Activities of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2023/0200(COD)
Plenary speeches (2)
Establishing the Ukraine Facility (debate)
Multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 - Establishing the Ukraine Facility - Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (joint debate - multiannual financial framework revision)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the Ukraine Facility
Amendments (32)
Amendment 81 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10 a (new)
Recital 10 a (new)
(10a) The emphasis on loans, concerning the financial assistance to Ukraine, should not undermine the long term sustainability of Ukraine’s public debt. A reappraisal of the dynamics of the Ukrainian public debt and the need to reduce it as a percentage of Ukraine’s GDP should take place in 2026, ahead of the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the necessary financing arrangements.
Amendment 114 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24 a (new)
Recital 24 a (new)
(24a) Given the importance of Ukraine for the future of the European Union, the European Parliament should open a Liaison Office in Kyiv to directly follow the course of Russia’s war of aggression, the institutional evolution of Ukraine, the country’s financial and military needs and to inform MEPs and political Groups as well as European public opinion on major developments and the ways that the European Union could respond.
Amendment 119 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) A European State which has applied to join the Union can become a member of the Union only where it has been confirmed that it fully meets the accession criteria established at the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993 (the ‘Copenhagen criteria’) and provided that the Union has the capacity to integrate the new member. The Copenhagen criteria relate to the stability of institutions which guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities, the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union, and the ability to assume not only the rights but also the obligations under the Treaties, including the pursuit of the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
Amendment 122 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 29
Recital 29
(29) It is in the common interest of the Union and Ukraine to advance the efforts of Ukraine to reform its political, legal and economic systems with a view to Union membership. Considering Ukraine as candidate to accessionGranting EU candidate status to Ukraine is a strategic investment of the Union in peace, security, stability and prosperity in Europe and allows the Union to be better positioned to address global challenges. It also provides increased economic and trade opportunities to the mutual benefit of the Union and Ukraine, while supporting a gradual transformation of the country. The prospect of Union membership has a powerful transformative effect, embedding positive democratic, political, economic and societal change.
Amendment 130 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 31
Recital 31
(31) Reconstruction from the damage caused by the war of Russian aggression cannot be limited to rebuilding what was destroyed as it was before the war. The reconstruction offers an opportunity to support Ukraine in its process of integration into the Single Market and in accelerating its sustainable green and digital transitions, in line with Union policies. The Facility should promote reconstruction in a way that modernises and improves Ukraine’s economy and society, building on Union rules and standards, by investing in the transition of Ukraine towards a green, digital and inclusive economy and in the recovery, reconstruction and, modernisation and protection of its critical infrastructure, productive capacity and human capital in a resilient way, taking into account the growing cybersecurity risks and an overall complex threat landscape.
Amendment 144 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 35
Recital 35
(35) Strengthening the rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, money laundering and organised crime, as well as transparency, good governance at all levels, safeguarding the free and pluralistic media, ensuring safe and enabling operating space for human rights defenders and civil society organisations, and fighting disinformation, strengthening public administration reform, including in the fields of public procurement, competition and State aid, remain key challenges and are essential for Ukraine to come closer to the Union and to prepare to fully assume the obligations of Union membership. In view of the longer- term nature of the reforms pursued in those areas and the need to build up track records, support under the Ukraine Facility should address those issues as early as possible.
Amendment 145 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 35
Recital 35
(35) Strengthening the rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, money laundering and organised crime, as well as transparency, good governance at all levels, safeguarding the free and pluralistic media and fighting disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference, strengthening public administration reform, including in the fields of public procurement, competition and State aid, remain key challenges and are essential for Ukraine to come closer to the Union and to prepare to fully assume the obligations of Union membership. In view of the longer- term nature of the reforms pursued in those areas and the need to build up track records, support under the Ukraine Facility should address those issues as early as possible.
Amendment 150 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
Recital 38
(38) Actions under the Ukraine Facility should also support, where appropriate, confidence-building measures and processes that promote justice, truth- seeking, reparations and guarantees of non- recurrence as well as collection of evidence of crimes committed during the war and support for victims of war to help them recover from trauma.
Amendment 154 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39
Recital 39
(39) The support under the Facility should be made available under the precondition that Ukraine continues to respect effective democratic mechanisms and institutions, including a multi-party parliamentary system, and the rule of law, and to guarantee respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities and to work towards increased women's participation in decision- making.
Amendment 162 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 42
Recital 42
(42) In line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Facility should support solidarity, integration, and social justice with the aim of creating and sustaining quality employment and sustainable growth, ensuring equality of, and access to, opportunities and social protection, protecting vulnerable groups and improving living standards. The Facility should support a comprehensive reform of the child protection and care system, including through the transition from institutional to family and community- based care for all children. The Facility should also contribute to fighting poverty and tackling unemployment and lead to quality job creation, the inclusion and integration of disadvantaged groups. The Facility should provide for investment opportunities in skills including through vocational education and training aiming to prepare the workforce to the digital and green transitions. It should also enable the strengthening of social dialogue, infrastructure and services.
Amendment 166 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 42
Recital 42
(42) In line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Facility should support solidarity, integration, and social justice with the aim of creating and sustaining quality employment and sustainable growth, ensuring equality of, and access to, opportunities and social protection, protecting vulnerable groups, in particular, women and youth and improving living standards. The Facility should also contribute to fighting poverty and tackling unemployment and lead to quality job creation, the inclusion and integration of disadvantaged groups. The Facility should provide for investment opportunities in skills including through vocational education and training aiming to prepare the workforce to the digital and green transitions. It should also enable the strengthening of social dialogue, infrastructure and services.
Amendment 179 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 47
Recital 47
(47) The overall maximumplanned amount for the Union support to the Facility should be EUR 50 billion in current prices for the period from 2024 to 2027, for all types of support. In light of the evolving circumstances and of the objectives of the Facility itself, the Union support needs to provide a balance between flexibility and programmability.
Amendment 181 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 48
Recital 48
(48) As for the Union support, other than in the form of loans, this Regulation should be financed by and in accordance with the Ukraine Reserve, as proposed in the amendment to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/209317 , up toat least EUR 50 billion for the period 2024 to 2027. Such maximum amount does not constitute the prime reference amount, within the meaning of point 18 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources, for the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budgetary procedure. _________________ 17 COM(2023)337 final.
Amendment 193 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 66
Recital 66
(66) Ukraine should prepare the Plan as a coherent, comprehensive and adequately balanced response to rebuilding and modernising Ukraine, supporting its economic, social and environmental recovery and its progress towards accession to the Union. In view of the increasing risks coming from economic dependencies, the Plan should minimise the exposure to high-risk suppliers of critical products from countries designated as strategic rivals of the Union, in particular whenever a country engages in economic espionage or economic coercion and its legislation obliges arbitrary access to any kind of company operations or data, especially when the critical products are intended for the use by critical entities. As such, the Ukraine Plan would also provide a basis for other donors to identify the priority funding areas for the reconstruction of Ukraine and foster ownership, coherence and additional contributions to that end. For that purpose, Ukraine should ensure that the Plan as prepared covers its recovery, reconstruction and modernisation needs in an integrated manner, identifying to what extent the measures of the Plan are expected to be financed by the Union through the Facility. In preparing the Plan, Ukraine should take into account support provided under other Union programmes. Ukraine should develop its Plan ensuring that other donors are able to contribute to supporting the measures of the Plan, including by increasing the funding available under the Facility.
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 81
Recital 81
(81) Transparency in the implementation of the Facility is an important requirement of Union support. Ukraine should publish twice a year data on persons and entities receiving amounts of funding exceeding the equivalent of EUR 5100 000 for the implementation of reforms and investments specified in the Ukraine Plan. The information should not be published where disclosure risks threatening the rights and freedoms of the persons or entities concerned or seriously harming the commercial interests of the recipients. The framework agreement should include precise rules and a timeframe on the collection of data by Ukraine and the access for the Commission and OLAF, including as regards the format of the information.
Amendment 239 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 91
Recital 91
(91) The Commission should ensure that the financial interests of the Union are effectively protected under the Facility. To this end, an independent Audit Board should be set up to provide the Commission with information on possible mismanagement of funds. Such information should be made available to OLAF and where appropriate to the relevant Ukrainian authorities. The Commission, with the assistance of the Union delegation, should be entitled to perform regular checks on how Ukraine implements funds along the whole project life cycle. The Audit Board should ensure regular dialogue and cooperation with the European Court of Auditors.
Amendment 246 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 95
Recital 95
(95) The communication capacities of Ukraine should be enhanced in order to ensure existence of strong and free pluralistic media and public support for and understanding of Union values and the benefits and obligations of potential Union membership, while addressing disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference. Visibility of the Union funding should also be ensured.
Amendment 257 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) address the social, economic and environmental consequences of the warRussia's war of aggression, thereby contributing to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of the country, including the post-war recovery of Ukrainian society;
Amendment 269 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) rebuild and modernise infrastructure damaged by the war, such as energy infrastructure, water systems, internal and cross-border transport networks including rail, roads and bridges and border crossing points, and foster modern, improved and resilient infrastructures, equip digital and other critical infrastructures with state-of-the- art and highly-secure tools, excluding high-risk suppliers of critical products; restore food production capacities; help address social challenges stemming from the war, including for specific groups such as war veterans, Internally Displaced Persons, single parents, disabled people, minorities and other vulnerable persons; contribute to the demining effort; strengthen cyber security and defence as well as resilience against disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference;
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) rebuild and modernise infrastructure damaged by the war, such as energy infrastructure, water systems, internal and cross-border transport networks including rail, roads and bridges and border crossing points, and foster modern, improved and resilient infrastructures; restore food production capacities; help address social challenges stemming from the war, including for specific groups such as war veterans, victims of war, Internally Displaced Persons, single parents, children without parental care including children in or from institutions, disabled people, minorities and other vulnerable persons; contribute to the demining effort;
Amendment 277 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) rebuild and modernise infrastructure damaged by the war, such as energy infrastructure, water systems, internal and cross-border transport networks including rail, roads and bridges and border crossing points, and foster modern, improved and resilient infrastructures; restore food production capacities; help address social challenges stemming from the war, including for specific groups such as young people, war veterans, Internally Displaced Persons, single parents, disabled people, minorities and other vulnerable persons; contribute to the demining effort;
Amendment 282 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point c
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) foster the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy and a stable investment environment; support the integration of Ukraine into the Single Market; repair, rebuild and improve social infrastructure, such as housing, healthcare facilities, schools and higher education institutions, and research infrastructure;physical culture and sports facilities and research infrastructure; repair, restoration and improvement of sports and sports-rehabilitation infrastructure, youth infrastructure, strengthen economic and social development, with particular attention to women and youth, including through quality education, training, reskilling and upskilling, and employment policies, including for researchers; support culture and cultural heritage; strengthen strategic economic sectors and support investment and private sector development, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovation, as well as on agriculture and rural development, aquaculture and fisheries; restructure Ukraine’s financial markets, including banking sector and capital markets; increase domestic revenue mobilisation; strengthen Ukraine’s ability to trade;
Amendment 288 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point d
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) further strengthen the rule of law, democracy, the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through promoting an independent judiciary, reinforced security, the fight against fraud, corruption, organised crime, illicit firearms trafficking and money laundering, tax evasion and tax fraud; compliance with international law; strengthen freedom of media and academic freedom and an enabling environment for civil society; foster social dialogue; promote non- discrimination and tolerance, to ensure and strengthen respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities and the promotion of gender equality; reinforce the effectiveness of public administration and support transparency, structural reforms and good governance at all levels, including in the areas of public financial management and public procurement and State aid; support initiatives and bodie, bodies and organisations involved in supporting and enforcing democracy, international justice and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine;
Amendment 289 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point d
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) further strengthen the rule of law, democracy, the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through promoting an independent judiciary, reinforced security, the fight against fraud, corruption, organised crime and money laundering, tax evasion and tax fraud; compliance with international law; strengthen freedom of media and academic freedom and an enabling environment for civil society; foster social dialogue; promote non-discrimination and tolerance, to ensure and strengthen respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities and the promotion of gender equality; promote the rights of children and the rights of persons with disabilities; reinforce the effectiveness of public administration and support transparency, structural reforms and good governance at all levels, including in the areas of public financial management and public procurement and State aid; support initiatives and bodies involved in supporting and enforcing international justice in Ukraine;
Amendment 293 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point d
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) further strengthen the rule of law, democracy, the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through promoting an independent judiciary, reinforced security, the fight against fraud, corruption, organised crime and money laundering, tax evasion and tax fraud; compliance with international law; strengthen freedom of media and academic freedom and an enabling environment for civil society; foster social dialogue; promotion of youth participation; promote non-discrimination and tolerance, to ensure and strengthen respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities and the promotion of gender equality; reinforce the effectiveness of public administration and support transparency, structural reforms and good governance at all levels, including in the areas of public financial management and public procurement and State aid; support initiatives and bodies involved in supporting and enforcing international justice in Ukraine;
Amendment 309 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Article 4 – paragraph 4
4. Activities under the Facility shall mainstream climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental protection, human rights, democracy, gender equality and, where relevant, disaster risk reduction and nuclear safety, and shall support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting integrated actions that can create co-benefits and meet multiple objectives in a coherent way. They should avoid stranded assets, and shall be guided by the principles of ‘do no harm’ and of ‘leaving no one behind’, as well as by the sustainability mainstreaming approach underpinning the European Green Deal.
Amendment 322 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
1. A precondition for the support to Ukraine under the Facility shall be that Ukraine continues to uphold and respect effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, and the rule of law, and to guarantee respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities and to work towards increased women's participation in decision- making.
Amendment 365 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 7 – point b
Article 11 – paragraph 7 – point b
(b) where the action or specific award procedures affect security or public order, in particular concerning strategic assets and interests of the Union, its Member States, or Ukraine, including the protection of the integrity of digital infrastructure, communication and information systems, and related supply chains, especially where there is a risk of influence by governments of states classified as systemic rivals of the Union.
Amendment 388 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 2 – point e
Article 16 – paragraph 2 – point e
(e) an explanation of how the Plan corresponds to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation needs stemming from the war in Ukraine’s regions and municipalities, and thereby enhances their economic, social, environmental and territorial development, supports the decentralisation reform across Ukraine and convergence towards the Union’s standards; an explanation of the methodology and processes used for the selection and implementation of projects, and the mechanisms to involve sub- national authorities, in particular municipalities, as well as civil society organisations, in decision-making on the use of support in the reconstruction process at local level; the methodology used to track related expenditure; and an explanation of how the Plan ensures that the reconstruction projects selected and implemented by such sub-national authorities constitute an adequately substantial share of the support;
Amendment 421 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 18 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) whether the Plan corresponds to the recovery, reconstruction and modernisation needs stemming from the war in Ukraine’s regions and municipalities, and thereby enhances their economic, social, environmental and territorial development, supports the decentralisation reform across Ukraine and convergence towards the Union’s standards; whether the methodology and processes used for the selection and implementation of projects, and the mechanisms to involve sub- national authorities, in particular municipalities, as well as civil society organisations, in decision-making on the use of support in the reconstruction process at local level are appropriate; whether the methodology used to track related expenditure for the reconstruction projects selected and implemented by such sub- national authorities is appropriate and whether such projects constitute an adequately substantial share of the support;
Amendment 461 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 1
Article 26 – paragraph 1
1. Ukraine shall publish data on persons and entities receiving amounts of funding exceeding the equivalent of EUR 5100 000 for the implementation of reforms and investments specified in the Ukraine Plan referred to in this Chapter. Ukraine shall update those data twice a year, in June and December.
Amendment 469 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 27 – paragraph 2
Article 27 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall be supported by an operational board in the implementation of the Ukraine Investment Framework. The Commission shall propose the rules of procedure for the operational board.; the European Parliament should have a role in approving the Board Members in exercising its scrutiny rights enshrined in the Treaties;