63 Amendments of Marco AFFRONTE related to 2015/2324(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Alps are the EU’s second largest biodiversity area, after the Mediterranean Sea, and form one of Europe’s foremost water catchment areas;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Alpine countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia, and Switzerland) and the EU have signed the Alpine Convention for the sustainable development and protection of the Alps;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas in order to give effect to the principles laid down in the Framework Convention and to the initiatives to be implemented at the practical level, a number of protocols have been adopted, setting out specific measures on a range of subjects including transport, tourism, soil conservation, spatial planning, sustainable development, and nature conservation and landscape protection;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the area’s historical and cultural heritage is one of its prime assets;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the Alpine Region for the purposes of EUSALP has a population of roughly 72 million European citizens and encompasses vast lowland areas, but the Alpine Region as defined in the Alpine Convention, which has also been ratified by the EU, has a population of only 6 million, living mainly in mountain areas;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas intensive land use has an adverse impact on the environment, and whereas climate change, coupled with population decline in mountain areas, could further undermine the area’s hydrogeological stability;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas major infrastructure works which have a major impact on geological stability, underground water resources and biodiversity, such as the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link and geological storage sites for natural gas, have already been completed or are in progress – some of them with EU funding – in the Alpine region;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas a number of research projects have identified significant concentrations of man-made persistent organic pollutants in high-lying snow and water catchment areas;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Maintains that the Alpine region constitutes a vast reserve of natural and landscape potential, given the exceptional variety of ecosystems to be foundBelieves it important to manage the Alpine region’s natural and landscape heritage sustainably and protect its biodiversity, not least with a view to increasing the supply of high-quality jobs in the area;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that in the Alpine region largely man-made urbanised environments coexist alongside areas of sparsely populated mountain country; takes the view that the strategy should focus primarily on the latter because they have immense potential for the region as a wholecomprise cohesive measures that apply throughout the area but take due account of the structural disparities to be found within it;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas financial resources should mainly be channelled towards, and invested in, the development of local connectivity, in promoting small town centres, facilitating the accessibility of tourist facilities and, ensuring essential health services, and protecting the environment and natural resources, including water resources;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that climate change poses serious risks from the point of view of hydrogeological instability and biodiversity and that the melting of glaciers ihas a further cause of concern; points to the need, therefore, to promote production models based on the circular economy, with the emphasis on preference for local materials, reuse, and service sharingmajor impact on groundwater reserves; points, accordingly, to the need for a regional climate change adaptation policy;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Commission action plan is intended to make for more sustainable transport connectivity, both within the EUSALP Alpine Region and with other parts of Europe, by promoting intermodality and interoperability in passenger and freight transport so as to achieve the aims of the TEN-T trans- European transport networks and shift traffic from road to rail;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region is seeking to enhance public transport and high-speed Internet connectivity, protect the environment and water in particular, raise the status of bottom-up local and cross-border governance models, and aid SMEs;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the balance to be struck between transport infrastructure and regional conservation has for decades been marked out as the main challenge and a goal for the international community of states and regions belonging to the Alpine Region;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas in its communication on the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region points both to the need to reduce the impact of transport across the Alps, so as to preserve the Alpine environmental heritage, and to the importance of implementing a strategy to bring about better environmental conditions for the population;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas the new base tunnel on the Turin to Lyon Alpine route, though financed by European funds, does not comply with the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 (TEN-T) or Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 (CEF), given that there are no bottlenecks involved, and whereas the same route is already served by a newly modernised railway line that will be able to cope with the expected increase in freight and passenger transport demand;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas in its communication on the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region the Commission points both to the need to reduce the impact of transport across the Alps, so as to preserve the Alpine environmental heritage, and to the importance of implementing a strategy to deliver a healthier and better preserved living environment for local people;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Urges the Commission to refrain from implementing and/or financing infrastructure projects that might prove harmful to the environment, natural resources, and public health, and points to the need to save the financial resources of the EU and Member States by making optimum use of existing infrastructure;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas, although EU funding was provided for the project, the new base tunnel on the Turin to Lyon Alpine route does not comply with the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 (TEN-T) and Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 (CEF), given that there are no bottlenecks involved, and whereas the same route is already served by a newly modernised railway line that will be able to cope with the expected increase in freight and passenger transport demand;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers it a matter of priority to take action to reduce emissions of persistent organic pollutants in the region from both diffuse sources, such as transport, and point sources, such as industrial installations and incinerators;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to redefine transport planning and promote, as a matter of priority, a policy to develop transport infrastructure that is sustainable, inclusive and non-invasive for the region, preserving the latter and promoting it in terms of tourism, social cohesion and regional development, bearing in mind that, for planning purposes, priority should be given not to ensuring the shortest or fastest transport routes but to minimising the environmental impact thereof;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers that the new base tunnel on the Turin-Lyon alpine route is detrimental to health, the environment and the region itself, as well as being uneconomic; calls on the Commission and the Member States to bear in mind that the already existing railway line has recently been upgraded and is able to meet anticipated freight and passenger requirements;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers it necessary to tap renewable and alternative energy sourcealls for priority to be given to developing renewable energy sources and to improving energy efficiency in all sectors, in addition to promoting the self- generation of energy and establishment of regional renewable energy distribution grids;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Member States forming part of the alpine region to cooperate in ensuring that transit fees are as uniform as possible and in line with European standards, especially for those countries that are compelled by their geographic location to cross others;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Insists on the involvement of Parliament in theEUSALP governing bodies of the EUSALPance and decision-making;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Maintains that further land use and occupation needs to be regulated in order to ensure that land is used sustainablyhalted as a matter of urgency, also through policies aimed at urban renewal and sustainable forms of tourism such as the widespread provision of hotels;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that climate change is particularly significant for regions such as the Alps, whose morphology and natural habitats are particularly vulnerable; calls on the Commission and Member States accordingly to introduce sustainable transport policies in line with the Paris COP21 targets;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Commission to ensure easy and convenient access to documents both for European citizens and for the institutions, in order to ensure transparency regarding the use of public funds, and stresses that, in cases where access is being sought for reasons relating to health and the environment, this must always take priority over any considerations whatsoever relating to competition or commercial data privacy protection;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States to invest in tourism infrastructure and to facilitate sustainable access via public transport to tourist destinations such as ski resorts., focusing on structures designed for passive energy efficiency coupled with low environmental impact and made using sustainable energy sources and local materials such as stone, as well as natural fibres (wood, hemp, etc.) for heat insulation, and to facilitate sustainable access via public transport to tourist destinations such as ski resorts, encouraging the use of transport powered by alternative energy sources with a view to preserving the environment and cutting pollutant emissions;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission to ensure easy and convenient access to documents both for European citizens and for the institutions, in order to ensure transparency regarding the use of public funds, and stresses that, in cases where access is being sought for reasons relating to health and the environment, this must always take priority over any considerations whatsoever relating to competition or commercial data privacy protection;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Member States to repair and improve old disused trails for use by tourists, upgrading them and bringing them back into service, so as to prevent them from being abandoned and allowed to fall into disrepair and possibly hydrogeological destabilisation;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Maintains thatConsiders it important to apply the best environmental practice to protected areas ares a testing-ground for bestmatter of priority, in order to acquire good practices that can be exported to all parts of the Alpine region and beyond;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on the Member States to promote interconnections and intermodal transport suited to the nature of the region concerned; calls on the to focus in particular on the TEN-T ports, stepping up their operations and their role in providing the alpine region with access to the Mediterranean;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Considers it necessary to develop land management plans that focus on light infrastructure for new sustainable transport modes, to implement policies for the sharing of goods and services and to promote connectivity in the less developed areas, also to promote the development of teleworking;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on the Member States and regions to ensure that less accessible areas can be also be reached and emergency assistance provided and that healthcare and first aid units are provided for areas where the transport situation is less favourable, taking into account their distance from major hospitals;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Calls on the Member States to step up cooperation and collaboration so as to improve exchanges of good practice;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that innovation and new technologies, driven by smart specialisation strategies and financed by existing EU funding sources (e.g. the ERDF, the ESF, COSME, Horizon 2020 or Erasmus +), could help generate quality jobs and catalyse the establishment, upscaling and clustering of SMEs, which could, in turn, reverse the depopulation trend in Alpine areas; points, in particular, to the need to put forward examples of best practice in areas such as teleworking, e-commerce and the use of digital marketing channels that can help to diversify the macro-region's economy;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5e. Calls on the Member States and regional authorities to protect and preserve wildlife parks and reserves in the alpine region, devoting more attention to transport sustainability and imposing draconian and closely monitored air pollution limits;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)
Paragraph 5 f (new)
5f. Expresses its concern at the possibility of rail and road freight traffic stoppages being imposed by certain countries in a bid to contain the migration problem, which would have serious economic implications for the entire alpine region; calls on the Commission accordingly to monitor the situation with a view to ensuring the free movement of passengers and goods and preventing any possible harm to the transport sector.
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes that citizens and local businesses have to be involved in decision- makingStresses the need to ensure that strategic decisions concerning the area are taken only after widespread, proactive and transparent consultation of citizens and local businesses, also by direct online consultations.
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Supports the diversification of tourism supply by such means as tourist theme parks and routes, food and wine tourism and sporting tourism, in order to prolong the tourist season, enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of tourist destinations, and promote new tourist activities that are better adapted to climate change and to the area's cultural and historical specificities;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Points to the urgent need to bring a halt to the intensification of land use, not least by implementing policies promoting urban renewal and sustainable tourism facilities, such as 'alberghi diffusi';
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses the importance of improving transport and energy connectivity among the participating countries, including local, regional and cross-border transport and intermodal connections with the hinterland, also in order to attract new residents, assessing first and foremost, however, whether existing networks can be renovated and/or expanded;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underlines the importance of connecting transport routes with other parts of Europe and the relevance of interconnections with TEN-T corridorneed to make optimum use of existing infrastructure and save the financial resources of the Union and the Member States; calls on the participating countries to focus their efforts on implementing projects that are covered by the current TEN-T networknot harmful to health, the environment and local development;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Maintains that the financing of new transport infrastructure should be conditional upon the modernisation and full exploitation of existing infrastructure, which is often under-utilised;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Considers that the new base tunnel on the Turin-Lyon alpine route is particularly detrimental to health, the environment and the region itself, as well as being uneconomic; calls on the Commission and the Member States to bear in mind that the already existing railway line has recently been upgraded and is able to meet anticipated freight and passenger requirements;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Expresses its concern at the possibility of rail and road freight traffic stoppages being imposed by certain countries in a bid to contain the migration problem, which would have serious economic implications for the entire Alpine region; calls on the Commission accordingly to monitor the situation with a view to ensuring the free movement of passengers and goods and preventing any possible harm to the transport sector;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Stresses the importance of ensuring that measures are planned and implemented with a view to preventing hydrogeological risk and making the mountain areas of the macro-region safe, especially in those areas subject to frequent mudslides, landslides and flooding because of their specific geomorphology and/or indiscriminate human activity;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Takes the view that, because of its typical features and abundance of natural beauty, its history and landscape, the Alpine region could become a development model based on the concept of respect for the environment, its ecosystem and its cultural heritage, in which to experiment best practices, adopt indices to measure not only economic, but also social progress, and in which common goods, such as water, air, the forests and soil, are protected;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
Paragraph 22 c (new)
22c. Stresses the need to promote and support small and medium-sized mountain farms which, by using traditional techniques and production methods that exploit natural resources – such as pastures and different types of forage crops – in an integrated and sustainable way, produce products which have special quality characteristics, but which, on average, have higher costs and lower profits than intensive crops or farms;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)
Paragraph 22 d (new)
22d. Points out that the Alps, after the Mediterranean Sea, are the second biodiversity hotspot in Europe and one of the major sources of water for the continent, and must be protected from their current extensive exploitation, from land use and pollution and from the consequences of climate change, by considerably increasing conservation activities;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Stresses the importance of identifying the sources and types of air pollution that are typical of the Alpine macro-region, such as industrial and diesel engine emissions in the Po Valley in northern Italy and woody biomass combustion, in order to take effective action by means of specific policies to drastically reduce them;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Considers it a matter of priority, in addition, to reduce emissions of persistent organic pollutants in the macro-region from both diffuse sources, such as transport, and point sources, such as industrial installations and incinerators, as well as those from the combustion of woody biomass for electricity production;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23c. Stresses the importance of healthy and stable mountain forests for the mountain ecosystem and for the vital protection they provide against avalanches, landslides and flooding;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the importance of supporting the development of the most efficient renewable energies in the region, from hydro through solar and wind to the sustainable use of forest woodsuch as hydropower, solar and wind energy;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Recommends a sustainable use of forest timber which does not entail any reduction of the forest area or increase in atmospheric particulate matter;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on the participating countries to continue their efforts to diversify energy supply sources and to develop the renewable sources available, such as solar and wind energy, within the energy production mix; underlines the sustainability and competitiveness of hydropower plantsmall (mini, micro and pico) hydropower plants compared to large ones; calls on the participating countries to contribute to the setting-up of well-functionmodernisation of existing electricity infrastructure networks in the macro- region;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses that diversifying energy supply sources will not only improve the energy security of the macro-region, but will also bring more competition, with important benefits for the economic development of the region; calls for priority to be given, in the specific implementation of the macro-regional strategy, to developing renewable energy sources, promoting the self-generation of energy and improving energy efficiency in all sectors;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Stresses the importance of energy transport infrastructure being adequate for producing and consuming local energy, along the lines of smart grids;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Urges Member States to actively involve and consult all stakeholders in the decision-making procedures concerning the macro-region, particularly local communities, which must be able to exercise their right to protect their environment and health when these are endangered by economic activities and infrastructure projects that are even only potentially dangerous and polluting;