25 Amendments of Henna VIRKKUNEN related to 2020/0260(NLE)
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) The public-private partnership in the form of the Joint Undertaking should combine the financial and technical means that are essential to master the complexity of the ever escalating pace of innovation in this area, while ensuring that JU's functioning remains simple and flexible. Therefore, the members of the Joint Undertaking should be the Union, Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme or the Connecting Europe Facility agreeing on a joint European initiative in High Performance Computing and quantum computing; and associations representing their constituent entities and other organisations with an explicit and active engagement to produce research and innovation results, to develop and deploy high performance computing or quantum computing capabilities, or contributing to address the skills gap and keep the know- how in the field of High Performance Computing and quantum computing in Europe. The Joint Undertaking should be open to new members. The Joint Undertaking should provide a favourable framework to support Participating States. In order to maximise the impact of indirect actions, the specificities of the EuroHPC JU, with its tripartite model, should be taken into consideration with regards to the management of financial contributions from Participating States.
Amendment 132 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) The Joint Undertaking should address clearly defined topics that would enable academia and European industries at large to design, develop and use the most innovative technologies in High Performance Computing and quantum computing, and to establish an integrated and federated, secure networked infrastructure across the Union with world- class High Performance Computing and quantum computing capability, high-speed connectivity and leading-edge applications and data and software services for its scientists and for other lead users from industry, including SMEs and the public sector. The Joint Uundertaking should aim be able to work in an agile, simple and flexible manner, in order to ensure that the development and use of top class technologies and infrastructures, addressing the demanding requirements of European scientific, industrial and public sector users. The Joint Undertaking should have in place a set of clear and simple rules, in particular for intellectual property, liability or in-kind contributions to additional activities, in order to enhance attractiveness for all stakeholders and in particular for industry and SMEs.
Amendment 165 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 42 a (new)
Recital 42 a (new)
(42 a) The Joint undertaking should address the growing demand for energy caused by the increased use of HPC infrastructure, by streamlining the EuroHPC JU’s objectives with relevant strategies, policy and legislation in the energy sector.
Amendment 174 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 49
Recital 49
(49) The Union's financial contribution should be managed in accordance with the principle of sound financial management and administrative simplification and with the relevant rules on indirect management set out in Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046. Rules applicable for the Joint Undertaking to enter into public procurement procedures should be set in its financial rules.
Amendment 177 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 56
Recital 56
(56) The financial interests of the Union and of the other members of the Joint Undertaking should be protected by proportionate and simple measures throughout the expenditure cycle, including the prevention, detection and investigation of irregularities, the recovery of lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used funds and, where appropriate, the application of administrative and financial penalties in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046.
Amendment 178 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 57
Recital 57
(57) The Joint Undertaking should operate in an simple, flexible, open and transparent way providing all relevant information in a timely manner as well as promoting its activities, including information and dissemination activities, to the wider public. The rules of procedure of the bodies of the Joint Undertaking should be made publicly available.
Amendment 179 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 58
Recital 58
(58) For the purpose of simplification, the administrative burden should be reduced for all parties. Double audits and disproportionate amounts of documentation and reporting should be avoided. The Joint Undertaking should provide a favourable framework to support Participating States. In order to maximise the impact of indirect actions, the specificities of the EuroHPC JU, with its tripartite model, should be taken into consideration with regards to the management of financial contributions from Participating States.
Amendment 180 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 58
Recital 58
(58) For the purpose of simplification, the administrative burden should be reduced for all parties in particular for the beneficiaries and the Joint Undertaking. Double audits and disproportionate amounts of documentation and reporting should be avoided.
Amendment 181 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 61
Recital 61
(61) The Commission’s internal auditor should exercise the same powers over the Joint Undertaking as those exercised in respect of the Commission, while avoiding to increase administrative burden over the Joint Undertaking and its beneficiaries.
Amendment 182 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 62
Recital 62
(62) The Commission, the Joint Undertaking, the Court of Auditors and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) should get access to all necessary information and the premises to conduct audits and investigations on the grants, contracts and agreements signed by the Joint Undertaking, while seeking maximum administrative simplification for the beneficiaries and a decrease of their administrative burden.
Amendment 222 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3
Article 3 – paragraph 3
(3) The Joint Undertaking shall contribute to safeguarding the interests of the Union when procuring supercomputers and supporting the development of High Performance Computing technologies, systems and applications. It shall enable a co-design approach for the acquisition of world-class supercomputers, while safeguarding the security of the supply chain of procured technologies and systems and ensure the highest standards of cybersecurity applicable to supercomputers. It shall contribute to the Union’s technological autonomy by supporting the development of technologies and applications reinforcing the European HPC technology supply chain and promoting their integration in supercomputing systems that address a large number of societal and industrial needs.
Amendment 224 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 3 a (new)
(3 a) The Joint Undertaking shall implement its mission and objectives in a clear, simple and flexible way in order to increase attractiveness towards industry, SMEs and all relevant stakeholders.
Amendment 227 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) Infrastructure pillar, encompassing the activities for the acquisition, upgrades, deployment, and operation of the secure, hyper-connected world-class supercomputing, quantum computing and data infrastructure, including the promotion of the uptake and systematic use of research and innovation results generated in the Union.
Amendment 239 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iii a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d – point iii a (new)
iii a) research and innovation activities for the technological development of low- power supercomputing hardware systems and the development of the next generation of chip technology.
Amendment 261 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 7
Article 5 – paragraph 7
(7) The Union's financial contribution referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1 shall be used for capability building across the whole Union, including the acquisition, upgrades and operation of High Performance Computers, quantum computers or quantum simulators, the federation of the High Performance Computing and quantum computing service and data infrastructure and the widening of its use, and the development of advanced skills and training.
Amendment 264 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 1 a (new)
(1 a) The Joint Undertaking shall provide a favourable framework to support Participating States. In order to maximise the impact of the indirect actions, the specificities of the EuroHPC JU, with its tripartite model, shall be taken into consideration with regards to the management of financial contributions from Participating States.
Amendment 298 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 6
Article 18 – paragraph 6
(6) The staff resources shall be set out in the staff establishment plan of the Joint Undertaking and shall adequately reflect the numbers and grades needed to ensure the highest standards of recruitments in the field, indicating the number of temporary posts by function group and by grade, as well as by the number of contract staff expressed in full-time equivalents, in accordance with its annual budget.
Amendment 300 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1
Article 22 – paragraph 1
(1) The activities of the Joint Undertaking shall be subject to continuous monitoring and periodic reviews in accordance with its financial rules, to ensure the highest impact and excellence, as well as the most efficient use of resources. Such monitoring and reviews shall not cause additional administrative burden neither to the Joint Undertaking nor to its beneficiaries. The outcomes of monitoring and periodic reviews shall feed into the evaluations of the Joint Undertaking as part of Horizon Europe evaluations.
Amendment 301 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 3
Article 22 – paragraph 3
(3) Evaluations of the Joint Undertakings’ operations shall be carried out in a timely manner and without increasing the administrative burden neither for the Joint Undertakings nor for its beneficiaries, to feed into the overall interim and final evaluations of Horizon Europe and the related decision- making process as specified in Article 47 of Regulation (EU) No xxx establishing Horizon Europe.
Amendment 304 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 4
Article 22 – paragraph 4
(4) The Commission shall carry out an interim evaluation of each Joint Undertaking as part of the Horizon Europe interim evaluation, as specified in Article 47 of Regulation (EU) No xxx establishing Horizon Europe, and without causing additional administrative burden for the Joint Undertaking. This evaluation shall be performed with the assistance of independent experts on the basis of a transparent process once there is sufficient information available about the implementation of Horizon Europe, but no later than four years after the start of Horizon Europe implementation. The evaluations shall examine how the Joint Undertaking fulfils its mission according to its economic, technological, scientific, societal and policy objectives, including climate-related objectives, and evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and Union added value of its activities as part of Horizon Europe, its synergies and complementarities with relevant European, national and, where relevant, regional initiatives, including synergies with other parts of Horizon Europe (such as missions, clusters or thematic/specific programmes). Impacts achieved at Union and national level, taking into account the component of synergies and policy retrofitting will be given particular attention. The evaluations shall, where relevant, also include an assessment of the long-term scientific, societal, economic and policy-relevant impact of the Joint Undertaking and shall include an assessment of the most effective policy intervention mode for any future action, as well as the positioning of any possible renewal of the Joint Undertaking in the overall European Partnerships landscape and its policy priorities.
Amendment 308 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 6
Article 22 – paragraph 6
(6) TWithout causing additional administrative burden to the Joint Undertaking, the Commission may carry out further evaluations of themes or topics of strategic relevance, with the assistance of external independent experts selected on the basis of a transparent process, to examine the progress made by the Joint Undertaking towards the objectives set, identify the factors contributing to the implementation of the activities and identify best practices. By carrying out those further evaluations, the Commission shall fully consider the administrative impact on the Joint Undertaking.
Amendment 309 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 7
Article 22 – paragraph 7
(7) The Joint Undertaking shall perform periodic reviews of its activities with the minimum burden for the beneficiaries to inform the interim and final evaluations of the Joint Undertaking as part of Horizon Europe evaluations referred to in Article 47 of Regulation (EU) No xxx establishing Horizon Europe.
Amendment 310 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1
Article 25 – paragraph 1
(1) Ex-post audits of expenditure on actions funded by the Horizon Europe budget shall be carried out without increasing administrative burden neither for the Joint Undertaking nor for its beneficiaries in accordance with in accordance with Article 48 of Regulation (EU) No xxx establishing Horizon Europe as part of the Horizon Europe indirect actions, in particular in line with the audit strategy referred to in Article 48(2) of that Regulation.
Amendment 311 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 2
Article 25 – paragraph 2
(2) Ex-post audits of expenditure on activities funded by the Digital Europe budget shall be carried out by the Joint Undertaking in accordance with Article xxx of Regulation (EU) No xxx establishing Digital Europe Programme, without increasing administrative burden neither for the Joint Undertaking nor for its beneficiaries.
Amendment 312 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 3
Article 25 – paragraph 3
(3) Ex-post audits of expenditure on activities funded by the Connecting Europe Facility budget shall be carried out by the Joint Undertaking in accordance with Article xxx of Regulation (EU) No xxx establishing Connecting Europe Facility as part of the Connecting Europe Facility actions, without increasing administrative burden neither for the Joint Undertaking nor for its beneficiaries.