26 Amendments of Georgi PIRINSKI related to 2017/2279(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission's reflection paper of 28 June 2017 on the Future of EU Finances;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the employment rate in the EU has been growing for four consecutive years and now surpasses the 2008 figure, but still remains below the pre-crisis level in half of the Member States; whereas regional disparities have started to narGDP per head in many less developed regions converged towards the EU average through faster productivity growth, but they lost employment, while the regions with GDP per head well above the EU average have grown faster than the less developed ones through a combination of both productivity and employment growth;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas cohesion policy aims to promote harmonious development of the whole Union, leading to a strengthening of its economic, social and territorial cohesion, in a spirit of solidarity and with the aim of promoting growth, employment and social inclusion, and reducing the backwardness of the least favoured regions;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the 7th Cohesion Report shows that regional disparities are narrowing again, but that the picture is uneven, and that certainGDP per head in many less developed regions converged towards the EU average, but they lost employment and that the regions with GDP per head well above the EU average have grown faster than the less developed, thus disparities persist, or are shifting or growing, between and within regions;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas while thealmost 24% of EU population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion and inequalities continue to rise, and despite the proportion is at risk of poverty in the EU hasving fallen back to its pre-crisis level, it remains very high and far from reaching the Europe 2020 poverty and social exclusion target;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the 7th Cohesion Report draws attention to the diversity of regions and territories, including within current categories of regions, owing to their specific circumstances (ultraperipherality, low income, low growth, etc.), making the EU financial support indispensable and a tailored approach essential;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas almost 120 million Europeans (24%) are poor, living at-risk- of poverty, are severely materially deprived and/or live in households with low work intensity; whereas the number of working poor is increasing and the number of young unemployed people continues to be high;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is of the opinion that Cohesion Policy, as the main public investment policy of the Union, should be maintained at at least a similar budgetary level in the future multiannual financial framework; considers that the European Social Fund (ESF) should be retained as the main EU instrument for social cohesion and the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, including the integration and reintegration of workers into the labour market as well as for supporting measures for social inclusion, combating poverty and inequalities;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Takes note of the data provided in the 7th Cohesion report showing signs of general improvement in the social situation, but also for remaining social divergences among Member States, aggravated as a result of the harmful impact of the economic crisis and years of austerity measures; observes with concern that despite positive signs, the risk of poverty or social exclusion remains a key challenge, being one of the main challenges to social cohesion together with an increase in inequalities in many Member States;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers it crucial that cohesion policy should continue to cover all European regions and remain the European Union’s main public investment instrument, with a budget no lower than the budget for the period 2014-2020 and commensurate with the existing needs and challenges;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Is of the opinion that cohesion policy and particularly ESF have contributed to reaching certain level of recovery by Member States and regions corresponding to the pre-crisis situation, however, the share of ESF from the next cohesion envelope and the share from the ESF for combating poverty and social exclusion should be increased for further reduction of disparities and inequalities, and for achieving the Europe 2020 targets for inclusive growth;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Is of the opinion that the Social Progress Index should be evaluated and considered as an additional indicator to complement the GDP indicator for allocation of ESIF, given that increase in GDP per head does not correspond to the same extent of increase in employment for all regions, and is not sufficient itself for measuring the new types of inequalities between EU regions, and that the economic growth does not impact on certain determinants of social progress as, for example, access to education, and that there are other important factors which determinate inclusion and social progress;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Takes the view that the job creation potential of Union funds is still insufficient and should therefore be further strengthened through more efficient and results-based policy-making and implementation; considers, moreover, that access to funding should be eased for all beneficiaries, especially SMEs, NGOs and smaller municipalities;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that cohesion policy investments provide European added value by contributing to European public goods and to the Treaty objective of reducing disparities, as well as for combating growing inequalities;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. underlines that combating poverty and social exclusion should be a top priority for EU and its Member States; considers that all EU funds should contribute to the implementation of this priority;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is convinced that a major challenge for future cohesion policy will be to provide appropriate support to these different types of regions, and that cohesion policy must both reduce disparities and inequalities, as well as prevent vulnerable regions from falling behind, by taking account of the different trends and dynamics;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission’s launch of a pilot project to provide tailored support geared to the specific challenges facing regions in industrial transition; calls on the Commission to draw lessons from the pilot project as soon as possible, and believes that smart specialisation strategies have the potential to offer better support to these regions in their development strategies and, more generally, promote differentiated implementation at regional level and expects to see the envisaged results being achieved soon;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that social and fiscal convergence help to foster cohesion while improving the functioning of the single market; takes the view that divergent practices in this area may run counter to the objective of cohesion and are liable to cause further problems for territories which are lagging behind or are the most vulnerable to globalisation; considers that cohesion policy cshould contribute tonot be made hostage of the promotion of social and fiscal convergence by providing incentives; calls on the Commission to take better account of this aspect in the European Semester;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Supports a strong thematic concentration on a limited number of priorities linked to major European political objectives, however giving certain flexibility and leaving managing authorities the task of drawing up their territorial strategistrategies and programmes on the basis of their needs; stresses that employment, innovation, support for SMEs, climate change and the circular economy, as well as social inclusion and combating inequalities should constitute priority areas for cohesion policy in future;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Advocates stepping up integrated approaches, and stresses that the ESF must remain an integral component of European regional policy, by virtue of its essential territorialsocial cohesion dimension;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Underlines that grants must remain the main form of cohesion policy financing in the next programming period;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Emphasises that financial instruments can be an effective lever and that they should be promoted if they generate added value and in the areas where they are most relevant, as they are a market driven instrument; stresses, however, that their effectiveness hinges on many factors (nature of the project, of the territory or of the risk) and that all regions, regardless of their level of development, must be free to determine the most appropriate method of financing; opposes any binding targets for the use of financial instruments;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls for the smart specialisation strategies to be continued, and acknowledges the importance of ex-ante conditionalities, which have proved their worth, but; takes note of the Court of auditors’ observation in its Special Report 15/2017 that the ex-ante conditionalities provided a consistent framework for assessing the Member States’ readiness to implement EU funds at the start of the 2014-2020 programming period, but it is unclear to what extent this has effectively led to changes on the ground; stresses that they have been a source of complexity and delays in the development and launching of programming; calls on the Commission to reduce the numberconsider the prolongation of ex -ante conditionalities, and, in this field,case they are maintained to reduce their number and to improve compliance with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity, making maximum use of existing strategic documents;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. WelcomesTakes note of the positive results of the Juncker investment plan, however, is of the opinion that its contribution to more cohesion in the Union needs to be strengthened; stresses that cohesion policy and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) are complementary, but that one cannot be a substitute for the other, irrespective of the level of development of the regions;