obligation for experts to inform the Authority of any eventual changes relating to the information included in that declaration while working for the Authority;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 7 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 2
Paragraph 2
2. ApprovPostpones the closure of the accounts of the European Food Safety Authority for the financial year 2014;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Calls on the Authority to commit itself to publish the names and the declarations of interests of experts and at the same time the scientific opinions as well as the full text version of all studies considered by the Authority;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 8 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Calls on the Authority to review its definition of conflict of interest in line with that of the Court of Auditors; is of the opinion that the current policy of the Authority to assess conflict of interest based on 66% of the agenda of a specific group is not a sophisticated and robust way to avoid potential conflicts of interests; calls on the Authority to take into account its mandate and not the panel in question when assessing whether there is a conflict of interest;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 9 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8e. Reminds the Authority of the European Ombudsman's ruling stating that the Authority "should revise its conflict of interest rules" to ensure that those experts who work for academia declare all relevant information to the Authority; is of the opinion that if this would affect around one third of the experts as stated by the Authority, then the Authority should dedicate special attention to the issue and work on specific measures together with the concerned academic institutions to safeguard the integrity of both institutions;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 10 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Reminds the Authority that the first objective of its independence policy should be its reputation and therefore to make sure that the Authority is free from real or perceived conflicts of interests, in particular with the economic sectors it is de facto regulating;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 f (new)
8f. Reiterates its call for the Authority to apply a two-year cooling-off period to all material interests related to the regulated sector, including research funding, consultancy contracts and decision- making positions;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 11 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Fails to understand why the Authority's Executive Director chose to appoint a food industry lobbyist as the Authority's new Communications Director, especially in the light of the rising public concerns on the independence of the Authority from regulated industry and previous requests from the discharge authority in particular in 2011 and the Article 11 of the EU Staff Regulations stating that "the appointing Authority shall examine whether the candidate has any personal interest such as to impair his independence or any other conflict of interest";
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 g (new)
8g. Calls on the Authority to examine the creation of a new status for "hearing experts" following the example of the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research Against Cancer;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 12 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges that the Authority launched a project to modify the way it screens and processes the annual declarations of interest in order to ensure better coherence and overall compliance with its rules on declarations of interest; notes, furthermore, that this new system, scheduled to be completed in the course of 2016, foresees centralised screening of the annual declarations of interest and transfer of responsibility from the Authority’s scientific departments to its legal and regulatory department; calls on the Authority to include in its policy the prohibition to work with any expert including Member States' delegated experts who do not properly and meaningfully fill in the declaration of interests(DoI); calls on the Authority to include in its policy an obligation for experts to inform the Authority of any eventual changes while working for the Authority;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Points out that the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union gives individuals the right to access public documents; reminds that scientific rigour is ensured best by transparency and accountability of the results; highlights that the Authority should make therefore all data used to reach any scientific conclusions public in a machine readable format so as to enable scientific scrutiny and constant progress;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 14 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. AscertainsNotes with concern that, in order to attain both working with the top academics in the industry and having the most effective conflicts of interest policy possible, the Authority uses a system to assess the experts’ interests, which takes into account the role of the experts and the mandate of the scientific working group or panel of which the expert would be a member against a number of different criteria; notes, furthermore, that in 2016 the Authority will undertake an examination of the systems it has in place to detect conflicts of interest as part of the regular cycle of review of its independence policy; asks the Authority to inform the discharge authority about the outcomes of the review;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Is of the opinion that the current independence policy of the Authority only banning evident and general conflicts of interests and solely assessing interest according to the specific manifest of the scientific panels and working group interests is not a sophisticated and robust way to avoid potential conflicts of interests; the Authority's current independence policy and implementing rules are neither ''robust'' nor ''sophisticated'' but remain costly and ineffective and its limited intention of implementing a cooling-off period with the scope of the panel mandate is largely insufficient;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Stresses that the aim of the data disclosure is to make reproducibility of the Authority's work possible and therefore, the steps taken towards process transparency in risk-assessment are a welcome first step, however data transparency should also be ensured;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 16 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Reminds the Authority that commercial confidentiality clauses must not be allowed to impair disclosure of data due to the overriding public interest of health and safety;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 17 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on the Authority to review both its independence policy and related implementing rules in a way that guarantees that no relevant economic interests are falling within Authority's remit; reminds in this respect the Authority to the repeated requests from the discharge authority to take into account the mandate of the Authority and not the panel in question when assessing whether there is conflict of interest;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9d. Stresses that experts in regulatory agencies must be paid for their work so as to enable their independence from the sector they regulate; calls on the Commission to provide the financial means for the Authority to pay experts to ensure independence;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 18 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Reiterates its call for the Authority to apply a two-years cooling-off period; does not accept the Authority's justification for its refusal to implement the discharge authority's repeated demands of establishing a two-years cooling-off period on all material interests related to companies it regulates;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that, in order to improve its independence and conflicts of interest policy concerning expert groups, the Authority performed in 2014 an ex-post analysis of its rules on declarations of interests; notes with concern that despite the fact that this analysis led to a review and the adoption of a new, and simpler and more sophisticated version of these rulesversion of these rules without substantial changes however; and in particular, reminds with great concern the Authority the main changes requested by the discharge authority have not been taken into account;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 21 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Reminds the Authority of the European Ombudsman's ruling stating that the Authority "should revise its conflict of interest rules" to ensure that those experts who work for academia declare all relevant information to EFSA"; is of the opinion that if this would affect around one third of the experts as stated by the Authority, then the Authority should dedicate special attention to the issue and work on specific measures together with the concerned academic institutions to safeguard the integrity of both institutions;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points out that several EU regulations including amongst others the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union gives individuals the right to access public documents; reminds the Authority that scientific rigour is ensured best by transparency and accountability of the results; highlights that the Authority should make therefore all data used to reach any scientific conclusions public in a machine readable format so as to enable scientific scrutiny and constant progress;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Acknowledges the Authority's efforts to improve the transparency of its work as well as the data it uses for it; acknowledges the existing legal limitations it faces for increasing data transparency; stresses that the aim of the disclosure is to make reproducibility of the Authority's work possible and therefore the steps taken towards process transparency in risk-assessment are a welcomed first step, however data transparency should also be ensured;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 26 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Reminds the Authority that commercial confidentiality clauses must not be allowed to impair disclosure of data due to the overriding public interest of health and safety; encourages it to interpret existing legal protection of commercial interest as restrictively as possible;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Is looking forward to results of the Authority's systemic review of its Policy on Independence and Scientific Decision- Making Process in 2016; welcomes the Authority's commitment to consider the publication of remunerations for experts' declared activities;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 31 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls on the Authority to make more extensive use of a new status for hearing experts following the example of the invited experts from World Health Organization's International Agency for Research Against Cancer; calls on the Authority to report to the discharge authority on use of hearing experts;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Stresses that experts in regulatory agencies must be paid for their work so as to enable their independence from the sector they regulate; calls on the Commission to provide the financial means for the Authority to pay external experts and develop in-house research to ensure independence;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 33 #

2015/2176(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Acknowledges that a large part of the difficulties the Authority is facing in securing its independence comes from the fact that the Commission consistently refuses to allocate it sufficient means of operation to work at defending food safety for EU citizens independently of the regulated industry's influence;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2015/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that only one-third of the budget of the Agency comes from the public sector and the other two-third from the industry; expresses its concern as these financial ties with the industry might affect the independence of the Agency; calls upon the Agency to build in safeguards to ensure its independence and the avoidance of conflicts of interests;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2015/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. States that the objective of the Agency is aviation safety, which is to be considered as a public good; urges the Agency to keep this objective in the Agency's strategy, performance based budgeting and management-decisions as the leading principle towards its stakeholders and which should never be sacrificed for reasons of competitiveness, efficiency or deregulation;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2015/2171(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Notes with concern that, despite the Agency’s fee regulation2 providing due dates for the collection of fees from applicants and the Agency’s related payments to national competent authorities, these due dates were not respected for most of the transactions audited by the Court of Auditors and calls on the Agency to no longer undermine its pharmacovigilance responsibilities and effectively respect those dates; 2 Council Regulation (EC) No 297/95 of 10 February 1995 on fees payable to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (OJ L 035, 15.2.1995, p. 1).
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 5 #

2015/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Notes from the Court’s report that the Agency’s Fee Regulation13 provides due dates for the collection of fees from applicants and the Agency’s related payments to national competent authorities; notes that these due dates were not respected for most of the transactions audited by the Court; ascertains from the Agency that it has redesigned and streamlined its main operational processes including financial authorisations and fee collections; takes note that the further automation of these processes was planned to be implemented by the Agency by the end of 2015; calls on the Agency to take all further steps needed in order to ensure that its pharmacovigilance responsibilities are fully met and to effectively report to the discharge authority on measures implemented to remedy this issue; __________________ 13 Article 10(1) and 11(1) of Regulation (EC) No 297/95 on fees payable to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products.
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2015/2171(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Is therefore extremely concerned that despite the identified weakness in the functioning of pharmacovigilance, the Agency launched in March 2014 a pilot project on adaptive licencing - endorsed neither by the Parliament nor by the Council, as implementing adaptive pathways would shift the burden of evidence from pre-marketing to post- marketing, leading to a situation where premature marketing authorisations could become the rule, therefore putting Union citizens' health unnecessarily at risk;
2015/12/22
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 13 #

2015/2171(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Is extremely concerned that despite the identified weakness in the functioning of pharmacovigilance, the Agency launched in March 2014 a pilot project on adaptive licencing - endorsed neither by the Parliament nor by the Council, as implementing adaptive pathways would shift the burden of evidence from pre- marketing to post-marketing, leading to a situation where premature marketing authorisations could become the rule;
2016/03/04
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Takes note ofEmphasises the Court of Auditors’ recommendation that Parliament reinforce its checks on the costs reimbursed by European political parties to their affiliated organisations and develop appropriate rules for European political parties on public procurement and monitor their application through appropriate checks and better guidance and insists that there will be full transparency on the expenditure by European political parties and that in future the competent committee will examine and discuss this information in detail in the context of the ordinary discharge procedure;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Takes note that the new contracts for catering activities in Brussels concluded in 2015 do not foresee exclusivity for one catering provider any longer; expects that the planned smaller catering outlets in Brussels will be operated, on the basis of concessions, by small and medium-sized providers; is concerned that the selection of the replacement catering company so far did not comply with green public procurement due to the lack of information on food intolerance or possible allergic ingredients, the quality and pricing of vegetarian food and more plastic waste produced;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 23 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Stresses that the Court of Auditors report adopted on 11.07.2014 states that the potential saving for the EU budget would be about 114 million EUR per year if the European Parliament centralised its activities; reiterates the call on Parliament and the Council to address, in order to create long term savings, the need for a roadmap to a single seat, as stated by Parliament in several previous resolutions;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 37 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that after considerable delay, internal whistleblowing rules have been adopted and are in force since January 2016; expresses concern at the protection afforded to whistleblowers and calls on Parliament to ensure that their rights are fully upheld; calls on the Bureau to extend internal whistleblowing rules to accredited parliamentary assistants and local assistants;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 64 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. RegretNotes that the budget line for the provision of drinking water in meeting rooms will expire in July 2016; regards the availability of mineral water during long meetings as appropriate, both in summer and winter; criticises the excessive savings in service provision (such as paper, coffee, drinking water, canteens); calls for a rethinking of the saving targets for the committee weeks of the Parliament that doesn't harm its working environproposes the setting up of water fountains in the meeting rooms and corridors as a sustainable replacement;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 72 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Recalls that the GEA is intended to cover expenditure in the Member State of electionses that are directly linked to the exercise of a Member's parliamentary mandate in the Member State of election and in the official seats of the European Parliament, such as a Members’ office rent, equipment, supplies, documentation or logistical organisation of events; takes nodisputes that a comprehensive system of control of the Member's parliamentary mandate allowance would represent 40 to 75 new administrative posts in the area of financial management; regrets that despite various requests, in particular in the EP Discharge 2013, the Secretary General has not explored the possibilities of a more selective control system, for example random sample checks, and requests such a proposal to be elaborated without further delay;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 75 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Supports the need for more transparency as regards the GEAfull transparency regarding the GEA in order to allow the European citizens to have an insight on the general expenditure of the Members of the European Parliament; urges the Bureau to revise the list of expenses which may be defrayed from the GEA;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 85 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Underlines the need and value of informing visitor groups prior to booking of sustainable means of transport to the European Parliament; recommends to introduce different rates of reimbursement according to the chosen means of transport and their emission intensity; calls on Parliament to provide CO2 offsetting possibility for visitor groups;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 87 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 10
Transparency Rregister and conflicts of interest
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 88 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. Welcomes the revised Transparency register approved by Parliament on April 2014fact that the Commission has started a public consultation procedure in respect of the revision of the current Transparency register of the Commission and Parliament, and its extension to the Council; requests that immediately after the public consultation an Inter- Institutional Working Group be set up for preparing proposals concerning the revision of the Register, the accompanying Code of Conduct for interest representatives, and the functioning thereto;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 94 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Urges the Parliament to adopt rules in order to disclose all input received from lobbyists/interest representatives on draft policies, laws and amendments as a 'legislative footprint'; suggests that this legislative footprint should consist of a form annexed to reports, detailing all the lobbyists with whom those in charge of a particular file have met in the process of drawing up each report, clearly indicating which lobbyists had a substantial effect on that file and a second document listing all written input received, online on their official webpage of Parliament, directly linked to the Transparency Register, and for rapporteurs to publish a legislative footprint;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 95 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 c (new)
35c. Calls on the Bureau to create the technical possibility for Members who wish to do so to publish on their official webpage which lobbyists they have met;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 96 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 d (new)
35d. Strongly believes that Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Members should be rephrased to include a clear ban on Members holding side jobs or other paid work;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 97 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 e (new)
35e. Recalls the judgment of the Romanian court, in which a former MEP was sentenced to 3,5 years in jail following the cash for amendments scandal; strongly condemns such illegal practices;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 98 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
36. Calls for a report by the administration on the extent to which - besides economic panels - environmental and social associations, NGOs and interest groups organise events in Parliament; wonders if there are guidelines that exclude the disproportionate presence of such organisations in Parliament;deleted
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 99 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
36. Calls for a report by the administration on the extent to which -various permanent forums between the beusidnes economic panels - environmental and social associations, NGOs and interest groups organise events ins and financial sectors and Parliament; wonders if there are guidelines that exclude the disproportionate presence of such organisations in Parliament;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 131 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55
55. Notes that the proportion of female officials remains very high and has risen (59,2 % at the end of 2014, as against 58,8 % at the end of 2013 but accounts for only 30 % of heads of unit 34 % of directors and 18,2 % of directors-general; notes with concern that 30 % of the Directors General, Directors and Heads of Unit are female (9 men and 4 women for DGs, 33 men and 14 women for Directors, 187 men and 80 women for HoU); reminds that 1 out of 8 directors recruited, 9 out of 31 Heads of Unit who were recruited in 2014 are women; is of the opinion that the recruitment procedure should be balanced; reiterates its call for the need of a more balanced representation of women in senior managerial positions;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 132 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55a. Regrets the fact that Parliament has not yet published information on an annual basis about senior officials who left the Parliament's administration, as well as a list of the cases of potential conflict of interest that have been addressed, as required by Article 16, paragraph 4 of the Staff Regulations;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 135 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
58a. Stresses that Parliament has been internalising several services for the last few years, such as the security service; considers that the internalisation of the services does not represent necessary an increase of efficiency and effectiveness of the services provided; points out that the internalisations of services have most of the time led to an increase of the cost of the service provided and thus undermine the principle of sound financial management; stresses the lack of information provided by the Secretary General to the decision making bodies when internalisation of services is discussed; urges the Secretary General and the President to answer to all questions raised by the Bureau Members, the Members of the BUDG and the CONT committees and to provide all needed and required information or studies before any further internalisation of services, in particular in the case of the internalisation of the chauffeur service; seriously doubts about the added value of this internalisation; is therefore of the opinion that the estimated costs (+ 2,7 million) is contrary to the sound financial management; concludes that less-costly more efficient and more effective alternatives should be prioritised;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 152 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 18 a (new)
Green public procurement and EMAS
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 153 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64 b (new)
64b. Highlights the need to implement Green public procurement for all contracts and calls for tenders; calls for ambitious binding targets for green contracts, notably in the areas of food and catering, vehicles and transport, sanitary and water equipment, paper, waste management, IT and imaging equipment, lighting, cleaning, and furniture;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 154 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64 c (new)
64c. Calls on the Secretary General to design a plan to reduce the number of trunks available for parliamentary travels; suggests that a "canteen on demand system" or a "canteen sharing system" be introduced, thus reducing the costs in financial and carbon footprint terms;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 155 #

2015/2155(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64 d (new)
64d. Welcomes additional measures to offset unavoidable emissions; calls on Parliament to develop further CO2 offsetting policies, such as the possibility of offsetting for accredited parliamentary assistants;
2016/03/14
Committee: CONT
Amendment 114 #

2015/2154(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (new)
68a. Urges the Commission to join the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (ETS No. 173) of the Council of Europe and speeding up the negotiations on the participation of the Union in the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), in order to contribute to more co-ordinated anti-corruption policies in Europe;
2016/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 119 #

2015/2154(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
70. Stresses that Member States are not following up alleged cases of fraud affecting the financial interests of the Union as submitted to them by OLAF; calls on the Commission to take appropriate measures and on OLAF to continue and accelerate its analysis of the reasons why Member States do not follow up alleged cases, to provide the Parliament with its findings in this respect and to continue to support the Member States in improving their performance in the prevention and detection of fraud against European funds;
2016/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 346 #

2015/2154(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 280 – subparagraph 2 a (new)
Urges OLAF to draw up Internal Rules on Whistleblowing in accordance with the new Staff Regulations 2014;
2016/03/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 3 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has the responsibility to protect the Union's financial interests by investigating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities; whereas its Supervisory Committee has been established in order to reinforce and guarantee OLAF's independence by regularly monitoring the implementation of OLAF's investigative function; whereas the Supervisory Committee shall in particular monitor developments concerning the application of procedural guarantees and the duration of investigations in the light of the information supplied by the Director- General in accordance with Article 7(8);
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that 1 649 out of a total of 16 473 irregularities reported to the Commission in 2014 were fraudulent, which involvinged an amount of around EUR 3.24 billion, of which about EUR 2.27 billion related to expenditureEUR 538.2 million; fraudulent irregularities related to expenditure involved EUR 362 million, representing 1.8 0,26% of total payments and those related to revenue involved EUR 176.2 million, representing 0.80% of gross amount of TOR collected in 2014;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 7 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the overall financial impact of non-fraudulent irregularities reported in 2014 is 36 47% greater than in 2013, while the number of such irregularities registered increased by 48%; 5%; non-fraudulent irregularities related to expenditure affected 1,54% of total payments and those related to revenue affected 3.66% of gross amount of TOR collected in 2014;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Notes with concern that the amount of Traditional Own Resources (TOR) affected by fraud orwas 191% higher in 2014 than in 2013 and the amount affected by non- fraudulent irregularities was 12546% higher in 2014 than the previous year;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Is concerned by the fact that the average TOR recovery rate per Member State for both fraudulent and non-fraudulent irregularities for 2014 is, at 24%, at its historic lowest point; urges the United Kingdom and Bulgaria to improve their contributions, as their level of irregularities is three times the EU averageMember States to recover faster the amounts due and especially urges those Member States which still need to recover biggest amounts to do so;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Is concerned about the VAT gap and the estimated losses on VAT collection, which amounted to EUR 168 billion in 2013; underlines the fact that in many Member States VAT fraud and avoidance remains at a continuously high level13 out of 26 EU countries examined in 2014, the average estimated VAT loss exceeded 15,2%; reiterates that the Commission has the competence to control and supervise measures taken by the Member States1 ; calls on the Commission to make full use of its executive powers in order to both control and help the Member States in their fight against VAT fraud and tax avoidance; acknowledges the fact that since 2013 Commission has been using the Quick Reaction Mechanism in order to deal with massive and sudden VAT fraud; __________________ 1 Council Regulations (EU, Euratom) No 1553/89/EEC and (EU, Euratom) No 608/2014.
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes an increasing number of coordination centres supported by Eurojust and Europol; welcomes the results of cross-border operations vertigo 2 and 3 and the efficient cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities from Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, leading to the neutralization of criminal networks responsible for defrauding approximately EUR 320 million of tax revenues, including VAT;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 20 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Encourages the Commission to further enhance its supervisory role through audit, control and inspection activities, remedial action plans and early warning letters; calls on the Member States to intensify their efforts and to tap their potential to detect and correct errors prior to claiming reimbursement from the Commission; underlines, in this regard, the particular value of preventive actions in forestalling disbursements and thus eliminating the need for subsequent actions to recover misappropriated funds
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Is concerned that in 2014 the rural development sector accounted for the largest number of reported fraudulent irregularities showing the biggest increase in comparison with 2013 and takes note that four Member States reported about 71% of the total fraudulent cases;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 24 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges that Member States’ recovery for the EAGF is below the overall average, and fewer than half of the irregularities detected in 2009 had been recovered by the end of 2014; Expresses concern that 2014 was a third consecutive year with a noted growth of number of cases of fraudulent irregularities in the EAGF and a fourth consecutive year of growth of the amount of fraudulent cases reported in the rural development; points to significant differences between the abilities of Member States to recover sums for irregular payments detected under the CAP and urges Bulgaria, France, Greece and Slovakia to significantly improve their results;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 25 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges that Member States’ recovery for the EAGF is below the overall average, and fewer than half of the irregularities detected in 2009 had been recovered by the end of 2014; points to significant differences between the abilities of Member States to recover sums for irregular payments detected under the CAP and urges Bulgaria, France, Greece and Slovakia to significantly improve their results; points out that 71% of the total number of fraudulent irregularities notified for natural resources (agriculture, rural development and fisheries) come from Hungary, Poland, Romania and Italy;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 32 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that in the area of cohesion policy the trend for the number of irregularities reported as fraudulent is stabilising, with 306 cases reported; is seriously concerned about the increase of over EUR 115 million, which is mainly due to a sharp increase (by 660 %) in reported fraudulent irregularities in the 2007-2013 cohesion fund programming period from EUR 21 million to EUR 161 million; takes note that out of 74 cases of established fraud in the cohesion policy between 2008 and 2014, 61 (82%) were reported by three Member States - Germany (42 cases), Poland (11 cases) and Slovenia (8 cases); expresses concern that 14 Member States have a 0% established fraud ratio for that period of time which may raise questions to the efficiency of their systems of control.
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 40 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to harmonize the framework of reporting 'suspected fraud' and to establish rules on reporting all judicial action undertaken in the Member states related to potential fraudulent use of community resources, indicating the judicial actions based on OLAF judicial recommendations specifically in the reporting
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 54 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Welcomes the fact that the ex-ante and ex-post 'Community Controls' detect more and more cases of irregularities and therefore these controls should be further promoted;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 62 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. RWelcomes the European Commission statement in its 2014 annual PIF report[1], which reminds that both the PIF directive and the European Public Prosecutor's Office regulation (EPPO regulation) ''would complement and strengthen the legal framework and would considerably reinforce the fight against fraud''; reiterates its strong views on the need to adopt the PIF Directive, with VAT included in its scope and with a clear definition of PIF offences, minimum and maximum applicable imprisonment penalties, and minimum rules on the statute of limitations as soon as possible; recalls the Taricco Case, in which the Court of Justice of the European Union draws attention to the fact that VAT is a TOR;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 66 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Emphasises that the failure to comply with public procurement rules was a significant source of error for the 2009- 2013 programming period amongst others the avoidance of public procurement by splitting contracts into smaller tenders to avoid exceeding thresholds and the use of inappropriate procedure; ; points out that the new public procurement directives have to be implemented by April 2016; emphasises that reducing the incidence of irregularities requires correct implementation of the directives by the Member States; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of these directives; is of the belief that ex ante conditionalities have the potential to improve public procurement;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 67 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Emphasises that the failure to comply with public procurement rules was a significant source of error for the 2009- 2013 programming period; points out that the new public procurement directives have to be implemented by April 2016; emphasises that reducing the incidence of irregularities requires correct implementation of the directives by the Member States; calls therefore on the Commission to work out guidelines for the proper implementation of the directives; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of these directives; is of the belief that ex ante conditionalities have the potential to improve public procurement;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 68 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Emphasises that the failure to comply with public procurement rules was a significant source of error for the 2009- 2013 programming period; points out that the new public procurement directives have to be implemented by April 2016; emphasises that reducing the incidence of irregularities requires correct implementation of the directives by the Member States; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of these directives; is of the belief that ex ante conditionalities have the potential to improve public procurement; calls on the Commission to develop a database on irregularities capable of providing a basis for meaningful analysis of public procurement errors;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 76 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Stresses the importance of leading by example and warmly welcomes the inter- institutional approach to implement the Performance Based Budgeting; Calls on the Commission to adopt the planning, implementation and control phase of the MFF in accordance with the results-based budgeting principle;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 78 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Notes the importance of further and continuous measures to avoid fraudulent irregularities, but also pushes for more focus on ensuring the ‘Value for Money’ principle in public spending; calls on Commission to reinforce their activities in relation to applying efficiency and effectiveness indicators in all its programmes and not to concentrate only on the error rate; furthermore calls on the Commission not to work only on the 3 main categories – namely Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness- but to start focusing also on the new triptych (Ecology, Equality and Ethics);
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 83 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. Welcomes the successful outcomes of numerous joint customs operations (JCOs) involving the cooperation of OLAF and Member States with various third-country services, which have resulted in the seizure of, inter alia, 1.2 million counterfeit goods, including perfumes, car spare parts, electronic devices and 130 million cigarettes; underlines the fact that the smuggling of heavily taxed goods causes significant losses of revenue to the budgets of the EU and the Member States, and that direct losses in customs revenue as a result of cigarette smuggling alone are estimated at more than EUR 10 billion a year;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 84 #

2015/2128(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. Welcomes the successful outcomes of numerous joint customs operations (JCOs) involving the cooperation of OLAF and Member States with various third-country services, which have resulted in the seizure of, inter alia, 1.2 million counterfeit goods, including perfumes, car spare parts, electronic devices and 130 million cigarettes; draws attention, moreover, to trafficking in counterfeit goods, which inflicts damage upon both the tax authorities of the Member States and EU companies;
2015/12/07
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
– having regard to the UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2014;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 21 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Adaptation Gap 2014 Report produced by UNEP highlights the enormous costs of inaction and concludes that the cost of adapting to climate change in developing countries is likely to reach two to three times the previous estimates of $70-100 billion per year by 2050, leading to a significant adaptation funding gap after 2020 unless new and additional finance for adaptation is made available;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 22 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the climate finance challenge is inextricable from the wider challenges of financing sustainable global development;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 27 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas Parties to the UNFCCC decided at COP18 (Decision 23/CP.18) to adopt a goal of gender balance in bodies established pursuant to the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, in order to improve women’s participation and inform a more effective climate change policy that addresses the needs of women and men equally and to keep track of progress made towards the goal of gender balance in advancing gender-sensitive climate policy;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 68 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Warns against aiming for global emission reduction pathways that allow for significant carbon emissions in 2050 and beyond, as this would imply great risks and relying on unproven, energy intensive and costly technologies to remove and store CO2 from the atmosphere; depending on the level of the overshoot, the ability of such emissions pathways to maintain climate change below 2°C depends on the availability and widespread deployment of biomass to energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and afforestation without plausible land availability, as well as the use of other unknown, yet to be developed, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 92 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for general reinvigoration of the EU’s climate policy which would help build momentum in international climate discussions and are in line with upper limit of the EU’s commitment to reduce its GHG emissions to 95% below 1990 levelslign with the need for decarbonising the EU economy ahead of a global carbon phase out by 2050; considers that a binding EU 2030 560% reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels is the absolute minimum required to stay on track for the below 2° C target and is both realistic and affordable; moreover calls for a binding EU 2030 energy efficiency target of 40 %, in line with research on cost- effective energy saving potential and a binding EU 2030 target of producing at least 45 % of total final energy consumption from renewable energy sources;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 104 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the importance of maintaining human rights at the core of climate action, and insists that the Commission and the Member States ensure the Paris Agreement recognises that the respect, protection and promotion of human rights, encompassing i.e. gender equality, full and equal participation of women, and the active promotion of a just transition of the workforce creating decent work and quality jobs for all, are a prerequisite for effective global climate action;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 127 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls for governments and institutional investors to divest from fossil fuels and, as a matter of urgency, phase out all fossil fuel subsidies;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 128 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Taking note of the assessments regarding carbon price expectations under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), concludes that the ETS alone will not be sufficient to ensure timely decarbonisation of the Union’s power generation system and avoiding carbon lock-in; therefore calls for the Commission to come forward with a proposal to introduce emissions performance standards for both old and new power stations, phasing in the requirements in order to ensure decarbonisation of the EU power sector before 2050;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 146 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Reiterates the need for the ICAO and the IMOUNFCCC Parties to act to effectively regulate emissions from international aviation and shipping respectively before the end of 2016, in line with adequacy and urgency required; calls for all Parties to work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to develop a global policy framework to enable an effective response, and to take measures to meet adequate targets before the end of 2016;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 160 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that finance will play an essential role in finding an agreement at the Paris Conference and that it seems therefore necessary to prepare a credible ‘financial package’ covering both pre- 2020 and post-2020 periods, in order to support greater efforts for greenhouse gas reduction and adaptation to climate change impacts;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 163 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Insists on the full respect of the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change; believes that local communities play a key role in the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 168 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Requests the EU to agree on a roadmap for scaling up predictable, new and additional finance, in line with existing commitments, towards its fair share of USD 100 billion a year by 2020; recognises the imbalance between adaptation and mitigation finance and calls for steps to close it; calls for a robust governance, monitoring and accountability framework for effective follow-up of the implementation of climate finance commitments and objectives;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 188 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Reiterates its call for dedicating revenues derived from measures tackling international aviation and shipping emissions to be dedicated to international climate finance and the Green Climate Fund;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 191 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Takes note of the close links between the Financing for Development Conference, the UN Sustainable Development Goals summit and the 21st Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC in 2015; recognises that the impacts of climate change will seriously undermine attempts to achieve the planned post-2015 sustainable development framework, and that the overall development financing framework will need to be aligned with and able to support a low carbon and climate resilient world;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 194 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Reiterates the position that ETS auction revenues should be fully earmarked for financing climate action, including for contributing towards international climate finance; calls for the Commission in the ETS review for the post-2020 period and subsequent proposal to assign a significant part of auction revenues to a collective EU contribution to the Green Climate Fund;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 201 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Recognises that the mitigation ambition achieved by Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) has a strong influence on the adaptation efforts needed; calls for a global goal for adaptation and adaptation finance in the Paris agreement along with commitments to develop further approaches to effectively address loss and damage;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 210 #

2015/2112(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls for active support for the elaboration of comprehensive adaptation plans in developing countries based on the practices of local actors and the knowledge of indigenous peoples;
2015/06/23
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 29 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Recommends that the EU become a member of GRECO and request participation in the Open Government Partnership;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 32 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that the European Commission has not yet published its 2nd Anti-Corruption Report, which is due to be issued in 2016;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 39 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that, in order to fight corruption effectively and ensure lasting outcomes, the EU and Member States need to adopt a political strategy and a list of priorities, which may comprise not only legislative action but also a set of concrete benchmarks that Member States commit to attain in order to tackle corruption in the public and private sector and organised crime; takes the view that these targets and benchmarks should be holistic, comprising at least measures to improve transparency of public acts, access to information, public officials' asset disclosure, judicial capacity and technical assistance, whistleblower protection and mechanisms for citizen engagement in decision-making;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 57 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the establishment of a specialist Europol unit to combat organised criminal groups which operate in several sectors at the same time; takes the view that the Member States should set up a body with responsibility forsecure and effective mechanisms in the current institutional framework to ensuringe that investigations into organised crime are properly coordinated and that mutual trust among law enforcement authorities in Member States is fostered;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 118 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Deplores the fact that cross-border police and judicial cooperation involves excessively lengthy, bureaucratic procedures that hamper its efficiency and jeopardise the effectiveness of the fight against organised crime, corruption and money laundering at EU level; calls on the Member States to increase the resources they devote to cross-border police and judicial cooperation, to ensure proper training and technical support, to guarantee the mutual admissibility of evidence between Member States, and to ensure that greater use is made of joint investigation teams and to employ a common system for communication and for exchanging information relevant to the fight against organised crime and corruption;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 121 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses the urgency of creating a more efficient system for communication and exchanging information among judicial authorities within the EU, replacing the traditional instruments of mutual legal assistance for criminal matters, if necessary; asks the Commission to assess the need for legislative action in this field, to create a proper EU system of exchange of information among EU judicial authorities;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 133 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7
Preventing organised crime and corruption from infiltrating the legal economy
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 139 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Requests the European Commission to monitor and report to the Parliament on the percentage of use of direct awarding of public contracts in Member States, as well as the legal circumstances where national administrations most make use of them;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 151 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Takes the view that the Commission should impose the highest levels of integrity in the procurement processes for implementation of EU- funded projects; recalls that monitoring results of projects in cooperation with civil society organisations and holding local authorities accountable is essential to determine whether EU funds are used appropriately and that corruption is tackled;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 152 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Urges the Commission and Member States to demand contractors to reveal their full corporate structure and beneficial owners before awarding any contracts to them so as to avoid supporting companies which engage in aggressive tax planning, tax fraud and evasion and corruption;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 153 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Emphasises the need for the EU and the Member States to take appropriate measures, including under criminal law, to monitor and eventually sanction companies based on their territory which are involved in corruption; calls on the Commission and Member States to aggregate data to formulate a public list of companies which have been convicted of corrupt practices or whose company officials are being indicted for corrupt practices in Member States; is of the opinion that such listing should prohibit those companies from participating in public procurement processes or benefit from EU funds in EU Member States in the case of conviction, and until a final court decision of exoneration; highlights the fact that 'blacklisting' can be effective in dissuading companies from engaging in corrupt activities and provides a good incentive for them to improve and reinforce their internal integrity procedures;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 173 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Notes that the purchase of property in EU Member States is a way to launder the proceeds of criminal activity, whereby criminals shield their ultimate beneficial ownership through foreign shell companies; urges Member States to ensure that any foreign company intending to hold a property title in its territory be held to the same standards of transparency required of companies incorporated in its jurisdiction;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 174 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Points out that tax havens are ideal places in which to collect and launder the proceeds of criminal activities, and as such should be abolishedinsists on the need to come up as soon as possible with a common Union list of uncooperative jurisdictions (i.e. a 'blacklist of tax havens'), based on sound and objective criteria, including significantly lower effective level of taxation, the existence of active harmful tax practices, advantages granted to non- resident individuals or legal entities, prevention of automatic exchange of information for tax purposes with other governments and non-disclosure of the corporate structure of legal entities (including trusts, charities, foundations etc.) or the ownership of assets or rights; welcomes the Commission's intention to reach an agreement on such a list within the next six months; calls on the Member States to endorse that agreement by the end of 2016;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 179 #

2015/2110(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Asks, furthermore, for the Union's list of uncooperative jurisdictions to be accompanied by regulatory framework for sanctions against the blacklisted jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, the possibility of reviewing and, in the last resort, suspending free trade agreements and prohibiting access to Union funds; calls for the sanctions to apply also to companies, banks, accountancy, law firms and tax advisers proven to be involved with those jurisdictions or to have facilitated tax and corporate arrangements to other companies involving legal vehicles in those jurisdictions;
2016/07/04
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 1 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital C
C. whereas there is a need to reduce accountability gaps within the EU and to move towards more collaborative modes of scrutiny which combine democratic oversight, control and auditing activities while also providing more transparency;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 1 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Is concerned at, given its role in protecting the integrity of public decision-making, by the misleading registration practices of economic interests in expert groups, which distort the number of such interests represented in both absolute and relative terms, as well as the imbalance vis-à-vis non-economic interests;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 4 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for an overall improvement in the prevention of, and the fight against, corruption in the public sector through a holistic approach, commencing with better public access to documents and more stringent rules on conflicts of interest and transparency registers, with a view to developing a coherent global approach to these issu, support for investigative journalism and for anti-corruption watchdogs, the introduction or strengthening of transparency registers, the provision of sufficient resources for law enforcement measures and through improved co- operation among Member States as well as with relevant third countries;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Urges the Commission to make sure consultations contain open questions leading to substantial policy discussion instead of merely seeking to confirm already chosen policy directions or options;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 4 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission's announcement of its intention to present, in 2016, a proposal for an inter-institutional agreement revising the Transparency Register for representatives of interest groups; insists that the consultations preceding the proposal take account, in a balanced way, of the different points of view expressed; believes that the level of transparency must be raised through the creation of a legislative footprint for EU lobbying, and by establishing a mandatory EU register for all lobbying activities for all of the EU institutions; points in this regard to the need for introducing annexes to Commission proposals and reports of the EP, clearly indicating which lobbyists had a substantial effect on the text of these proposals and reports, and for creating the possibility for Members of Parliament, who wish to do so, of publishing on their official webpage of the Parliament, which lobbyists they have met;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 5 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for an overall improvement in the prevention of, and the fight against, corruption in the public sector and especially within the EU institutions through better public access to documents and more stringent rules on conflicts of interest and transparency registers, with a view to developing a coherent global approach to these issues;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission's announcement of its intention to present, in 2016, a proposal for an inter-institutional agreement revising the Transparency Register for representatives of interest groups; insists that the consultations preceding the proposal take account, in a balanced way, of the different points of view expressedcalls upon the Commission to submit its proposals for a mandatory register without further delay; points in this regard to the need for introducing annexes to Commission proposals and reports of the EP, clearly indicating which lobbyists had a substantial effect on the text of these proposals and reports, and for creating the possibility for Members of Parliament, who wish to do so, of publishing on their official webpage of the Parliament, which lobbyists they have met;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 7 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Welcomes the Commission's intention to publish every two years a report on the state of play with regard to corruption in the EU; calls upon the Commission to submit without any further delay an addendum to its first anti-corruption report describing in detail the situation within the EU-institutions in this regard;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 8 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to continue with discussions on the EU's accession to the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)Regrets that, despite many calls from the Parliament, the EU has not acceded yet to the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and calls on the Commission to come forward with a timeline for the EU's accession to GRECO in order to ensure that the institutions uphold the anti-corruption standards of the Council of Europe;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 9 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Calls upon those European institutions who have introduced codes of conduct, including the Parliament, to step up their monitoring and implementation measures, such as the checks of declarations of financial interests; notes, in this regard, that monitoring and sanctioning bodies must be politically independent;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 11 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Considers it regrettable that the Council has still not adopted a code of conduct; is of the opinion that all the EU institutions should agree on a common codes of conduct, which areis indispensable to the transparency, accountability and integrity of those institutions;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls upon those European institutions who have introduced codes of conduct, including the Parliament, to step up their implementation measures, such as the checks of declarations of financial interests;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas, in view of the greaterowing distance between the EU and its citizens, EU institutions must strive for the highest possible standards of transparency, accountability and integrity;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 14 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the membership of expert groups and similar entities providing it with advice is accurately and consistently balanced and categorised as to the nature of the interests represented by members, in line with the European Ombudsman’s recommendations in the context of own-initiative inquiry OI/6/2014/NF; calls on the Commission in particular to ensure that comprehensive declarations of interests for current and new members of expert groups are published, particularly for experts appointed in their personal capacity;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 15 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Requests that all EU institutions implement article 16 of the EU Staff Regulations by annually publishing information about senior officials who left the EU administration, as well as a list of conflicts of interests; requests that the aforementioned structure assess the compatibility of post- EU employment or the situation whereby civil servants move from the public to the private sector (the ‘revolving door’ issue) and the possibility of a conflict of interest, and define clear cooling-off periods during which officials are required to behave with integrity and discretion or to comply with certain conditions when taking up new duties, which will cover at least the time of transitional allowances;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Requests that the aforementioned structure assess the compatibility of post- EU employment or the situation whereby civil servants and former Members of the European Parliament move from the public to the private sector (the ‘revolving door’ issue) and the possibility of a conflict of interest, and define clear cooling-off periods during which officials and MEPs are required to behave with integrity and discretion or to comply with certain conditions when taking up new duties;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to ensure thatact legally binding measures and sanctions ensuring theat membership of expert groups and similar entities providing it with advice is accurately and consistently balanced and categorised as to the nature of the interests represented by members, in line with the European Ombudsman’s recommendations in the context of own- initiative inquiry OI/6/2014/NF;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 17 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets the deadlock in the Council onConsiders it unacceptable that the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 on access to documents; calls for an ambitious reform, which would be an undoubted step forwardis still stalled in the Council and urges the Council to adopt a constructive position, taking into account the Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 15 December 2011;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 18 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission in particular to review its 2002 "communication on general principles and standards for consultation of interested parties";
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 19 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Emphasises the need for an independent structure within the EU institutions to supervise closely the implementation of the code of conduct and the conflict-of-interest policies; is of the opinion that the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor jointly should play a role in carrying out this task;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D
D. whereas non-transparent, one-sided lobbying poses a significant threat to policy-making and to the public interest and to the trust of civilians in EU institutions;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 21 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls on the Commission to ensure balanced participation in consultations by reflecting the diversity of stakeholders and providing better conditions including financial support when adequate for small stakeholders to participate;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 22 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages the dissemination of the conflict-of-interest policy among officials alongside ongoing awareness-raising activities; and the inclusion of integrity and transparency as an obligatory item to be discussed during recruitment procedures and performance chats;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 22 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls the need to improve the transparency of legislative negotiations, including trialogues.including trialogues; rejects the position taken by the Council in its letter to the Ombudsman in regard of the own- initiative inquiry that the organisation of trilogues is a political responsibility and falls outside the Ombudsman's mandate;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 23 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages the dissemination of the conflict-of-interest policy among officials alongside ongoing awareness-raising activities in the EU institutions and bodies;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 23 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Call on the European Institutions and Agencies to refrain from inviting unregistered lobbyists to its hearings and other official events;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 25 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Praises the European Parliament's Research Service for the high quality of their work; highlights the need for more resources for it and to further guarantee its administrative independence at the service of the public interest;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 25 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Considers the Commission's first biennial anti-corruption report was a promising attempt to oversee corruption in Member States; calls on the Commission to include an analysis of corruption risks in the EU institutions in the forthcoming 2016 report, along with an overview of the greatest corruption problems in Member States, policy recommendations to tackle them and follow up measures to be taken by the Commission, taking specifically into account the detrimental impact of corrupt activities in the functioning of the Internal Market;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 26 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the institutions involved to ensure in future that negotiations will be transparent and, to that end, to allow meetings to be held in public and webstreamed and to arrange for agendas, minutes, and the main documents relating to issues discussed to be published;
2015/12/22
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 27 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the Commission’s agreement to incNotes with concern the findings of the rease transparency by improving its system of expert groups, particularly as regards the procedure for selecting experts, through the development of a new conflict-of-intearchers in the study ‘Composition of the Commission’s expert groups and the status of the register of expert groups’1 a; urges the Commission to take the recommendations of this study into account, when drafting amendments to the curresnt policy for experts appointed in a personal capacity; takes note of the requirement for experts to be registered in the transparency register where relevant;horizontal rules governing expert groups; requests the Commission to engage in a dialogue with the Parliament, before these rules are being formally adopted, especially in relation to the up-coming CONT/JURI report on this matter; __________________ 1aDirectorate General for Internal Policies, 10/09/2015. PE 552.301
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 28 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to issue and disseminate timely public calls for applications for the selection of all expert group membership, to be contingent on registration in the Transparency Register, and to ensure compliance with the OECD Guidelines on Managing Conflict of Interest in the Public Service and due diligence in the screening thereof on a yearly basis;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 30 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the European institutions to set up a publicly accessible internet repository for all position papers submitted by stakeholders; calls on the European institutions to include an obligation for all registered lobbyists to simultaneously submit a copy of all position papers they communicate to members or staff of the institutions to this repository;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 33 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Believes that the level of transparency couldmust be raised through the creation of a legislative footprint for EU lobbying, with the objective of switching from a voluntary toand by establishing a mandatory EU register for all lobbying activities for any of the EU institutions; points in this regard to the need for introducing annexes to Commission proposals and reports of the EP, clearly indicating which lobbyists had a substantial effect on the text of these proposals and reports, and for creating the possibility for Members of Parliament, who wish to do so, of publishing on their official webpage of the Parliament, which lobbyists they have met;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 34 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the Commission, Parliament and the Council should be obliged to record and disclose all input received from lobbyists/interest representatives on draft policies, laws and amendments as a ‘legislative footprint’; suggests that this legislative footprint should consist of a form annexed to reports, detailing all the lobbyists with whom those in charge of a particular file have met in the process of drawing up each report, clearly indicating which lobbyists had a substantial effect on that file and a second document listing all written input received;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 35 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Believes that the level of transparency cshould be raised through the creation of a legislative footprint for EU lobbying, with the objective of switching from a voluntary to a mandatory EU register for all lobbying activities for anyll of the EU institutions;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 38 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Highlights that the EU's research policy general objective of establishing public-private partnerships between companies and academia conflicts with the need of regulators in the EU for independent research on industry products; calls on the Commission to explore systemic safeguards to avoid conflicts of interests on industry products regulation and policy enforcement;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 39 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
10. Considers, in this context, that a mandatory EU register should include clear provisions on the type of information to be recorded, i.e. accurate and regularly updated information on the nature of lobbying/legal activities, together with detailed records of contacts and input into EU law and policymaking; believes that a system of sanctions in the event of abuse should be envisaged under the supervision of Parliament; calls upon the Commission to submit its proposals for a mandatory register without further delay;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 40 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recognises the best practise of a significant number of legislative footprints already published by rapporteurs in this and former legislatures in the European Parliament;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 41 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
11. Demands that all those EU institutions that have not yet done so adopt internal rules on whistleblowing and assess the possibility of agreeing on a common approach to their obligations, focusing on the protection of whistleblowers; asks special attention for the protection of whistleblowers in the context of the Directive on the Protection of Trade Secrets;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 41 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Commission to address the current structural conflict of interests in the public risk assessment of regulated products, namely that these products' assessment is largely or solely based on studies performed by applicants or third parties paid by them, while independent research is all too often disregarded or dismissed; insists that producers should still provide studies, with cost-sharing between large companies and SMEs based on relative market share to ensure fairness, but that all assessors are obliged to fully take into account peer-reviewed independent science in their assessment;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 42 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Urges all the relevant EU institutions to implement Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in accordance with the recommendations contained in the guidelines thereto; urges the Commission to publish the assessment on the PMI agreement and agreements with other tobacco companies and an impact assessment on the implementation of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 43 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
11. Demands that all those EU institutions that have not yet done so adopt internal rules on whistleblowing and assess the possibility of agreeing on a common approach to their obligations, focusingCalls on the Commission to promote legislation on the minimum protection of whistle-blower in the Union; Calls on the Institutions to amend the Staff Regulations to ensure that Staff Regulations not only formally oblige officials to report irregularities of all kinds but also lay down adequate protect whistle-blowers’; calls on the Institutions to implement §22(c) onf the protection of whistleblowersStaff Regulations without delay;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 45 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Is convinced that the PMI agreement should not be negotiated before a public and transparent debate is held following the publication of the assessment of the PMI agreement; calls on the Commission to explore existing alternatives;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 47 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. States that the annual reports of the European institutions could play an important role in the compliance regarding transparency, accountability and integrity; calls upon the European institutions to have a standard chapter in the annual reports on these components;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 47 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Highlights the need for Agencies to base their decisions on the best available evidence; reminds that scientific rigour is ensured by transparency and reproducibility of the results;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 48 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
14. Considers the Commission’s first biennial anti-corruption report to be a promising attempt to better understand corruption in all its dimensions, to develop effective responses with a view to tackling it, and to pave the way for enhanced accountability of the public sphere to EU citizens; reaffirms, in this context, the importance of the EU’ zero-tolerance policy on fraud, corruption and collusion; regrets, however, that this report did not include anti-corruption policies of the EU institutions themselves;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 49 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 16
16. Demands that at the latest in its second anti- corruption report the Commission carry out further analysis at the level of both the EU institutions and the Member States of the environment in which policies are implemented, in order to identify inherent critical factors, vulnerable areas and risk factors conducive to corruption;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 49 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Insists that all the data used by any Agency to reach any given scientific conclusion is made publicly available in a machine readable format so as to enable scientific scrutiny and constant progress; insists that while individual privacy must be respected, commercial confidentiality clauses and trade secrets legislation must not be allowed to impair the disclosure of data; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the proper implementation of data disclosure;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 50 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Requests the Commission in this regard to pay particular attention to the prevention of conflicts of interest, as well as corruptive practises in the case of decentralised agencies who are particularly vulnerable, considering the fact that they are relatively unknown to the public and are also located throughout the EU;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 52 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 17
17. IWelcomes the Commissions commitment to publish an EU Anti- Corruption report biannually and is looking forward to read the next report in early 2016; asks the Commission to add a chapter on the performance of the EU institutions in fighting corruption; invites the Commission to assess the impact of existing measures and to define accordingly a coherent policy based on measures aimed at effectively addressing corruption mechanisms and practices; believes, furthermore, that the Commission’s second anti-corruption report should also cover all the EU institutions and bodies;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 53 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission to explore options encompassing legislative acts, institutional and administrative arrangements and to take concrete actions to create a framework to improve governance and explicitly represent the future generations to better integrate their rights into decision and policy making at European level;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 56 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for the EU to apply for membership of the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) as soon as possible;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 57 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls upon the Commission to fulfil without delay its reporting obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption;
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 58 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 19
19. Encourages enhanced cooperation among Member States with a view to exchanging know-how and good practices, reinforcing international agreements on judicial and police cooperation, and bringing together the EU, the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Council of Europe to formulate a coordinated response toaction to fight corruption.
2015/11/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 58 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the first evaluations of data published about lobby meetings of Commissioners and Commission staff lobby meetings reveal a significant imbalance between business and non- business representatives; calls on the Commission to report annually on this balance; encourages the Commission to develop measures to achieve a better balance; calls on the Commission to empower less well weakly represented interests, rather than limiting meetings with those currently overrepresented;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 59 #

2015/2041(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls in EU institutions to ensure that Agencies are provided with the means of their mission; recalls that currently experts from a number of agencies are not paid for their work despite the strategic importance of their contributions towards public and environmental health;
2015/10/01
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 73 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls upon the European Parliament’s Bureau for creating the possibility for Members of Parliament, who wish to do so, of publishing on their official webpage of the Parliament, which lobbyists they have met;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 109 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that, when interpreting ‘inappropriate behaviour’ within the meaning of point (b) of the Code of Conduct, this expression should be taken to include turning down formal invitations to hearings or committees without sufficient reason for registered entities in the Transparency Register, this expression should be taken to include: (a) performance, or any active promotion, of activities in the field of communication with the EU institutions and their Members or staff which are liable to impair the functionality of the EU institutions’ communication systems, particularly in cases where such activities are performed anonymously; (b) failing to declare the interests or clients being represented when contacting a Member of the European Parliament or officials or other staff of the European Parliament with regard to the legislative process; (c) employing ‘front groups’, i.e. organisations which hide the interests and parties they serve, the latter not being registered in the Transparency Register; and (d) employing the official representatives of third countries when engaged in direct and indirect lobbying activities, (e) offer or grant support, whether financial or in terms of staff or material to Members of the European Parliament or their assistants, staff of Commission or the Council; calls on Commission to add all those instances of inappropriate behaviour to point (b) in the Code of Conduct for registered entities in the Transparency Register when revising the interinstitutional agreement;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 115 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Insists that registered law firms and consultancies should declare in the lobby register all clients on whose behalf they perform coveredlobbying activities;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 158 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that representations of national, regional and local governments of Member States as well as third country representations should not fall under the EU lobby register if they have their own mandatory lobby register and do not offer workspace for private or corporate actors within their representations;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 168 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Believes that the members of the Advisory Committee chosen from among Members of the European Parliament should be complemented by a majority of externally chosen members who must be qualified independent experts in the field of ethics regulation and should be drawn from an open call and include members of civil society;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 174 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Believes that the Advisory Committee should check the compliance of MEPs with the Code of Conduct, including all the declarations of financial interests and assessing the post term-of office activities of MEPs;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 177 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Believes that the mandate of the Advisory Committee should be extended by including in the annual report recommendations for improving the compliance of Members of Parliament with the Code of Conduct, inter alia, by clarifying its contents, whenever necessary;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 206 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Members should be rephrased to include a clear ban on Members holding side jobs or other paid work that could lead to a conflict of interest;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 231 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Believes Members should be obliged to report in their declaration of financial interests their complete property and debt or liabilities at the beginning of each mandate and to update the declaration annually;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 264 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Believes that the Commission should pro-actively disclose documents regarding the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Ethical Committee on post-term-of-office jobs of former Commissioners, redacting the commercial or personal information in accordance with Regulation 1049/2001;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 287 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Considers control by Parliamentdeleted (Control of the financing, also of European political parties to be an unnecessary conflict of interest;, is part of the EP discharge procedure)
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 295 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
26. Calls for control of the financing of European political parties to be assigned to a neutral body;deleted
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 317 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Considers that Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 should be updated as a matter of urgency, as required by the Treaty of Lisbon, by (a) widening its scope to encompass all EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies currently not covered, such as the European Council, the European Central Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Court of Justice, Europol and Eurojust; (b) updating, on the basis of recent ECJ case- law, the rules which deal in particular with the treatment of internal documents, information and data, to ensure wider access to Legal Service opinions drafted within the framework of the decision- making process, documents and information relating to the work of Member State representatives when acting as members of the Council - including the acts, proposals and amendments tabled, transcripts of meetings, their positions and votes cast in the Council, including in its working groups and expert groups - documents relating to international agreements, the protection of personal data and commercial interests, the content of the institutions’ registers, etc.; (c) granting access to the information available in the EU institutions which makes it possible to evaluate objectively the implementation of EU rules, acts, measures and programmes in the Member States; ensuring greater financial transparency by providing detailed information concerning the EU budget, its implementation and the beneficiaries of EU funds and grants; (d) establishing, by means of a transparent procedure and in full compliance with democratic principles and the rule of law, the general principles and restrictions on grounds of public or private interest limiting access to documents which are exceptionally to be classified as ‘Très secret/Top Secret’, ‘Secret’ or ‘Confidentiel’ in order to protect the EU’s essential interests (Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001); (e) defining the principles which could be developed by means of interinstitutional agreements under Article 295 TFEU with a view to implementing in a coordinated way the new regulation on better law-making; (f) giving everybody requesting information the right to receive it in the most machine- readable open digital format available to the institution asked for it; while recognising reasons such as public security, defence and military matters, international relations, the financial, and the monetary or economic policy of the Community or a Member State and protection of personal data and privacy as possible legitimate exceptions for the basic principle of openness of government and administration also recognises that commercial interests of a natural or legal person, including intellectual property, court proceedings and legal advice, and the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits, and internal deliberations should also be taken into account when exercising the right to access to documents; considers the protection of human rights, protection against corruption and protection against crimes against humanity as representing stronger public interests than other priorities that could hinder the publication of information (such as public security, defence and military matters, international relations, the financial, and the monetary or economic policy of the Community or a Member State and protection of personal data and privacy); the named public interests should also be subject to public interest tests such as commercial interests of a natural or legal person, including intellectual property, court proceedings and legal advice, and the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits, and internal deliberations;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 319 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Recalls in this regard, the position adopted by the Parliament on 12 June 2013 concerning the revision of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 322 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Believes those who wilfully act to undermine the right to information, including through the unauthorised destruction of information, should be sanctioned; encourages the Council to agree with an amendment to EU Regulation 1049/2001 to foresee such sanctions;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 362 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Rejects the position taken by the Council in its letter to the Ombudsman in regard to the own-initiative inquiry that the organisation of trialogues is a political responsibility and falls outside the Ombudsman’s mandate;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 405 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41 a. Transparency and accountability in the domain of public spending Believes that the data on budget and spending within the EU should be transparent and accountable through publication, including at the level of Member States in regard to shared management;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 431 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
45. Believes that the ongoing review of EU election law should include a rule that persons found guilty of corruption against the EU’s financial interests or within Member States may not run for office in the next two terms of the European Parliament;deleted
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 447 #

2015/2041(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46 a. Calls upon the Commission to examine in detail why cases of suspected fraud which OLAF brought to the attention of Member States, did not lead to convictions by national authorities and how the quality of OLAF can be strengthened in order to effectively combat offences against the Union's financial interests;
2016/03/01
Committee: AFCO
Amendment 3 #

2015/2012(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Da. Whereas the report of the Court of Auditors adopted on 11 July 2014 states that the potential saving for the Union budget would be about EUR 114 million a year if the Parliament centralised its activities;
2015/03/20
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 17 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
(1) Waste management in the Union should be improved, with a view to protecting, preserving and improving the quality of the environment, protecting human health, ensuring prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources and promoting a more circular economy, reducing resource dependency and increasing resource efficiency.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 22 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 2
(2) The targets laid down in Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council13 for the recovery and recycling of packaging and packaging waste should be amended by increasing the preparing for re-use and recycling of packaging waste in order to better reflect the Union’s ambition to move towards a circular economy. Separate quantitative targets for re-use are needed to ensure access to re-usable products and create job opportunities. __________________ 13 Directive 94/62/EC of European Parliament and Council of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste (OJ L 365, 31.12.1994, p. 10).
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 23 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4
(4) Clear environmental, economic and social benefits would be derived from further increasing the targets laid down in Directive 94/62/EC for preparation for re- use and recycling of packaging waste. For these reasons the targets for preparation for re-use and recycling of packaging waste should be increased to at least 70% by 2025 and to at least 80% by 2030.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 24 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) Waste prevention is the most efficient way to improve resource efficiency, to reduce the environmental impact of waste and to promote recycling materials of high quality. For those reasons, Member States should achieve a significant and sustained reduction in the use of single-use packaging and of excess packaging items and phase out non- recyclable packaging when that packaging is not re-usable. Member States should be able to include market restrictions of superfluous packaging, single-serving packaging and excess packaging.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 36 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 8
(8) This Directive sets long-term objectives for the Union’s waste management and gives the economic operators and the Member States a clear direction for the necessary investments to attain the objectives of this Directive. In developing their national waste management strategies and planning investments in waste management infrastructure, Member States should make a sound use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in line with the waste hierarchy by promoting as a priority prevention, and re-use and recycling, followed by recycling. European Structural and Investment Funds shall not be used for financing incinerators or landfills.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 43 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 11
(11) Member States should, for the purposes of calculating whether the preparation for re-use and recycling targets are achieved, be able to take into account products and components that are prepared for re-use by recognised preparation for re- use operators and deposit-refund schemes, and recycling operators. To ensure harmonised conditions for those calculations, the Commission will adopt detailed rules on the determination of recognised preparation for re-use operators and deposit-refund schemes and on the collection, verification and reporting of data.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 46 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 12
(12) In order to ensure the reliability of the data gathered on recycling and preparation for re-use it is essential to establish common rules foron data collection, traceability, verification and reporting. Similarly, it is important to lay down more precisely the rules according to which Member States should report what is effectively recycled and can be counted towards the attainment of the recycling targets. To that effect, as a general rule, the reportinghe calculation onf the attainment of the recycling targets mustshould be based on the input to the final recycling process. In order to limit administrative burdens, Member States should be allowed, under strict conditions, to report recycling rates on thone solid and harmonised method that prevents reporting of discarded waste as recycled waste. To that end, the reporting on the attainment of the recycling targets must be basised ofn the outinput of sorting facilitieto the final recycling process. Losses in weight of materials or substances due to physical and/or chemical transformation processes inherent to the final recycling process should not be deducted from the weight of the waste reported as recycled.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 49 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 14
(14) Statistical dData reported by Member States are essential for the Commission to assess compliance with waste legislation across the Member States. The quality, reliability and comparability of statisticsdata reported should be improved by introducing a common methodology for data collection and processing based on reliable sources as well as a single entry point for all waste data, deleting obsolete reporting requirements, benchmarking national reporting methodologies and introducing a data quality check report.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 54 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 16
(16) Reliable reporting of statistical data concerning waste management is paramount to efficient implementation and to ensuring comparability of data among Member States. Therefore, when preparing the reports on compliance with the targets set out in Directive 94/62/EC, Member States should be required to use the most recent methodologya common methodology for data collection and processing developed by the Commission andin cooperation with the national statistical offices of the Member States and the national authorities responsible for waste management.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 64 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point c
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – points 3, 4, 6 to 10
(c) points 3, 4 and from 6 to 10 are deleted;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 66 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point d a (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 12 a (new)
(da) in Article 3 the following point is added: (12a) 'Multi-layered packaging' shall mean packaging composed of more than one layer of material.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 69 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point d
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 3 – paragraph 1 a (new)
In addition, the definitions of ‘waste’, ‘waste producer’, ‘waste holder’, ‘waste management’, 'collection', 'separate collection', ‘prevention’, ‘re-use’, 'treatment', ‘recovery’, ‘preparing for re- use’, ‘recycling’, 'final recycling process' and ‘disposal’ laid down in Article 3 of Directive 2008/98/EC shall apply.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 72 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 1
(2a) In Article 4(1), the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: "Member States shall ensure that, in addition to the measures to prevent the formation of packaging waste taken in accordance with Article 9, other preventive measures are implemented." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from= These measures shall include the adoption of a packaging waste reduction target of 1% per year until 2030." Or. en)
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 75 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Such other measures mayshall consist of national programmes, and incentives through extended producer responsibility schemes too achieve a sustained reduction in the amount of packaging waste generated and minimisze the environmental impact of packaging or similar actions adopted, if appropriate, inthrough: extended producer responsibility schemes, incentives for the uptake of reusable packaging and deposit schemes, actions aimed at reducing the consultamption with economicof single-use, non-recyclable packaging and opverators, and packaging, or similar actions designed to bring together and take advantage of the many initiatives taken within Member States as regards prevention. They shall comply with the objectives of this Directive as defined in Article 1(1).
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 81 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 b (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 2
"The Commission shall help to promote prevention by encouraging(2b) In Article 4, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: "The Commission shall ensure the development of suitable European standards, in accordance with Article 10. The standards shall aim to minimise the environmental impact of packaging in accordance with Articles 9 and 10." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from=en) For this purpose standards shall be drawn so as to ensure that packaging are designed in such a way to as to be reduced, re-usable, easily dismantled, sortable and treatable, prepared for re-use and recycled in the most sustainable way. In particular the Commission shall develop a coherent EU- wide waste labelling of products and packaging in order to facilitate high levels and high quality of recycling." Or. en
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 84 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 c (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 3
"T(2c) in Article 4, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: "No later than 31 December 2018 the Commission shall, as appropriate, present proposals for measures to strengthen and complement the enforcement of the essential requirements and to ensure that new packaging is put on the market only if the producer has taken all necessary measures to minimise its environmental impact without compromising the essential functions of the packaging." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from= The Commission shall in particular present a proposal for measures concerning non- recyclable packaging, packaging containing hazardous substances, single use packaging, disposable and excess packaging, and assess the possibility of market restrictions for those items at Union level." Or. en)
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 85 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 d (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 3 a (new)
(2d) in Article 4, the following paragraph is inserted: "3a. In addition, the Commission shall propose by December 2018, further measure to ensure that recyclable packaging is treated across the EU according to the same standards and with the highest level of environmental and health and safety protection."
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 88 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 e (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 5 – title
(2e) in Article 5, the title is replaced by the following: "Re-Use";
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 91 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 f (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 5
(2f) Article 5 is replaced by the following "Member States may encouragshall promote reuse systems of packaging, which can be reused in an environmentally sound manner, in conformity with the Treaty." (http://www.at4am.ep.parl.union.eu/at4am/ameditor.html?documentID=16933&locale=en#st In particular Member States shall ensure the rate of reusable packaging to be placed on the market is increased by 2% per year until 2030 per packaging stream; To attain this target the Member States shall take at least the following measures: - support establishment of deposit- refund systems for reusable packaging, including through extended producer's responsibility schemes; - providing adequate incentives to producers of re-usable packaging;" Or. en v!lCnt=1&langISO0=en&crCnt=1&crID0=33703)
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 92 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point a
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – title
(a) the title is replaced by 'Recovery, re-use and recycling';
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 97 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 –paragraph 1 – point f
(f) no later than 31 December 2025 a minimum of 6570% by weight of all packaging waste will be prepared for reuse and recycled;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 99 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g
(g) no later than 31 December 2025 the following minimum targets by weight for preparing for reuse and recycling will be met regarding the following specific materials contained in packaging waste:
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 101 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point i
(i) 5560 % of plastic;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 103 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point ii
(ii) 605% of wood;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 105 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point iii
(iii) 7580% of ferrous metal;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 107 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point iv
(iv) 7580% of aluminium;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 109 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point v
(v) 75%80 % of glass;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 110 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point vi
(vi) 7590% of paper and cardboard;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 113 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g – point vi a (new)
(vi a) 55% of multi-layered packaging
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 116 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 –paragraph 1 – point h
(h) no later than 31 December 2030 a minimum of 7580% by weight of all packaging waste will be prepared for reuse and recycled;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 118 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point -i (new)
(-i) 65% of plastics;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 120 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point i
(i) 7580% of wood;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 123 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point ii
(ii) 8590% of ferrous metal;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 124 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point iii
(iii) 8590% of aluminium;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 126 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point iv
(iv) 8590% of glass;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 128 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point v
(v) 895% of paper and cardboard.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 131 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i – point v a (new)
(va) 60% of multi-layered packaging
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 134 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point c
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. Packaging waste exported from the Union shall only be counted towards the attainment of the targets laid down in paragraph 1 by the Member State in which the packaging waste was collected if the requirements of Article 6a (4) are met and if, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council(*), the exporter can prove that the shipment of waste complies with the requirements of that Regulation and that the treatment of waste outside the Union took place in conditions that are equivalent tois in line with the requirements of theis Directive and all relevant Union environmental, health and safety at work legislation.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 135 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point c
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Packaging waste sent to another Member State for the purposes of preparing for reuse, and recycling or recovery in that other Member State may only be counted towards the attainment of the targets laid down in paragraph 1(f) to (i) by the Member State in which the packaging waste was collected.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 137 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point c a (new)
(ca) paragraph 4 is replaced by the following: "4. Member States shall, where appropriate, encourage the use of materials obtained from recycled packaging waste for the manufacturing of packaging and other products by: (a) improving market conditions for such materials; (b) reviewing existing regulations preventing the use of those materials." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from=, ensuring a high level of environmental and human health protection; (ba) introducing fiscal and economic incentives for uptake of the use of recycled packaging materials." Or. en)
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 145 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6a – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) Member States may include products and components prepared for re- use by recognised preparation for re-use operators or deposit-refund schemes. For the calculation of the adjusted rate of packaging waste prepared for re-use and recycled taking into account the weight of the products and components prepared for re-use, Member States shall use verified data from the operators and apply the formula set out in Annex IV.deleted
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 148 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 6 a – paragraph 3
3. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the weight of the output of any sorting operation may be reported as the weight of the packaging waste recycled provided that: (a) final recycling process; (b) substances that are not subject to a final recycling process and that are disposed or subject to energy recovery remains below 10% of the total weight to be reported as recycled.deleted such output waste is sent into a the weight of materials or
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 162 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5 a (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 7 – paragraph 1– subparagraph 1
"1. Member States(5a) In Article 7(1), the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: "1. Member States, in order to meet the objectives laid down in this Directive, shall take the necessary measures to ensure that systems are set up to provide for and incentivise: (a) the return and/or collection of used packaging and/or packaging waste from the consumer, other final user, or from the waste stream in order to channel it to the most appropriate waste management alternatives; (b) the reuse or recovery including recycling of the packaging and/or packaging waste collected, in order to meet the objectives laid down in this Directive. (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from=EN); (c) by 2020, the establishment of deposit-refund or re-use schemes for beverage packaging and, where appropriate, other packaging types. Or. en
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 170 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5 b (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 10
"The Commission shall promote, as appropriate,(5a) Article 10 is replaced by the following: "The Commission shall ensure the preparation of European standards relating to the essential requirements referred to in Annex II. The Commission shall promotensure, in particular, the preparation of European standards relating to: — criteria and methodologies for life-cycle analysis of packaging, — the methods for measuring and verifying the presence of heavy metals and other dangerous substances in the packaging and their release into the environment from packaging and packaging waste, — criteria for a minimum content of recycled material in packaging for appropriate types of packaging, — minimum criteria for sorting, separation and recycling methods, — minimum criteria for composting methods and produced compost, — criteria for the marking of packaging." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from=en)Or. en
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 172 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point d
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 12 – paragraph 3a – subparagraph 1
3a. Member States shall report the data concerning the attainment of the targets laid down in Article 6(1)(a) to (i) for each calendar year to the Commission. They shall report this datacollect, process and report data according to a common methodology, electronically within 18 months of the end of the reporting year for which the data are collected.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 182 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point d
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 12 – paragraph 3d
3d. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the common methodology for data collection, processing and format for reporting data in accordance with paragraph 3a. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 21(2).
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 184 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 a (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 15 – paragraph 1
(7a) In Article 15 the first paragraph is replaced by the following: "Acting on the basis of the relevant provisions of the Treaty, the Council adopts economic instruments to promote the implementation of the objectives set by this Directive. In the absence of such measures, the Member States may, in accordance with the principles governing Community environmental policy, inter alia, the polluter-pays principle, and the obligations arising out of the Treaty, adopt measures to implement those objectives." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from=EN), including through differentiated fees under extended producer responsibility schemes, increased taxation and consumer levies on single-use packaging, pay-as-you-throw systems and deposit- refund schemes." Or. en
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 186 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 b (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Article 15a (new)
(7b) The following Article is inserted: "Article 15a General requirements for extended producer responsibility schemes Member States shall ensure that extended producer responsibility schemes established in accordance with Article 8 and Article 8a of Directive 2008/98/EC also apply to packaging and packaging waste."
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 195 #

2015/0276(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex – paragraph -1 (new)
Directive 94/62/EC
Annex II – point 3 – point a
In Annex II, point 3, point a is replaced by the following: "(a) Packaging recoverable in the form of material recycling Packaging must be manufactured in such a way that it is technically, environmentally and economically practicable to recycle, taking into account the sorting, cleaning and scale of formats and materials used so as to enable the recycling of a certain percentage by weight of the materials used into the manufacture of marketable products, in compliance with current standards in the Community. The establishment of this percentage may vary, depending on the type of material of which the packaging is composed." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062&from=EN) Formats and material designs that impede sorting or reprocessing should be replaced with known, effective alternatives." Or. en
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 101 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 9
(9) Extended producer responsibility schemes form an essential part of efficient waste management, but their effectiveness and performance differ significantly between Member States. Thus, it is necessary to set minimum operating requirements for extended producer responsibility. Those requirements should reduce costs and boost performance, facilitate reparability, better implementation of separate collection and sorting, ensure better quality recycling, help secure access to secondary raw material in a cost-efficient manner as well as ensure a level-playing field, including for small and medium sized enterprises, and avoid obstacles to the smooth functioning of the internal market. They should also contribute to the incorporation of end-of-life costs into product prices and provide incentives for producers to take better into account, reusability, reparability, recyclability, and reusabilitythe phasing out of hazardous substances when designing their products. The requirements should apply to both new and existing extended producer responsibility schemes. A transitional period is however necessary for existing extended producer responsibility schemes to adapt their structures and procedures to the new requirements.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 102 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) Member States should ensure the establishment of extended producer responsibility schemes for at least packaging, electrical and electronic equipment and batteries and accumulators. Moreover, Member States should encourage the establishment of extended producer responsibility schemes for all other relevant waste streams.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 105 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 10
(10) Waste prevention is the most efficient way to improve resource efficiency and to reduce the environmental impact of waste. It is important therefore that Member States take appropriate measures to prevent waste generation and reduce presence of hazardous substances in materials, and monitor and assess progress in the implementation of such measures and national prevention reduction targets. In order to ensure a uniform measurement of the overall progress in the implementation of waste prevention measures, common indicators should be established.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 107 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 11
(11) Plant based substances from the agri-food industry and food of non- animal origin no longer intended for human consumption, which are destined to be used as feed are subject to Regulation (EC) No 767/200915 and are not regarded as waste for the purposes of that Regulation. Directive 2008/98/EC should therefore not apply to those products and substances when used for feed, and the scope of that Directive needs to be clarified accordingly. __________________ 15Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, amending European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 and repealing Council Directive 79/373/EEC, Commission Directive 80/511/EEC, Council Directives 82/471/EEC, 83/228/EEC, 93/74/EEC, 93/113/EC and 96/25/EC and Commission Decision 2004/217/EC (OJ L 229, 1.9.2009, p.1).deleted
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 108 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 12
(12) Member States should take measures to promote prevention of food waste in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2015, and in particular its target of halvreducing food waste by 50 % by 2030. These measures should aim to prevent food waste in primary production, in processing and manufacturing, in retail and other distribution of food, in restaurants and food services as well as in householdat retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. Having regard to the environmental and economic benefits of preventing food waste, Member States should establish specific food waste prevention measures in their waste prevention programmes in order to reach at least 30 % of food waste reduction by 2025 and 50% by 2030, and should measure progress made in food waste reduction. To facilitate exchange of good practice across the EU both between Member States and between food business operators, uniform methodologies for such measurement should be established. Reporting on food waste levels should take place on a biennial basis. In order to prevent food waste, Member States should set up conventions enabling the food retail sector to distribute unsold products to charitable organisations. The Commission should present guidelines for food for donation including on fiscal and technical aspects.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 111 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
(13) Industrial, certain parts of commercial waste and extractive waste are extremely diversified in terms of composition and volume, and very different depending on the economic structure of a Member State, the structure of the industry or commerce sector that generates the waste and the industrial or commercial density in a given geographical area. Hence, for most industrial and extractive waste, an industry-oriented approach using Best Available Techniques reference documents and similar instruments to address the specific issues related to the management of a given type of waste is a suitable solution16 . However, industrial and commercial packaging waste should continue to be covered by the requirements of Directive 94/62/EC and Directive 2008/98/EC, including their respective improvementsthey should also be covered by recycling obligations similar to those which apply to municipal waste. For that reason, preparing for reuse and recycling targets for commercial waste and industrial waste should be set at 70% by 2025 and 80% by 2030. __________________ 16 Industrial activities are covered by Best Available Techniques (BAT) reference documents (BREFs) drawn up under the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU (OJ L 334, 17.12.2010, p. 17) that include information on the prevention of resource use and waste generation, re-use, recycling and recovery. The on-going revision of the BREFs and the adoption by the Commission of BAT Conclusions will strengthen the impact of these BREFs on industrial practices leading to further resource efficiency gains and increased waste recycling and recovery.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 112 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 13 a (new)
(13a) Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 20081a is the binding legal instrument at Union level for assessing, monitoring and setting environmental targets in order to reach good environmental status in relation to marine litter. However, the main sources of marine litter are land-based activities and they are caused by poor practices of solid waste management, lack of infrastructure and a lack of public awareness. For that reason, Member States should adopt measures to reduce land-based litter that is likely to end up in the marine environment, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2015, and in particular aim at achieving the target of reducing marine litter by 50 % by 2030. Having regard to the environmental and economic benefits of preventing marine litter, Member States should establish specific marine litter prevention measures in their waste prevention programmes in order to reach at least a reduction target of 50 % by 2030, and should measure progress in marine litter reduction. To facilitate an exchange of good practice across the Union between Member States, uniform methodologies for such measurement should be established. Reporting on marine litter levels should take place every two years. __________________ 1aDirective 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) (OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, p.19).
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 133 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 20
(20) Compliance with the obligation to set up separate collection systems for paper, metal, plastic and glass, wood, textile and food waste is essential in order to increase preparing for re-use and recycling rates in Member States. In addition bio-waste should be collected separately to contribute to an increase in preparing for re-use and recycling rates and the prevention of contamination of dry recyclable materials. In addition, separate collection of bio-waste from municipal waste and agricultural waste should be made obligatory and a recycling target should be laid down for bio-waste;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 139 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) To avoid contamination of municipal waste with hazardous substances which could lower recycling quality and thus hamper the take-up of secondary raw materials, Member States should set-up separate collection streams for hazardous waste from households. Today, separate collection in place is often insufficient in terms of accessibility and/or regularity (remote areas, rare collection dates) and should be improved.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 169 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point -1 (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point f
(-1) In Article 2(1), the point (f) is replaced by the following: "(f) faecal matter, if not covered by paragraph 2(b), straw and otherand natural non-hazardous agricultural or forestry material, used in farming, forestry or for the production of energy from such biomass through processes or methods which do not harm the environment or endanger human health." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=FR)Or. en
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 175 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point b a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 3 – point 1 b (new)
(ba) the following point is inserted: "1b. "commercial and industrial waste" means mixed waste and separately collected waste from commercial and industrial activities and/or premises. Commercial and industrial waste does not include municipal waste, construction and demolition waste and waste from sewage network and treatment, including sewage sludge;";
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 179 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point c
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 3 – point 4
4. "bio-waste" means biodegradable garden and park waste, non-animal agricultural waste (including post-harvest losses), food and kitchen waste from households, restaurants, caterers and retail premises, comparable waste from food production and processing plants and other waste with similar biodegradability properties that is comparable in nature, composition and quantity;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 184 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point e
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 3 – point 16
16. "preparing for re-use" means checking, cleaning or repairing recovery operations, by which waste, products or components of products that have been collected by a recognised preparation for re-use operator or deposit-refund schemcome waste are prepared so that they can be re- used without any other pre-processing;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 194 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point f a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 3 – point 17 ba (new)
(fa) the following point is inserted: “17b a. "organic recycling" means the aerobic (composting) or anaerobic (biomethanization) treatment, under controlled conditions and using micro- organisms, of the biodegradable parts of waste, which produces stabilized organic residues or methane. Landfill shall not be considered to be a form of organic recycling;"
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 196 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point f a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 3 – point 20 a (new)
(f a) the following point is added: "20a. "litter" means any material or item that has been improperly discarded, lost or has resulted from inadequate waste management;"
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 199 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point f b (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 3 – point 20 b (new)
(fa) the following point is added: "20 b. "food waste" means edible and inedible food removed from the supply chain or disposed of at processing, manufacturing, retail and consumer levels, and food losses along the whole production and supply chain, including primary production, transportation and storage losses;";
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 211 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall make use of adequate economic instruments to provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchyTo provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy, Member States shall make use of adequate economic instruments and measures as listed in Annex VIa.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 216 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
Member States shall report to the Commission the specific instruments put in place in accordance with this paragraph by [insert date eighteen months after the entry into force of this Directive] and every fivthree years following that date.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 218 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 3 a (new)
(3a) In Article 4, the following paragraph is added: "3a. Mixed and separately collected waste shall be sorted prior to energy recovery or to final disposal in landfill in order to support the effective extraction of recyclable materials and stabilize the remaining biodegradable fraction. By way of exception, separately collected bio waste may be sent to anaerobic digestion and other processes using biodegradable waste as their exclusive input providing the quality of the separate collection is certified compatible with the requirements of the targeted installations."
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 220 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 3 b (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 4 – paragraph 3b (new)
(3b) In Article 4, the following paragraph is added: "3b. In addition to the established waste hierarchy, a specific food waste hierarchy shall apply as a priority in food waste prevention and regulatory policy as follows: a) source prevention / reduction (through procurement); b) edible food rescue, prioritising human over animal feed; c) residential composting and/or conversion into other products; d) centralised composting or anaerobic digestion; e) mechanical biological mixed waste treatment; f) landfill/incineration.”
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 236 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point -a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
(-a) in paragraph 1, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: "1. In order to strengthen the re-use and the prevention, recycling and other recovery of waste, Member States mayshall take legislative or non-legislative measures to ensure that any natural or legal person who professionally develops, manufactures, processes, treats, sells or imports products (producer of the product) has extended producer responsibility." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=FR)Or. en
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 238 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point a
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2a
Such measures mayshall also include the establishment of extended producer responsibility schemes defining specific operational and financial obligations for producers of products in which the producer´s responsibility is extended to the post-consumer state of a product´s life cycle. Producer responsibility shall aim at covering all products placed in the market. By 2030, textiles, furniture, hazardous substances used in households, hygiene products and paper shall be covered by a relevant extended producer responsibility scheme.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 243 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point a a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
(aa) in paragraph 2, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: “2. Member States mayshall take appropriate measures to encourage the design of products in order to reduce their environmental impacts and the generation of waste in the course of the production and subsequent use of products, and in order to ensure that the recovery and disposal of products that have become waste take place in accordance with Articles 4 and 13. (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=FR)” Or. en
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 245 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point b
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Such measures mayshall encourage, inter alia, the development, production and marketing of products that are suitable for multiple use, that are technically durable and easily repairable and that are, after having become waste, suitable for and been preparationed for re- use andor recyclinged, suitable to be made available on the market or placed on the market in order to facilitate proper implementation of the waste hierarchy. The measures shouldall take into account the impact of products throughout their life cycle and the waste hierarchy.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 255 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 1
- define in a clear way the roles and responsibilities of producers of products placing goods on the market of the Union, organisations implementing extended producer responsibility on their behalf, private or public waste operators, local authorities and, where appropriate,distributors, social economy actors, local authorities, reuse and repair networks and recognised preparation for re-use operators;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 256 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 2
- define measurable waste management targets, in line with the waste hierarchyprevention, re-use, preparation for re-use, and recycling targets as well as minimum recycled content targets for plastics, aiming to attain at least the quantitative targets relevant for the scheme as laid down in this Directive, Directive 94/62/EC, Directive 2000/53/EC, Directive 2006/66/EC and Directive 2012/19/EU;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 259 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 4 a (new)
- ensure the eco-design of products and foster better resource efficiency, by rewarding the efforts of the producer to take into account the reusability, reparability and recyclability of products;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 261 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 4 b (new)
- contribute to the integration of the environmental costs of a product all along its life cycle into its price;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 262 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 4 c (new)
- contain clear targets for improvement of product design (eco- design) from a material efficiency and optimised end-of-life perspective;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 268 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a –paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 - point d – indent 3a (new)
- the distribution of funds between waste treatment operations;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 270 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a –paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 - point d – indent 3b (new)
- the financial investment into communicating the good practices and guidelines to the targeted groups.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 278 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 8a – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 - point a – indent 1
- costs of separate collection, sorting and treatment, transportation to the preparing for re-use, recycling or other recovery operators and subsequent preparing for re-use, recycling and other recovery operations required to meet the waste management targets referred to in paragraph 1, second indent, taking into account the revenues from re- use or sales of secondary raw material from their products;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 284 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
(b) are modulated on the basis of the real end-of-life cost of individual products or groups of similar products, notably by taking into account their re-usability and recyclability;, reparability, recyclability and the presence of hazardous substances. In order to create the optimised market conditions for producers to take advantage of such a modulation, a set of criteria acting as basis for modulation and their measurement method shall be established for the internal market of the Union. No later than 2 years after the entry into force of this Directive, the Commission shall conduct a study and establish a multi-stakeholders platform in cooperation with Member States to define those criteria and adopt implementing acts according to Article 39 (2) for their implementation.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 300 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 1
- encouragpromote the use of products that are resource efficient, durable, reparable and recyclable;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 309 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 3
- encouragesupport the setting up of systems promoting repair and reuse activities, including in particular for electrical and electronic equipment, textiles and furniture;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 311 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 3 a (new)
- discourage the use of plastic for single-use items and for non-reusable or non-recyclable packaging;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 316 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 4 a (new)
- reduce commercial waste and non- hazardous industrial waste generated in commerce and services,
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 317 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 4 b (new)
- reduce the content of hazardous substances in materials and products and ensure that information on the presence of hazardous substances is provided in the whole supply chain;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 320 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 5
- reduce the generation of food waste in primary production, including post- harvest losses, and along the supply chains, in processing and manufacturing, in retail and other distribution of food, in restaurants and food services as well as in households to ensure food waste is reduced by at least 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 326 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 5 a (new)
- reduce land-based litter which is likely to end up in the marine environment in order to ensure reduction of marine litter of at least 50 % by 2030;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 328 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 5 b (new)
- prevent littering, in particular, by discouraging the marketing and the use of single-use products;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 329 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 - indent 5 c (new)
- reduce packaging waste generation by setting reduction targets in accordance with Article 4 of Directive 94/62/EC;
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 334 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall monitor and assess the implementation of their food waste prevention measures by measuring the levels of food waste on the basis of a common methodologies established in accordance with paragraph 4y. By 31 December 2017, the Commission shall adopt a delegated act in accordance with Article 38a to establish the methodology, including minimum quality requirements, for the uniform measurement of the levels of food waste.
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 343 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9 a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 10 – paragraph 2
(9a) In Article 10, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: "2. Where necessary to comply with paragraph 1 and to facilitate or improve recovery, waste shall be collected separately if technically, environmentally and economically practicable and shall not be mixed with other waste or other material with different properties." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=FR)Or. en
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 346 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9 b (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 10 – paragraph 2 a (new)
(9b) In Article 10, the following paragraph is added: "2a. Member State shall take measures to ensure that waste that has been separately collected according to Article 11 or Article 22 is not disposed of or accepted by an incineration plant, or subject to energy recovery."
2016/07/18
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 349 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point a
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
1.Member States shall take measures, as appropriate, to promote preparing for re- use activities, notably by encouraging the establishment of and support for re-use and repair networks andpreparation for re-use operators and repair networks, preferentially run as social enterprises, by facilitating the access of such networks to waste collection points and facilities, and by promoting the use of economic instruments, procurement criteria, quantitative objectives or other measures.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 352 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point a
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1a (new)
In order to ensure that such access to waste collection points and facilities is granted for preparing for re-use operators, Member States shall set separate quantitative targets for preparing for re-use. By 2020, the proportion of the collected municipal waste deriving primarily from waste electrical and electronic equipment, furniture and textiles shall be at least 2%. By 2030, that proportion shall be increased up to 4 %.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 353 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point a
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Member States shall take measures to promote high quality recycling and, to this end, shall set up separate collection of waste where technically, environmentally and economically practicable and appropriate to meet the necessary quality standards for the relevant recycling sectors and to attain the targets set out in paragraph 2.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 357 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point a a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2 a (new)
(aa) in paragraph 1, the following subparagraph is inserted: “The Commission shall develop a coherent EU-wide waste labelling of products and packaging in order to facilitate high levels and high quality of recycling.”
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 358 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point a b (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3
"Subject to Article 10(2), by 2015 s(ab) in paragraph 1, the third subparagraph is replaced by the following: "Separate collection shall be set up for at least the following: paper, metal, plastic and glass." (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=FR), wood, textile, bio-waste." Or. en
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 362 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point a a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3a (new)
(aa) in paragraph 1, the following subparagraph is inserted: "Member States shall make use of regulatory and economic instruments in order to incentivise the uptake of secondary raw materials. Those measures shall encourage, inter alia, the use of recycled content in products and green public procurement criteria."
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 363 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point b
Member States shall take measures to promote sorting systems for construction and demolition waste and for at least the following: wood, mineral fractions (concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics), aggregates, metal, glass, plastic and plaster, including for commercial and industrial waste. Sorting of construction and demolition waste shall be mandatory in Green Public Procurement.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 373 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point d
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) by 2025, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 605% by weight;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 377 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point d
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) by 2030, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 6570% by weight.;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 378 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point d
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point d a (new)
(da) the preparing for re-use and the recycling of commercial and industrial waste shall be increased to a minimum of 70% by weight by 2025, and 80% by weight by 2030;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 379 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point d
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point d b (new)
(db) no later than 31 December 2030 the waste disposed of or subject to energy recovery shall be reduced to 130 kg per capita;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 380 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point d
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point d c (new)
(dc) no later than 31 December 2025 the waste disposed of or subject to energy recovery shall be reduced to 150 kg per capita;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 386 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point e
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Malta, Romania and Slovakia may obtain five additional years for the attainment of the targets referred to inAll Member States shall reach the preparation for reuse and recycling targets by 2025 and by 2030 for municipal solid waste, as set under paragraph 2 points (c) and (d). The Member State shall notify the Commission of its intention to make use of this provision at the latest 24 mon unless they produce less than 150 kg/capita/year by 2025 and 130 kg/capita/year by 2030 of residual waste. In this beforecase, the respective deadlines laid down in paragraphs 2(c) and (d). In the event of an extension, the Member State shall take the necessary measures to increase the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste to a minimum of 50% and 60% by weight, by 2025 and 2030 respectivelycycling objective of the Member States would then be the difference between their total municipal solid waste generation and these residual caps.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 391 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 10 – point e
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
The notification shall be accompanied by an implementation plan presenting the measures needed to ensure compliance with the targets before the new deadline. The plan shall also include a detailed timetable for the implementation of the proposed measures and an assessment of their expected impacts.deleted
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 417 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 12
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11b – title
Early warning reportsystem
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 419 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 12
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11b – paragraph 2 – point aa (new)
(aa) an assessment of the expected time of the achievement of the targets by each Member State;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 421 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 12
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11b – paragraph 2a (new)
2a. Within six months from the date of the publication of the Commission report, Member States at risk of not meeting the targets shall submit to the Commission a compliance plan detailing the measures that they intend to take to achieve the targets. The compliance plan shall take into consideration the Commission recommendations as specified in paragraph 2(b) and measures foreseen under Article 4 (3), or any other appropriate measures. It shall state the expected time of compliance;
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 422 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 12
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 11 b – paragraph 2b (new)
2b. When submitting a compliance plan in response to the report issued by the Commission pursuant to paragraph 1a, Member States may request an extension of the time limit laid down in Article 11(2)(a) for a maximum of three years. Unless the Commission raises objections to the compliance plan within five months of its receipt the request for extension shall be deemed to be accepted. If objections are raised, the Commission shall require the Member State concerned to submit a revised compliance plan within two months of receipt of the Commission comments. The Commission shall assess the revised compliance plan within two months of its receipt and accept or reject the request for extension in writing. In the absence of the reaction from the Commission within that deadline, the request for extension shall be deemed to be accepted.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 426 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 12 a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 15 – paragraph 4a (new)
(12a) In Article 15, the following paragraph is added: "4a. Member States shall take measures to ensure that the selection procedure for waste management operators, carried out by local authorities and organisations set up to implement extended producer responsibility obligations on behalf of a producer of products, includes social clauses with the view of supporting the role of social and solidarity enterprises."
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 433 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 13
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 22 – paragraph 1
Member States shall ensureset up systems for the separate collection at source of bio-waste where technically, environmentally and economically practicable and appropriateby 31 December 2020 to ensure the relevant quality standards for compost and digestate and to attain the targets set out in Article 11(2)(a), (c) and (d) and 11(3).paragraph 2a of this Article
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 435 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 13
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 22 – paragraph 2
They shall take measures, as appropriate, and in accordance with Articles 4 and 13, to encouragsure the following:
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 442 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 13
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 22 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that, by 2025, the organic recycling of bio-waste shall be increased to a minimum of 65 % by weight. The weight of bio-waste recycled shall be understood as the weight of the input waste entering an organic recycling process in a given year.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 457 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 17 – point -a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 29 – paragraph -1 (new)
(-a) The following paragraph is inserted: "Member States shall establish, in accordance with Articles 1 and 4, waste prevention programmes aimed to achieve, at least, the following objectives and meet the targets in points (d) and (e) : (a) a significant reduction in waste generation; (b) the progressive removal of toxic substances for which there are or will be developed safer alternatives; (c) decoupling of waste generation from economic growth; (d) a 50 % reduction of food waste generation by 2025; (e) a 50 % reduction of land-based litter by 2025";
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 466 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 21
Directive 2008/98/EC
Article 37 – paragraph 3a (new)
3a. For the purpose of verifying compliance with Article 11(2)(b), the amount of waste prepared for re-use shall be reported separately from the amount of waste recycled. The preparation for re-use operations shall be reported as preparation for re-use.
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 493 #

2015/0275(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Annex I a (new)
Directive 2008/98/EC
Annex VIa (new)
The following Annex is added: “Annex VIa Adequate economic instrument to promote the application of the waste hierarchy and a shift to a circular economy shall include: - progressive increase of landfill levies for all categories of waste (municipal, inert, others); - introduction or increase of incineration levies and specific bans for incineration of recyclable waste; - extension to the whole territory of Member States of 'pay-as-you-throw' systems; - green levies or advanced disposal fees to apply to products where extended producers' responsibility programmes are not in place; - market restrictions for single-use and non-recyclable products and packaging; - deposit-return and other systems incentivising municipal waste producers and economic operators to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste; - economic incentives for local authorities to promote prevention, develop and intensify separate collection schemes; - measures to support the development of the repair and re-use sectors; - incentives promoting the design and placement on the market of waste avoiding products, such as repairable goods; - measures phasing out harmful subsidies not consistent with the waste hierarchy; - technical and fiscal measures to support the development of markets for re-used products and recycled (including composted) materials as well as to improve the quality of recycled materials; - use of the European Structural and Investment Funds in order to finance waste prevention, preparation for reuse and recycling ; - measures to increase public awareness of proper waste management and litter reduction, including ad-hoc campaigns to ensure waste reduction at source and a high level of participation in the separate collection schemes; - measures to ensure an appropriate coordination, between all competent public authorities involved in waste management, and the involvement of other key stakeholders; - creation of communication platforms to foster exchange of best practices between industries and also Member States; - any relevant alternative or additional measures aiming at meeting the same purpose.”
2016/06/21
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 15 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
(1) Waste management in the Union should be improved, with a view to protecting, preserving and improving the quality of the environment, protecting human health, ensuring prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources and, promoting a more circular economy, reducing resource dependency and increasing resource efficiency.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 18 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 2
(2) The targets laid down in Council Directive 1999/31/EC14 setting landfill restrictions should be amendincreased to make them better reflect the Union's ambition to move to a circular economy and make progress in the implementation of the Raw Materials Initiative15 by reducingphasing out landfilling of waste destined for landfills for non-hazardous waste. __________________ 14 Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste (OJ L 182, 16.07.1999, p. 1). 15 COM(2008) 699 and COM(2014) 297. COM(2008) 699 and COM(2014) 297.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 22 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 5
(5) Clear environmental, economic and social benefits would be derived from further restricting landfilling, starting with waste streams that are subject to separate collection (e.g. plastics, metals, glass, paper, bio-waste). TImprovement in the technical, environmental or economical feasibility of recycling or other recovery of residual waste resulting from separately collected waste should be taken into account in the implementation of these landfill restrictionsshould be further supported with the aim of reducing as much as possible the amount of residual waste resulting from separately collected waste.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 33 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 8
(8) A progressive reductionphasing-out of landfilling is necessary to prevent detrimental impacts on human health and the environment and to ensure that economically valuable waste materials are gradually and effectively recovered through proper waste management and in line with the waste hierarchy. This reduction should avoid the development of excessive capacity for the treatment of residual waste facilities, such as through energy recovery or low grade mechanical biological treatment of untreated municipal waste, as this could result in undermining the achievement of the Union's long-term preparation for reuse and recycling targets for municipal waste as laid down in Article 11 of Directive 2008/98/EC. Similarly, and to prevent detrimental impacts on human health and the environment, while Member States should take all necessary measures to ensure that only waste that has been subject to treatment is landfilled, compliance with such obligation should not lead to the creation of overcapacities for the treatment of residual municipal waste. In addition, in order to ensure consistency between the targets laid down in Article 11 of Directive 2008/98/EC and the landfill reduction target defined in Article 5 of this Directive and to ensure a coordinated planning of the infrastructures and investments needed to meet those targets, Member States which may obtain additional time for the attainment of the municipal waste recycling targets should also be given additional time to attain the landfill reduction target for 2030 as laid down in this Directive.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 59 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a a (new)
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 2 – point a a (new)
(aa) the following point is inserted: '(aa) "residual waste" means waste resulting from a treatment or a recovery operation, including recycling, which cannot be recovered further and as a result has to be disposed of;
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 60 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b a (new)
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 2 – point b a (new)
(m) 'biodegradable waste' means any waste that is capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition, such as food and garden waste, and paper and paperboard;(ba) point m is replaced by the following: '(m) 'biodegradable waste' means food, garden waste, paper and paperboard, wood and non-animal agricultural waste such as straw, and any other waste that can undergo anaerobic or aerobic decomposition;'
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 65 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point c
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 5 – paragraph 5
5. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that by 2030 the amount of municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 105% of the total amount of municipal waste generatedand of commercial and industrial waste generated, keeping the amount of residual waste below 130kg/capita/year.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 69 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point c
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 5 – paragraph 5a (new)
5a. Member States shall accept by 31 December 2030 only residual non- hazardous waste from municipal and commercial and industrial waste, in landfills for non-hazardous waste.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 71 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point c
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 5 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1
Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Malta, Romania and SlovakiaMember States where residual waste generated is below 150 kg/capita/year by 2025 and below 130 kg/capita/year by 2030 may obtain five additional years for the attainment of the target referred to in paragraph 5. The Member State shall notify the Commission of its intention to make use of this provision at the latest 24 months before the deadline laid down in paragraph 5. In the event of an extension, the Member State shall take the necessary measures to reduce by 2030 the amount of municipal waste landfilled to 20% of the total amount of municipal waste generated.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 76 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point c
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 5 – paragraph 7
7. By 31 December 20241 at the latest, the Commission shall examine the target laid down in paragraph 5 with a view to reducing it and introducing restrictions to the landfilling of non-hazardous waste other than municipal waste. To this end, a report of the Commission accompanied by a proposal, if appropriate, shall be sent to the European Parliament and the Council.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 88 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 15 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall report the data concerning the implementation of Article 5(2) and (5) for each calendar year to the Commission. They shall report this datacollect, process and report this data, according to a common methodology, electronically within 18 months of the end of the reporting year for which the data are collected. The data shall be reported in the format established by the Commission in accordance with paragraph 5. The first reporting shall cover the data for the period from 1 January [enter year of transposition of this Directive + 1 year] to 31 December [enter year of transposition of this Directive + 1 year].
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 98 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 15 – paragraph 5
5. The Commission shall adopt implementingdelegated acts laying down the methodology for collecting and processing the data, and the format for reporting data in accordance with paragraph 1. Those implementingdelegated acts shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 17(2)a of this Directive.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 100 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 17 – paragraph 2
2. When reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply. (*) Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.02.2011, p. 13).deleted
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 102 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 17a – paragraph 2
2. The power to adopt the delegated acts referred to in Article 15 and 16 shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from [enter date of entry into force of this Directive].
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 104 #

2015/0274(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 9
Directive 1999/31/EC
Article 17a –paragraph 5
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 15 and 16 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 30 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 3
(3) Statistical data reported by Member States are essential for the Commission to assess compliance with waste legislation across the Member States. The quality, reliability and comparability of statistics should be improved by establishing a common methodology for data collection and processing and by introducing a single entry point for all waste data, deleting obsolete reporting requirements, benchmarking national reporting methodologies and introducing a data quality check report.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 32 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Recital 4
(4) Reliable collection, processing and reporting of statistical data concerning waste management is paramount to efficient implementation and to ensuring comparability of data among a level playing field between Member States. Therefore, when preparing the reports on compliance with the targets set out in these Directives, Member States should be required to use the most recentcommon methodology for data collection and processing developed by the Commission andin cooperation with the national statistical offices of the Member States.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 42 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
1a. Member States shall report the data concerning the implementation of Article 7(2) for each calendar year to the Commission. They shall report this data electronically within 18 months of the end of the reporting year for which the data are collected. The data shall be collected and processed using the common methodology and reported in the format established by the Commission in accordance with paragraph 1d. The first report shall cover the data for the period from 1 January [enter year of transposition of this Directive + 1 year] to 31 December [enter year of transposition of this Directive + 1 year].
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 49 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Directive 2000/53/EC
Article 9 – paragraph 1d
1d. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the format forcommon methodology for data collection, processing and reporting dformata in accordance with paragraph 1a. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 11(2).
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 56 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1 a (new)
Directive 2006/66/EC
Article 22 a (new)
(1 a) The following article shall be inserted: 'Article 22a Collection, Processing and Reporting of Data 1. The data reported by the Member State in accordance with Article 10 and Article 12 shall be accompanied by a quality check report. 2. The methodology for data collection, processing and format of reporting shall be established by the Commission by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 24 (2).'
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 57 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2 – point a
Directive 2006/66/EC
Article 23 – paragraph 1
The Commission shall draw up a report on the implementation of this Directive and its impact on the environment and the functioning of the internal market by the end of 2016 at the latest and once every three years thereafter.
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 64 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph -1 c (new)
Directive 2012/19/EU
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point (a)
In Directive 2012/19/EU, point (a) of Article 5(2) is replaced by the following: "(a) systems are set up allowing final holders and distributors to return such waste at least free of charge. Member States shall ensure thehigh availability and easy and regular accessibility of the necessary collection facilities, taking into account, in particular, the population density;" . Or. en (http://eur- lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:197:0038:0071:en:PDF)
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 73 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/19/EU
Article 16 – paragraph 5a
5a. Member States shall report the data concerning the implementation of Article 16(4) for each calendar year to the Commission. They shall report this data electronically within 18 months of the end of the reporting year for which the data are collected. The data shall be reportecollected, processed and reported using the common methodology and in the format established by the Commission in accordance with paragraph 5d. The first report shall cover the data for the period from 1 January [enter year of transposition of this Directive + 1 year] to 31 December [enter year of transposition of this Directive + 1 year].
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 79 #

2015/0272(COD)

Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b
Directive 2012/19/EU
Article 16 – paragraph 5d
5d. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the common methodology for data collection and processing and the format for reporting data in accordance with paragraph 5a. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 21(2).
2016/06/20
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 47 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
(6) The growing complexity of the internal energy market make it increasingly difficult to obtain reliable and up-to-date price data for natural gas and electricity in the absence of legally binding obligations to provide such data, in particular for the household sector and small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs).
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 48 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
(7) In order to guarantee the reporting of high quality price data for the household sector and for the non-household sector including SMEs, energy intensive industries and other industrial consumers, the collection of bothose four types of data should be covered by a legal act.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 49 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) In order to enable better understanding of energy costs in energy intensive industrial sectors and better inform policy makers, statistical data collected for energy-intensive industries should be broken down by sector including for instance non-metallic minerals, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, chemicals, pulp and paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals; the breakdown of energy-intensive industry sectors should be defined by delegated act.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 51 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
(9) The system of consumption bands used by the Commission (Eurostat) in its price publications should ensure the transparency of the market and tby type of customers, including households, SMEs, energy-intensive industrial sector, and other industrial consumers. The broad dissemination of non-confidential price data and should enable the calculation of European aggregates.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 53 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
(13) Detailed data on the breakdown of consumption bands and by consumer category (households, SMEs, energy intensive industries, and other industrial consumers) and their respective market shares are an essential part of natural gas and electricity price statistics.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 57 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
(16) A good understanding of the taxes and charge, charges and financial provisions in each Member State is essential for ensuring price transparency. The importance of a breakdown of the data on network costs, charges, taxes, levies, and feefees and financial provisions has been identified.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 59 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
(17) Member States in which the consumption of natural gas as a proportion of the final energy consumption of households is low should be exempted from the obligation to provide data on natural gas prices for final household customers.deleted
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 60 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
(19) Based on a justified request from a Member State, the Commission may grant derogations to Member States in relation to those specific obligations for which the application of this Regulation to the national statistical system of a Member State requires major adaptations and is likely to lead to a significant additional burden on respondents.deleted
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 64 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
(20) In order to maintain the high quality of the data provided by the Member States, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission, with a view to adjusting the thresholds that may apply to the natural gas marketdefining and adjusting as necessary, the breakdown by energy- intensive industrial sectors and other industrial sectors. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and Council.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 66 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
(21) The Commission should ensure that delegated acts do not impose a significant additional administrative burden on Member States or on respondents.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 68 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
(2) ‘customer’, ‘final customer’, ‘household customer’, ‘non-household customer’, ‘transmission’, ‘distribution’ and ‘supply’ related to electricity shall have the same meaning as those referred to in Directive 2009/72/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council5 , when used in relation to electricity; _________________ 5 Directive 2009/72/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/EC (OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, p. 55).
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 69 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3
(3) ‘customer’, ‘final customer’, ‘household customer’, ‘non-household customer’, ‘transmission’, ‘distribution’ and ‘supply’ related to natural gas shall have the same meaning as those referred to in Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council6 , when used in relation to natural gas; _________________ 6 Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC (OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, p. 94).
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 70 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 a (new)
(3a) "SMEs" shall be defined as an undertaking fulfilling the conditions laid down in the Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises;
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 71 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 b (new)
(3b) "energy intensive-industry" shall mean sectors of which the electricity and gas intensity are above the average of the energy intensity of the entire industry. The methodology for defining energy intensive industries shall be defined through delegated act according to Article 10.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 72 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 c (new)
(3c) "other industrial consumers" shall cover consumers not covered by the household consumers, the SMEs and the energy-intensive industry categories;
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 74 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) other statistical surveys addressed to customers in the household sector and final customers in the non-householdSMEs, energy-intensive sectors and other industrial sectors;
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 83 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3
(3) The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 10, taking account of economic and technical trends, concerning the adjustment of the threshold.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 91 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9
(1) Derogations may be granted by means of implementing acts in relation to those specific obligations for which the application of this Regulation to the national statistical system of a Member State requires major adaptations and is likely to lead to a significant additional burden on respondents. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 11(2) no later than [xx-xx-xxx] (2) For the purposes of paragraph 1, the Member State concerned shall present a duly justified request to the Commission no later than nine months after the entry into force of this Regulation. (3) The derogations shall remain in force for the shortest period of time possible and shall in any case not exceed three years. (4) A Member State having been granted derogation in accordance with paragraph 1 shall continue to apply the relevant provisions of Directive 2008/92/EC for the duration of the dArticle 9 deleted Derogation period.s
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 101 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – point 1 – paragraph 1
Prices to be reported are prices charged to household and final non-householdcustomers, SMEs, energy- intensive industries and other industrial customers buying natural gas for their own use that is distributed through mains.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 102 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – point 2 – paragraph 1
Natural gas includes natural gas and other gaseous fuels blended with natural gas in the transmission and distribution network, such as biogas. Other gaseous fuels that are distributed through dedicated networks without being blended with natural gas (e.g. gas works gas, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas and biogas) are to be exthat are not used for self-consumption are also to be included.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 103 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – point 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 2
- non-energy purposes (e.g. for use in the chemicals industry).deleted
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 104 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – point 4 – paragraph 1
The prices to be reported are the national average prices charged to household and final non-householdfinal customers (households, SMEs, energy-intensive industry sectors and other industrial customers).
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 105 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – point 5 – point b – introductory part
(b) For final non-household custoSMEs, energy-intensive industries and other industrials consumers, the following bands are to be applied:
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 107 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – point 6 – point b – paragraph 1 a (new)
Additionally, data shall be provided by the Member States on any type of exemption and derogation for payments of fees, taxes and levies that it has granted to any category of customers.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 111 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 4 – point b – introductory part
(b) For final non-household customers, including SMEs, energy-intensive industries and other industrial consumers, the following bands are to be applied:
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 113 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 5 – point a – table – column 2 – row 11
3. Taxes, fees, levies or charges related to capacity payments, energy security and generation adequacy; t3a. Taxes on coal industry restructuring; t and stranded costs; 3b. Taxes on electricity distribution. Stranded costs and, levies on financing energy regulatory authorities or market operators.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 114 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 5 – point a – table – column 2 – row 13
5. Taxes, fees, levies or charges relating to the nuclear sector, including provisions for nuclear decommissioning and waste management, inspections and fees for nuclear installations.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 115 #

2015/0239(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 5 – point b – paragraph 1 a (new)
Additionally, data shall be provided by the Member States on any type of exemption and derogation for payments of fees, taxes and levies that it has granted to any category of customers.
2016/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 53 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
(11) The EFSI should support strategic investments with high economic, social and environmental value added contributing to achieving Union policy objectives in an objective manner.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 76 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
(14) The EFSI should target projects delivering high societal environmental and economic valuebenefits. In particular, the EFSI should target projects that promote job creation, long- term growth, sustainability, resource and energy efficiency and competitiveness. The EFSI should support a wide range of financial products, including equity, debt or guarantees, to best accommodate the needs of the individual project. This wide range of products should allow the EFSI to adapt to market needs whilst encouraging private investment in the projects. The EFSI should not be a substitute for private market finance but should instead catalyse private finance by addressing market failures so as to ensure the most effective and strategic use of public money. The requirement for consistency with State aid principles should contribute to such effective and strategic use.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 89 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
(16) The EFSI should target investments that are expected to be socially, environmentally, economically and technically viable, which may entail a degree of appropriate risk, whilst still meeting the particular requirements for EFSI financing.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 115 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 26
(26) Alongside the financing operations that will be conducted through the EFSI, a European Investment Advisory Hub ('EIAH') should be created. The EIAH should provide strengthened support for project development and preparation across the Union, by building on the expertise of the Commission, the EIB, national promotional banks and the managing authorities of the European Structural and Investment Funds. This should establish a single point of entry for questions related to technical assistance for investments within the Union and be suited especially to address the needs of SMEs.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 154 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
The purpose of the EFSI shall be to support investments in the Union and to ensure increased access to financing for companies having up to 3000 employees, with a particular focus on small and medium enterprises, through the supply of risk bearing capacity to the EIB ('EFSI Agreement').
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 159 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
The EFSI Agreement shall provide that there is a clear distinction between operations carried out with the EFSI support and other operations of the EIB. Such additionality shall be ensured by the Steering Board on the basis of the risk profile of the EFSI and on the fulfilment of the policy objectives set in Art. 5(2).
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 168 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
The EFSI Agreement shall provide for the creation of a European Investment Advisory Hub ('EIAH') within the EIB. The EIAH shall have as its objective to build upon existing EIB and Commission advisory services in order to provide advisory support for investment project identification, preparation and development by highlighting projects with multiple benefits particularly in the fields of sustainable energy, sustainable mobility and sustainable resource management, and act as a single technical advisory hub for project financing within the Union. This shall include support on the use of technical assistance for project structuring, use of innovative financial instruments, use of public-private partnerships and advice, as appropriate, on relevant issues of EU legislation.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 175 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. The EFSI Agreement shall provide that the EFSI shall be governed by a Steering Board, which shall determine the strategic orientation, the strategic asset allocation and operating policies and procedures, including the investment policy of projects that EFSI can support and the risk profile of the EFSI, in conformity with the objectives under Article 5(2). The Steering Board shall with an appropriate risk sharing between private investors and EU taxpayers, in conformity with the objectives under Article 5(2) and to ensure sustainability of the projects. The Steering Board shall operate in a fully transparent manner and elect one of its members to be Chairperson.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 198 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
The Investment Committee shall be composed of six independent experts and the Managing Director. Independent experts shall have a high level of relevant market experience in project finance, in environmental or social fields and be appointed by the Steering Board for a renewable fixed term of three years. It must be ensured that project selection is performed in a fully transparent and accountable manner based on EIB principles alongside with a set of sustainability criteria providing a clear assessment of climate, biodiversity, air quality and water quality effects of the projects. All information concerning the activities of the Investment Committee including agendas and minutes should be made publicly available.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 201 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 3 a (new)
In order to ensure proper project selection and follow-up with due regard to long term sustainability, the EFSI agreement shall establish a Civil Society Platform in charge of monitoring EFSI project selection and all financing or investment operations. The Civil Society Platform shall mirror the structure of the Investment Committee. Members of the Platform are to be suggested to the European Parliament and the Council and to be approved by a vote. The Civil Society Platform may veto any operation providing it has reasonable doubts regarding the fulfilment of requirements and restrictions of Article 5, any operation where it suspects a conflict of interest of any member of the Steering Committee or the investment Committee.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 215 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) development of sustainable infrastructure in compliance with the EU's long term climate, energy and environment policy goals, including in the areas of low-emission transport, particularly sustainable modes of transport, eco-friendly solutions in industrial centres; sustainable energy, in particular smart grids, smart meters, energy storage capacities, renewables and energy interconnections; and digital infrastructure;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 229 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c
(c) reducing energy demand, expansion of renewable energy and energy and resource efficiency, sustainable energy technologies, decentralisation of the energy systems, resource and energy efficiency measures, in particular demand side solutions and in-depth renovation of buildings;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 236 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point d
(d) infrastructure projects in the field of environmental, and natural resources, and others contributing towards the objectives of the 7th Environmental Action Programme, and in urban development and social fields;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 237 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point d
(d) infrastructure projects in the fields of environmental, natural resources,, sustainable resource management and in particular sustainable water management and sustainable material management sustainable urban development and social fieldinnovations;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 240 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) be compatible, on an aggregated basis, with social and economic cohesion in the EU;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 247 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2 a (new)
The operations concerned shall not include: (a) the decommissioning or the construction of nuclear power stations; (b) investment in airport infrastructure unless related to environmental protection or accompanied by investment necessary to mitigate or reduce its negative environmental impact; (c) investments in coal and oil infrastructures; (d) investments in new motorway or new roads with four or more lanes.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 264 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 7 – point a
(a) any surplus shall be paid in one transaction to a special heading in the statement of revenue in the general budget of the European Union of the year n+1, and shall be reallocated to programmes which envelopes might have been reduced to finance the guarantee fund, as referred to in paragraph 5a (new), in order to compensate these losses;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 274 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission and the EIB shall develop, update and disseminate, on a regularyearly and structured basis, information on current and future investments which significantly contribute to achieving EU policy objectives.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 276 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall develop, update and disseminate, on a regularyearly and structured basis, information on current and future investment projects in their territory.
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 282 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) an assessment of the added value, the social, economic and territorial impact on cohesion, the mobilisation of private sector resources, the estimated and actual outputs, outcomes and impact of EIB financing and investment operations at an aggregated basis;
2015/03/31
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 1334 #

2015/0009(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1
In accordance with its own transparency policies on access to documents and information, tThe EIB shall make publicly available on its website information relating to all EIB financing and investment operations and how they contribute to the general objectives and specific projects referred to in Article 5(2) ); the EIB shall guarantee furthermore that any citizen of the European Union and any natural and legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member States shall have access to the documents related to the EFSI in accordance with the Regulation No. 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and the Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
2015/03/19
Committee: BUDGECON
Amendment 751 #

2014/2254(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Deplores the way in which the financial and economic crisis and the measures taken to deal with it have had an impact – in some cases a drastic one – on economic, social and cultural rights, resulting in poverty, exclusion and isolation;isolation and exclusion especially in light of the fact that social exclusion determines marginalisation of individuals and makes them vulnerable to a parallel criminal or terrorist system which offers power, money and sense of belonging.
2015/05/19
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 832 #

2014/2254(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that corruption represents a serious fundamental rights violation; calls on the Member States and institutions to devise effective instruments for combating corruption and to monitor regularly the use of public funds, be they European or natganized criminal groups, included mafia-style ones, are systems of exploitation based on privileges and on the deprivation of basic rights; these groups are fuelled by unemployment, by under-development, by corruption and also and especially, by social exclusional;
2015/05/19
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 846 #

2014/2254(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Ascertains that criminal organizations see their power increase through usury and money laundering which are two phenomena endorsed also by a liquidity and solvency crisis, ‘credit crunch’, social fragmentation and loss of trust in institutions which means that the more poverty increases, the more social inequity develops, the more criminal organizations, included mafia- style ones, are strengthened and the more corruption flourishes;
2015/05/19
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 850 #

2014/2254(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls on the Member States and institutions to devise effective instruments for combating corruption and to monitor regularly the use of public funds, be they European or national;
2015/05/19
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 853 #

2014/2254(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Recognises that adequate social welfare provisions (such as minimum income) are one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty, to guarantee a standard of life which respects human dignity and to promote social integration which, in turn, determine freedom of choice and make individuals less liable to be blackmailed thus making these economic measures a fundamental tool in the fight to overcome organized crime and corruption;
2015/05/19
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 855 #

2014/2254(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Realises that continued efforts need to be made in order to implement and maintain the above mentioned measures in all Member States;
2015/05/19
Committee: LIBE
Amendment 1 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the responsibility for forestry rests solely with the Member States, that the principle of subsidiarity must be upheld, and that the differences in regional conditions, ownership models and priorities across the Member States must be respected;deleted
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 4 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recognizes that as a growing number of EU policies and different sectors are making increasing demands on forests and increasing competition over forest resources, demand for new uses in the economy and for energy should be coordinated with traditional demands including nature conservation and recreation to ensure a long term balance among the multiple forest functions and demands, while taking into account forest' capacities and sustainability boundaries; in this connection asks the European Commission to ensure that EU policies are designed to support the resource efficient use of forest biomass;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 11 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the EU has a role to play in supporting national policies aimed ato achievinge multifunctional and sustainable forestry management, respecting functions related to various forest products, recreation as well as nature conservation, in ensuring consistency of management approaches reflecting different forest types, and in strengthening cooperation in the face of increased cross-border threats such as illegal timber import, forest fires, illegal logging and pests, in strictly implementing the existing legislation and rules including those related to product control and in ensuring coherence oin forest- related issues across EU policies such as those relating to agriculture, biodiversity, renewable energy, water and soil, emphasising that biodiversity and well- functioning ecosystems are a prerequisite for all forest uses, therefore reversing the trend of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 is essential;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 20 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Supports the commitment of Member States’ commitment to implementing sustainable forest management in line withbased on the Forest Europe criteria and indicators as one of the key elements of the current policy framework for forests in Europe; Supports the Commission's intention to develop an ambitious and demonstrable set of criteria and indicators for improved implementation of sustainable forest management to be applied to all uses of forest biomass across the Union, balancing ecological, social and economic functions that forests serve;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 22 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the multifunctional role of European forests, serving economic and social as well as environmental purposes; in addition to providing habitats for animals and plants and playing a major role in mitigating climate change and other environmental services, forests also offer wide societal benefits, including for human health, recreation and tourism;
2015/02/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 22 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the prioritisation of the three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) as a strong basis from which to support resource efficiency, increase competitiveness, boost employment and strengthen forestry's role in the green economy; And recognises the important role of forests for communities, forest sectors, industries, the environment and the climate and supports in this light the focus on promoting an efficient use of forestry biomass as a scarce resource;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 28 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the need to move towards bioeconomy in a manner that respects the sustainability boundaries of biomass supply and ensures resource efficient use of forest based material, promoting and prioritising innovation in the forest value chain above energy use;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 31 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the objective included inof the EU Forest Strategy tof enhancinge the contribution of forests and the forest sector to rural development, biodiversity, growth and job creation must take full account of the economic, social, cultural and environmental goods and services sourced from forests,provided by forests, including services for recreation, tourism, and in particular the important role that forests play in reducing CO2 emissions, which is anstoring carbon and climate adaptation which are important elements of the EU climate policy;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 46 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Supports the carrying out of a cosundertaking of an impact assessment of all EU legislation affecting the value chains of fForest-based iIndustries,y value chains with athe view to cutting out all unnecessary and burdensome bureaucracy and increasing ithe industry’s long-term competitiveness in a sustainable manner.;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 50 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers that the EU Forest Strategy will be better implemented if supported by appropriate coordination with available or future EU funding including EAFRD;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 51 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Observes the availability of information and monitoring resources via the Copernicus programme and other space initiatives at European level and recommends increasing the use of these resources and tools;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 65 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights the need to strengthen and make full use of EU mechanisms to tackle the transboundary pressures on forests from the spread of invasive alien species, pests and diseases;
2015/02/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 115 #

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises that is important that fRecalls that, by 2020, Forest mManagement pPlans do not become an additional bureaucratic burden which impedes the sustainable use of Europe’s forests; with that in mind, calls on Member Sor equivalent instruments, in line with Sustainable Forest Management, should be in place for all forests that are publicly owned and for forest holdings above a certain size that receive funding under the EU Rural Development Policy; tatkes to rehe view the implementation of the forest management plans, taking into accat forest management plans can be an important instrument for sustainable forest management and to bring abount the proportionality and ‘think small first’ principles and providing for the use by managers of the responsibility declaration form.needed improvement in the conservation status of species and habitats of EU interest; recommends that Natura 2000 protection objectives and measures are taken into account when developing forest management plans and considers that the integration Natura 2000 objectives in forest management plans to be an effective way to reduce administrative burden;
2015/02/02
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 6 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that Europe is a net importer of natural resources and that resource prices have increased by 147% in the first decade of the 21st century 1 a making Europe’s economy particularly vulnerable. Believes that, in order to tackle global challenges and the EU’s resource dependency, it is essential that energy and resource efficiency form the basis of European industrial renewal so that the EU can maintain its competitiveness in the future, recreate manufacturing capacity and generate jobs for highly skilled workers; __________________ 1a According to McKinsey Global Institute ‘Resource Revolution: Meeting the world’s energy, materials, food, and water needs’, November 2011, p.30, (http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy _resources_materials/resource_revolution ), energy prices increased by 190%, food by 135% and materials by 135%.
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 16 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that better design,improving resource use through better design requirements, and a waste legislation that ensures moving up the waste hierarchy and thus fosters waste prevention, reuse and recycling, could bring substantial net savings for EU businesses, estimated at EUR 600 billion, or 8 % of annual turnover, while also reducing total annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2-4 %1 ; emphasises that increasing resource productivity by 30 % by 2030 could boost GDP by nearly 1 % and create 2 million additional jobs; __________________ 1 Commission communication of 2 July 2014 entitled ‘Towards a circular economy: a zero waste programme for Europe’ (COM(2014)0398).
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 20 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls that resource efficiency is a priority objective of the 7th Environmental Action Programme which emphasises the need to stimulate production and consumer demand for environmentally sustainable products and services through policies which promote their availability, affordability, functionality and attractiveness;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 23 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Recalls to the recommendations of the European Resource Efficiency Platform, highlighting that resource efficiency requires a dynamic fiscal and regulatory framework that gives appropriate signals to producers and consumers to supply and demand products with better environmental performance throughout their life cycle. Calls for an improved policy framework that includes adopting and implementing smart regulation, standards and codes of conduct that: aim at internalisation of externalities, at implementing a cascading use of resources, focuses on streams of key materials and tackles resource intensive products, rewards front-runners and accelerates the transition towards a resource efficient and renewable-based sustainable economy;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 30 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
3. Points to the Commission’s analysis which shows that adopting new waste targets would create 180 000 jobs, make Europe more competitive and reduce demand for costly scarce resources2 ; strongly regrets the withdrawal of the legislative proposal on waste3 , and calls for a more ambitious legislative proposal, addressing not only municipalhousehold but also industrial and commercial waste streams, to be put forward by 2015 as part of a more ambitious circular economy package (CEP), as announced by Vice-President Timmermans in Parliament’s plenary part- session of December 20144 ; __________________calls for the new CEP to address specific waste streams including agricultural waste, waste from electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) and construction waste and to provide, like the original package, for resource efficiency indicators for land, water, materials and carbon; __________________ 2a European Environment Agency report ‘Earnings, jobs and innovation’ page 7 http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/ear nings-jobs-and-innovation-the 2 Commission staff working document of 2 July 2014 containing an executive summary of the impact assessment accompanying the proposal for a directive amending the waste directives (COM(2014)0397) (SWD(2014)0208). 3 Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2008/98/EC on waste, 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, 1991/31/EC on the landfill of waste, 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (COM(2014)0397). 4 Verbatim plenary debate of 16 December 2014 on the Commission work programme 2015.
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 35 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Believes that burning or recovering energy from waste goes contrary to the principles of the circular economy and presents risks to health and the environment; in addition, points to the fact that recycling and repair infrastructure requires less capital investments and creates more jobs per tonne of material2 a than investing into landfill and waste-to-energy infrastructure; calls on Commission and Member States to refrain from promoting and investing into waste-to energy infrastructure to avoid wasting of valuable materials, creation of lock-in effects and over-capacity situations;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 37 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the CEP to establish, in line with the recommendations of the European Resource Efficiency Platform5 , a comprehensive policy framework which significantly increases Europe’s resource independence, includes concrete policy objectives and better integrates and streamlines existing policy tools such as fully implementing and extending the EcoDesign and EcoLabelling Directives to various product types and to the resource-efficiency dimension; insists that tools and measures must ensure real opportunities for, and active participation of, SMEs in the circular economy; __________________ 5 European Resource Efficiency Platform (EREP) Manifesto and Policy Recommendations, March 2014:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/reso urce_efficiency/documents/erep_manifesto _and_policy_recommendations_31-03- 2014.pdf
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 45 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Call on the CEP to provide for specific support measure for SMEs such as awareness raising, technical assistance, access to finance, information and skills. Supports the implementation of the SMEs Green Action Plan, and welcomes the establishment of a European Resource Efficiency Excellence Centre to advise and assist SMEs seeking to improve their resource efficiency performance;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 47 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to strengthen the regulatory framework for Extended Producer’s Responsibility and increasing transparency in the implementation of the EPR schemes; stresses the need to improve design requirements for packaging in order to reduce materials use and improve recycling;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 48 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the CEP to introduce a sustainable materials management policy at EU level, taking a life-cycle approach and aiming for eco-efficient, durable and environmentally responsible use of materials, including during the extraction, design, production, consumption, and waste management phases; stresses the potential of urban mining to reduce EUs dependence on imports of raw material and the need to incentivise the secondary raw materials market; calls on the Member States to significantly reinforce export controls on shipment of waste, and on the Commission to close the any loopholes in the Waste Shipment Regulation;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 57 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
6. Highlights the need to have targets for reuse and for preparation for reuse in the new CEP, in order to maximise the potential of reuse and repair policies for, enabling quality job creation, resource savings and the development of the social economy and social enterprises; calls for further incentives and other support for reuse, the consolidation of reuse, and repair infrastructures and networks; stresses the need for ensuring better product design standards to makes consumer products more durable, easy to disassemble, upgradable, repairable and recyclable, as well as a ensuring access to the waste stream by approved reuse centres; asks the Commission to mandate the European Standardisation Organisations to actively work with SMEs representatives, consumers and civil society organisations towards this aim; calls on the Commission to propose legislation which ensures that spare parts at affordable costs are available for at least 10 years after the last product has been placed on the market;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 64 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Asks the Commission to take action with regards to the growing problem caused by planned obsolescence of consumer products by extending the minimum legal guarantees for consumer products; call on the Commission to require manufacturers, within the relevant directives (Waste, Eco-design, WEEE, Batteries, Consumer Rights), to make available relevant and reliable information (such as life-time, end-of life treatment, recyclability, disassembly, environmental impacts) to re-use operators, procurers and consumers in order to enable informed purchasing, upgrades and repairs, reuse and recycling; call for the establishment of a EU-wide register containing this information that would be made available to the public;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 67 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls for Member States to incentivise re-use, repair and demand of durable products through demand-side instruments such as introducing a policy of zero VAT on repair and sale of second hand products and the reinforcement of green public procurement criteria for purchasing more resource-efficient, less wasteful and more recyclable products;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 71 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Points to the direct economic impact on businesses and consumers of food waste, owing to the costs of waste disposal and the economic losses caused by throwing away saleable or edible food; recalls that one euro spent on fighting food waste could prevent 250 kg of food, worth EUR 500, from being wasted; urges the Commission to address the issue of food waste within the CEP; calls for the Commission to introduce compulsory door-to-door collection for food and organic waste;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 79 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of creating industrial synergies for recycling and of helping companies to discover how their energy, waste and by-products can serve as resources for others; calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote approaches such as those taken in the UKsome Member States as part of the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 86 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the role of environmental tax reform (switching taxation away from labour and towards pollution and resources) in providing the right signals for investment in resource efficiency, and calls for progress in this area to be pursued by the Member States as part of the European Semester process;Points to the fact that labour taxes account for 53% against 6% on environmental taxation; stresses the role of environmental tax reform (for instance lower taxes on repair service activities and higher taxes on resource-intensive, non- recyclable and single use products) in providing the right signals for investment in resource efficiency, and calls for progress in this area to be pursued by the Member States as part of the European Semester process;1 a calls on the EU and the Member States to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies and to introduce appropriate fees on resource inefficient activities such as landfilling and incineration of recoverable and recyclable materials; __________________ 1a Green Budget Europe, 2015, Country- Specific Recommendations in Support of the European Semester Process, page 6 http://www.foes.de/pdf/2015-02- 25_CSR%20Recommendations_FINAL.p df
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 93 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission to continue within the CEP to measure and aim at reducing Europe's Raw Material Consumption (RMC) and to develop land, water, material and carbon footprint indicators, and indicators on eco-system services; demands the Commission to use and give relevance to these indicators in the policy-making process, including in the impact assessments, and to introduce them in the European Semester process;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 94 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission and the European Investment Bank to ensure that the Investment Plan for Europe is underpinned by resource and energy efficiency objectives, provides support for eco-innovative SMEs in particular, and strengthens advisory services on resource efficiency; calls for funding ofor the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs (COSME) and, Horizon 2020, and European Structural and Investment Funds to be more focused on developing eco-innovative solutions and improving product design and process performance. and resource efficient solutions, new business models (such as leasing or product-service systems), and improving product design and process performance. Believes that non-technological, organisational, systems and social innovation as well as public sector innovation must be given as much attention as technology driven solutions;
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 102 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Call on the Commission and Member States to actively support the work of the International Resource Panel within the UNEP, investigating world critical resource issues and developing practical solutions for policy making, industry and society.
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 105 #

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that financial incentives as well as the legislative framework facilitate the spread of the innovative non-for profit sharing economy and community-based models. Initiatives like repair cafés, borrowing shops, peer-to-peer lending, leasing models, tool and cloth libraries realise common ownership that substantially reduces the individual’s ecological impact, while fosters communal values and the social-psychological transition necessary for a true circular economy.
2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 1 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation -2 a (new)
– having regard to the United Nation's Convention against Corruption,
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation -2 (new)
– having regard to the Council of Europe's Civil Law and Criminal Law Conventions on Corruption,
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
– having regard to the Special Eurobarometer 397 Report on Corruption,
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 5 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
– having regard to the VAT Gap Reports of the European Commission,
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B
B. whereas protection of the financial interests of the EU should guarantee that budget revenue and expenditure contribute towards the achievement of the EU’s priorities and objectives and towards increasing the confidence of citizens by assuring them that their money is being used in a transparent way in full compliance with the aims and policies of the EU;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 30 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Underlines the fact that in many Member States the VAT Gap is continuously on a high level due to VAT fraud and avoidance; emphasizes that the Commission has the competence to control and supervise the measures taken by the Member States, therefore calls on the Commission to fully use its powers in order to help the Member States in their fight against VAT fraud and tax avoidance;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 45 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines its concerns as regards the persisting threats to the EU budget, which stem from both failures to comply with the rules (non-fraudulent irregularities) and purposeful wrongdoings and criminal offences (i.e. fraud); insists on enhanced cooperation between the Member States and the Commission with a view to securing relevant and adequate measures and means for avoiding and rectifying non-fraudulent irregularities and combatting fraud;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 55 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Points out that modifications to the rules pertaining to both revenue and expenditure, including those aimed at simplification, require time for adoption on the part of the authorities responsible for their proper implementation; urges the Member States and the Commission, in this connection, to better coordinate the interpretation of the legal framework, to implement targeted and timely measures to strengthen administrative capacities, including by means of guidance and training and by establishing schemes for retaining qualified and skilled staff;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 56 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Considers thatalls for the Commission to support and encourage Member States which detecting and reporting irregularities, including cases of fraud, on their own should be supported and encouraged to further improve their reporting and management systems, while avoiding the counterproductive practice of ‘naming and shaming’; expressecalls concern at the Commission’s inability to improve monitoring in order to establish whether or not the low number of irregularities and cases of fraud detected by certain Member States and the wide gaps in the number of cases reported for different years are due to the ineffectiveness of these Member States’ control systems;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 62 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Finds it unacceptable that certain Member States apply corrective measures only without proceeding to investigate irregularities and sanction those responsible, thus failing to adequately protect the financial interests of both the EU and individual taxpayers; considers, therefore, that the adoption of decislegislations which introduce criminal law responsibility at EU level and the introduction of the European Public Prosecutor's office as a tool in starting and coordinating investigations in such irregularities should represent a strong disincentive to committing illegal acts as well as to foregoing due process in pursuing and punishing corrupt or criminal behaviour which damages the financial interests of the EU;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 66 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Is of the opinion that effective action against corruption is possible if criminal law measures are complemented by other measures such as better transparency and accountability; insists, therefore, that Member States demonstrate firm political will in countering corruption both at the national and at the EU level by adopting effective anti-corruption legislation and by proceeding with the existing proposals at EU level and calls upon citizens to convincingly exert pressure on governments to vigorously pursue meaningful anti-corruption policies;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 67 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Welcomes the first EU Anti- corruption Report of February 2014 as a valuable tool to monitor and evaluate efforts in the fight against corruption, as well as the Commission's Communication on Fighting corruption in the EU exploring the necessary steps to better implement the existing anti-corruption instruments, and proposing ways to integrate stronger anti-corruption considerations in a number of internal and external policy areas; notes, however, the importance of extending the scope of the Anti-Corruption Report to the cross- border and EU-level element of corruption, and to the assessment of the measures taken to further improve integrity of the EU institutions, and emphasizes the need for a fully comprehensive and coherent anti- corruption strategy encompassing all EU policies that addresses, inter alia, the concerns raised in the first EU Anti- Corruption Report;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 71 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)
20e. Calls on the Commission to promote adequate legislation on the protection of whistle-blowers, access to information and the transparency of lobbying, as these are necessary for ensuring the civic control of governments and EU institutions, and subjecting their practices to public scrutiny, as well as to use EU funding to support the work of independent organizations in this area, inter alia to establish financial support for trans-border investigative journalism;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 72 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the adoption of the public procurement directives and the directive on the awarding of concessions, and welcomes the fact that ten Member States have already introduced specific measures or sets of measures in public procurement in order to mitigate corruption and strengthen transparency and the effectiveness of management, control and audit systems; invites the Commission to proceed with the implementation of the rules on public procurement in order to provide necessary support to Member States through guidance, the sharing of best practices and training; calls on the Commission to continuously and impartially monitor the compliance of the Member States with the existing directives and start infringement procedures if necessary;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 78 #

2014/2155(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the report on the implementation of the Commission Anti- Fraud Strategy (CAFS) and the guidance provided to Member States’ managing authorities on the implementation of the relevant anti-fraud provisions; insists, however, that in the delegated and implementing acts pertaining to the European structural and investment funds the Commission adopt more simplified rules, facilitating effective and efficient absorption, while ensuring that the level of fight against fraud is not undermined by the delegated and implemented acts;
2014/12/12
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
- having regard to Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 10 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to the Directive 2010/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy- related products.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 32 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B
B. whereas significant progresthe increasing share of renewables has been made in strengthening the EU’s energy security over the last yearswell as the reduction of overall demand have contributed to a stabilisation of import dependency; whereas, however, the EU still imports 53 % of its total energy consumption and a number of Member States are still dependent on a single external source of supply which is leading to high costs on citizens, enterprises and public budgets, is not compatible with the achievement of a sustainable society , impedes Europe's economic growth and endangers national and EU security;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 33 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the EU is reliant on imports for almost 85% of its oil, 67% of its gas, 41% of its solid fuels and about 95% of its uranium; whereas a large proportion of the EU's energy imports are coming from geopolitically unstable regions; whereas the EU is heavily dependent on one single country, the Russian Federation, which is the biggest oil (35%), gas (26%), coal (30%), and uranium (25%) importer to the EU;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 35 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C
C. whereas 61 % of gas consumimported into the European Union is used in buildings and 75% of these are residential buildings; therefore, the building sector has to be regarded as a fundamental piece of the EU energy system infrastructure that needs to be upgraded to meet the EU energy security challenge whereas any interruptions in gas supply leading to inadequate heating puts at risk the health and wellbeing of a large proportion of EU citizens;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 40 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a reliable long-term energy strategy should take into account the uncertainty related the oil and gas market volatility with periodic and temporary price fluctuations;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 42 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the fastest and least costly way to reduce the gas consumption in the European Union is the reduction of the energy losses in the residential buildings providing energy security benefits, reducing the EU' external energy bill and making the construction of some of the PCIs (Projects of Common Interest) unnecessary while contributing to long term EU prosperity, political independence and job creation;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 66 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital I
I. whereas the Commission has drawn up the list of energy infrastructure projects of common interest to be implemented by 2020, and the EU’that is being updated every two years and requires intensive consultation with the civil society in Member States and countries affected outside of the EU28; insisting that since the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2014- 2020 contributes to their funding under the Connecting Europe Facility and the Investment Plan they shall be in full compliance with EU climate, energy and state aid legislation;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 73 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital J
J. whereas improved energy efficiency has partially decoupled economic growth from energy consumption over the last decade, and this process needs to continuehas increased our resilience to price fluctuations, providing multiple benefits to the EU economy and EU citizens;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 74 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas the energy system has recently become more decentralised, with renewable energy and storage capacities as well as flexible consumers connected to more active and smart distribution grids; whereas this trend is expected to continue in the future;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 103 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas the faster implementation of smart grids will improve energy efficiency, increase share of renewable energy sources and decentralise the energy system to strengthen energy security in the Member States;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 127 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomAcknowledges the Commission communication entitled 'European Energy Security Strategy', noting that it is based on a thorough analysis of the EU's energy dependence, highlighting the main areas and describes the essential work that must be undertaken in the short, medium and long term perspectives in order to overcome the challenges to energy security; stresses the need to ensure that the short and medium term measures are in full compliance with the EU long-term energy, climate, air pollution and environment objectives;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 128 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomAcknowledges the Commission communication entitled ‘European Energy Security Strategy’, noting that it is based on a thorough analysis of the EU’s energy dependence, highlighting the main areas and describes the essential work that must be undertaken in the short, medium and long term perspectives in order to overcome the challenges to energy security; stresses the need to ensure that the short and medium term measures are in full compliance with the EU long-term climate, environment and air quality improvement objectives;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 130 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that the era of cheap and abundant energy resources is over and the European energy policy has to respond to multiple challenges such as the mitigation of climate change, pollution reduction or job creation. This requires a coherent policy framework towards a fully sustainable energy system based on energy savings and renewables setting ambitious binding targets and measures for short, medium and long term as well as adequate financing keeping the needs of current and future generations in mind.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 132 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that the European Parliament adopted in its resolution dated 5 February 2014 on the 2030 framework for climate and energy policy 1 a three binding targets including an energy efficiency target of 40%, a renewables target of at least 30% and a GHG target of at least 40%; this position has been reconfirmed by the Parliament resolution of 26 November 2014 on the 2014 UN Climate Change Conference – COP 20 in Lima, Peru. 1 b __________________ 1a 2013/2135 (INI) 1b 2014/2777
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 138 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that equal energy security, competitiveness and sustainability in a fully integrated energy market constitute the main pillars for the creation of an Energy Union, which can be achieved by reducing energy demand, further integrating renewables into the energy market, pooling resources, connecting networks, ensuring unified energy market regulation and establishing unified negotiating positispeaking with onse vis-à-visoice with third countries;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 153 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the 2014 crisis in Ukraine and the results of the stress tests carried out by the Commission should lead to further acceleration of the completion of the internal market, including the full implementation of existing legislation in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate policy by all Member States, integration of existing 'energy islands', and to the updating of risk assessments, preventive action plans and emergency situation plans;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 170 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the importance for strengthening energy independence of short-term measures such asof implementing short-term measures to reduce energy dependence such as reducing energy demand implemented at local, and Member State level, development of renewables and their storage of gas, development of reverse gas flow infrastructure, preparation of regional security of supply plans, and more effective use of the opportunities to import liquefied natural gas in those Member States which are exclusively dependent on one single supplier of natural gas; points out that there is a vital need for cooperation between; points out that there is a vital need for cooperation between European cities, municipalities, regions, energy cooperatives and local initiatives in various sectors aiming at energy demand reduction and production of local renewable sources and the Commission, Member States, neighbouring countries, regulatory bodies, ACER, transmission system operators and gas suppliers;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 180 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – point a (new)
(a) Notes that while the energy sector undergoes transformations on many levels, consumers must not be left behind and should be put at the centre of a future Energy Union and design plans for the energy market; calls on the European Commission to support a resilient, consumer-centric Energy Union which will ensure all EU consumers are provided with secure, sustainable, affordable and reliable energy supply;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 190 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises that the Energy Union, in additionorder to ensuringe security of supply, should adopt a comprehensive approach focusing on key pillardimensions such as achievement of a fully integrated internal energy market, moderation of energy demand, decarbonisation of the energy mix, and research and innovat based on the expansion of renewables with binding targets set at EU and national levels as well as research and innovation; stresses that European citizens, sustainable energy cooperatives, local communities and cities - taking progressively a prosumer role - should be at the very heart of the Energy Union;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 202 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Acknowledges the importance of including consumer-based initiatives such as cooperatives, community renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and stresses the need to lift economic, regulatory and administrative barriers to allow consumers to actively participate in the energy system;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 218 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that the moderation of energy demand through energy savings and energy efficiency is triply crucial, impacting positively on the EU's energy security, competitiveness and sustainability. Supports the International Energy Agency's statement that energy efficiency is the first fuel and calls on the European Commission and the Member States to ensure that all investments are subjected to a systemic savings test implying that before investing in new supply-side infrastructure, the cost- effective potential of reducing energy demand through investment in energy efficiency and demand side solutions must first be explored to ensure that investments provide best value for money over the long term and are consistent with all EU objectives;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 221 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that the potential of energy savings concerns all sectors of the economy, including industry, buildings, transport, agriculture and services;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 223 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Considers that the geopolitical imperative of energy security requires a holistic energy strategy, emphasises that energy efficiency is the number one measure to cut Europe's energy dependence in particular from Russia;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 227 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the EU is not yet on track to meet its commitmentarget of saving 20 % of energy (371 Mtoe) by 2020, and that over one third of reduced energy consumption is actually attributable to lower levels of economic activity instead of increased policy efforts on energy efficiency; therefore, calls on the Commission to strictly enforce the already adopted energy efficiency legislation as well as to bring forward, in discussions with the European Parliament and the Council, an early and rigorous updating of the legislation on energy labelling and ecodesign, and to extend the latter to other product categories in order to maximise the cost- effective energy-saving potentials in the different sectors;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 242 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that energy demand in the building sector is responsible for about 40 % of energy consumption in the EU and a third of natural gas use, and that it is therefore necessary to speed up renovation of buildings in order to reduce energy demand while encouraging greater involvement of the European Invecalls on the Commission to assist actors at all levels to reduce their energy consumption, to increase the share of heating and cooling based on renewable energy source and to stmrent Bank and promoting egthen the requirements of the Energy sPervices for which EU funds can complement national financing schemes;formance of Buildings Directive.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 253 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on Member States, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank to make the best use of structural funds and of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) to support deep renovation of buildings, promote energy services, deliver technical assistance and up-skill construction workers; considers that a significant part of the EFSI should be earmarked for this purpose;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 259 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges that the role of local authorities ofctors such as European cities in increasing energy efficiency, city councils such as 'Covenant of Mayors' initiative energy cooperatives in energy savings through cogeneration, modernisation of district heating systems based on sustainable renewables and small-scale smart grids, increasing the use of cleaner public transport, encouraging more active travel models and, deep renovation of buildings is also undoubtedly an important contribution to energy independence; , as well as sustainable and integrated land- use and settlement planning is also undoubtedly an important contribution to energy independence; the Commission should facilitate the cooperation of these actors and their initiatives by providing information, supporting networks and designing appropriate financial mechanisms;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 270 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Considers as important to provide consumers with energy efficiency products, including food, as well as accurate, relevant, comparable and independently verified information on the energy efficiency of those products in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and to transform markets towards the most energy efficient appliances and food production chains;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 276 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that improved vehicle performance standards and fuel efficiency are crucial for both reducing EU oil dependency and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore calls on the Commission to continue and accelerate its efforts in this fieldReminds that special attention should be paid to the transport sector due to its continued high use of energy, notes that fully implemented vehicle performance standards and fuel efficiency as well as continuously improved electrification based on renewable electricity are crucial for both reducing EU oil dependency and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore calls on the Commission to continue and accelerate its efforts in this field, in particular by coming forward with robust post-2020 standards for cars and vans, setting similar standards for other vehicles, proposing new fuel efficiency standards; requests the Commission to create additional measures inter alia for labelling, changing driving behaviour, reducing distances travelled and shifting to more sustainable modes of transport;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 287 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to be ambitious in implementing EU energy efficiency legislation, and thu by voluntarily going beyond the minimum requirements set, which would contribute to the EU's global competitiveness as well. Further calls on Member States to be prepared with national and regional measures for sharply reducing energy demand both before and in response to supply shocks;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 305 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and to carry out a limitedto enforce the energy efficiency acquis rigorously and immediately; calls on the Commission to propose by 2017 a review of the Energy Efficiency Directive in order to update the provisions relevant to the indicative 2030 energy efficiency improvement target of at least 27 %; believes that measurement and verification of energy efficiency improvements should be an integral part of the annual European semester report; believes that the review should lead to the setting of a binding overall target of a 40% improvement in energy consumption by 2030 as approved by the European Parliament as this has the most cost-effective potential and would lead to significant multiple benefits for the EU economy and EU citizens such as more jobs and increased well-being;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 314 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Urges the Commission to utilize the potential of energy efficiency by proposing new legislation including; - a framework of targeted financial incentives and legal obligations including milestones to ensure a minimum, cost- optimal annual deep renovation rate for all eligible existing buildings of at least 3% with a view to achieving an 80% energy performance improvement in the EU building stock by 2050; - Investment to moderate energy demand, especially in buildings, to be categorised and evaluated as infrastructure investment on a par with investment on the energy supply side, thus making it eligible for equal financing conditions; - Fully integrated planning of energy demand and supply, in order to achieve cost-optimal security of supply and avoid unnecessary or over-dimensioned infrastructure investments and stranded costs;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 315 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the European Commission to make proposals for a strong 2030 energy efficiency governance to provide robust guidance and fair rules for the accounting of national contributions to secure achievement of the EU target, improve enforceability of plans and enable streamlined reporting of relevant Energy Union policies;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 319 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Urges the Commission to utilize the potential of energy efficiency by proposing new legislation including; - a framework of targeted financial incentives and legal obligations to ensure a minimum, cost-optimal annual deep renovation rate for all eligible existing buildings of at least 3%; - Incentives and obligations for larger enterprises to carry out the most economical recommendations from their mandatory energy audits established under the Energy Efficiency directive; - Investment to moderate energy demand, especially in buildings, to be categorised and evaluated as infrastructure investment on a par with investment on the energy supply side, thus making it eligible for equal financing conditions; - Fully integrated planning of energy demand and supply, in order to achieve cost-optimal security of supply and avoid unnecessary or over-dimensioned infrastructure investments and stranded costs;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 321 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Urges the Commission to utilize the potential of energy efficiency by proposing new legislation including incentives and obligations for larger enterprises to carry out the most economical recommendations from their mandatory energy audits established under the Energy Efficiency directive;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 322 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Calls on measurement and verification of energy efficiency as well as renewables improvements embedded in a robust governance mechanism involving the European Parliament and including national binding targets for energy efficiency and renewables;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 323 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
14. Notes the importance of integrating the planning of energy demand and supply, with priority given to demand reduction and decentralised solutions, in order to achieve cost-optimal security of supply and avoid unnecessary or over- dimensioned infrastructure investments and stranded costs; calls for the proposed Energy Union to adopt the principle of 'savings first' whereby measures to moderate energy demand must be considered, and if cost-effective, taken, ahead of any measures to increase supply, and for future PCIs to feature integrated projects where energy demand-reduction and energy supply infrastructure are planned jointly;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 337 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that investment to moderate energy demand, especially in buildings and industry, is a significant contribution to energy security and competitiveness and that this should be taken into account when considering financial allocations;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 340 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Believes that greater involvement of the European financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and better coordination between EU funds and sectorial, national financing schemes is needed; proposes that investment to moderate energy demand, be categorised and evaluated as infrastructure investment on a par with investment on the energy supply side, thus making it eligible for equal financing conditions;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 344 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Considers the EU ETS and energy efficiency legislation as mutually reinforcing policies and calls for a rapid implementation of the Market Stability Reserve as a useful measure to ensure fulfilment of long term decarbonisation goals well as an adequate carbon price signal to drive energy efficiency investments in the ETS sector;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 347 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
InDecreasing indigenous energy productionenergy imports
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 353 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that a long-term strategy for developing indigenoussustainable renewable energy sources should be further promoted in the EU in full compliance with environmental and sustainability requirements;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 369 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Acknowledges that as long as nuclear power plants and facilities continue to operate there will remain a residual risk, however remote, of a severe accident,
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 374 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Emphasises that it is essential to increase the sustainable participation of European industry and technology in the entire energy production chain, which includes not only raw materials but also generation, transportation and distribution, since these are crucial elements for decreasing the EU's dependence on energy imports; recalls that the EU is almost entirely dependent on uranium deliveries from third countries;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 386 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that any energy source that mighteffectively contributes to energy security in the Union should be taken into account and developed in full compliance with environmental requirements and the EU long-term decarbonisation commitments; considers that subsidies to conventional sources and the non-internalisation of externalities distort the market, therefore calls on the European Commission to ensure a level playing field and to introduce CO2 emissions performance standards alongside energy performance standards for new and existing coal and nuclear power plants to provide a clear investment signal for sustainable investments and the phasing-out of the most polluting and dangerous forms of power generation;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 397 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
19. Considers that nuclear energy, which is carbon-neutral, continues to be a significant alternative for electricity production; notes that the choice of whether to use nuclear energy remains the competence of Member States;deleted
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 415 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. On the basis of the precautionary principle and on the principle that preventive action should be taken, taking into account the risks and the negative climate, environmental and health impacts involved in hydraulic fracturing and the gaps identified in the EU regulatory regime for shale gas activities, urges Member States not to authorise any new hydraulic fracturing operations in the EU;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 431 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
20. Believes that the development of renewable energy sources with the objective of 20 % by 2020 and at least 27 30% by 2030 ias essential, taking into consideration energy costs; stresses the importance of developing smarter energy grids and new energy storage solutions for the integration of renewablesadopted by the European Parliament by 2030 is essential; stresses the importance of developing and promoting smarter energy infrastructure including smarter energy grids, active energy efficiency solutions putting end- users at the centre and new energy storage solutions for the integration of renewables; invites the European Commission and Member States to evaluate existing and novel financial instruments to attract investments in these fields, with a view of integrating renewables more efficiently;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 450 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Recognises the benefits of increasing renewable energy in the heat market, in particular in buildings; Stresses the increased flexibility of thermal infrastructure and storage in facilitating the integration of intermittent renewable sources by storing energy in the form of heat; Reiterates that energy security can be increased by development of district heating/cooling networks which are an ideal means of integrating sustainable heat into cities on a large scale since they can simultaneously deliver heat derived from a range of sources and are not inherently dependent on any one source;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 452 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
20d. Urges the Commission to undertake a clear national break-down of the resulting renewable energy development to foster investor certainty, which must lead to binding and enforceable national commitments in this regard; Recalls the detrimental effect of retroactive changes to incentive mechanisms which have been particularly damaging to the investment climate for renewables during the past three years and should be targeted as a priority;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 457 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission to introduce common standards for smart grids, at the transmission system level since they ensure a stable supply and free flow of energy across borders and contribute to energy security;, and especially at distribution system level to ensure security of supply for local communities, cities and regions.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 468 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that a more decentralised energy system, with power and heat sources being placed closer to the point of usage, reduces transmission and distribution losses, shields consumers from volatile fossil fuel prices, diminishes the risk of attacking vulnerable infrastructure and simultaneously provides business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises; calls on the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to facilitate further development of local renewable energy sources and of local distribution networks, including thermal grids (district heating) networks;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 484 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Developing energy technologiIncreasing the share of renewable energy sources
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 485 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Recalls that the Commission Energy Roadmap 2050 has identified high shares of renewable energy as a pre-requisite for a more sustainable and secure energy system; (This amendment is the first of 7 new paragraphs under the new chapter (subheading) entitled 'Increasing the share of renewable energy sources'.)
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 486 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Calls on the European Commission to ensure the full implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28) and to come forward with a robust governance system including the European Parliament along with effective regulation to allow the attainment of the 2030 renewable energy target;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 487 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)
22d. Considers the development and the increased local use of renewables could significantly diminish energy scarcity, contribute to mitigate climate change, to achieving a decentralized and more democratic model by reshaping power- balance and turning consumers to prosumers, and create new opportunities for wellbeing and employment; therefore calls on the Commission to further promote local and decentralised renewable energy production and distribution based inter alia on the cooperatives business model;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 488 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)
22d. Underlines that regulatory frameworks for renewables are of utmost importance; calls on the Commission to rigorously put in place measures to ensure transparency, consistency and continuity for legal, financial and regulatory frameworks in order to strengthen investor confidence; calls for full compliance with the European Commission Guidance on the design of renewable energy support schemes1 a ; __________________ 1a SWD(2013)439 final
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 489 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 e (new)
22e. Notes that subsidies to conventional sources, the non-internalisation of externalities as well as obsolete and distorted market rules prevent renewable energies from participating in the energy system on a level playing field;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 490 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 f (new)
22f. Urges the European Commission to reallocate part of the Connecting Europe Facility funding via the Juncker Investment Plan from transport to energy, prioritising energy efficiency and renewables, which are part of President Juncker's key priorities.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 491 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 g (new)
22g. Stresses that the EU has a unique window of opportunity for energy transition as traditional power plants become obsolete and the modernization of the whole aging and polluting energy system would require huge investments in the upcoming years, therefore calls on the Commission to mainstream new technologies and foster those investments which use sustainable sources, apply Best Available Technologies and make progress towards a decentralised and intelligent energy system meeting the needs of EU citizens;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 493 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses that effective use of research and technological innovations fosters the leadership of European industry and contributes to the main EU energy policy goals, including reduction of energy demand, security of supply, competitiveness and sustainable development of energy production, transportation and consumption;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 508 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to seek for better interaction and coordination of national and European research programmes among themselves and with the Commission, especially in the fields of energy and, especially in the fields of smart grids' technologies, electricity and heat production based on renewables in housing and energy efficiency in construction, in order to ensure that priority is given to common challenges such as increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 525 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses that the commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions must not undermine the EU EU's transition to resource-efficient economy based on new sustainable energy systems and tecohnomy’s global competitiveness; considers, therelogies is a prerequisite fore, that a complex approach to climate change ande EU's global competitiveness is needed;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 539 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use, for the purposes of increased energy security and the transition to a low-carbon economy, of the possibilities allowed for financgreen, resource-efficient economy, especially via increased energy savings, energy projects through state aid, as well as theefficiency and higher shares of renewables of financial instruments available through the European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund, European Fund for Strategic Investment, Horizon 2020, the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument, and the investment facilities of the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and public and private intermediaries;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 557 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Acknowledges that in order to reduce energy dependence, diversify and consolidate supply options,While it is already possible with existing technologies, to reduce energy dependence, to optimise energy network infrastructure and to increase energy efficiency in the medium and long term, it is necessary to develop new sustainable energy technologies, using funds from the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 576 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
29. Calls for the development of well- integrated and competitive regional electricity and gas markets – including, where necessary, capacity markets –markets covering all parts of the Union; demands that the Commission act decisively against all instances of anti- competitive behaviour and barriers to market entry and exit; calls on the European Commission to create a level playing field for citizens based initiatives;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 585 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Call for European support to the liberalisation of retail energy markets, in particular to more transparent and dynamic and less regulated prices, to the development of new and innovative types of contracts including demand response and distributed renewable energy and to the trade of services within distribution grids;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 588 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 – point a (new)
(a) Believes that the sale of strategic assets in the Union, such as gas trading platforms, would affect the Union's energy strategy;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 589 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Recognises that economic, regulatory and administrative barriers currently prevent consumers to actively participate in the energy system; recognises that a growing share of consumers is involved in producing its own energy and is interested in choosing its energy supplier, modifying behaviour and joining common initiatives such as community renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, therefore calls on the Commission to enable citizens to become prosumers meaning more active actors of the European energy system instead of passive consumers;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 590 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 c (new)
29c. Calls the European Commission to support the adaptation of market rules to allow the integration of distributed and variable renewable energy sources, especially via easy market access for aggregators;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 594 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Believes that one of the most important factors of the completion of a transparent, well-functioning and fully integrated gas and electricity market is the full implementation of the Third Energy Package encompassing additional measures towards the cross-border market integration focussing on intraday and balancing markets;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 610 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
31. Acknowledges that a more integrated energy system could enhance crossborder solidarity during times of external energy supply shocks; calls on the Commission to ensure that energy generation and transmission and distribution, energy demand management, storage as well as system regulation offering regional optimissation opportunities can operate as a functional element of the EU internal market across national borders without undue restrictions;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 624 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the European Council's proposal for a minimum level of electricity interconnection between Member States of 10 % by 2020 and 15 % by 2030 and supports benchmarking projects of common interest focusing on electricity by 2030 to measure completion of this objective;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 636 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. EmphasiStresses that acceleration of the implementation of strategic infrastructure projects is highly necessary, and therefore encourages the Commission to participate more actively in this process;infrastructure includes both energy demand and energy supply investments, and that first priority must be given to investment in energy savings, as the least-cost option
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 645 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Emphasises that acceleration of the implementation of those strategic infrastructure projects that contribute most to medium and long term aspects of energy security are in full compliance with EU long-term decarbonisation commitments and EU environmental legislation; therefore encourages the Commission to strictly follow Connecting Europe Facilities guidelines implying that 'a majority of projects should come from electricity' as well as the current climate funding criteria of the European Investment Bank;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 646 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Regrets that the European Parliament has not been involved in the selection of the strategic infrastructure projects presented in the Commission's communication on energy security 1 a; strongly questions the legal status of these strategic projects; __________________ 1a SWD(2014)330 final
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 653 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
35. Calls for thon the Commission to ensure that only those Projects of Common Interest (PCI) adopted in 2013 to be executed without delayare supported that have obtained all the necessary environmental permits and have strong local acceptance and complement the existing PCIs by focusing on energy savings, improved efficiency and broader use of renewables;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 666 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
36. Stresses the need for regional cooperation to be strengthened throughout the EU, as energy security issues can be resolved more effectively and energy can be produced, managed and consumed more rationally at the local and regional level; notes that the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan, which aims to integrate the countries of the Baltic Sea region into the EU energy infrastructure networks, is an excellent example of regional cooperation;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 677 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Emphasises that energy must be made affordable to all citizens of the EU; considers that avoiding unnecessary consumption, by undertaking efficiency improvements and particularly in buildings and investing in sustainable energy investment, particularly in buildings, would enable many households to escape energy poverty; which affected one in four EU citizens - 124 million people - in 2012 particularly in Eastern- Central and Mediterranean; reminds that energy poverty is likely to be aggravated in the coming years by a renewed rise in energy prices; underlines that expensive fuel subsidies, while providing temporary relief, are an unsustainable solution and that coordinated and ambitious energy efficiency policies and measures for the residential sector are needed immediately, together with information, well-designed, dedicated financial mechanisms and new business models such as ESCOs made available for the most vulnerable groups to help them to reduce their energy use, diversify their energy sources and achieve household level energy autonomy as a strategic, long-term solution to energy poverty;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 685 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Stresses that energy security is strongly linked to geopolitical and security policy issues, and that all energy security measures should be taken in this broader context and should help reduce the EU's dependency from external energy sources.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 693 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses that dependence on one single supplier of energy resources, with the resulting lack of competition, can impede economic growth and endanger security at national and EU level, and that, therefore, all projects for diversifying energy suppliers must be implemented consistentlythat reduce energy demand need to be prioritised over all;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 700 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
39. Stresses that the EU's energy diversification must prioritise those projects that diversify not only routes but also sources and must meet all requirements of EU law; emphasises that the diversification of routes must be directed towards reliable suppliersmust prevent in any case lock in into fossil fuel supply and infrastructure;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 731 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
40. Expresses the opinion that Russia can no longer be considered a reliable partner as it explicitly questions EU law, including at the World Trade Organisation, and uses energy supply for political purposes; stresses, therefore, that more attention should be concentrated on the development andgiven to energy savings first tests before further expansion of the gas supply infrastructure with Norway, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Mediterranean gas hub to prevent any lock in into gas supply;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 748 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
41. Stresses that third-country companies participating in the whole EU energy production chain, which includes raw materials, generation, transportation and distribution, as well as gas storage, must respect all the requirements of the EU legislation, so as to avoid market distortion and safeguard a competitive and transparent internal energy market in the overall interests of energy security; calls the Commission to commit itself to reducing multiple forms of energy dependencies including financial, technology or fuel dependence in the nuclear and fossil sectors, acquisition and ownership of strategic energy infrastructure as well as investments in energy projects by non-reliable third parties in EU;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 757 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
42. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increaselude the European Parliament in their efforts towards the implementation of strategic energy demand and energy supply infrastructure projects; believes the existing infrastructure needs to contribute to regional integration;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 767 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
43. Affirms the overarching principle of solidarity between all Member States; stresses that energy security of energy supply is a matter of collective action and concerns all Member States, despite differing scales of vulnerability to supply shocks; stresses that no Member State shall by its action or inaction jeopardise the security of another Member State or of the EU as a whole i.e. by not transposing the EU legislation in the field of energy efficiency promotion and energy use reduction in the timely and correct manner ;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 772 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
44. Emphasises that the Energy Community cshould be an effective instrument for raising pan-European energy security; stresses that its enforcement mechanism and institutional set-up should be further enhanced in order to strengthen investment stability;transparency, democracy and investment stability; calls the European Commission to take the necessary measures to ensure the list of pieces of legislation to be transposed is complete and includes the Emission Trading System, Air Quality, the Industrial Emission, the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment, the Environmental Liability and the Fuel Quality Directives of the Annex 1 of the 2014 May report of the Energy Community in this regard, believes the Energy Community can be useful for purposes of associating candidate countries and potential candidates with the EU solidarity mechanisms; stresses that this should result in a better consolidated European energy neighbourhood policy;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 777 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45 a. Recognises the value of the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership – E5B, as a multi-donor fund managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to facilitate investments in energy efficiency and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in Eastern European partner countries.
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 781 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 b (new)
45 b. Invites the Commission to make better use of the Neighbourhood Investment Facility and co-finance investments into energy efficiency measures and RES projects;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 789 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
47. Takes the view that the main condition for the creation of the future European Energy Union is the completion of an integrated EU internal energy market, which requires full implementation of the Third Energy Package embracing both energy demand management and energy supply system optimization and the existence of a strong external dimension for an EU energy policy that is based on close coordination of positions and speaking with one voice with third countries;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 811 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
49. Fully agrees with the European Council that a reliable and transparent governance system should be developed to help ensure that the EU meets its energy policy goals, with the necessary flexibility for Member States and on a basis of full respect for their freedom to determine their energy mix; believes that this governance system should be proposed in 2015 and codified in legislation thereby involving the European Parliament well ahead of 2020 to provide clarity to investors in renewables and energy efficiency;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 819 #

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51
51. Stresses that a regular review of the implementation of the European Energy Security Strategy must be ensuredclarity on the legal status of the priority projects annexed to the European Energy Security Strategy as well as a regular review of the implementation of the Strategy must be ensured through the ordinary procedure, and that the annual progress assessment of the Strategy must be carried out having regard to the relevant challenges to energy security; calls on the Commission to submit annual reports on the state of play of the European Energy Security Strategy; to the European Parliament and the Council;
2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE
Amendment 1 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Acknowledges the fact that the Agency has transparent declarations of interest and invites the Agency to continuously review its internal processes and further improve its policies in order to ensure independence and transparency in all work areas of the Agency covering both external and interim staff;
2014/12/12
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 7 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3 a (new)
Prevention and management of conflicts of interests and transparency
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 8 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that the Agency followed the recommendations in the Special Report of the Court on the management of conflict of interests in selected EU agencies and expects the Agency to strictly apply them;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 9 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Notes with concern that the Agency grants registration numbers - the pre- condition for being allowed to continue the manufacture or the placing on the market of a chemical substance - after a simple automated completeness check, however, it does not withdraw registration numbers even when manifest and persistent non-compliance of registration dossiers has been found;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Notes with concern the high level of non-compliant registration dossiers and that the Agency refrains from naming and shaming non-compliant companies;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes the Agency's discussion platform with non-governmental organizations as a useful forum to discuss topical issues of interest for civil society;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Notes the actions taken in order to improve communication between the Agency and its beneficiaries; observes in this regard the development of IT tools such as Frequently Asked Questions or technical guidance and the publication of a roadmap in the run-up to the registration deadline, as well as support for national help-desks; considers that Agency should reach out more to downstream users;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes with concern that the Commission has stopped following up on the Agency's recommendations on substitution of substances of very high concern in 2013 in the context of authorisation pursuant to REACH; is concerned that this unilateral moratorium not only undermines one of the pillars of REACH, but also jeopardizes the building up of proper staff competences in the Agency;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 14 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Notes the introduction ofwith concern the way the Agency applies the authorisation process as part of the REACH Regulation, with a focus above all on providing help to companies to obtain an authorisation for the use of substances of very high concern rather than help companies at least to the same extent in order to stimulate the substitution of the most hazardous chemicals and innovation by swapping them for safer alternatives;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2014/2116(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Notes with concern that the Agency does not properly assess confidentiality claims in the context of authorisation applications;
2015/03/05
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants the Executive Director of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013 / Postpones its decision on granting the Executive Director of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2013;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 6 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Proposal for a decision 2
Paragraph 2
2. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union for the financial year 2013 / Postpones the closure of the accounts of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union for the financial year 2013;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. RegretsIs deeply concerned that for two consecutive years, the Court found no reasonable assurances on the legality and regularity of the Agency’s transactions; considers that the situation will not be solved without new effort from the Agency; urges therefore the Agency to take new and additional measures to tackle this situation; notes that in order to verify the expenditure claimed by the cooperating countries, the Agency performed the reasonablenessinsufficient checks prior to payment for joint return operations and joint land/sea/air operations; points outis concerned that for the grant agreements signed before June 2013 the Agency did not usually request documentation supporting the cooperating countries’ entitlements;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 12 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. NotesPoints out that the majority of 2013 transactions resulted from grant agreements signed before June 2013; notes furthermoreis deeply concerned that 2013 grant transactions were not subject to any ex post controls ¸ as only the grants relating to transactions from previous years are subject to such controls; ask therefore to the Agency to report to the discharge authorities on the state of play of the 2013 ex post controls before granting the discharge to the Agency;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 13 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes fromIs concerned that according to the Court’s report that the suppliers’ statements at year-end were reconciled with considerable difficulty; points out the need for monitoring supplier balances more regularly and to analyse differences in a more timely manner;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes thatIs concerned that EUR 32 million or 35 % of committed appropriations in 2013 were carried over to 2014; acknowledges from the Court’s report that the multiannual nature of the Agency’s operations and the heightened risk of unexpected events represent a particular challenge in respect of annual budget planning and implementation and that late amending budgets remain beyond the Agency’s control; points out, however, that there is still scope for improving budget monitoring to help reduce the level of carry-overs; notes fromasks to the Agency’s that it will take to take swift actions aimed at improving control over the financing of its operational multiannual activities;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2014/2113(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that, although the Agency became operational in 2005 it has to date worked on the basis of correspondence and exchanges with the host Member State and that a comprehensive headquarters agreement between the Agency and the Member State has not been signed; agrees therefore with the Court of Auditors that such an agreement would further promote transparency in respect of the conditions under which the Agency and its staff operate;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 2 #

2014/2109(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Regrets the fact that the Centre lacks a comprehensive policy on the management of conflicts of interests and invites the Centre to map its processes to identify its degree of exposure with a view to strengthening or supplementing its policy on the management and prevention of conflicts of interests;
2014/12/12
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 5 #

2014/2108(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
7. Encourages the Authority to continue paying special attention to the public opinion and to commit itself as much as possible to an openness and transparency; welcomes, in this respect, the implementing rules for its Policy on Independence and Scientific Decision- Making Processes as adopted by the Authority's Management Board in December 2011; welcomes in this context the set of internal mechanisms and improved presentation and accessibility of information and documents on the Authority's homepage; invites the Authority to further strengthen its policy on the management and prevention of conflicts of interests in order to safeguard independence and transparency in all work areas of the Authority covering both external and interim staff;
2014/12/12
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 7 #

2014/2108(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Notes from the Authority that following the consultation with key partners in 2014 it has clarified and partially reviewed its implementing rules regarding the Policy on Independence concerning declarations of interests; observes that the revised procedure for screening of annual, special and oral declarations of interests of the members of the Authority’s Scientific Committee, Scientific Panels and Working Groups introduced the criteria on which the screening is based, as well as the role of the screening officer, who has to immediately report any possible conflict of interests to his or her reporting officer;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 10 #

2014/2108(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Strongly regrets that the main loopholes in the Authority's implementing rules have not been closed despite this review, in particular the fact that the assessment of scientists' interests is performed in reference to the mandate of the panel at stake instead of the Authority's remit - whereas the latter is used as the scope for the declaration of these interests;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 11 #

2014/2108(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Notes with concern the recent European Ombudsman's ruling concluding that "EFSA should revise its conflict of interest rules, and the related instructions and forms it uses for declarations of interests" to "ensure that those experts who work in academia declare all relevant information to EFSA"; calls on the Authority to have scientists on its panels and working groups disclose the financial arrangements between the departments of the universities they work for and commercial companies when those are in the Authority's remit;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 16 #

2014/2108(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
11. Notes from the Authority that for employment it applies a two-year cooling- off period on a risk based approach for experts being employed by the food industry, not for all other forms of collaboration with companies in the Authority's remit; reiterates its call that the Authority should apply a two-year cooling-off period to all material interests related to the commercial agrifood sector, including research funding, consultancy contracts and decision-making positions in industry-captured organisations; calls on the Authority to inform the discharge authority of the results of the ongoing impact assessment on the introduction of further cooling-off periods, which will take place in the framework of the forthcoming policy review starting in 2015; demands that this impact assessment uses as first indicator the Authority's independence from the economic sectors it regulates;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 19 #

2014/2108(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Congratulates the Authority for adopting the reproducibility of its scientific opinions as a policy objective within its Transparency Initiative, and encourages it to deliver on these very important commitments, in particular providing full and pro-active access to the dataset used for these scientific opinions;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 3 #

2014/2102(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates the important role of the Agency in protecting and promoting public and animal health by assessing and supervising medicines for human or veterinary use; welcomes the annual declarations and the policy on the handling of conflict of interests, last updated and endorsed by the Management Board in March 2012, and invites the Agency to further strengthen its policy on the management and handling of conflicts of interests in order to ensure independence and transparency in all work areas of the Agency;
2014/12/12
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 9 #

2014/2102(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Acknowledges from the Agency that the transparency criteria for partner, patient, healthcare and consumer organisations has been revised during 2014 in order to increase the transparency of funding; notes the adoption of the document with detailed criteria regarding the evaluation of financial information from patients, consumers and healthcare professionals organisations; notes furthermore that this document is used for assessing the organisations’ eligibility to participate in the dialogue with the Agency; recalls that the document also states that the organisations have to declare any conflict of interests at the start of the meetings through which the dialogue is commenced; notes with regret the reduction of cool-off periods from 5 to 3 years; furthermore, notes with regret that the arbitrary distinction between direct and indirect conflicts of interest has been kept;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 15 #

2014/2102(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Notes with regret the Agency's understanding of what constitutes commercial confidential information (CCI) is far too broad and includes companies to redact key data about the trial design, methods, and calls on the Agency to properly implement the provisions of the Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 especially with regard to clinical trial data not to be considered CCI;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 17 #

2014/2102(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8 e. Calls on the Agency to publish on its website detailed reports of the scientific advice provided by the Agency to pharmaceutical companies during the drug development and pre-registration process at the time of trial authorization and in any case not later than 12 months after the end of the trial; notes that advice provided by regulators to companies on drug development and pre-registration plans cannot be considered commercially confidential information since there is an overriding public interest in disclosure;
2015/03/06
Committee: CONT
Amendment 4 #

2014/2099(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the fact that the Agency has in place a comprehensive policy on the management and prevention of conflict of interest and encourages the Agency to continue working along the lines of this policy in order to safeguard independence and transparency of decision making and all activities carried out by the Agency including the selection of the Members of the Scientific Committee;
2014/12/12
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 46 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Underlines the need and value of informing visitor groups prior to booking of sustainable means of transport to the European Parliament; recommends to introduce different rates of reimbursement according to the chosen means of transport and their emission intensity;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 72 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42a. asks the DG Personnel and responsible services to actively promote women for high level positions in the Parliament" or "to assess reasons" for the lack of parity and to subsequently propose measures to facilitate women's integration in high-level positions in the EP administration;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 88 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
44. Expresses concern that the number of local assistants employed per Member varied greatly between zero and 43 in 2013; asks for the enhancement of recruitment procedures of local assistants; asks for thorough inquiry of extreme cases in order to prevent the misuse of EP Budget;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 90 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
46. Takes note that in its three places of work, Parliament occupies 1,1 million m2 and owns 81 % of this surface area; deems it of the utmost importance to establish proper guidelinmeasures to ensure the sustainability of Parliament's budgetildings against increased costs from ageing buildingmaintenance costs;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 94 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 a (new)
Services provided for Members (subtitle) 52a. Calls on the Parliament to make accessible to the public on the homepage of the Members of the European Parliament the name of the service providers and the services provided to the Member next to the data on the Accredited Parliamentary Assistants and the Local Assistants;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 95 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 b (new)
52b. Notes that the services which are provided to the Member of Parliament are not considered as services provided to the European Parliament, as an international organisation and are therefore not eligible for exemption from VAT; reminds that there are considerable differences in VAT rates applied in the Member States, which results inequality in the use of the secretarial assistance allowance for services provided in the own country of the Members of the European Parliament; calls on the Parliamentary services to resolve that inequality;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 100 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
58. Is aware of Parliament’s 'New World of Work' concept the EMAS accreditation and process and the paperless programme including e-Committee and e- Meeting applications; calls for enchantment of this programme with available applications for smartphones and tablets;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 101 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
60. Takes note that greenhouse gas emissions from Parliament’s staff travel between Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg have dropped by 34 % in 2012 compared to 2006; calls on the administration to ensure complete transparency and to also account for emissions caused by Members travelling from their home countries to Brussels and Strasbourg; welcomes measures to offset those emissions that cannot be reduced and are unavoidable, recommends further offsetting policies to be implemented with projects according to the UN recognised CDM gold standard;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 105 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
61. Calls on the Secretary-General to design a plan to reduce the number of trunks available for parliamentary travels; suggests that smaller trunks be used or aa "canteen on demand system" or a "canteen shareding system be implement" should be introduced, thus reducing its cost in financial and carbon footprint terms;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 106 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 a (new)
61a. Calls on the responsible services to develop a sustainable and coherent concept to fully use budget line 239 for CO2 offsetting up to the maximum amount, in order to offset unavoidable CO2 emissions of the institution with projects according to the UN recognised CDM gold standard;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 109 #

2014/2078(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62 a (new)
62a. Highlights in this context the need to implement the concept of Green Public Procurement for all contracts and call for tenders; Calls for escalating and ambitious binding targets for green contracts, notably in the areas of Food and Catering, Vehicles and Transport, Sanitary and Water Equipment, Paper, Waste Management, IT and Imaging Equipment, Lighting, Cleaning, and Furniture;
2015/03/09
Committee: CONT
Amendment 162 #

2010/0208(COD)

Council position
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point -1 (new)
Directive 2001/18/EC
Article 26a– paragraph 1
(-1) Article 26 a (1) is replaced by the following: 1. Member States mayshall take appropriate measures to avoid the unintended presence of GMOs in other products on their territory and in the border areas of neighbouring Member States. In order to avoid conflicting measures of neighbouring countries, the Commission shall elaborate minimum Union-level requirements on preventing cross-border contaminations.
2014/10/20
Committee: ENVI
Amendment 288 #

2010/0208(COD)

Council position
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Directive 2001/18/EC
Article 26 b a (new)
Article 26ba Liability requirements and financial guarantees Member States shall establish a general mandatory system of financial liability and financial guarantees in their national GMO laws, which applies to all operators and which ensures that the polluter pays for unintended effects or damage that might occur due to the deliberate release or the placing on the market of GMOs. The Commission shall establish a mandatory EU-level financial guarantee fund built up from contributions of all the companies introducing GMO products to the European market in order to cover supplementary unintended costs of cross- border contamination cases.
2014/10/20
Committee: ENVI