Activities of Bernd KÖLMEL related to 2018/2046(BUD)
Plenary speeches (1)
General budget of the European Union for 2019 - all sections (debate) DE
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019 PDF (1 MB) DOC (199 KB)
Amendments (17)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the Union continues to face numerous challenges and is convinced that, especially ahead of the UK withdrawal from the Union and the 2019 European elections, Union citizens expect the necessary financial resources to be deployed from the Union budget, in order to allow the Union to effectively respond to the abovementioned challenges and improve the day-to-day life of its citizenssavings are necessary; Based on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom, the EU's second-largest net contributor (in absolute numbers) will leave. The maintenance of the overall spending level at the expense of taxpayers in the remaining EU Member States is not acceptable. Instead, the EU budget needs to be subject to a major reform. In the modernized budget, more attention needs to be paid to the benefits that can be more easily achieved by mutual cooperation;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that Europe's citizens expect the Union to strain every sinew to ensure economic growth and foster job creation, security and protection of its borders ; recalls that meeting those expectations requires investments in research and innovation, education, infrastructure, SMEs and employment, particularly among the young people of Europe, and that any failure in that regard will foster disillusionment with the European ideal; expresses wonderment that the Council yet again proposes cuts to the very programmes that are designed to make the Union economy more competitive and innovative; stresses moreover that many of these programmes, for example Horizon 2020, are heavily oversubscribed, which constitutes a poor use resources and means that many excellent projects do not receive funding; highlights also the fact that programmes such as Erasmus +, Horizon 2020 and the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) provide a vivid demonstration of the advantages of working together across the Union and help create a feeling of European belonging; decides therefore to reinforce considerably Erasmus + and to strengthen programmes that contribute to growth and job creation, including Horizon 2020, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and COSME;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that Europe's citizens expect the Union to strain every sinew to ensure economic growth and foster job creation; recalls that meeting those expectations requires investments in research and innovation, education, infrastructure, SMEs and employment, particularly among the young people of Europe, and that any failure in that regard will foster disillusionment with the European ideal; expresses wonderment that the Council yet again proposes cuts to the very programmes that are designed to make the Union economy more competitive and innovative; stresses moreover that many of these programmes, for example Horizon 2020, are heavily oversubscribed, which constitutes a poor use resources and means that many excellent projects do not receive funding; highlights also the fact that programmes such as Erasmus +, Horizon 2020 and the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) provide a vivid demonstration of the advantages of working together across the Union and help create a feeling of European belonging; decides therefore to reinforce considerably Erasmus + and to strengthen programmes that contribute to growth and job creation, including Horizon 2020, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and COSME;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. HighlightNotes that youth unemployment remains unacceptably high in certain Member States and that the situation of young people in NEET (not in education, employment or training) situations and the long-term unemployed is particularly worrying; stresses that young people are the most at risk of poverty and social and economic exclusion; decides therefore to reinforce the Ybelieves that Member States have the primary role in dealing with youth Eunemployment Initiative (YEI) beyond the level proposed by the Commission; stresses that such reinforcement should in no way be seen as a frontloading of the YEI allocation endorsed in the context of the MFF mid-term revisionand that such measures are best delivered at national level; believes that a one-size-fits all EU blueprint cannot hope to meet the variety and intricacies of the challenges faced by all Member States;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that cohesion policy plays a primary role in the development and growth of the Union; emphasises Parliament’s commitment to ensuring adequate appropriations for those programmes that represent one of the core policies of the Union; in this context it is important to mention that the EU Cohesion policy must not be an end in itself; based on this goal the programmes within the EU Cohesion policy have to be monitored and assessed regularly; in case the measurable objectives of programmes are not reached, an adaptation of the programmes or even a new definition of objectives has to be taken into consideration; in addition it has to assess how effective an extensive private sector promotion and especially direct payments to private actors are in the context of EU Cohesion policy;such policies potentially are creating distortions of competition; instead, priorities have to be set on public investments in order to ensure equal competition for all;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. RegretNotes that, under current projections, only 19,3 % of the Union budget 2014 – 2020 would be devoted to climate- related measures, failing thus to reach the target of 20 %; understands that this is largely due to delays in cohesion policy and the rural development programmes; urges Member States, who manage them, to speed up their implementation with a focus on climate- related spending in order to offset the lower allocations made during the first years of the MFF; calls on the Commission to develop an action plan within programmes having massive potential to contribute to reaching the climate-related spending target;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that Heading 3 has been largely mobilized in the recent years to address the migratory and refugee crisis and that such actions should continue for as long as needed; calls on the Commission to actively monitor the adequacy of allocations under Heading 3 and make full use of all available instruments to respond in a timely manner to any unforeseen event that might require additional funding in the area of migration; decides to reinforce the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund to fully cover the needs of the Union in the field of migration, notably to support Members States in improving integration measures and practices for migrants; notes, once again, that the Heading 3 ceiling is inadequate to provide appropriate funding to the internal dimension of those priorities, as well as to other priority programmes, for example in the field of culture; considers that willingness of local authorities to do more than planned in their National Programme under shared management, to support the Union Resettlement Programme, should be further supported through the direct management strand of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF);
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. RejectNotes Council’s unjustified EUR 794 million cuts to subheading 1a, which represent just over half of the overall Council cuts in commitments in MFF headings; notes that such cuts run counter to Council’s stated political priorities; is concerned moreovnotes further that they could hamper implementation of programmes that play a vital role in the creation of jobs and growth, which could have a negative impact on the economic recovery under way in impact on the Union;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls that Erasmus+ remains a highly valued and hugely popular programme promoting youth learning mobility, as demonstrated by the volume of applications received, which exceeds the funding available, and notes also that it helps foster a strong sense of European identity; deeply regret; Notes that the 2019 draft budget for Erasmus+ falls well below Parliament’s expectations, failing to go beyond the programmed figures under the current MFF; considers it therefore essential to reinforce the education and training and youth strands of Erasmus +, as a corollary to the strengthening of the Youth Employment Initiative under subheading 1b;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recalls that youth unemployment rates remain unacceptably high in the Union; emphasises that, in order to address this issue, it is of importance to ensure proper funding of the Youth Guarantee schemes through YEI and the European Social Fund (ESF); welcomes the agreement on the needBelieves that Member States have the primary role in dealing with youth unemployment and that such measures are best delivered at national level. Recognise that the causes of youth unemployment, social exclusion and poverty differs across the EU, and can include underlying structural problems in the labour market and social security systems. Believes that a one-size-fits all EU blueprint cannot hope to meet the variety and intricacies of the challenges faced by all Member States. Regrets therefore the agreement to provide fresh funding for YEI, and the inclusion of the corresponding appropriations in the DB 2019; By considers nevertheless that, given the challenges and risks posed by youth unemployment, YEI should benefit from increased appropriations and therefore decides to bring YEI to EUR 580 million in commitments in 2019; considers that this increase is in addition to the amount for YEI currently programmed for the 2014-2020 period;stent adherence to the subsidiarity principle and increased efficiency, considerable savings can be accomplished without more contributions required from Member States.
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls that the Commission’s proposal to increase appropriations to finance the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) needs is largely due to a significantly lower amount of assigned revenue being expected to be available in 2019; Highlights the importance of reduction of the EAGF. In principle, funding programmes must be designed to initiate a development, resolve or mitigate problems and thus lead to a lasting improvement of the situation. They should therefore set an impetus, but they should not constitute a permanent subsidy. Stresses that since subsidies which have already begun raise expectations among the recipients of payments, each subsidy must be limited in time. In addition, the objectives of agricultural policy are to be regularly examined for their effectiveness and to promote innovation in the agricultural sector;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes the Council’s cuts of EUR 310 million in commitment appropriations (-0,52 % compared to DB 2019) and EUR - 328,13 million in payment appropriations (-0,57 % compared to DB 2019), but considers that the Commission’s Amending Letter should remain the basis for any reliable revision of EAGF appropriations and restores the DB levels accordingly, pending an examination of that Amending Letter in conciliation;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Points out the essential role played by the Union agencies in the area of justice and home affairs in enhancing cooperation between Member States to address the concerns of Union citizens; decides to increase budgetary appropriations and staffing of European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), eu- LISA, European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) and for the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO);
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Regrets Council’s arbitrary cuts of more than EUR 35 million in commitment appropriations to numerous programmes in the areas of culture, citizenship, justice and public health, despite these programmes’ excellent implementation rates and already insufficient levels of financing that leave many high-quality projects unfunded; restores all lines at least to the level of the draft budget while proposing additional increases to relevant lines;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. StressesQuestions strongly the value of Creative Europe; in supporting the Union’s audio- visual and cultural sectors and insists that funding levels should match the ambitions of the programme; calls for an increase in committee appropriations for the MEDIA and the Culture sub-programmes, inter alia to tackle low application success t is an illusion to hope that the national identity could gradually be replaced by a European identity; the coexistence of several identities charactes; also increases appropriations for multimedia actions and for strengtheningrizes the European Union. "More Europe" is not the solution; rejects therefore the financial capacity of SMEs in the European cultural and creative sectorcrease for the MEDIA and the Culture sub-programmes;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Recalls the importance for the Union focusing on competitiveness for growth and jobs; considers, in this context, that additional appropriation and staff are needed for the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER); welcomerejects the creation of the European Labour Authority (ELA); restores the substantial Council’s cuts in the appropriations for the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs),while putting parts of their appropriations into reserve pending progress on the ESAs’ review;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. In the context of the challenges the Union is still facing in terms of security, and bearing in mind the necessity for a coordinated European response, decides to reinforce the appropriations for the EUROPOL, CEPOL, EUROJUST, EPPO, and the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA);