[ParlTrack]

Zgroženi smo lahko nad dejstvom, da pravica do branja, izobraževanja in informiranja v 21. stoletju še vedno ni zagotovljena vsem ljudem. Slepim in slabovidnim v razvitih državah je v dostopnih oblikah na voljo samo 5 % vseh objavljenih knjig, v državah v razvoju pa manj kot 1 %. Gre za kršenje temeljnih človekovih pravic, kar je nedopustno. S tem, ko se zavlačuje z implementacijo Marakeške pogodbe, smo tako vsak dan korak dlje od enakopravnosti, ki bi morala biti nekaj samoumevnega!Skrajni čas je, da to spremenimo, zato sem podprl priporočilo, da se čimprej odobri sklenitev Marakeške pogodbe. Z Marakeško pogodbo bomo en pomemben korak bližje temu cilju, saj bomo povečali razpoložljivost knjig v Evropi in tretjih državah in tako zmanjšali neenakopravnost, ki smo ji priča. Ob tem pozivam države članice k čim bolj celoviti implementaciji v praksi. Nekatere slovenske invalidske organizacije so namreč že izrazile skrb, da bi lahko pri implementaciji v slovensko zakonodajo prišlo do sprememb, ki bi trenutno stanje morebiti celo poslabšale, česar nikakor ne smemo dopustiti. Opozarjam tudi na to, da so za celovito implementacijo potrebna tudi ustrezna finančna sredstva, saj bo brez tega težko pričakovane spremembe v vsakdanjem življenju težko uresničiti.

2016/11/22

Spodbujanje varnosti vozil v EU je pomembno, saj na letni ravni v prometnih nesrečah v EU izgubi življenje okoli 30.000 oseb. Kljub visoki številki statistični podatki kažejo, da so evropske ceste še vedno med najvarnejšimi na svetu. A vseeno je vsaka smrt ali resna poškodba preveč.Da bi dosegli strateški cilj in med letoma 2010 in 2020 prepolovili število smrtnih žrtev v cestnem prometu v EU, bodo potrebna dodatna prizadevanja. Tu so države članice glavni akterji, saj se večina vsakodnevnih ukrepov izvaja na nacionalni in lokalni ravni. Poleg omenjenega se mi zdi pomembno, da so proizvajalci iskreni pri obveščanju državljanov o varnosti vozil in njihovem delovanju. Zato je potrebno, da se evropskim potrošnikom v primeru ugotovljenih neskladnosti omogoči hitre, ustrezne in usklajene popravne ukrepe, vključno z vseevropskim odpoklicem vozil, če bi bilo to potrebno, obenem pa potrošnikom zagotoviti pravico do kompenzacijskih ukrepov, kot je povrnitev stroškov, zamenjava ali popravilo vozila, z zagotovljeno uporabo nadomestnega vozila.Pomembno pa je tudi omeniti prehod na bolj trajnostni promet, ki zagotavlja učinkovite in enakopravne mobilnosti za vse ob minimizaciji nezaželenih stranskih učinkov. Ker je poročilo dobro strukturirano in zajema pomembnejše aspekte zagotavljanja varnosti v prometu, sem glasoval za njegovo sprejetje in ga tudi podprl.

2016/11/22

Maloprodajne finančne storitve so sestavni del vsakdanjega življenja, žal pa trg EU na tem področju, kljub izboljšavam v zadnjih letih, ostaja še vedno precej razdrobljen.Poenostavitev dostopa do finančnih storitev bi pripomogla k bolj harmoničnemu in bolj poštenemu enotnemu trgu, poleg tega bi od tega potrošniki imeli koristi v obliki dostopnosti, padca cen in izboljšanju kakovosti storitev.Pomembno je, da se ne dela razlik med domačimi in čezmejnimi ponudniki finančnih storitev. Potrošnikom je potrebno omogočiti najboljšo izbiro in jih dosledno seznaniti z vsemi pristojbinami in drugimi povezanimi stroški ter da se kljub zmanjšanju trgovinskih ovir ne niža standardov varstva potrošnikov.Ker se strinjam s pristopom poročevalca in pozdravljam pomembnejše aspekte, ki jih je izpostavil v poročilu, sem glasoval v prid le-temu.

2016/11/22

. ‒ The Commission proposal extends the derogation for international flights to and from EU without an end date, in expectation that the ICAO global market-based measure will be implemented from 2021. Intra-EU and international flights were included in the EU emissions trading scheme and under the EU emissions cap in 2008 but, twice already, the implementation for international flights has been stopped for a pre-determined time, in the face of boycotts and political opposition from operators and the governments of US, Russia, China and India. The report by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety agrees to extend the current stop-the-clock approach, though only until end of 2020, so that the legislator can have sufficient clarity about the nature and content of the legal instruments adopted by ICAO for the implementation of the global market-based measure to assess how and whether to alter the scope of the EU aviation ETS.The Environment Committee report also includes the sector cap under the annual reduction of the linear reduction factor from 2021, and increases auctioning to the sector to 50%. The report removes the restriction that aviation allowances can be used only by aviation operators, making the allowances fungible with those of stationary installations. Therefore I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

Predlog uredbe o vključitvi sektorja rabe tal, spremembe rabe tal in gozdarstva(LULUCF) v EU podnebne cilje do 2030 je bil objavljen skupaj s predlogom uredbe o določitvi nacionalnih ciljev zmanjšanja emisij do 2030. Gre za sveženj zakonodaje EU, ki naj bi EU pripeljala do zmanjšanja emisij toplogrednih plinov za 30 % glede na 2005 v sektorjih, ki niso vključeni v trgovanje z emisijami toplogrednih plinov.Sprejem te zakonodaje je ključen za izpolnjevanje zavez, ki jih je EU podala v okviru doseganja ciljev Pariškega podnebnega sporazuma. Uredba o LULUCF med drugim predvideva način obračunavanja ponorov in emisij iz gospodarjenja z gozdovi. Ta vidik je relevanten tudi z vidika doseganja ciljev Pariškega sporazuma. Ta med drugim predvideva,da naj bi bilo v drugi polovici stoletja doseženo ravnotežje med antropogenimi emisijami na eni strani in odvzemi s ponori na drugi strani.Trajnostno upravljanje gozdov, ki odvzemajo CO2 iz ozračja, je tako dolgoročno ključnega pomena za doseganje ciljev Pariškega sporazuma. Zato je pomembno, da zakonodaja LULUCF vzpostavi ustrezne spodbude za trajnostno upravljanje gozdov, tako da bodo gozdovi v prihodnje lahko odvzeli čim večji delež emisij toplogrednih plinov. Ta zakonodaja bi morala spodbujati tudi uporabo lesa kot trajnostnega materiala ter s tem razvoj biogospodarstva.Z vidika Slovenije je osrednjega pomena člen 8 predlagane uredbe, ki določa način obračunavanja gospodarjenja z gozdovi, zato sem poročilo podprl.

2016/11/22

The composition of the 30-Member Special Committee on Terrorism has been agreed at CoP level. The rationale is not so much to investigate what went wrong but rather to have a political forum to debate terrorism inside the European Parliament, in view of upcoming national elections. The Special Committee has now the following purpose: to examine, analyse and evaluate the extent of the terrorist threat in Europe and to propose appropriate measures; to identify and analyse the potential faults and malfunctions that have allowed the recent terrorist attacks in different Member States to occur; to examine and assess the implementation of existing measures and instruments in the fields of external border management; to identify deficiencies in the sharing of judicial, law enforcement and intelligence information among Member States; to assess the impact of EU legislation on anti-terrorism and its implementation on fundamental rights; to collect information on radicalisation, and the effectiveness of the de-radicalisation programmes; to assess the efficiency of cooperation in fighting money laundering and terrorism financing under the 3rd AMLD (Directive 2005/60/EC); to make any recommendations that it deems necessary in all the above mentioned matters;and to hold hearings with relevant stakeholders. These are the reasons I supported this Special Committee on Terrorism.

2016/11/22

The European Council at its meeting in Tampere in 1999 called for alternative, extra-judicial procedures to be created by the Member States with a view to facilitating better access to justice. In line with the Justice for Growth agenda and the Europe 2020 Strategy, mediation could be seen as a means to improve the efficiency of the justice system and reduce the hurdles that lengthy and costly judicial procedures create for citizens and businesses; it can therefore contribute to economic growth. However, there is still no mediation culture in the EU and there is a low level of awareness of mediation in the majority of Member States. There is also a considerable lack of comprehensive data on mediation, including the number of mediated cases, the average length and success rates of the mediation process. The draft report calls on Member States to step up their efforts to inform their citizens about mediation and on the Commission to assess the need to develop EU-wide quality and minimum standards and study options to promote mediation further. The draft report also calls for the Commission to assess the need to create national registers of mediated proceedings. My Group welcomed the draft report by the rapporteur and voted with him on most amendments.

2016/11/22

Franšizing po svetu postaja vse bolj priljubljena oblika poslovanja, ki se je uveljavila kot ena izmed najuspešnejših načinov poslovanja.Franšizno poslovanje v EU narašča, zato je pomemben razmislek o vzpostavitvi morebitnega regulativnega okvira EU na področju franšizinga v maloprodajnem sektorju, saj se zakonodaje med državami članicami znatno razlikujejo. Omenjeno žal lahko vodi do primerov nepoštenih trgovinskih praks v čezmejnem prostoru.Študija odbora IMCO je ugotovila, da disfunkcionalnost regulatornega okvirna na področju franšizinga ovira možnosti izkoriščanja franšizinga v njegovem polnem potencialu. Več kot 80 odstotkov franšiznih verig v EU ni članic lokalnih franšiznih združenj, kar posledično pomeni, da spadajo pod samoregulatorni režim.Prav tako menim, da bi boljša informiranost obeh strani pripomogla k izboljšanju transparentnosti. Po navadi so franšizodajalci na področju zastopanja svojih interesov organizirani na nacionalni in evropski ravni, medtem ko franšizojemalci, pogosto zaradi pomanjkanja sredstev, velikokrat nimajo na razpolago predstavniških organizacij, so premalo zastopani in so tudi premalo zaščiteni na nacionalni in evropski ravni.Zato menim, da je potrebno zagotoviti primerno zaščito franšizojemalcev. Kot vsak posel ima tudi franšizing v maloprodajnem sektorju pluse in minuse tako za franšizojemalca, kot tudi za franšizodajalca. Prihodnja morebitna zakonodaja EU naj jasno opredeli dolžnosti in pravice obeh strani ter ju tudi zaščiti.V EU je veliko prostora za izboljšanje franšizinga v maloprodajnem sektorju, zato podpiram spodbujanje omenjene oblike poslovanja na evropskih tleh in sem poročilo podprl.

2016/11/22

In October 2016 the European Commission has published a first communication on having a new space strategy for Europe. Europe owns space systems through Copernicus, EGNOS and Galileo programmes, with 18 satellites currently in orbit and over 30 planned in the next 10-15 years.Space technologies, data and services have become indispensable in the daily lives of European citizens: when using mobile phones and car navigation systems, watching satellite TV or withdrawing cash. Satellites can provide immediate information when disasters struck, allowing emergency and rescue teams to better coordinate their efforts. Agriculture benefits from improved land use. Transportation and energy infrastructure is safer and can be more efficiently managed thanks to satellite technologies. Global challenges due to growing populations, increased demand for resources and climate change require information about our planet which space based solution can provide more easily.The key points of the report are: maximising the benefits of space for society and the EU economy, fostering a globally competitive and innovative European space sector, reinforcing Europe’s autonomy in accessing and using space in a secure and safe environment, strengthening Europe’s role as a global actor and promoting international cooperation, and ensuring effective delivery, which I support. Therefore, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

As a force contributing to social and economic development, open and distance learning has become an accepted and indispensable part of the mainstream of educational systems in both developed and developing countries. This growth has been stimulated in part by the interest among educators and trainers in the use of new, Internet based and multimedia technologies, and also by the recognition that traditional ways of organising education need to be reinforced by innovative methods, if the fundamental right of all people to learning is to be realised. The report highlights the importance of academic further and distance learning as tools to help education systems respond to the profound and complex changes that our societies and economies are currently undergoing. It recognises the value of such forms of learning in that they provide flexible formats and new learning opportunities for all, irrespective of country, region, class, age or gender. Moreover, it stresses the need for all education systems in the MS to establish a regulatory framework enabling further distance education to function properly, including recognition and validation of the results of formal, non-formal and informal learning. Therefore I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

This OQ raises important questions about ongoing commercial whale hunting by Norway and the transportation of whale meat via EU ports. By allowing the transit of whale meat through its ports, the EU is facilitating trade in whale species which are protected by multiple EU laws and whose hunting contravenes the current international ban on commercial whaling. The IWC put in place a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling in1986.Nevertheless, Norway continued whaling and fully resumed commercial whaling activities in 1993,using a formal objection to the moratorium as well as reservations to CITES listings. Norway establishes its own catch limits. For the 2017 whaling season, it increased the quota of North Atlantic minke whales to 999. Despite that, the domestic demand for whale products in Norway has declined and new markets are being sought. Whilst Japanese hunting has been the subject of several IWC resolutions since 2001, Norway hasn’t come under the same international pressure. OQ requests that the Commission uses its influence at forthcoming CITEs and International Whaling Commission (IWC) meetings to urge governments to adopt a common position to stop all whaling activities, and if an agreement with Norway isn’t reached, the Commission is asked to consider recommending a ban on whale meat transits through EU ports as an exceptional measure, which I support.

2016/11/22

Global Value Chains (GVCs) are likely to become the standard feature of production worldwide. Therefore it is high time to focus on risks and challenges related to GVCs. The EU, as a key promoter of cross-border trade, should create a legislative environment for GVCs which deals with liability and accountability throughout the supply chains. The EU must ensure coherent policies in this respect at EU, bi- and multilateral level. The INI report contains many recommendations in this sense, despite strategies from the liberal and conservative side to water down the resolution and sabotage requests for enforceable rules for transnational corporations. As GVCs have remained under the radar of a clear legal framing, Greens/EFA want to fill this gap. Many of the 15 Green/EFA amendments were integrated in the compromise amendments and adopted. My political group has decided to vote in favour of the report, as it is important for us that the resolution demands binding due diligence, welcomes the ongoing negotiations for a binding UN Treaty for Transnational Corporations and Human Rights; and that the EU is asked to develop ‘binding and enforceable rules, associated remedies and independent monitoring mechanisms’.

2016/11/22

. ‒ I think it is important to know what went wrong in the exchange of information between Member States prior to the recent terrorist attacks in Europe, and thus to improve our security. This is why we support the mandate for a special committee on terrorism.The inclusion in the final text of the mandate of an assessment of the impact on fundamental rights of counter-terrorist policies is important, as it shifts the focus of the special committee from a purely repressive/punitive angle to a more protective one, focusing on the rights of innocent citizens. In practice, this means that the hearings will also feature more NGO and civil-society representatives. That is why I voted in favour of establishing a special committee on terrorism.

2016/11/22

The EFSD is part of the partnership framework for cooperation with countries with high irregular migration and is one of the pillars of the new external investment plan, inspired by the investment plan for Europe (EFSI). Starting from the assessment that grants, the traditional aid instrument, will not be sufficient to develop countries and that the mobilisation of private capital is key, the proposed fund aims to mobilise EU grants to catalyse investment from public and private sources to tackle the root causes of migration in the European neighbourhood and Africa, while helping to achieve the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals.While I share the view of the Commission that the mobilisation of private capital is key for development, I am concerned that this would end up using development money foreseen for grants in order to subsidise private sector activities lacking a pro-poor focus, taking place mainly in countries with a certain degree of development, with no safeguards as to the respect of environmental, social and human rights criteria. Still, despite some concerns, in view of all these positive achievements I believe that it is worthwhile to support the text on EFSD, therefore I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

Some EU Member States have part of their territory located in areas of the globe that are remote from Europe. These regions, known as the Outermost Regions (ORs), have to deal with a number of difficulties related to their geographical characteristics, in particular: remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate. They are also economically dependent on a few products (often agricultural products or natural resources). Currently, there are 9 ORs: Martinique, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, La Réunion and Saint-Martin in France; Madeira and the Azores in Portugal; and the Canary Islands in Spain. The report is well balanced, focusing both on the constraints but also on the assets enjoyed by ORs, in particular in terms of deployment of renewable energy and circular economy, the richness of their natural heritage and biodiversity, and their role as laboratories for research and innovation in the field of climate change adaptation and mitigation. This is why I have decided to support it and voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

In 2015 almost 30 000 newly diagnosed HIV infections were reported by the 31 EU/EEA countries. An estimated 120 000 people in the Europe region developed multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Viral hepatitis (HCV) is one of the most serious public health threats globally. All three infections require long-term and sustained programmes, often targeting overlapping population groups, and there are potential synergies and savings in integrating prevention services. The current EU Action Plan on HIV/AIDS expired at the end of 2016. The ECDC Framework Action Plan to Fight Tuberculosis in the European Union dates back to 2008 and urgently needs to be updated. No comprehensive plan to tackle Hepatitis C is in place yet at EU level. In 2016, Member States agreed to support the development of an integrated EU policy framework on HIV/AIDS, TB and Hepatitis C, addressing the specific nature of the epidemics in the EU and its neighbourhood, in order to strengthen the political response to the diseases. As this diseases are serious and have to be addresses on the EU level, I have voted in favour of the resolution.

2016/11/22

On 8 June 2016, the EEAS and the Commission produced a joint communication ‘Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations’. It aims at involving culture and promoting cultural cooperation between the EU and its partner countries. This document itself is the result of a longer process and reflection by the Commission’s DG on Education and Culture (DG EAC) on how to promote the role culture can play in EU international relations. The report swings slightly between ‘diplomacy’ and ‘cooperation’; in one case, insisting more on the export and sharing of European diversity and good practices, and in the other, putting weight on ‘people-to-people’ contact, and development of new partnerships based on an equal footing between shareholders. Also good in the text of the resolution is the call for the creation of a cultural visa programme, along the lines of the existing Scientific Visa Programme, for third-country nationals, artists and other professionals in the cultural field. Further to this, I agree with the support for the expansion of common European communication tools such as Arte, Euronews and Euranet+. On the basis of the above mentioned reasons I have decided to vote in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

This is the annual resolution of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) in preparation of the UN General Assembly sessions. This year’s is the 72nd. The text of the report includes a demand that the Council should uphold the nuclear agreement between Iran and the UN Security Council members plus Germany and should continue pressure on the United States to deliver on the practical implementation. A demand that the Council should act upon the ruling of the European Court of Justice on Western Sahara is also in the text. In general I think the report is well written and balanced, that is why I have voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

The EGF provides assistance in cases of more than 500 employees (of one company or in one sector in a regional context) being made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns. Spain submitted application EGF/2017/001 ES/Castilla y León for a financial contribution from the EGF. This follows redundancies in the coal and lignite mining sector in the Castilla y León region, and aims at supporting 339 redundant workers, as well as up to 125 young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) under the age of 30. Although the general threshold of 500 workers has not been met, the application meets the conditions set out in the EGF Regulation. The application was submitted on the basis that the territory affected by the redundancies consists of a number of small, isolated towns in the remote, sparsely populated Cantabrian mountain valley, which are for the most part highly dependent on coal mining and suffer from limited connectivity and can thus be considered a small labour market under Article 4(2). As I think it is important to help these men who lost their jobs to become employed as soon as possible I voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The European standardisation system is a central element in the delivery of the single market and it has performed relatively well in the past. However, the standardisation environment is changing, new technologies and the progressive integration of digital solutions in industrial global value chains, as well as the fast evolving international context are putting pressure on the standardisation system. To tackle some of the issues, the Commission has launched a Communication entitled ‘European standards for the 21st century’, seeking to identify the challenges and the solutions.The report welcomes the Commission standardisation package, calling for a coherent and simple European standardisation policy built on the strengths of the existing system, and refraining from any radical changes that would undermine its core values. It recalls that standards are a voluntary tool providing technical requirements and guidance, the use of which facilitates compliance of goods and services with European legislation and supports European policies when they are developed in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way. As I think the report is well balanced and good I decided to vote in favour of it.

2016/11/22

Existing EU law does not regulate covered bonds directly but lays down their prudential treatment for a variety of purposes. In particular, even though vaguely defined in EU law, covered bonds receive significant preferential treatment by EU financial regulation. Notwithstanding the lack of investor losses and its relative resilience in times of distress, the covered bond market was not entirely immune to the effects of the crisis as secondary market spreads widened and liquidity worsened from September 2008 onwards. There is currently a consensus among EU institutions and the majority of the stakeholders on an EU directive fostering a principles-based harmonisation of specific features of covered bonds and leading to further convergence towards a common ‘European label’. Under the same reasoning, it is stressed that a sufficient degree of flexibility should remain to account for diversity across national regimes. This is also reflected in the report, which is good and balanced. That is why I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

In this report it is proposed to develop tourism activities to help the economic development of fisheries areas that have come under increasing pressure from many different negative factors, such as overfishing and dwindling fishing stocks, climate change, pollution, decreasing populations, lowering appeal of fisherman’s profession, etc. Diversification from the traditional activity to other fields, provided that it is conducted in a sustainable way, can contribute to reducing the fishing pressure on fish stocks and raising public awareness about the marine species and the environment. Under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for the programming period 2014-2020, ‘funding is available in particular for cultural fisheries and maritime cultural heritage. This can cover tourism-related projects, such as eco—tourism, pesca tourism and fishing tourism, local gastronomy (fish and seafood restaurants), accommodation, tourist trails, diving, etc. As I think this is an important aspect, I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

This report is about access to justice and right to a remedy. Its key purpose is to harmonise limitation periods for cross—border road traffic accidents by introducing a four—year limitation period and to ensure that timely information of the relevant law is available to victims and visiting victims. Across the EU, limitation rules on claims for damages vary widely between the Member States. No two Member States operate exactly the same basic rules of limitation. The national limitation systems are highly complex and it can often be difficult for victims of accidents, especially visiting/foreign victims, to understand which is the applicable overall limitation, when and how limitations begin to run and how these are suspended, interrupted or extended. The unfamiliarity with foreign rules of limitation can lead to the loss of the right to make an otherwise valid claim, or victims can face other obstacles such as additional costs and delays. I think that access to justice and the right to a remedy must be available to each individual in the EU, on the same footing. Therefore I welcome this measure, strengthening that to be a fundamental right. This is why I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

While the Member States have been willing to enhance cooperation and harmonise procedures in criminal law for security reasons, the same willingness is not there when it comes to civil justice. Civil justice is seen more through nationalistic lenses, and for this reason the harmonising/legislative measures in this field have faced more resistance and delays. The report prioritises high protection of fair trials and access to justice. The Commission announced already in 2013 that they would prepare a proposal for common minimum standards in civil procedures, but no proposal has been made. Therefore, the EP has taken the initiative to call for legislation to provide for a set of procedural standards applicable to civil proceedings; this would ensure a common Union-wide balancing of fundamental procedural rights for civil cases. As I think it is important to access justice and protect it at a high level across the EU, I have decided to vote in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

Tako politična kot finančna situacija v Moldaviji je v zadnjih letih zelo zaskrbljujoča. Ne samo da korupcija še vedno narašča, ampak se situacija na področju svobode govora in medijev drastično slabša. Obenem prihaja do kršenja človekovih pravic in jasnih, politično negativno naravnanih dejanj do oseb, ki so v političnih strankah v opoziciji ali se kakorkoli drugače ne strinjajo s političnim vodstvom v državi. Zato je izrednega pomena in nujno, da EU vzpostavi bolj stroge mehanizme za nadzor makro-finančne pomoči Moldaviji, obenem pa aktivno pomaga pri zaustavitvi korupcije, kraje in politično motiviranih dejanj, ki so storjena zgolj v korist peščici posameznikov. Posebni pogoji za dodelitev omenjene finančne pomoči so dobri. Kljub temu pa je potreben natančen in dosleden nadzor nad porazdelitvijo in porabo sredstev s strani EU. Zahteve iz omenjene makrofinančne pomoči se mi zdijo smiselne, saj je nujno da je v državi prisotno transparentno in neodvisno sodstvo, se omogoča svobodo govora, neodvisnost medijev in pluralizem. Moldavija pa mora aktivno začeti delovati na področju boja proti korupciji in pranju denarja. Zaradi vsega navedenega sem glasoval v prid poročilu in ga tudi podprl.

2016/11/22

. – Skupina Zeleni/ESZ, kateri pripadam, že dolgo poziva k večji davčni preglednosti velikih podjetij. Zato tudi pozdravljam predlog Evropske komisije aprila iz leta 2016. Kljub temu pa želim opozoriti, da je v omenjenem predlogu kar nekaj pomanjkljivosti. Zaskrbljujoče je dejstvo, da kljub številnim odmevnim škandalom, kot sta na primer Luxleaks in Panama Papers, ki so razkrili hude davčne nepravilnosti, določene stranke v EP še vedno branijo interese velikih podjetij in jih postavljajo pred interese evropskih državljanov. In to ob dejstvu, da kar 75 % evropskih državljanov poziva k bolj ostremu ukrepanju zoper davčnemu kriminalu.Podpiram stališče, da se javno razkrije ključne finančne informacije podjetij, a opozarjam, da bi moral biti obseg podjetij, ki bi jih to zajelo, precej večji. Ker menim, da bi bilo poročilo lahko bolj ambiciozno, sem se pri glasovanju o poročilu vzdržal.

2016/11/22

The DCFTA concluded with Ukraine has already set the basis for a deeper relationship with the EU. The autonomous trade measures (ATMs) will be granted in the form of zero-tariff quotas for certain agricultural products in addition to the preferential tariff-rate quotas set out in the Agreement, and the partial or full removal of import duties on several industrial products. The most important products that will benefit from this liberalisation are maize, wheat and processed tomatoes. It is important to note that the agricultural products chosen have already been covered by tariff quotas (TRQs) in the DCFTA that foresees their gradual increases over 5 years. The ATMs agreed will help accelerate the trade concessions included in the DCFTA and the development of Ukraine’s socio-economic situation after years of difficulties. Finally, I would like to commend the strong emphasis that both the DCFTA and the agreed text put on the importance of the fight against corruption. Even though there is a commitment from Ukraine’s government to take this fight seriously, I am looking forward to see deeper progress in this area. On the basis of this, I have decided to vote in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

This Report addresses issues linked to ‘planned obsolescence’, mainly from the point of view of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, i.e., what benefits a longer lifetime of products can mean not only for consumers but also for companies, and of course to a wider extent the societal gains in terms of sustainability: environmental, social and economic aspects. The text of the report does not limit itself to the problem of planned obsolescence and examines different dimensions such as product design, reparability, employment potential, consumer information, legal guarantees and software obsolescence. This comprehensive approach is in my view more interesting than a more narrow focus on planned obsolescence. The report includes main issues such as product design; reparability; a usage-oriented model; consumer information; planned obsolescence; legal guarantee and software obsolescence. As the report is very good and it is important to point out the issue of a longer lifetime of products I have decided to vote in favour of it.

2016/11/22

There are various and serious legal and political problems associated with the current practice of subcontracting in the field of military and security services, especially services provided by local subcontractors in third countries. Therefore, I believe that Member States, the EEAS and the Commission should agree to follow the example of NATO by only contracting PSCs based in EU Member States. It is important that the EU and its Member States push for an international legally binding instrument that goes further than the Montreux document, by regulating the activities of PSCs, establishing a level playing field to ensure that host states have the authority to regulate PSCs and contracting states are able to use their power to protect human rights and prevent corruption. Such framework should include dissuasive sanctions for violations, the accountability of those responsible for violations and effective access to remedies for victims, in addition to a licensing and monitoring system requiring all PSCs to submit to independent audits and their personnel to participate in mandatory human rights training. As the text of the report is very good and points out the main issues in private security companies, I have decided to vote in favour of it.

2016/11/22

Precarious work is no longer the exception, it has become an integral part of all EU labour markets – whoever you ask will either be personally affected or know someone who is affected. We should not accept this as a given. We should fight to make sure that our laws and standards, which were created to protect workers, deliver on what they were made for. Therefore, it is important to demand protection; rights at work to empower workers and stop exploitation; increased labour inspections to stop criminal actors from exploiting workers and so on. Precarious work does not comply with standards and/or does not provide sufficient resources for decent life and social protection. That is why fair income, a safe workplace, social protection, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom to express concerns, organise and participate in decisions on their life are key elements that have to be considered when talking about working conditions. As the report includes all-important elements of precarious work and addresses it clearly, I have decided to vote in favour of it.

2016/11/22

. – Sodelovalno gospodarstvo potrošnikom omogoča in ponuja različne, inovativne storitve ter odpira nove možnosti zaposlovanja.Omogoča bolj fleksibilna pogodbena razmerja in nove vire prihodkov.Menim, da je digitalizacija vseh sektorjev pomembna, da bi EU lahko ostala konkurenčna in svojo konkurenčnost še izboljšala. Sodelovalno gospodarstvo ponuja možnosti za vstop na trg dela mladim, migrantom, zaposlenim s skrajšanim delovnim časom in starejšim državljanom.Različne oblike sodelovalnega gospodarstva pomagajo okrepiti udeležbo žensk na trgu dela in v gospodarstvu, in sicer z zagotavljanjem priložnosti za prožne oblike podjetništva in zaposlitve. Obenem pa ne smemo pozabiti, da omenjene nove oblike zaposlovanja lahko prinesejo prekarne zaposlitve ali drugačne oblike izkoriščanja delovnih razmerij.Poudariti želim, da je pomembno zagotoviti visoko raven varstva potrošnikov, popolno spoštovanje pravic delavcev ter spoštovanje davčnih predpisov. Če želimo, da bo sodelovalno gospodarstvo delovalo enotno in pravilno, je potrebno v EU oblikovati jasno in harmonizirano pravno okolje ter vzpostaviti enake konkurenčne pogojev, ki so temeljni pogoj za cvetoče sodelovalno gospodarstvo v EU.Nekateri deli sodelovalnega gospodarstva so urejeni zakonsko na lokalni in nacionalni ravni, vendar pa kljub temu ostaja še kar precej regulativnih sivih območij, zato sem glasoval za poročilo.

2016/11/22

Since the Saudi-led alliance, including the USA and the UK, started bombarding Yemen in March 2015 and the country has been descending ever deeper into armed conflict which dramatically affects the civilian population, who has already for many years been suffering from insecurity and political tensions, high levels of poverty, dramatic environmental devastation and economic paralysis. Imports account for almost 90% of the country’s staple foods, yet the military raids have severely curtailed commercial imports and humanitarian aid deliveries from reaching Yemen and have led to the destruction of basic infrastructure, compounded by the collapse of the economy and financial system which severely limit access to food, medicine and fuel. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and international sanctions stressed that the aerial and naval blockade imposed on Yemen by the coalition forces since March 2015 was one of the main causes of the humanitarian catastrophe and the dramatic situation has further deteriorated with an outbreak of cholera, bringing the health sector close to collapse.The resolution expresses, among other concerns, grave concern at the alarming deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen and deeply regrets the loss of life caused by the conflict and the suffering of those caught up in the fighting, therefore I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

The proposal for the new 2020-2030 Effort Sharing Regulation (Climate Action Regulation, as the Rapporteur has renamed it) is part of the 2030 energy and climate policy framework and implementation of the binding target to reduce overall EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% domestically below 1990 levels by 2030, as agreed by the European Council in October 2014. To achieve this target cost-effectively, the Commission proposes that the non-ETS sectors will have to reduce their emissions by 30% compared to 2005, while ETS sectors should reduce by 43% compared to 2005.The proposal requires modest efforts from Member States compared to the business—as—usual scenario, and compared to the 2013-2020 regulation it opens loopholes by allowing for LULUCF (or forest management) credits and ETS allowances to be used for compliance, therefore I have decided to vote in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

Despite legislative achievements at European and national level regarding equality of women and men before the law, despite numerous political commitments at all levels, equality between women and men is still not a reality in Europe in 2017. The gender pension gap is at an alarming 40%. In fact, in half of EU Member States the pension gap has increased and between 11-36% of women have no access to a pension. Due to austerity policies, women have been most affected by public sector cutbacks as they represent the 70% of work force in the sector. Many pension schemes in the EU MS still leave many women with only ‘derived rights’ based on their husband’s employment record, with the consequence that the majority of older people living in poverty are women. Main progressive ideas include: stressing the negative impact of financial crises, the freeze and cuts in pension especially on women; calls for adequate public minimum pension; highlights the important role of 1st pillar in pension systems for more gender equality; emphasises the importance to shift towards individual rather than derived pension entitlements, etc. I abstained, as some paragraphs mentioning CSRs and asking for an indicator on pension gap among the scoreboard indicators of the EU semester have been adopted.

2016/11/22

. – Pozdravljam stalen napredek Srbije na poti vključevanja v EU ter njen dobro pripravljen pristop k pogajanjem, kar je jasen znak odločnosti in politične volje.Srbija je dosegla napredek pri razvoju delujočega tržnega gospodarstva in posledično izboljšala splošne gospodarske razmere v državi, zato je pomembno, da se še naprej izboljšuje poslovno okolje za zasebni sektor in razširi priložnosti za financiranje teh podjetij.Napredek je bil storjen na področju pravosodja, vendar žal neodvisnost sodstva v praksi še vedno ni zagotovljena v pravem pomenu besede, kar sodnikom in tožilcem preprečuje, da bi delovali neodvisno in transparentno.Velik problem je vseprisotna korupcija, zato je boj proti njej nujno potreben kot tudi izvajanje nacionalne strategije in akcijskega načrta za boj proti korupciji.V demokratični družbi je zelo pomembna transparentnost in sodelovanje z nevladnimi organizacijami in predstavniki družbe. Odnosi med srbsko vlado in NGO se sicer izboljšujejo, vendar še vedno obstaja prostor za mnoge izboljšave, predvsem na področju komunikacije in upoštevanja mnenj predstavnikov civilne družbe pri procesih odločanja.Pomembno vlogo pa imajo vsekakor tudi mediji, ki morajo biti neodvisni, predvsem pa je potrebno znatno zmanjšati politični pritisk nanje.Seveda obstajajo vprašanja in področja, ki bodo potrebovali več časa za izboljšave, vendar sem prepričan, da je lahko z dobrim sodelovanjem med EU, srbsko vlado in civilno družbo to mogoče doseči pravočasno in na ustrezen način, zato sem poročilo podprl.

2016/11/22

. – Pozdravljam res odlično poročilo o napredku Kosova za leto 2016, ki spodbuja njegovo krepitev in uveljavitev v enakopravni družini držav.Tudi zadnje, nedeljske volitve, kjer sem sam nastopil kot vodja opazovalne misije Evropskega parlamenta so pokazale, da bo pred Kosovom kar težko obdobje sestavljanja nove vlade. Zaskrbljujoča je samo 41 % volilna udeležba in zelo veliko število praznih glasovnic, kar kaže na tihi protest ljudi.Ker dokler ne bo odločnega boja proti korupciji in dokler ne bo uresničitve zahtev po neodvisnem sodstvu, napredka ne bo. In mislim, da je to tudi naloga Evropskega parlamenta, da pri tem kolikor lahko aktivno pomaga kolegom v novo izvoljenem parlamentu Kosova.Ker želim, da Kosovo tudi v prihodnosti nadaljuje z dobrim napredkom pri njegovem razvoju na poti k pridružitvi državam članicam EU, sem glasoval za poročilo.

2016/11/22

This is the third report on Macedonia adopted by the AFET committee in this legislature. Although Macedonia was granted the status of candidate for accession to the EU as long ago as 2005 under the name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRoM), as of today no date for the start of accession negotiations has yet been set. In the recent report for 2016, I welcome several points, such as the fact that all political parties accepted the results of the general elections in the interest of domestic stability; support for the opening of accession negotiations, conditional on the progress of the implementation of the Prion Agreement to ensure its full, tangible and sustainable implementation and substantial progress in the implementation of the Urgent Reform Priorities on systemic reforms and strategic importance of further progress in the EU accession process. Macedonia has made the significant progress in the process of EU integration and it continuous fulfil its commitments under the SAA. Even though there is still a lot to improve and it is still a concern at the merging of media, political and government activities, particularly regarding public spending and a huge fight against corruption, I decided to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

The resolution on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo focuses on the Presidential elections in accordance with the Congolese Constitution which should have taken place in 2016. The Constitution states that a president cannot serve for more than two terms; therefore, the current president, Joseph Kabila, is not permitted to serve a third term. President Kabila has made every possible effort to postpone these elections. In December 2016, the ruling Congolese party AMP and the main opposition coalition, Rally of Forces for Social and Political Change, signed a landmark political agreement after talks mediated by the Congolese National Episcopal Conference outlining a political solution to the election crisis; whereas the agreement extends President Kabila’s term until a successor is elected before the end of 2017, however, President Kabila did not appoint an opposition interim Prime Minister in violation of the December agreement. The resolution strongly regrets the delays in the organisation of the next presidential and legislative elections in the DRC, which constitutes a severe violation of the Congolese Constitution and welcomes the political agreement reached between Congolese parties outlining a solution to the current crisis. It urges President Kabila to respect the terms of the agreement and to allow the organisation of presidential elections in 2017, in which he shall not represent himself, so I supported it.

2016/11/22

The Raza Plaza disaster in Bangladesh in April 2013, in which more than 1100 women garment workers lost their lives, has been a wake-up call in the EU that more must be done to assure decent working conditions and basic labour rights in this sector. Greens fully supported the Commission’s activity in setting up the Bangladesh Compact and today we share the concerns of the Commission that this initiative concludes with a success before it runs out next year, or else is prolonged because there is still a lot to do especially regarding Bangladeshi labour rights in the sector. Unfortunately, the resolution doesn’t follow up on the Parliament’s resolution of just 3month ago that the garment sector needs binding legislation in the EU on due diligence obligations for actors in this supply chain. Greens fully supported the informal understanding with the Commission lying behind this resolution, that the pressure on the Government of Bangladesh had to be increased and public awareness sharpened around the Compact meeting of 18 May in order to spur a positive outcome. Although we were concerned the Bangladesh resolution could possibly dilute the very good Resolution of March 2017 on the Garment Sector Flagship Initiative, which heavily dwells on the Bangladesh’s disaster, I decided to support it.

2016/11/22

The report deals with two very different issues: (1) supporting more communication efforts to increase the visibility of cohesion policy on the ground, and (2) increasing the engagement of partners in all stages of design and implementation of cohesion policy. While the former is rather uncontroversial and definitely needed, the latter should be further strengthened in the future. Indeed, the real involvement of all relevant and most concerned partners at all stages of design and implementation of cohesion policy ensure both transparency in decision-making and high-quality projects that meet the needs of a given territory and its local communities.Unfortunately, the report is slightly biased towards the ‘communication part’, while I would have preferred a stronger focus on the involvement of partners.However, I welcome several points of the report such as focusing on the quality of projects as a pre—requisite for positive communication; the need to strengthen the institutional capacity of public authorities and partners; better representativeness of partners, including from civil society; more efforts and resources to be invested in partners so as to make them ‘multipliers’ of EU funding opportunities and successes, and partnership principle to be strengthened in the future. I therefore I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

Statelessness is a largely overlooked, multifaceted human rights violation, which affects close to 10 million people around the world, half of whom are children. The EU should step up its efforts to fight this phenomenon, notably in South and South East Asia. The extreme situation of the 1 million stateless Rohingya in Myanmar should be addressed as a priority. Furthermore, the report provides an overview of the multiple human rights violations stemming from statelessness. This phenomenon also undermines development prospects and is a source of population movements, emigration and trafficking. Other points included in the report, which I support, are the need for improved qualitative and quantitative data on statelessness; empowerment of regional human rights bodies in having a more active role in the identification and elimination of statelessness; encouraging coordination among countries for tackling statelessness, especially where it has cross—border effects; awareness raising and technical support for public administrations. These are the key points why I have decided to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

Following the repeated earthquakes in Italy in 2016, the Commission proposed some changes to the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) on EU funds, such as introducing a separate priority axis with a co-financing rate of up to 100% under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); operations under this priority axis have to be linked to reconstruction in response to major or regional natural disasters as defined in the EU Solidarity Fund regulation; derogating from the starting date of eligibility and declaring expenditure eligible as from the date of the disaster in case of amendment to the OP. The proposal strengthens the solidarity character of the funds, which is a good move in the current times. I welcome the Commission’s proposal and support it as a contribution to take targeted measures in extreme situations through a quick response and to defend a strong cohesion policy. Even though I regret the new limitations introduced by the Council (95% co-financing rate instead of 100%) and a new ERDF ceiling introduced by the Parliament, I support the final compromise as a clear sign of solidarity towards regions severely hit by natural disasters, and therefore I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The ECoC action is one of the most interesting contribution to develop economic and social innovation through culture and a common line of action to give one city in a given country more attention with a view to a European potential. These actions combine several domains and see to a large contribution (funding also) by the Member State. The visibility depends on the actions on the ground, and also on the type of mixed funding the project has been relying on. The most interesting cases are those where a given city has succeeded in guaranteeing a development for further years (like Lille or Antwerp).The wish was to include EFTA/EEA countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) in the loop. After the decision taken in 2014 on the European Capital of Culture action for the years 2020-2033 with the determination of the countries participating, candidate and potential candidate countries have been included, while EFTA/EEA countries which fully participate in Creative Europe programme weren’t considered. This present decision will allow the 3countries to organise a competition for a city to held the ECoC title. As a result, every third year starting from 2021,one city nominated for one of the three countries could be nominated. This is something I strongly support, therefore I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Horizon 2020, the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation, is the biggest multinational research programme in the world with nearly EUR 80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020). It is perceived as highly important and successful programme for the European university sector as well as research organisations, private-for-profit companies and other participants. The timing of the adoption of the present implementation report by the EP was aligned with the timetable of the Commission which expects to adopt its Communication on the interim evaluation in October 2017 and the proposal for the next Framework Programme in spring 2018. This way, the INI report on the implementation of the Horizon 2020 will ensure the EP’s input for the interim evaluation of H2020 and the recommendations for the next research FP. The report contains many valid points and should steer the Commission’s proposal on the next framework programme in the right direction.However, I don’t support it due to the fact that it also foresees a separate defence research budgetline. The compromise text adopted by ITRE talks about the sources of defence research funding,but the wording can easily be interpreted in a way that would imply defence research funding from the next MFF, which is a red line for me, therefore I abstained.

2016/11/22

Cohesion policy remains the main EU-wide investment policy for economic, social and territorial cohesion among all regions across the Unit is an instrument of solidarity between regions and citizens, as well as a powerful tool for European integration as it combines the specific needs of a given territory with European priorities taking thereby into account the diversity of EU regions. Yet some Member States would like to see this policy scrapped in the future, or at least limited to increasing competitiveness and competition among regions rather than reducing growing inequalities and building solidarity across Europe. Post-2020 cohesion policy should step-up efforts to care for the vulnerable, reduce growing social and territorial inequalities, and accompany local communities in their transition towards a zero-carbon future welcome the report and have voted in favour as several of our amendments were included, such as clear minimum requirements for partnership involvement; reinforcement of the Urban Agenda and other territorial development tools such as Community Led Local Development and Integrated Territorial Investments; better access to Cohesion funding for beneficiaries through one-stop shops for instance; social inclusion and support for the vulnerable and marginalised; necessity to improve the monitoring and tracking system for climate spending and more support for European Territorial Cooperation.

2016/11/22

The report expresses the voice of the EP on the ongoing policy initiatives around the Mediterranean basin, as it has one of the richest biodiversity in the world (there are more than 17 000 species observed). Fish stocks are in a critical phase, more than 93% of stocks are overfished. In addition to overfishing the Mediterranean Sea is facing numerous challenges (pollution, IUU Fishing, climate change, acidification of the ocean, establishment of new invasive species etc.), so there is a need for an urgent action if we do not want the stock to collapse with all the ecological, environmental and socio-economic consequences that this entails.The Report focuses on measures to reverse this situation like: reinforcement of selectivity, increase of control, need to respect of minimum reference sizes, establishment of more marine protected areas and other conservation measures like quotas for some species that could be an important measure towards sustainable fisheries; increased cooperation with third countries and stronger involvement of coastal and regional authorities, need for quality data and scientific advice to increase marine knowledge and to come up with appropriate fisheries management tools etc. These positive points are the reason I have decided to support the report.

2016/11/22

The current VAT Directive prevents Member States from applying the same VAT rates to e-publications (books, newspapers and periodicals) they currently apply to physical publications, and the result is a markedly less favourable VAT treatment of e-publications in most Member States. While acknowledging the differences between printed publications and e-publications with regard to the format, they offer the same reading content for consumers. The Commission proposes to grant all Member States the possibility to apply the same VAT rates to electronically supplied publications as Member States currently apply to printed publications, which include reduced, super-reduced and zero rates. I support this proposal to revise the VAT directive to make sure VAT rules adapt to the digital economy and its development. I believe a book is a book no matter whether it is printed on paper or in a digitalised format and that it is better to give Member States flexibility to apply reduced VAT rates to e-books if they apply them to printed books. From a tax perspective, it makes sense to treat books, newspapers and periodicals and their e-equivalent the same way. On the basis of the mentioned reasons I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The standard for 5G deployments is still work in progress but the goals of the technology are increased data capacity, lower latency, increased number of simultaneous users, increased spectrum efficiency and better coverage. The 5G networks could bring significant socio—economic advantages. The Commission has proposed to draw up a 5G Action Plan aimed at making the EU a world leader in the deployment of standardised 5G networks from 2020 to 2025 as part of a wider developed strategy for a European gigabit society. The report positively assesses the approach of the Commission and underlines directions where careful steps should be taken. Coordination among the Member States is crucial, both to facilitate a quick deployment and to prevent coverage problems. Private investments will be the leading source but it is acknowledged that they should be supported by an infrastructure-oriented policy and regulatory environment tailored to predictability and certainty. 5G is more than an evolution of mobile, as it will ensure not only an increase in capacity but also new quality guarantees that will support the transformation of processes in all economic sectors. That is why I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The aging of the world’s population, combined with greater international mobility, has created the need for improved international protection for vulnerable adults by means of legal regulation and international co-operation. The increased lifespan in many countries is accompanied by a corresponding increase in the incidence of illnesses linked to old age. As international travel becomes easier, many people reaching the age of retirement decide to spend the last part of their lives abroad. Therefore the European legislative measures have appeared essential to strengthen the legal protection and rights of vulnerable adults in cross-border situations within the EU. I think tackling and pointing out this problem is of outmost importance. It is good that this own-initiative report makes legislative recommendations to the Commission going in that direction, therefore I have decided to vote in favour of it.

2016/11/22

The Commission proposal is a step forward in support for Ukraine. The DCFTA concluded with the country already set the basis for a deeper relationship with the EU, and the proposed ATMs can help accelerating the trade concessions included in the DCFTA. Even though we support these concessions, we deeply regret that products such as wheat, processed tomatoes and urea have been removed from the Annexes. These products constitute an important percentage of Ukraine’s economy and in cases such as processed tomatoes the producers are mainly SMEs, which will be affected by the refusal of Parliament to help their economic development. Lastly, I would like to commend the strong emphasis that both the DCFTA and the changes to the Commission proposal put on the importance of the fight against corruption. Even though there is a commitment from Ukraine’s government to take this fight seriously, we are looking forward to see deeper progress in this area. One of the main problems in this file was the lack of an impact assessment from the Commission on the effect of the ATMs in Ukraine and the EU. On the basis of the described reasons I have decided to abstain at the vote.

2016/11/22

The current security concept for a uniform format for visas dates back to 1995, when it was initially developed under the intergovernmental Schengen cooperation. Regulation (EC) No 1683/1995 on a uniform format for visas took it over into EU law. Since then, it has been modified substantially twice. Over the past few years forged visa stickers have arisen in several Member States. The present sticker is not secure any longer. The Commission proposed amendments to the Annex of the Regulation that contains the secret technical specifications for the production of visa stickers. According to the Commission, the expense of the introduction of the new visa sticker does not rise above the old ones. As I think it is important to prevent any kind of forgery of visa stickers, I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The proposal seeks to establish the Multiannual Framework of the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) for the period 2018-2022, as required by Article 5 of Regulation No 168/2007 establishing a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. The Framework defines thematic areas, where the FRA is entitled to make research on its own initiative, without waiting for a remit from the EU institutions.In comparison with the Framework currently in force, the Commission included police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. However, the Council excluded this field again, as it did also in 2012. I agree with the rapporteur who deeply regrets the lack of agreement in the Council as regards the inclusion of the thematic areas of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the new MAF. However, in the absence of a new MAF by the beginning of 2018, the FRA could only work if there is a specific request from an institution and not on its own initiative. Based on the above-mentioned reasons I have decided to vote in favour of the recommendation.

2016/11/22

Industry plays a key role in Europe’s economy. It provides jobs, economic dynamism and can crucially contribute with solutions to mastering grand societal challenges that the European Union faces, ranging from Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate change to changing demographics, social precariousness and loss of biodiversity. At the same time the world is in the midst of a new industrial revolution based on digitalisation and automation. This is changing business models, value chains, production and consumption. New key technologies are emerging such as big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, cloud computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and so on. A global race is emerging on who can take on these new developments and adapt to them in a sustainable and social way the fastest. The EU needs a common strategic approach. 28 separate national strategies, platforms and approaches does not make use of European added-value, increases fragmentation, risks undermining the single market, and leads to inefficiencies. Such a strategy needs a holistic approach. On the basis of the above-mentioned reasons I voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The resolution re-emphasises well-established development policy principles, but this is a minimum for an EU text as these principles are grounded in the treaty. However, it combines pro-poor policies with an instrumentalisation of development cooperation towards security, commercial and migration objectives. It illustrates once more a very problematic trend we witness in the Commission and Member States. Parliament also managed to get back into the text an EU commitment to use 20% of development funding for human development. Astonishingly, the Commission fought against this goal it had itself established some years ago. On agriculture, the support for small-scale farming and agro-ecological practices also figures in the text, once more against the Commission’s will which clearly favoured support to large-scale industrial farming as a means to create jobs and fight poverty. Based on the above-mentioned reasons I decided to vote in favour of the resolution.

2016/11/22

The report abstains from requesting more use of financial instruments in cohesion policy, instead it points to a number of defects in financial instruments, potentially leading to efficiency losses in the whole of cohesion policy spending, such as lack of transparency, high management fees or failure to generate positive side effects (e.g. on partnership involvement). I think this as good, as a change here is needed. In particular, the report does not support the Commission’s philosophy to consider financial instruments a solution for more investment or better investment compared to the traditional grant scheme of cohesion policy. The text of the report has some quite good elements on the problematic items of financial instruments. The report concludes with a rejection of introducing obligatory elements for the use of financial instruments, including quotas. As the report mentions all the important critical aspects I decided to vote in favour of it and supported it at the plenary.

2016/11/22

The objective of the portability Regulation is to ensure that Europeans who buy or subscribe to online content services providing access to films, sports broadcasts, music, e-books and games at home are able to access them when they travel in other EU countries. The Regulation aims to broaden access to online content for travellers in the EU. This legislation gives a concrete answer to the needs of consumers in the digital environment. It provides ways to remedy the ‘illegal’ grey zone situation where consumers find themselves too often when they are not offered access to legal offers in Europe, especially when they are travelling within the EU. Services like Netflix, Spotify, BBC iPlayer, Sky Movies and Sky Sports will have the obligation to enable cross-border portability of their services for subscribers travelling to another country within the European Union. These services will have to be unblocked / be made ‘portable’ provided that the consumer. As I think this is a good step forward and very much needed to have properly working digital single market I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

Since Brexit, we can observe that the call for more subsidiarity and proportionality has lost of its strength within the European Parliament. Such impetus towards the reinforcement of EU law-making should be supported. The Commission issues annual reports on subsidiarity and proportionality, on which JURI Committee regularly adopts own-initiative reports to respond to. In the text of the report the primary importance of the EU legislative process is reinforced. The report also clearly recalls the need to create robust European legislation. The report also supports subsidiarity and proportionality in encouraging further cooperation between national parliaments and EU institutions. The report uses pro-subsidiarity and proportionality language, which is nonetheless much less substantial than in last year’s report. In comparison to last year’s report this one reduces quite considerably the call for stronger subsidiarity. On the basis of the above mentioned reasons I have decided to vote in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

Financial technology or ‘FinTech’ refers to the growing market for internet—based financial services. It covers everything from online banking through ‘robo-advice’ to virtual currencies like Bitcoin. This report stresses the need to provide a favourable regulatory environment for innovation in the sector and the potential benefits to consumers and competition in finance due to FinTech and a free flow of ‘big data’ while briefly mentioning risks in terms of ‘cyber security’ and consumer protection. FinTech comes with risks to consumer protection both in the sense that mis-selling can be made easier and that personal data may be misused. There is also the risk that criminal activities are done easier. These risks needs to be carefully assessed at European level and legislative action has to be taken where necessary. FinTech can help not just private actors but also interactions with public authorities for example in the areas of tax collection and the fight against avoidance as well as in the area of supervision where it can improve timeliness and accuracy of reporting as well as lowering the cost of reporting to the supervised entities. On the basis of the above—mentioned reasons I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

There are real doubts of having GM cotton on the EU territory. The main concerns deriving from very poor data base in general and, more specifically, the fact that only a very limited number of studies had been taken into consideration and that no appropriate studies on the effect of the GM cotton on human and animal health has been done until now. Research conducted by independent scientists raises concerns about major gaps in the comparative assessment and the toxicology assessment, as well as concerns about an inconclusive assessment of the possible impact on the immune system. The GM cotton expresses proteins which confer tolerance to specific herbicides - glufosinate ammonium based herbicides. Worrying is a fact that glufosinate is classified as toxic to reproduction and thus falls under the exclusion criteria in EU Regulation 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. Furthermore, independent research raises concerns about the risks of the active ingredient of 2.4-D as regards embryo development, birth defects and endocrine disruption. On the basis of this serious health threats by the GM cotton I have voted in favour of the resolution which objects to the use of GM cotton in the EU.

2016/11/22

There are serious concerns of having GM maize approved for the EU territory. The main critical comments relate to missing or insufficient data, missing explanations, contradictory statements in the application, poor test design, missing tests, questionable results of the safety assessment studies, lack of any 90-day subchronic toxicity study with the whole food and the choice and design of the studies taken into consideration for the risk assessment. Research conducted by independent scientists raises concerns about major gaps in the comparative assessment and the toxicology assessment, as well as concerns about an inconclusive assessment of the possible impact on the immune system. The GM maize expresses proteins which confer tolerance to herbicide known as 2.4-D. Independent research raises concerns about the risks of the active ingredient of 2.4-D as regards embryo development, birth defects and endocrine disruption. On the basis of this serious health threats by the GM maize I have voted in favour of the resolution which clearly objects to the use of GM maize in the EU.

2016/11/22

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is one of the oldest International Commodity Bodies (ICBs). The ICACs 27 members are cotton producing, cotton consuming or trading countries. Its main role is to improve transparency in world cotton market price-setting, to collect statistical data and improve market forecasts. Statutorily, ICAC shall also enhance international cooperation between its members on common problems. The EU is not a member of ICAC yet, but the negotiations for its membership have been concluded. Therefore it was in the interest of the European Commission to have a fast-tracking procedure for the European parliament to give a consent to the accession of the EU to the ICAC. As the text of the recommendation includes the full reference to the 2013 resolution regarding the importance of ‘creating and enabling environment for adequate monitoring and reporting of labour conditions in the cotton sector by government, industry, independent NGOs and trade union bodies’ and also points out the problem of child labour in the cotton industry, I have voted in favour of the recommendations at the plenary.

2016/11/22

Implementacija e-uprave je pomembna, saj pripomore k izboljšanju kakovosti storitev in učinkovitosti javnega sektorja. Poleg tega tudi zmanjšuje ter pospešuje upravne postopke za vse vpletene, tako za javno upravo kot deležnike (državljane in podjetja).Pomembno je, da e-uprava omogoča lažji dostop do informacij in storitev za vse državljane EU in tudi podjetja. Zatorej so preglednost, transparentnost in smiselna ureditev informacij na enem mestu ključnega pomena. Zahteva, da so informacije dostopne za vse, je zame izrednega pomena.Ob tem imam v mislih predvsem to, da so spletne strani prilagojene in narejene tako, da so dostopne ter uporabne invalidnim osebam in pa tudi starejšim osebam, ki niso tako zelo vešče uporabe računalnikov in interneta.Predvsem za starejše bi bilo smotrno razmisliti o tem, da se na nacionalni ravni organizira različna izobraževanja in s tem uporabo e-uprave približa skupini starejših in se jim tako olajša uporabo potrebnih storitev.Ker je omenjeno poročilo zelo dobro strukturirano in vključuje vse pomembnejše aspekte e-uprave, sem ga z veseljem podprl in glasoval za njegovo sprejetje na plenarnem zasedanju.

2016/11/22

The annual report on Protection of the EU’s Financial Interests aims at assessing the Commission action on this field and is an important parliamentary report, which stress on the improvements that have been made and still have to be made. The report is aiming at winding up the annual Commission own report on the Protection of EU’s Financial Interests. Also the report delivers details on the different irregularities (fraudulent and non-fraudulent) of the 2015 financial year in both revenue and expenditure sides. Further to this the report is aiming at criticising (positively and negatively) the Commission’s actions taken in the past in order to defend EU’s financial interests, drawing conclusions from those critics and proposing future improvements. In 2015 the number of irregularities has increased by 36%, but the amount involved fell slightly by 1%. Despite the positive drop of 11% in the number of irregularities reported as fraudulent, the sums involved increased by 18% in 2015. As the report is very well written and it includes all main issues of the fight against fraud, I support it and therefore have voted in favour of it at the plenary.

2016/11/22

. – Fully functional and harmonised customs practices play a decisive role in safeguarding the EU internal market. They protect consumers from harmful products and producers from competing against counterfeited goods. They are also key to guarantee that a trade policy based on values can be enacted; stopping illegal trade in timber products or trade in goods based on child or forced labour. Greens insisted with success during the writing of this report that customs have also a key function in combating illicit networks using trade mispricing for money laundering reasons or for the cover up of other illegal financial flows. However, majority was not convinced that more fully harmonised customs are also decisive for ecological reasons and that the Commission should look into the effects of importer’s cherry picking of entry ports on unnecessary truck traffic, motorway congestion and emissions. Unfortunately, the report calls also on a transfer of custom responsibilities from the national to the EU level, which at the moment is not the right way ahead. Therefore, at the vote I have decided to abstain for this report: see Minutes.

2016/11/22

Živo srebro je element, za katerega je znanstveno dokazano, da se ga ne more uničiti in ne more izginiti, in je ob enem tudi akutno strupeno. Zaradi zelo škodljivega učinka na zdravje ga uvrščamo med največja onesnaževala na svetu.Izpostavljenost živemu srebru je zelo razširjen zdravstveni problem in lahko škoduje živčnemu, prebavnemu in imunskemu sistemu ter pljučem, ledvicam, koži in očem. Že v majhnih količinah lahko prizadene živčni sistem. Dejstvo pa je, da je živo srebro kovina, ki je globalno vseprisotna in se uporablja v različne namene in v vsakdanjih predmetih. Posledično pa se sprošča v ozračje, tla in vodo.Zaradi naštetega je konvencija Minamata, ki obravnava celotni življenjski cikel živega srebra, zelo pomembna. Med drugim določa prepoved novih in opuščanje obstoječih rudnikov živega srebra, opuščanje in zmanjševanje uporabe živega srebra v številnih izdelkih in postopkih, ukrepe nadzora za emisije in izpuste ter urejanje obrtniškega kopanja in kopanja v majhnem obsegu.Omenjena konvencija bo vlade spodbudila, da sprejmejo ukrepe za obvladovanje zdravstvenih posledic izpostavljenosti živemu srebru. Zaradi vsega naštetega sem podprl priporočilo in glasoval za njegovo sprejetje na plenarnem zasedanju.

2016/11/22

Pozdravljam poročilo o predlogu direktive Sveta o spremembi Direktive (EU) 2016/1164 v zvezi s hibridnimi neskladji s tretjimi državami. Omenjena neskladja namreč lahko povzročajo velike vrzeli ki posledično privedejo do izogibanja plačila davkov.Vedoč, da izogibanje plačila davkov Evropsko unijo na letni ravni stane med 50 in 70 milijard evrov, je zelo pomembno, da države članice sprejmejo in implementirajo omenjeno direktivo v najkrajšem možnem času. Poleg tega pa je tudi pomembno, da Evropska komisija izvaja natančen nadzor implementacije direktive v državah članicah.Kljub temu pa boj proti izogibanju plačevanja davkov zahteva tudi ostale ukrepe in reforme, predvsem izboljšanje transparentnosti v multinacionalkah, boljše in kontinuirano poročanje držav članic in boljšo harmonizacijo davčnih pravil na evropski ravni.Ker sem mnenja, da je omenjena direktiva pomemben korak naprej v boju proti izogibanju plačila davkom, sem poročilo podprl in glasoval za njegovo sprejetje.

2016/11/22

Denmark is currently fully participating in Europol, which operates under the existing Council Decision (2009/371/JHA). The new Europol Regulation started to apply on 1st May 2017, and from this date onward the existing Europol Council Decision will automatically be repealed. This means that from 1 May 2017 onward, Denmark will not anymore be part of Europol and will not be able to participate in its activities, consult its databases or exchange data with it. I am in favour of enhancing the cooperation and sharing of data between all European countries in order to combat cross-border organised crime and international terrorism within the Union. A sudden departure of Denmark from Europol without a smooth transition regime into some form of an association between Denmark and Europol could lead to operational gaps and reduce the EU’s capacity to effectively fight organised crime and terrorism. It is therefore important to ensure a sufficient level of operational cooperation between Denmark and Europol including the exchange of relevant personal data, subject to adequate safeguards and data protection. Based on this, I think it is important to support the report therefore, I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

The Structural Reform Support Programme for 2017-2020 has been proposed to provide for the budgetary means for the Structural Reform Support Service set-up as successor of the Task Force for Greece, open to all Member States wishing so. While the intention to put the work of the Task Force for Greece on a more strategic basis including allocate budgetary resources to it is welcome, the functioning of and the actions envisaged under the SRSP have not drawn the necessary conclusions from the Greek experience with some devastating consequences for the Greek economy and society. Sadly, the chance to turn the SRSP into a useful tool to the service of EU citizens, municipalities and regions has not been reached. Instead, the SRSP risks to follow the same austerity path driven by the EU Commission and Member States. Unfortunately, this proposal has little to do with cohesion policy and the objective of cohesion. Instead, the proposal is about providing cohesion policy resources for actions related to economic governance, thus also strengthening the ‘close link’ between cohesion policy and economic governance, although this link is doubtful. Because mentioned reasons, I have decided to vote against the report.

2016/11/22

The European Year of cultural heritage re-introduces European thematic Years, like the ‘European Year of Development’ or before that the ‘EU Year of citizens’ which were stopped in 2015. The intention is to work actively on local, regional, national and European level on projects tackling tangible or intangible heritage, with a view of building a sense of belonging, creating new economic dynamism in different areas and establishing a strong networking between the different stakeholders, regional, local and national local funding authorities, civil society, NGOs, professionals, associations and youth organisations. This with a view of making citizens aware of the cultural richness of regions and cultural activities, and celebrating not only a better-functioning tourism, or economic dynamism, but also 100 years later, a Europe growing together, a humanistic Europe welcoming all types of diasporas, conscious of the added richness throughout history of its peoples and territories. As I think it is important to stress out all mentioned above, I support the report and I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

. – This report stresses the role of the EIB in climate action especially in relation to the Paris Agreement. The report contains an entire section on environmental subjects and includes many of important issues such as the need for an EIB plan to phase out fossil financing, more effort on energy efficiency and helping adjustment programme in the countries in transition to reach sustainable economies. It also calls on improvements in transparency and insists that the governance improvements raised by the Ombudsman should be addressed as well as stronger language on the EIBs duty to contribute to the fight against tax abuse. I think that in general the report has been very much improved, as it contains a lot more criticism that is constructive and language dealing with environmental issues. Based on this facts I have decided to support the report and voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

. – This proposed regulation offers rules on the placing of the market of medical devices for human use. It replaces outdated Council Directives from the 90s, which was necessary. It aims at enhancing patient safety by introducing more stringent procedures for conformity assessment and for post-marketing surveillance. In addition, it will require from manufacturers that they produce clinical safety data, performance and unknown side-effects. It consists of a number of key issues. One of them is concerning rules regarding notified bodies that assess medical devices, reinforced requirements for clinical investigations and clinical data. There are also points on consultation of an expert panel for certain high-risk devices, traceability and liability provisions and rules about the reprocessing of single-use medical devices. All of which I think are important issues, so it is good that they are addressed. I also approve of the points on a central database to provide patients, healthcare professionals and the public with comprehensive information on products available in the EU. So, overall I can support this proposal and its key points, which are in line with the opinion of me and my group. I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The problems of this revision are twofold, the content as well as the procedure are problematic. The content of the midterm revision of the MMF is a missed opportunity. It does not increase the MMF ceilings, as the European Parliament requested last year, and doesn’t take into account the new commitments the EU has made. Furthermore, it fails to consider the crises the EU has to face. As the revision also does not deliver the maximum flexibility that is needed and delivers no fresh money, I really don’t support it. The small increases that are in the revision are financed by redeployments, cuts in other areas. As for the procedure, by including into the MFF consent procedure some elements which should fall in the annual budgetary procedure (a kind of co-decision where the EP and the Council are on an equal footing), the EP loses some budgetary prerogatives. Consequently, this revision does not have my support. There is no fresh money and the budgetary power of the Parliament is cut, it is a missed opportunity overall. For these reasons, I voted against.

2016/11/22

. – The mobilisation of the Contingency Margin is a technical adjustment aiming at erasing payment problems that will have to be faced in the coming years. it is a last-resort instrument which will enable modifying the profile of the annual MMF ceilings. This will be possible up to 0.03% of the EU GNI and will happen without modifying the overall amount of the MMF. In 2015, the European Parliament and the Council decided to mobilise the Contingency Margin in order to facilitate additional funds, which should be neutralised in 2018-2020. But, according to the Midterm revision, there will be pressure on the annual payment ceilings in 2018-2020, while 2017 has a margin. So the Commission proposes the neutralisation to happen in 2017, instead of 2018-2020. This is a logical, technical adjustment that will ease the payment situation in 2018, 2019 and 2020. So it is a good proposal and I supported it by voting in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This is a report concerning automated exchange of data. In accordance to the incorporation of the so-called Prüm decision, the Council could unanimously decide whether the conditions for data protection have been met. So it was the Council that decided whether to allow automated exchange of data. The European Parliament contested this way of working in several cases before the European Court of Justice. It argued this is implementing measure under the Prüm decision and therefore it should be consulted for all decisions of this kind. The Court of Justice ruled in favour of the Parliament’s argumentation, so consultation is now standard practice. This particular case concerns automated exchange of data with regard to dactyloscopic data in Latvia. The European Parliament has been properly consulted, the data protection conditions are met and therefore the automated data exchange can start. I approve of this type of data exchange and I of course welcome that the Parliament was properly consulted, I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This is a report concerning automated exchange of data. In accordance with the incorporation of the so-called Prüm Decision, the Council could unanimously decide whether the conditions for data protection have been met. So it was the Council that decided whether to allow automated exchange of data. The European Parliament contested this way of working in several cases before the European Court of Justice. It argued that this was an implementing measure under the Prüm Decision and therefore it should be consulted for all decisions of this kind. The Court of Justice ruled in favour of Parliament’s argumentation, so consultation is now standard practice. This particular case concerns automated exchange of DNA data in Slovakia, Portugal, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Cyprus, Poland, Sweden, Malta and Belgium. The European Parliament has been properly consulted, the data protection conditions are met and therefore the automated data exchange can start. I approve of this type of data exchange and I of course welcome that the Parliament was properly consulted, I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This is a report concerning automated exchange of data. In accordance to the incorporation of the so-called Prüm decision, the Council could unanimously decide whether the conditions for data protection have been met. So it was the Council that decided whether to allow automated exchange of data. The European Parliament contested this way of working in several cases before the European Court of Justice. It argued this is implementing measure under the Prüm decision and therefore it should be consulted for all decisions of this kind. The Court of Justice ruled in favour of the Parliament’s argumentation, so consultation is now standard practice. This particular case concerns automated exchange with regard to dactyloscopic data in Slovakia, Bulgaria, France, Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Cyprus, Estonia, Malta, Romania and Finland. The European Parliament has been properly consulted, the data protection conditions are met and therefore the automated data exchange can start. I approve of this type of data exchange and I of course welcome that the Parliament was properly consulted, I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This is a report concerning automated exchange of data. In accordance to the incorporation of the so-called Prüm decision, the Council could unanimously decide whether the conditions for data protection have been met. So it was the Council that decided whether to allow automated exchange of data. The European Parliament contested this way of working in several cases before the European Court of Justice. It argued this is implementing measure under the Prüm decision and therefore it should be consulted for all decisions of this kind. The Court of Justice ruled in favour of the Parliament’s argumentation, so consultation is now standard practice. This particular case concerns automated exchange of data of vehicles registered in Finland, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary. The European Parliament has been properly consulted, the data protection conditions are met and therefore the automated data exchange can start. I approve of this type of data exchange and I of course welcome that the Parliament was properly consulted, I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This is a report concerning automated exchange of data. In accordance to the incorporation of the so-called Prüm decision, the Council could unanimously decide whether the conditions for data protection have been met. So it was the Council that decided whether to allow automated exchange of data. The European Parliament contested this way of working in several cases before the European Court of Justice. It argued this is implementing measure under the Prüm decision and therefore it should be consulted for all decisions of this kind. The Court of Justice ruled in favour of the Parliament’s argumentation, so consultation is now standard practice. This particular case concerns automated exchange of data of vehicles registered in Malta, Cyprus and Estonia. The European Parliament has been properly consulted, the data protection conditions are met and therefore the automated data exchange can start. I approve of this type of data exchange and I of course welcome that the Parliament was properly consulted, I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Two regulations are regarded in this report. They define the technical specifications of fishing vessels. These specifications are crucial for determining the fishing capacity of the fleets, so it is necessary that they are explained in detail. One of the two regulations is older than 30 years, so it needed an update. The Commission’s proposal preserved the original content, so it deals with breadth, length and depth of a vessel, as well as with its tonnage and engine power. All of which are necessary to be spelled out. The Commission also used this opportunity to request delegated authority to keep the characteristics of engine power up to date. Overall, this is a decent report, which has my approval. The updates were needed and are well formulated and the Commission’s request for delegated authority to update the characteristics of engine power is acceptable. I therefore approve of the report as a whole and voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Palm oil is one of the most widely used plant oils, both for biofuels and food production. It is one of the causes of widespread devastation of diverse ecosystems in the tropics. The palm oil industry has expanded at a huge speed, its cultivation is often unregulated but the risks and negative aspects are evident. Ground and surface water is being lost, rainforests are being destroyed and forest fires have occurred multiple times. The current way of cultivation is thus contributing to global climate change. Besides ecosystems, inhabitants are also suffering as their livelihoods are dependent on those ecosystems. In conclusion, palm oil is becoming a root of numerous social and economic conflicts. The report covers these problems and calls for action, which I really support. It makes many good points, for example: it calls for the EU to introduce concrete minimum sustainability criteria for palm oil and products that contain palm oil and enter the EU market. I also approve of the call for independent auditing and monitoring of certification schemes and the call for an EU action plan on deforestation. Overall, this report makes very good points in its call for action, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Women in rural areas find themselves in a specific situation as they face a lack of visibility on the labour market, which is their main problem. This report reviews the situation of women in rural areas. It analyses the impact of their lack of visibility and proposes several measures to resolve this problem. In addition, it introduces the concepts of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting, which I really welcome. I also support the points on invisible work and social protection. The high proportion of invisible work is a really problematic issue for women in rural area. Many of them work in family farms, where they are not recognized as co-owners or as workforce. This results in a lack of social protection like access to sick or maternity leave and pension rights. The report contains some very good points on this. It focusses on the need to recognise inheritance and ownership rights, which is really important. Another very good point is the recognition of women as agents of change in moving towards sustainable and ecologically sound agriculture. For the general nature of the report and for the mentioned points in particular, I chose to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Following the September 2015 revelations regarding emission test cheating from Volkswagen, the Committee of inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) was established. It received a mandate to investigate the role and the responsibility of the Member States and the European Commission. It held hearings, discussions with variety of experts, Commission officials, car manufacturers and Member State representatives. In the report, the evidence is gathered and the conclusions, drawn from the investigation, are formulated. According to the findings of the inquiry, the issue of significant discrepancies between the lab results and the real emissions of cars on the road extends to the whole automotive sector. There are even strong indications that the use of defeat devices is also widespread. The report finds that the Member States have failed to monitor and enforce the ban of these devices. So they could not ensure that vehicles met emission limits and overall failed in the control of technical services. The Member States as well as the Commission are considered responsible for not following up on evidence of emission discrepancies. The conclusions of the EMIS enquiry are realistic and indicate the problem, therefore I have supported the report by voting in favour.

2016/11/22

In 2014, the European Commission presented a proposal for a regulation aiming at breaking the link between the extraction of minerals and the financing of armed groups in conflict areas. The final agreement on the proposal contains some key points I approve of. I am particularly pleased that we managed, for the very first time, to include binding rules on the imports of conflict minerals. Operators involved in this activity will need to check if their supply chain has links to human rights abuses or armed conflicts. This is clearly the biggest achievement in this agreement and the main reason to support it. I also welcome the broadening of the geographical scope of the legislation, which will cover all countries instead of only central Africa. Another good point is the review clause, according to which the European Commission will review and report to the European Parliament and Council on the effectiveness of the new regulation two years after the implementation date and every three years thereafter. But the main achievement is definitely the introduction of binding rules on imports of conflict minerals, as I mentioned. Together with some smaller points I like, this motivated me to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The aim of the proposal is to harmonise the framework with other EU legislation on the collection of information on fisheries in order to remove overlaps. By doing so, costs of the whole marine data collection system will be reduced. Some very good key points are included in the report. In particular, I support the point on the collection of data for the protection of the marine environment in waters inside as well as outside the Union, which is important. This will include vulnerable marine areas, species and habitats. I also welcome the collection of data on fleet activity, which will allow us to monitor the activity of EU fishing vessels in and outside EU waters. There will also be an increase of data accessibility, and Member States will have stricter time limits to reply to data requests from interested parties. Another point proposes Regional Co-ordination Groups that will aim at developing and implementing regional databases. In addition, all data referred to in this Regulation should go into national computerised databases so that it is accessible to the Commission and can be made available to all interested parties. I am supportive of the points in this report and voted in favour.

2016/11/22

This report contributes to the debate about the possibilities of the Lisbon Treaty. It attempts to analyse to what extent the Lisbon Treaty has been implemented in the field of Common Security and Defence Policy and offers recommendations with regard to unused possibilities in the Treaty. In the past, the Greens/EFA have argued several times that the full potential of the Lisbon Treaty has not been achieved. Unfortunately, this report is another missed opportunity: exploring the full potential of the Lisbon Treaty in the field of security and defence has not happened here. For me, this report makes two very controversial proposals. Firstly, it proposes to use the governance structure of the eurozone in order to create a defence industrial nucleus with the existing European Defence Agency. This proposal inherits some deficiencies, such as lack of transparency, parliamentary control and accountability, which is regrettable. Secondly, the report supports the idea of new defence spending. I believe that before considering spending more, we should try to raise efficiency levels, through cooperation for example. As I do not approve of these proposals or of the general nature of the report, I chose to vote against.

2016/11/22

. ‒ This report is a response to the joint communication by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on ‘An Integrated European Union Policy for the Arctic’. It is the third European Parliament report on the Artic, confirming the EU’s commitment to the region.I welcome the report and approve of many of its key points. I especially like the call it makes for the development of response plans for oiled wildlife in all Artic states, which are to include an effective assessment of vulnerable species at risk, as well as prevention and response strategies to ensure their protection.The report notes that preserving sustainably developed communities benefitting from the latest information technology in the Arctic with a high quality of life is of the utmost importance. It also recognises that the transformation of the Artic represents a major effect of climate change. It proposes a reinforced EU strategy for the Artic and an enhanced policy of EU-generated renewable energy and energy efficiency. I am very supportive of these points and I approve of the report in general, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Of all candidate countries, Montenegro is considered to be the most advanced one. It is a small country working hard for its goal of becoming a Member State, which I support and welcome. The report has my support, as it is very well written and makes key points which I stand behind, especially with regard to organised crime, corruption, reform of the judiciary, media freedom, gender equality and the rights of minorities, which are all very important issues. On corruption for example, the report invites the Government to improve access to public information, especially in relation to large infrastructure projects, prone to corruption. The report has a very strong and detailed part on media freedom and freedom of expression which I fully support. It expresses concerns about these issues and the lack of effective investigation by the government. What I am especially pleased with is the part on environmental and energy issues, which made a clear step forward compared to last year. In this part of the text, legitimate concerns are expressed about a number of issues in a very detailed way. I support the mentioning of these concerns and approve of the report in general, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This report concerns the use of ICT tools to improve the interaction between citizens and institutions. ICT tools and open, collaborative platforms can improve transparency, efficiency in public management and citizens’ participation. The report handles a broad spectrum of issues like e-participation and e-voting, tools to improve transparency and access to documents. It underlines the overall potential benefits of e-democracy and states that e-participation should be embedded in the political system to ensure follow-up.In particular, I salute the point that recalls the essential role of whistle-blowers. They expose corruption, fraud and other wrongdoings, generally through the internet. By doing so they ensure the right of the public to information. Furthermore, ICT can contribute to the creation of spaces for participation and improve the legitimacy of our democratic systems, whilst engaging young people in political debate. E-democracy can reinforce democratic practices but should not harm representative democracy; the report is clear on this. Through some points, the report aims at improving access to all EU websites, platforms and public documents, which I welcome.In conclusion, this report makes very good points and is in line with my views, and I especially like the point on whistle-blowers. I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – When Croatia became a Member State of the EU, its previous lower tariffs for certain products imported from Brazil rose to the level the EU Customs Union sets. For this reason, a compensation to Brazil for the previous lower tariff level became necessary. So, the EU negotiated a transitional adjustment of tariff rate quota for poultry and sugar, applying to Brazil. For sugar, the tariff loss for Brazil was considerable, as it almost was the single provider to Croatia. The same goes for poultry and turkey meat as Brazil was also a very important provider for Croatia. In both cases, the tariffs were much lower than the ones the EU establishes. So compensation was a logical consequence. It will be given in the form of extra quotas for both product categories for around seven years. As it is normal procedure to transform tariff concessions formally granted by a new EU Member State to third countries into temporary compensation after the accession, this is a conventional proceeding. I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This resolution concerns the launch of automated data exchange with regard to vehicle registration data in Denmark. Since last year’s Court of Justice ruling, the European Parliament has to be consulted for measures of this type. This is an evolution I welcome and I am pleased that in this case, this has properly happened. The European Parliament calls on the Council to keep notifying the Parliament if it intends to amend or depart from the text, which affirms Parliament’s role. The resolution itself approves the Council draft, which I support. It seeks to authorise Denmark to receive and supply personal data for the purpose of automated searching of vehicle registration data. I and my group welcome measures of this type, as they can play a role in combating terrorism and cross-border crime. I am therefore in favour of approving this decision and voted accordingly.

2016/11/22

. – This resolution concerns the launch of automated data exchange with regard to DNA data in Greece. Firstly, I welcome the fact that the European Parliament has been consulted properly in this case. Last year’s Court of Justice ruling decided this to be necessary for measures of this sort. In the resolution, the European Parliament calls on the Council to keep notifying Parliament if it intends to amend or depart from the text, which affirms the Parliament’s role. The resolution itself approves the Council draft, which I support. It seeks to authorise Greece to receive and supply personal data for the purposes of automated searching and comparison of DNA data. As they can play a role in combating terrorism and cross-border crime, measures like this are welcomed by me and my group. For this reason, I chose to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The European Commission put forward a proposal on ‘offical controls and other activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health, plant reproductive material, plant protection products’ whose aim is to introduce a harmonised approach in governing the performance of official controls to ensure the uniform application of the agri-food chain rules across the EU. Compared to the regulation currently in force, it broadens the scope in a positive manner and integrates separate sets of rules into the framework of one single regulation. The European Parliament improved the Commission’s proposal, leading to a compromise with a number of positive key points which I stand behind. The introduction of a whistleblower clause is an important one. The compromise also takes organic farming mostly out of the scope and sets minimum requirements for the ‘independence’ of controls, both of which I approve of. I also welcome the specific rules on animal welfare. Overall, I support this compromise and am happy to see it contains the above-mentioned points, which are key for me and my group. I therefore voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – In 2012, the International Telecommunications Union determined that, as of 2015, the 700 MHz band should be allocated to both broadcasting and mobile services in the European Union. The 2014 Lamy Report recommended that the 700 MHz frequency band be made available for wireless broadband by the end of 2020 while at the same time safeguarding spectrum access to the sub-700 MHz frequency band for terrestrial broadcasting up to 2030, with a review in 2025. The eventual deal, reached last December, contains some good key points. I welcome the mentioning of technological neutrality, European leadership in new digital services and fast broadband speeds. But especially important to me and my Group is the mentioning of innovative user driven initiatives. Initiatives like this have shown they can find answers to connectivity and mobility problems proving that given the possibility there is potential for good developments. The text also includes support measures for the transition, which is also important to me. As these key points, which are in line with my views, are in the text, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – A lot of petitions reaching the European Parliament are raising concerns about the obstacles to freedom to move and work in the Internal Market. We need to respond to the people’s demands and call on Member States to remove any discriminatory practices and unnecessary barriers from their rules and improve the situation. Naturally, we take messages about the violation of the freedom of movement for EU workers within the Union very seriously and always look into problems raised by petitioners. The Commission is therefore asked to clarify, extend and update its guidance for better application by the Member States. It should avoid discrepancy in the interpretation of the current EU legislation by presenting a better and clearer terminology. An example here is the interpretation of ‘habitual residence’. This resolution calls for a better harmonisation of this interpretation. It also stresses the principal of equal pay for equal work, which I of course welcome. It welcomes the creation of the electronic exchange of social security information (EESSI), which helps security bodies across the EU to exchange information faster and more securely. As I like these mentioned points and find the resolution calls for good measures in general, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Since 2014, the German Minister for Transport has been trying to introduce a road toll for all passenger cars on German roads. As Germans receive the amount for the road toll back on their vehicle tax bill, this plan does discriminate against foreigners. Especially loud in their opposition are of course the neighbouring countries.The Commission has however agreed to a slightly revised version, eventually. In principle, me and my group are not opposed to road tolls. We see it as an instrument to achieve important goals in the fight against emissions that can even lead to a behavioural change and modal-shift. Unfortunately, the German plans do not aim at these goals. In view of the Commission’s plans for revising the road charging directive, three points are key in my opinion. The road charging system should be electronic and distance based. Safety and congestion factors should be included. And lastly, the road charging systems should internalise external costs. I am pleased to see these points included and approve of the motion in general, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This report regards the guidelines for the preparation for the 2018 EU Budget. For me, the results of the report are ambiguous. I approve of some points in the report, like the strong support for research and the emphasis on youth employment and SMEs. The reference to youth mobility and the regional and cohesion policy are OK too. Although it could be stronger, I also agree with the part of the text that mentions climate change as one of the main areas of concern, which is of course an important issue for me and my group. Unfortunately, some of the other points in the report damage the overall result of the report. The strong support for defence research is not in line with my views. Nor is the wording on migration, which I find unbalanced. The rather uncritical regard for the European Fund for Strategic Investments is also problematic for me. Overall, the report has some good and some bad points, leading to an ambiguous result. Considering that it also is less progressive than last year, I chose to abstain.

2016/11/22

. – In 2015, World Horse Welfare and Eurogroup for Animals published a study on the health and welfare of equidae in Europe. It was the very first research that fully covered and outlined the scope, scale and welfare challenges of the European Union’s equine sector. It is good to see that the report included many of the key conclusions of the mentioned study. The Commission should develop European guidelines, accessible in different formats and languages, on good practices in the equid sector, considering the multifunctional role of the animals. The Commission should also recommit to the development of a European charter for sustainable and responsible tourism, which should help tourists and stakeholders make welfare-friendly choices when deciding whether or not to use the services of working equidae. Moreover, new reference centres for the protection of animals should be established and levels of full compliance with, and consistent enforcement of, legislation should be improved. Any cruel treatment, under any circumstances, must not be tolerated. The report stressed the need to clarify the VAT law that applies to the equine sector. As I agree with all of these key points and welcome the report in general, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The goal of the revision of the shareholders’ rights directive is to tackle the issue of short-termism in the management of list companies by introducing measures related to long-term engagement of shareholders. The final deal contains some good points and is overall an improvement in European company law without problematic elements. Giving listed companies the right to identify their shareholders is a good element of the deal. Moreover, I welcome the reference to ‘stakeholders’ in the engagement policy. Also, the control by shareholders of substantial transactions will be improved, which is a good evolution. I salute the social and environmental impacts in the engagement policy and the investment strategy. This engagement policy will describe how asset managers and institutional investors monitor investee companies on matters like financial and non-financial performance and risk. Another good aspect is the ‘say on pay’ concept, as there will be a say on pay by shareholders on the remuneration of directors. So, as the final deal makes a clear improvement to European company law, and some key points for me and my group were included, I chose to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This vote concerns the revision of the Firearms Directive. I believe this revised directive fails in effectively combatting terrorism. It focuses on the wrong actors and on the wrong stakeholders. The legal owners of firearms the directive wrongfully focuses on do not represent a threat of terrorism. Many of them expressed the feeling they were treated as part of the terrorism system when reading the text. If we really want to fight terrorism, the directive should put more focus on the so—called black market. That is where the bad deals are made and where firearms trafficking takes place; that is where terrorists get their firearms. Deals like that facilitate terrorism. The directive should continue fully encouraging data exchange and further strengthen cooperation between Member States, and on these points, I see some improvements I welcome. I regret that this revised directive unnecessarily restricts lawful owners of weapons and even unduly penalises them, when it should be putting emphasis on a more secure European Union. Focusing on legally acquired weapons is neglecting the main source of the problem. As the above—mentioned points are very important to me, they prevailed in my decision to vote against.

2016/11/22

. – The aim of the amending directives on end—of—life vehicles, batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and waste electrical and electronic equipment is to simplify the reporting obligation for Member States. The report proposes some good points that are in line with my views and those of my political group. For example, I find positive the mention of ensuring prudent and efficient use of natural resources. The report also states that a clean, effective and sustainable circular economy requires the removal of hazardous substances from products at the design stage. It adds that it is necessary to ensure the effective and low energy consumption management of secondary raw materials, and priority should be given to R&D efforts towards that objective. The report recognises challenges in the environmentally responsible management and treatment of waste. It also mentions the need to take into account the technical development of new types of batteries that do not use hazardous substances. In general, I approve of the report and many of its key points, especially the ones that focus on environmental aspects and sustainable ways of working. I therefore chose to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The Commission proposes to revise the waste framework directive. Although the Commission’s proposed modifications are improvements I very much welcome, the report is even better. I approve of the proposed key changes in the report, such as the extended minimum requirements for extended producer responsibility schemes, or the idea of one single method for the calculation of the recycling target instead of the current four. The increase of the recycling targets for municipal waste and the obligation for Member States to reduce food waste and marine litter with a target and timeline. A compulsory separate collection of bio-waste is also proposed, with no qualifier allowed. But there should also be a compulsory separate collection of paper, plastic, glass and metals, also without qualifier. The report is clearly more ambitious on all these points than the Commission’s, it proposes more modifications, higher targets, timelines and allows less or no exceptions. It therefore has my full support, as it also generally in line with the views of my group and my own, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The Commission proposes to revise the landfill directive. It proposes the following key modifications. A 10% maximum landfill for municipal waste in 2030, with a five year extension possibility for some countries. A review clause in 2024, which should introduce restrictions to the landfilling of non-hazardous waste other than municipal waste. And a point on stopping landfilling of biodegradable waste that has been separately connected. It is a good thing that the report goes a bit further. It has two key points that are more ambitious than the Commission’s proposal. Firstly, it asks for a further 5% decrease of landfill to 5% by 2030, and stronger conditions for the extension possibility. Second, the report states that in 2030, Member States should only accept residual waste in landfills. I approve of these two key points, since they go further than their basis, proposed by the European Commission. As I also like the report in general I supported the report in the plenary.

2016/11/22

. – The Commission proposes to revise the packaging and packaging waste directive. Their key modifications concern an increase in the recycling targets for packaging waste and an increase of specific recycling targets for specific materials. For the first one, the targets are 65% by 2025 and 75% by 2030. The specific materials for the second one are plastic, wood, ferrous metals, aluminium, glass, paper and cardboard. Here, the timeline is also by 2025 and 2030. The report is a bit more ambitious, which I welcome very much. It asks for a further 5% increase of recycling targets for packaging waste, making it 70% by 2025 and 80% by 2030. For the specific recycling targets for specific materials, a further 5% increase is asked for most of the mentioned materials. Higher recycling targets are very important to me and my group, so I especially welcome the report’s ambition here. For these key points and for the general nature of the report, I chose to vote in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The goal of the Directive (2004/113/EC) was to extend the principal of equal treatment between men and women beyond employment and the labour market to include the field of access to and supply of goods and services in the public and in the private sectors. Over the years, some gaps were detected in the Directive, for example through the CJEU Test-Achats ruling on Article 5(2), which resulted in mandatory unisex premiums and benefits in all Member States for the purposes of insurance and related financial services. Some key problematic areas in the implementation of the Directive are, among others, the overly restrictive understanding of the notion of goods and services, insufficient protection of women on grounds of maternity and pregnancy and persisting discriminatory practices against women and discriminatory practices linked to pregnancy, maternity plans and maternity in terms of access to services provided by the insurance and banking sectors. The report outlines these and remaining gaps in the relevant sectors, such as insurance and transport. It also regards the insufficient protection of women on the grounds of pregnancy and maternity. I approve of the text and nature of the report and support its goal, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – The report assesses whether gender budgeting has been correctly implemented in the different EU funds and programmes. The conclusion is that gender mainstreaming, and gender budgeting in particular, has not been implemented consistently in the design of EU policies, programmes and their corresponding budget. My political group and I welcome most of the points included in the report. For example the mentioning of the lack of gender balance in the EU Court of Auditors, or the lack of targeted actions linked to an overall gender mainstreaming strategy in ESI Funds. The report also proposes the amount to be allocated to individual policy objectives and actions dedicated to gender equality to be clearly specified in order to increase transparency and accountability, it calls to increase the EU-level funding currently allocated in the MFF for achieving the objectives of gender-strategic engagement and regrets that gender mainstreaming was not included in the mid-term revision of the MFF. I especially welcome the wording on that gender budgeting is a methodology that needs to be applied in all EU budget lines. In general, I support the text of the report and its recommendations, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Big data refers to the analysis and collection of big amounts of data, including personal data, subject to advanced data-processing techniques and automatic processing by computer algorithms in order to generate certain trends, patterns and correlations. These Big Data analytics are used increasingly by governments and businesses for market predictions, targeted advertising, scientific research as well as policy-making in various fields. The report focusses on the risk of Big Data for privacy, non-discrimination and data protection, especially regarding security and the use by law enforcement agencies. The report aims at strengthening the application of the new General Data Protection regulation to Big Data analytics and expresses that the essence of Big Data should be to achieve comparable correlations with as little personal data as possible. It also states predictive analysis based on big data can only offer a statistical probability and by no means can predict individual behaviour. In addition, it proposes liability measures against negligent software developers in the context of data loss and theft or infection by malware. As these points, and the report in general, are in line with my point of view, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – There has been a general trend of rising costs for life-saving medicines across the Member States. In this context, and in the context of the economic crisis on healthcare spending, Member States started refraining reimbursing some treatments or establishing quotas for accessibility. In its goal of improving access to medicines, this report by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety makes some excellent points. The priorities set by the Greens/EFA Group are included. These are: compulsory licensing, which has successfully lowered prices and is used to address public health problems in order to be able to provide essential medicines at affordable prices. Moreover, there should be no undue fast-tracking of medicines authorisation, it should not be the rule, but instead should be used only in cases of high unmet medical need, and it may not be motivated by commercial purposes.De-linkage between product pricing and research costs is another priority, at least for neglected areas of research. Also important and positive is the mention of gender equality in research and development. So, in conclusion, it is a good report, the key points of our Group are included, the other points are also sound, and therefore I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – Creative Europe is a programme for culture in Europe. It has a growing ambition, but there is a need for EU recognition of the value of culture and for increased funds. The implementation report makes recommendations regarding the mid-term report of the European Commission that is due by the end of 2017. The Commission wanted to merge the culture and media programmes, with the goal of making these policies more present and visible. The programme itself is ambitious: enlarging its geographical area to participating countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Georgia and others is an example of that. The report sets cooperation and complementarity with other instruments as its principles. The Greens/EFA Group applauds many of its key points, for example, the necessity to work closely with UNESCO, the OECD and the Council of Europe. It recalls the Commission’s duty of transparency in respect of rejected applications, pleads for a better share of the overall Creative Europe budget for the Culture sub-programme and urges the Commission to further simplify the financial aspects of the support given to projects, all of which are good points. In general, I approve a majority of the key points and am in favour.

2016/11/22

. – ‘Europe for Citizens’ is a programme that directly involves citizens: it supports small projects that provide forums for debates between citizens. The budget, however, is low and should be increased in the future, as a programme like this is important in the current context.The implementation report was issued before the mid-term review by the Commission, which is due by the end of 2017. The programme itself is valuable and has very good ideas and intentions. However, I disagree on two points. The budget should be even higher than it was: the budget was lowered. The second issue is the legal basis, which limits the European Parliament’s role and involvement in the legislative process to a simple consent procedure.These points are both addressed in the report. It states that the programme cannot function without more financial resources, as the lack of them frustrates citizens whose projects are not selected. As for the legal basis, the report mentions that it needs to be changed: the European Parliament should be co-legislator, instead of just having a simple consent role. I agree, and overall I find the report well prepared and balanced, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. – This report expresses the European Parliament’s commitment to stop illegal wildlife trade and take all necessary measures to ensure cooperation of all actors in achieving this goal, both of which I applaud. It pleases me that it also calls for including wildlife protection provisions in trade and sustainable development chapters of future trade agreements and in making those provisions enforceable – which adds to the ambitious approach of the EU, called upon in the report.The overall language in terms of protection of wildlife was strong and progressive. In addition, some key points my group and I were concerned about are included in the report, such as the importance of engaging with rural communities to address the root causes of wildlife trafficking, the recognition of the role of wildlife trafficking in the fuelling of conflicts and the inclusion of the role of civil society in the fight against illegal trade. The report also recognises the need for further action to tackle cybercrime and off-line advertising and, particularly important, it calls for extra legislation to address the trading of wildlife illegally harvested in third countries. For all reasons mentioned above, I am in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

. – Border checks on EU citizens at external borders are unnecessary and not proportionate. It will disturb traffic and create queues while positive effects for security will be very limited. EU citizens entering the Schengen Area normally just have to show their passport for a ‘rapid and straightforward verification’. Additional investigation (like consulting databases) can only happen in a non-systematic matter. However, in November 2015, after the Paris attacks, the Council invited the Commission to make a proposal to change this system and to introduce the check against databases as a rule. The Commission did so, indicating that the general rule should be to check every EU citizen against the databases. Targeted checks based on the risk assessment could be allowed in cases of negative effects on traffic flows. The Commission did not make an impact assessment, thus not stating whether this measure would indeed be suitable to catch terrorists (re-)entering the EU. The extension of checks without any suspicion is disproportional and against principles. That’s why I voted against.

2016/11/22

This report is about more than institutional issues. It digs deep into the content of fundamental EU policies, like the EMU, the social policy, the CFSP and JHA. Regarding the institutional aspects the report supports European integration. To name a few of them, the report supports the community method against the use of intergovernmental solutions, reinforces the ‘Spitzenkandidat’ process and wants a gender-balanced Commission. The part dedicated to the EMU gathers ambitious proposals made in previous reports, the fight against tax fraud and tax evasion for example. I welcome these proposals. It also proposes more involvement of the European and national parliaments in the European Semester, which I also applaud. In general, this report makes positive proposals in order to enhance the democratic functioning of the EU (within the current treaties). I support its nature and most of the key points, so I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

Although the Eurozone has a single monetary policy, it lacks a common fiscal policy to react to economic shocks in a proper way. The report therefore calls for the creation of a fiscal capacity for the Eurozone. It presents a short roadmap to work towards adding a necessary feature for a genuine Economic and Monetary Union, a euro area fiscal capacity.It presents some key points; for example, it recognises the flaws and incomplete nature of the current Eurozone. Also it proposes that any Eurozone budget, by fiscal capacity, should be additional to the EU budget and should be financed by own resources in the long run. In addition, the report proposes the euro area fiscal capacity should be built on three pillars for convergence and stabilisation: the establishment of a Convergence code; absorption of asymmetric shocks affecting parts of the EMU; and absorption of symmetric shocks affecting the whole EMU. In general, I welcome the presented roadmap, so I voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

The report handles a variety of robotics issues, including its impact on civil liability rules, health, employment, transport and privacy. It only concerns robots for civil use and excludes military robots, artificial intelligence and algorithms. The report reaffirms some important principles without hindering innovation and the development of the European Artificial Intelligence economy. It is fairly balanced and cautious, it considers both the hopes and the concerns citizens have towards robotics. The report aims to plan for the future to create an environment in which robotics will assist humans, always guaranteeing safety. There is particular focus on civil liability rules, but it is too early to establish a legal regime. The creation of a European Agency for robotics is suggested. The main points which are important for the Green/EFA group are not to hinder innovation, taking into consideration ethical aspects, privacy and data protection and the impact on the economy. The report expresses concerns about the potential impact of robotics on jobs, especially lower skilled jobs which are more vulnerable to automation. As the report is well-balanced and addresses all important points on this topic I supported it and voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

The European Cloud Initiative is a part of the Digital Market Strategy. Its goal is to develop a European Open Science Cloud, a safe and open environment for the scientific community to store, share and re-use data and results. The report states the first steps in setting a basis for open and competitive European actions concerning cloud and high-performance computing have been made. It welcomes this evolution. The main goal of the report is to involve more stakeholders with the emphasis on SMEs, promotes openness and data sharing, with respect for privacy safeguards, which is of high importance. As I think the report is well balanced and good I supported it by voting in favour of it.

2016/11/22

To poročilo Parlamenta se odziva na sporočilo Komisije z naslovom Vlaganje v delovna mesta in rast – za kar največji prispevek evropskih strukturnih in investicijskih skladov, ki je prvi pregled izvajanja nove generacije kohezijske politike, v katerem Komisija poroča o nacionalnih strategijah za porabo kohezijskih sredstev ter o prednostnih naložbah, načrtovanih ukrepih in orodjih za porabo.Strinjam se s poročevalcem, da je tematska osredotočenost nove kohezijske politike ena pomembnejših izboljšav v smislu ocenjevanja uspešnosti, saj ta omogoča usmeritev naložb k posebnim ciljem in prednostnim nalogam na podlagi natančno določenih kazalnikov.Poročilo vsebuje tudi nekatere druge dobre pobude, kot je na primer zahteva, da se kazalnik BDP na prebivalca dopolni z dodatnimi kazalniki za še natančnejše ugotavljanje upravičenosti regij. Nova generacija programov za obdobje financiranja 2014–2020 se je nedvomno izkazala za uspeh pri ustvarjanju delovnih mest in trajnostnega razvoja evropskih regij, zato sem poročilo pri glasovanju podprl.Vseeno pa je upravljanje sredstev ESI mogoče še dodatno izboljšati. Eno od področij, ki zahteva našo pozornost, je na primer področje komunikacije o projektih, ki mora poleg pravilnosti in zakonitosti porabe vsebovati predvsem informacije o evropski dodani vrednosti in prepoznavnosti dobrih praks.

2016/11/22

The Commission’s Aviation Strategy for Europe has the intention of giving more support to the growing aviation business. Statistics show that EU air transport grew by 6% in 2016 and is heavily subsidised, both directly as indirectly. The problem of this subsidising is that it goes to the disadvantage of other more sustainable transport modes, like rail transport. Exemptions on kerosene taxes and VAT on many flight tickets are examples mentioned. Also there is big support for Airbus in its competition with Boeing and there are generous, uncoordinated state investments made in big and regional airports.All of these examples and policies in general generate further unfair competition, to the disadvantage of more sustainable transport modes. Meanwhile, the greenhouse gas emissions from aviation at high altitude continue to have a growing impact on climate change. In summary, this report promotes strengthening the position of air transport on the transport market (internal and external) and supports the abolishment of all barriers for the growth of the aviation business. Being unfair to other more sustainable transport modes which are less polluting, I believe the strategy creates inequality and is a bit excessive, so I chose to vote against it.

2016/11/22

The 2013 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Mongolia replaces the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the EEC and Mongolia. Its general principles contain respect for democratic principles and human rights and the principle of the rule of law. The parties also confirm their shared values as expressed in the Charter of the United Nations. Moreover, the EU and Mongolia confirm their commitment to promoting all aspects of sustainable development, addressing the challenge of climate change and environmental protection. Development and principles of good governance are also prioritised.The agreement aims to strengthen the EU-Mongolia relationship and promote further cooperation on all sectors of mutual interest. It is a solid agreement with a right nature and in the long run it could have positive effects on the wider region. The democratic transformation this agreement could produce is very welcomed. Principally, I find this to be a good agreement, so I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

. ‒ The 2013 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Mongolia replaces the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the EEC and Mongolia. Mongolia can serve as a democratic model in the region. The PCA underlines the growing importance of EU-Mongolia relations based on shared principles and values, it opens the possibility of adding new fields of cooperation (education, culture, tourism).Mongolia has a specific geographical position that could prove to be important for stability in the region. The PCA also takes in areas like political dialogue, human rights, rural development, energy, climate change and more, all of which are of great importance for economic diversification and resolving current economic problems. These new areas will contribute to the long-term transformation of an originally nomadic society. Mongolia made efforts to consolidate democratic progress, including multi-party elections and more independent media. This democratic transformation could produce a positive spill over effect in the region. The public debates and public participation held on the environmental impact of mining at local level are welcomed.I support these developments and generally all of the above, so I voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

. – The 1980 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft (ATCA), signed by 32 countries, eliminates import duties on all aircraft (not on military aircraft) and some other products like sub-assemblies of civil aircraft and flight simulators. Products that shall be accorded duty-free treatment are listed in an Annex of the Agreement. In that Annex, products are classified according to their respective tariff headings under the so-called ‘Harmonised System’, developed by the World Customs Organisation. Since the adoption of the ATCA, different Harmonised System have been adopted, in 2007, a new version of the System was introduced. In order to transpose these changes, the Civil Aircraft Committee adopted a protocol in November 2015. The proposed protocol covers matters that fall under the common commercial policy; the amendment concerns an update of the international agreement. The consent of the European Parliament is needed to do so.This dossier is technical and is approved by me and my group, so I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

. ‒ The proposal on the Emissions Trading System (ETS) review is part of the 2030 energy and climate policy framework and implementation of the binding target to reduce, by 2030, overall EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% domestically below 1990 levels. To achieve this goal cost-effectively, ETS sectors will have to reduce their emissions by 43% compared to 2005 (30% for non-ETS sectors).The current proposal does not represent an improvement compared to the ETS rules in force. The change in linear factor (1.74% to 2.2%) is not consistent even with the lower end of EUs 2050 target (which is not consistent with the Paris Agreement). Another problem is the continuance of leakage provisions that provide full free allocation to 94% or more of the non-power emissions covered by the system (instead of phasing out free allocation by 2027 as foreseen). This represents a subsidy to the most polluting industries, or blocks the passing of carbon price, both being against the whole idea of setting up an ETS as a market-based instrument.The removal of cement and clinker from the list of industries receiving free allocations was essential. As it failed, I voted against the adoption of the report.

2016/11/22

. ‒ I recognise the steady progress Albania has made in some areas of the key priorities. It should keep following this positive path and make an extra effort in the implementation process. I applaud the fact that Albania is working towards its goal of starting accession negotiations with the EU.In particular, I welcome the adoption of legislation in the fight against corruption. However fighting corruption remains a vital working point for Albania, especially in 2017 when elections are going to take place. I also want to emphasise the value of independent media. There is a worrying spread of self-censorship among journalists, and improvements are needed in this area as well.In general the text of the resolution is well balanced, it is well written and it promotes Albania’s prospects for EU membership. I support the language on the problems surrounding hydropower plants and their environmental impact. I support giving consideration to the establishment of a Vjosa National Park on the river of that name and cancelling hydropower plant construction plans. For these reasons, I voted in favour of the resolution and supported it.

2016/11/22

. ‒ Bosnia and Herzegovina has made some progress and I applaud the fact that the country is working towards its goal of one day joining the EU. It has problems including corruption, lack of media freedom, and organised crime, all of which are mentioned in the text of the resolution.Some good compromises were reached on the text and I support many of the paragraphs proposed. However, some wording that I cannot support has made it into the final text of resolution. I am against the idea of strengthening the rights of the so-called three constitutive peoples and supporting federalism and decentralisation. Bosnia and Herzegovina is already fragmented and divided, and strengthening this fragmentation is not what we should be doing. Sending this kind of message is contradictory to the European Court of Human Rights ruling on the Sejdić-Finci and Zornić cases.In my opinion the text should be more balanced and objective and not contain the message of division. Bosnia and Herzegovina needs reconciliation and integration, not further fragmentation. That is why I did not support the resolution and voted against it.

2016/11/22

This report delivers the European Parliament’s position on the Commission’s Annual Growth Survey. It provides input ahead of the adoption by the Commission of country-specific recommendations as regards their economic policy. I am disappointed about the first draft for the following reasons. The environmental and sustainability aspect is completely missing and it is weak on financial stability and better regulation agenda. The draft ‘stresses that the benefits of trade are larger than realized in the public debate’ instead of criticising the unfair trade policies we see today. It fails to support the Commission’s call for a positive aggregate fiscal stance for the euro area and does not contain a critical assessment of the flaws in the current Stability and Growth Pact rules. I am disappointed about the outcome of the report, and that is why I voted against it.

2016/11/22

The Commission’s Annual Growth Survey is meant to kick off the 2017 cycle of the European Semester for economic policy coordination. Ideally, the set priorities should be in line with the EU 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The high levels of inequality reduce the output of the economy and the potential for sustainable growth. The Green initiative report calls for a genuine equal role for the employment indicators in the Macroeconomic Imbalance procedure, with their imbalances assessed and social reforms proposed. The report states that social matters must have priority and not just be second concerns. I welcome the report stressing ‘that employment indicators should be put on equal footing with the economic ones, thus allowing them to trigger in-depth analyses and corrective action in the relevant Member States’. Other key points are a child-centred approach, a tax shift from labour and the need to invest in social development. All of which I support. In general, I welcome the report and its key messages so I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

The report regards the Single Market dimension of the 2017 EU Semester. I consider it to be quite positive. It re-confirms that the single market is one of the foundations of the EU and calls it the backbone of the European project. It recognises that the single market is still too fragmented and that there is more potential for jobs, innovation and growth. The report considers the goal of achieving more sustainable policies, and does so in a balanced way. Particular emphasis is placed on some key goals. A few of them are the need for the EU to invest strongly in its young people and jobseekers, in start-ups and SMEs, the creation of a strong single market pillar with a social dimension and to the need for sustainable investments in the Energy Union and Digital Single Market. I welcome these and the other goals mentioned in the report therefore I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

. – The annual initiative report on the Banking Union aims at providing the European Parliament’s assessment on the yearly developments and prospective recommendations regarding the Banking Union. Some of the main messages of this year’s report are its concerns about the large amount of non-performing loans, the need to ensure higher transparency and the need to introduce Bank Structural Reform. In addition, the report stresses that harmonising the hierarchy of claims in bank insolvency across Member States is crucial. In order to complete the Banking Union, it also reiterates its call for a third pillar and reminds that the protection of deposits is a common concern for all EU citizens. The report proposes some good ideas, I follow most of its main messages and, therefore, I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

This fishery agreement triggered considerable local opposition. Local fishermen, scientists and traditional leaders have been trying to persuade their government to ban the use of FADs. A FAD (fish aggregating device) is a type of fishing technology which results in the capture of large numbers of juvenile tuna, among other species. The government did not give in to this persuasion and is continuing its negotiations with other nations, allowing them to use FADs. A petition started on the island has been signed by 4 200 people, representing a majority of the electorate. As a majority of the locals are opposed to the agreement, the Greens/EFA call to support them and vote against. The agreement should be on hold until the population accepts it and at least until the related pending court case is finished. That is why I voted against consent in plenary.

2016/11/22

This report contains recommendations to enhance transparency and safeguards for the balanced composition of expert groups. For example, it proposes to offer more transparency and accountability by making available all studies, documents, meaningful minutes and other relevant documents. Further to this, it also suggests opening the possibility for European NGOs to be represented in expert groups. Additionally to this, it also proposes a generous reimbursement of direct and indirect costs of participation in expert groups. Another good proposal in the report is also the clarification of how to avoid conflict of interest. In general, I support the idea of this report and the approach of it as well. Therefore I supported it at the plenary and voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

Zaščita prijaviteljev nepravilnosti oziroma tako imenovanih žvižgačev je bistvena za ohranjanje javnega dobrega in zaščito finančnih interesov Unije.Poročilo priznava pomembno vlogo žvižgačev in pravilno opozarja, da Komisija kljub nedavnim razkritjem hudih nepravilnosti, za katere se lahko zahvalimo zgolj nekaterim posameznikom, še vedno ni predložila zakonodajnega predloga za vzpostavitev minimalne ravni zaščite evropskih žvižgačev. Poleg tega izpostavlja nekatere ključne ukrepe, kot sta na primer vzpostavitev neodvisnega organa EU za zbiranje informacij, svetovanje in prijavo, ki bi notranjim in zunanjim prijaviteljem pomagal najti najustreznejši način razkritja spornih dejanj ter obenem varoval njihovo identiteto in zagotavljal potrebno podporo in svetovanje, ter vzpostavitev posebne službe Evropskega parlamenta za obdelavo informacij, ki so vezane na finančne interese Evropske unije.V skupini Zelenih smo tako Komisijo kot države članice že večkrat pozvali k ukrepanju na tem področju, po sprejetju direktive o poslovnih skrivnostih, ki žal vsebuje le pomanjkljive določbe o zaščiti žvižgačev in teh ne ščiti v primeru, da prijava vsebuje poslovne skrivnosti, pa je potreba po ureditvi na evropski ravni postala še bolj očitna.Ker poročilo Parlamenta odločno poziva Komisijo, naj do konca leta 2017 predloži ustrezen predlog za zaščito prijaviteljev ravnanj, ki škodijo finančnim interesom EU, sem ga pri glasovanju z veseljem podprl.

2016/11/22

Today, Denmark is a fully participating member in Europol under the existing Council Decision (2009/371/JHA). Denmark could however not take part in the adoption of a new Europol Regulation and is not subject to its application. This new Europol Regulation will start to apply on 1 May 2017, and on that day the previously mentioned Council Decision will automatically be repealed. So, from 1 May 2017 onwards Denmark will not be a part of Europol anymore. A referendum on a more flexible opt-out on Justice and Home Affairs was negative. Informal discussions started to discuss ways for Denmark to be associated with Europol. These talks led to a joint statement that proposes that Denmark will be associated with Europol in the form of an operational cooperation that would start on 1 May 2017. Two consecutive legislative procedures are necessary: Denmark placed on the list for a Europol international cooperation agreement and the conclusion of this agreement. This report concerns the first procedure. It is important for Denmark to remain associated to Europol, as exchange of data is crucial. The transition should happen smoothly. In general, I agree with the above and that is why I voted in favour.

2016/11/22

In cases where more than 500 employees become redundant as a result of big structural changes in world trade patterns, the European Globalisation Fund can provide assistance. This can be assistance in job searches, career advice, education, etc. The co-financing of passive social protection measures is, however, prohibited. In November 2016, the Commission adopted a proposal for a decision of financial help in the sum of EUR 1 818 750 for the Netherlands. Their ‘Drenthe and Overijssel’ region suffered from a trend of bankruptcies in retail chains. The fund is freed to support the reintegration into the labour market of the workers who lost their jobs. The fund would help 800 beneficiaries, of whom 230 are women, and who are younger than the candidates in previous applications. The bankruptcy trend affected are mainly sports retailers that employ many young people. The help provided consists of intake, job search assistance, mobility pool, outplacement assistance, training and retraining, entrepreneurship promotion training and coaching. I support the assistance for the region and the beneficiaries, so I voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

In 2005, the European Consensus on Development was adopted. It outlines the principles of EU development policies. The Commission has proposed to review it and plans the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which follows the Millennium Development Goals. This proposal equals taking a step back in comparison with the 2005 Consensus – it contains, for example, ambiguous wording on the objectives of development policy and a stronger focus on the role of the private sector in development. Also there is no calendar provided for the decade—old UN goal of allocating 0.7% GNI to development, which the 2005 Consensus did have. The European Parliament’s report aims to address these issues. The new Consensus has its positive elements – the parts on gender, youth and climate change are good. But my group and I are concerned about the description of the role of development policy in the framework of EU policy. Development policy must have its own objectives, with a focus on poverty eradication. It is not an instrument for fulfilling the more dubious objectives of EU foreign policy like migration and security. As all important aspects of this are included in the report, I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

This report welcomes the Commission’s annual report on competition policy. It demonstrates that proper EU competition policy, creating a fair competition environment is helpful for the restoration of a sufficient level of innovation and investment. The report proposes, among other things, to put an end to unfair tax competition, prevent the misuse of EU funds, fight against fiscal and social dumping and complete the implementation of the Single European Railway Area. In particular, the report expresses concerns surrounding the negotiations regarding a merger between Bayer AG and Monsanto Company Inc., which would create an oligopoly and as a result a monopoly in the seeds and pesticides market. The report asks the Commission to make an impact assessment on this issue, including how it will affect the agricultural sector. Further to this also a requirement for a strict monitored state aid and public procurement irregularities concerning energy and environment is included in the report. On the basis of the above written explanation, I have voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

. – The report aims to promote gender equality in mental health and clinical research. It is divided into three parts: mental health; clinical research (trials); and general remarks. In the first part, the report calls for a new strategy on mental health with a strong gender pillar and for consideration of the mental health of refugees. Effective action is needed in order to: change how people with mental health issues are perceived and to develop tailored policies for marginalised and refugee women. The second part focuses on a minority of medical studies, taking into account female biology when analysing and reporting clinical research results. Clinical trials are necessary on both men and women. The report demands labels on pharmaceutical products that indicate whether trials on women took place or not and if side effects vary for men and women. The last part corrects gender gaps in areas where they are harmful (Alzheimer’s, cancer, etc.). The EU recognises gender as a significant determinant for health(care), but lacks a concrete policy to follow it up. My opinion is in line with the report and its goals, so I voted in favour of it.

2016/11/22

The report is an initiative of the Greens/EFA in FEMM. It proposes a European Parliament recommendation to the Council on the EU priorities for the 61st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Equality between men and women is a fundamental EU principle. However, 20 years after the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, empowerment of women is still not a reality. The key thematic areas are: general conditions for empowering women and girls; enhancing women’s economic empowerment and overcoming barriers on the labour market; ensuring women’s equal share at all levels of decision making; addressing the needs of the most marginalised women; translating these commitments into expenditure and making them more visible. They contain points like: investing in girls’ equal access to education, abolishing gender salary gaps, facilitating land ownership and credit access for rural women. Some key messages to the Council include: recognising the EU’s key role of language on women’s HR, introducing new legislative mechanisms to avoid the import of child laboured products, implementing policies to address political violence against women. I support the ideas of the recommendation, so I voted in favour of the report.

2016/11/22

Evropska unija ima od leta 2009 omejeno pristojnost na področju športnih politik. To poročilo Parlamenta po osmih letih podaja oceno teh politik ter oblikuje smernice in priporočila za delo Komisije pri oceni njihovega izvajanja.Obenem tudi predlaga Komisiji, naj v okviru programa Erasmus+ več sredstev nameni športu in poziva države članice, naj svoja prizadevanja bolje uskladijo z delom Komisije.Podpiram stališče poročevalca, da je šport ogledalo družbe in ključni dejavnik socialne vključenosti, saj povezuje ljudi različnih kulturnih, etničnih in družbenih ozadij. Ker se možnost telesnega udejstvovanja dojema kot temeljna pravica, je vsem, tudi socialno najranljivejšim skupinam, kot so starejši, migranti in invalidi, treba omogočiti dostop do športa. Športno udejstvovanje preprečuje degenerativne bolezni in prispeva k boljši kakovosti življenja in aktivnejšemu staranju.Ker poročilo med drugim poudarja socialni, izobraževalni, ekonomski in kulturni pomen športa ter izpostavlja, da je šport gospodarski motor turistične industrije in industrije potrošniškega blaga, sem ga pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

Poročilo vsebuje zakonodajna priporočila Komisiji v zvezi s samodejnim čezmejnim priznavanjem aktov o posvojitvi. Poročevalec uvodoma predlaga oblikovanje skupnih minimalnih standardov za posvojitev v obliki smernic dobre prakse, ki bi upoštevale predvsem dejstvo, da je vsak primer posvojitve drugačen, zato ga je treba obravnavati na podlagi posameznih značilnosti in v korist otroka.Obenem bi bilo v postopku posvojitve otroku treba vedno dati možnost, da izrazi svoje mnenje in pri tem upoštevati njegovo starost in zrelost in, če je le mogoče, postopek zaključiti z njegovim soglasjem.Poročevalec med drugim pravilno ugotavlja, da je za poenostavitev čezmejnega priznavanja nacionalnih aktov o posvojitvi potrebno zakonodajno ukrepanje na evropski ravni. Mnoge države članice naj bi v svojih nacionalnih zakonodajah sicer imele določbe o priznanju tujih posvojitev, vendar te niso v večini.Tako stanje je v nasprotju z načelom gospodarskega in socialnega povezovanja na ravni EU, na katerem temelji vse večja mobilnost evropskih državljanov in v nekaterih primerih povzroča velike težave družinam s posvojenimi otroki pri selitvi v drugo državo članico. Ker poročilo v svojem bistvu dosega svoj namen in močno podpira samodejno čezmejno priznavanje aktov o posvojitvi, sem ga pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

Banana je sadež, ki se ga zaužije največ na svetu. Največji uvoznik v Unijo je Ekvador, kjer banane v veliki meri proizvajajo mali proizvajalci, ki prodajajo izvoznikom. Približno 220.000 družin je odvisnih od proizvodnje banan.Uredba, ki jo predlaga Komisija, poslabšuje že tako slabe pogoje za ekvadorske proizvajalce banan, saj se osredotoča zgolj na cene na evropskem trgu in s tem povečuje tveganje za Ekvador, da izgubi preferencialne tarife.Zaradi povečane mednarodne konkurence in posledičnega znižanja carinskih tarif za banane iz držav, ki niso države AKP, je Komisija banane vključila na seznam občutljivih proizvodov in jih zaščitila z dvostransko zaščitno klavzulo, ki med drugim dovoljuje stabilizacijo znižanja tarif ali zvišanje carin v primeru povečanja uvoza iz Kolumbije, Peruja in Ekvadorja, da bi preprečila destabilizacijo evropskega trga.Poznejši pristop Ekvadorja k prostotrgovinskemu sporazumu pomeni, da bo ta klavzula zanj začela veljati z zamikom, zato se pričakuje, da bodo ekvadorski proizvajalci banan še nadaljnja štiri leta plačevali bistveno višje tarife kot proizvajalci Kolumbije in Peruja.Uredba poleg tega tudi ne upošteva okoljskih in socialnih meril, njen namen pa je zgolj stabilizacija dohodka lastnikov blagovne znamke, zato poročila, ki tega problema ne nagovarja učinkovito, pri glasovanju nisem podprl.

2016/11/22

Poročilo Parlamenta obravnava predlog Komisije o reviziji uredbe o dovoljenjih za ribolov za plovila EU zunaj voda Unije, ki zajema tri vrste ribolovnih dejavnosti ter določa pogoje in postopke za izdajanje dovoljenj za ribolov za plovila EU, ki delujejo na podlagi sporazumov o partnerstvu o trajnostnem ribištvu.V skladu s predlogom Komisije mora EU poskrbeti, da njene ribolovne dejavnosti izven njenih voda temeljijo na načelih in standardih, ki so skladni z načeli skupne ribiške politike, obenem pa spodbujati konkurenčne pogoje, ki bodo enaki za vse gospodarske subjekte, in jasneje opredeliti postopke za izdajo dovoljenj.Poročilo Parlamenta sem pri glasovanju podprl, saj zaradi uspešnega dogovora na ravni odbora za ribištvo vsebuje nekatere zelo pomembne zahteve skupine Zelenih, kot sta na primer zavezi, da bo Komisija v primeru ponovne dodelitve neizkoriščenih ribolovnih možnosti uporabila pregledna in objektivna merila, pri čemer bo upoštevala okoljske, socialne in gospodarske dejavnike, in da bodo države članice dovoljenje za ribolov, ki ni predmet sporazumov o partnerstvu, izdala le na podlagi znanstvene ocene, ki dokazuje trajnost predlagane ribolovne dejavnosti.

2016/11/22

To poročilo obravnava predlog uredbe o seznamu tretjih držav, katerih državljani morajo pri prehodu zunanjih meja imeti vizume, in držav, katerih državljani so oproščeni te zahteve. Uredba natančneje prenaša Gruzijo na seznam tistih držav, katerih državljani so izvzeti iz vizumske obveznosti in lahko neovirano potujejo v schengensko območje. Komisija je v svojem zadnjem poročilu o napredku 2015 namreč ugotovila, da je Gruzija dosegla potreben napredek in izpolnila vsa merila za liberalizacijo vizumskega režima.Odprava vizumov bo imela velik pomen za državljane Gruzije in bo znatno prispevala k poglobitvi stikov med ljudmi in h krepitvi gospodarskih in kulturnih odnosov ter političnega dialoga o različnih vprašanjih, med drugim tudi o človekovih pravicah in temeljnih svoboščinah. Gruzija lahko postane tudi nepogrešljiva partnerica v boju proti organiziranemu kriminalu, trgovini z ljudmi, terorizmom in korupcijo.S sprejetjem tega predloga je Parlament potrdil načelo, da se za vsako državo, ki izpolni merila, uvede liberalizacija vizumskega režima, zato sem poročilo pri glasovanju z veseljem podprl. Obenem pa se pridružujem opozorilu poročevalke, da bo treba merila, ki so vodila do te liberalizacije, neprekinjeno spoštovati tudi v prihodnje.

2016/11/22

Pravna država, odgovornost, spoštovanje človekovih pravic ter svobodne in poštene volitve so po mnenju pobudnikov te skupne resolucije bistveni elementi vsake delujoče demokracije. Ti elementi pa se v nekaterih državah podsaharske Afrike žal močno izpodbijajo, kar dokazuje nedavno dogajanje v državah Gabon in Demokratična republika Kongo. Zaradi močno spornih dogodkov so v obeh državah izbruhnili ulični protesti, ki so bili nasilno zatrti in so zato terjali številne smrtne žrtve. Oblasti so utišale pripadnike opozicije in civilne družbe, skupine za človekove pravice nenehno poročajo o močnem poslabšanju razmer na področju temeljnih človekovih pravic in svobode izražanja, vse več je uporabe sile proti mirnim protestnikom in politično motiviranih sojenj, svoboda medijev pa je močno okrnjena, saj jo oblasti omejujejo z nenehnimi grožnjami in napadi na novinarje.Ker ta skupna resolucija poudarja, da razmere v Gabonu in Kongu resno ogrožajo stabilnost vse srednjeafriške regije, in poziva delegacijo EU, naj uporabi vsa ustrezna sredstva in instrumente, da bi podprla zagovornike človekovih pravic in gibanja za demokracijo, ter vodi poglobljen politični dialog s tamkajšnjimi oblastmi, sem jo pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

Program Erasmus+ se je začel izvajati leta 2014 in zdaj vstopa v svoje tretje leto obstoja. S svojim novim celostnim pristopom je zasnovan na podlagi treh ključnih ukrepov: učna mobilnost posameznikov, sodelovanje za inovacije in izmenjava dobre prakse ter podpora za reformo politik. Svojim udeležencem tako ponuja nove priložnosti na področjih izobraževanja, usposabljanja, mladih in športa.Prvi dve leti in pol izvajanja sta bili nedvomno zahtevni in strinjam se s poročevalcem, da bo za resnično uspešnost programa treba še veliko narediti, saj je raven zadovoljstva v različnih sektorjih programa in v zvezi z različnimi ključnimi ukrepi zelo različna. Poročevalec med drugim pravilno navaja, da je večja možnost za medsektorsko sodelovanje ena ključnih izboljšav programa Erasmus+, vendar pa to povezovanje v praksi žal ne poteka zadovoljivo, zato predlaga Komisiji, naj v celoti izkoristi možnosti za spodbujanje medsektorskega povezovanja in natančneje opredeli potencialne medsektorske projekte.Poročilo sem pri glasovanju podprl tudi zato, ker poudarja pomembno vlogo neformalnega izobraževanja, poziva k povečanju mobilnosti vajencev in učenja tujih jezikov, spodbuja države članice, da program nadgradijo z dodatnimi možnostmi delovne prakse, ter opozarja, da je v okviru jamstvene sheme za posojila več pozornosti treba nameniti udeležencem z nižjimi prihodki.

2016/11/22

Stabilizacijsko-pridružitveni sporazum med EU in Kosovom je začel veljati 1. aprila 2016, z njim pa ima Kosovo, tako kot druge države Zahodnega Balkana, pogodbeni odnos z Evropsko unijo.Predlog uredbe določa pravila izvajanja in postopke za uresničevanje Komisiji podeljenih izvedbenih pooblastil ter Komisiji nalaga, da sprejme izvedbene akte v primeru potrebnih nujnih ukrepov za reševanje izjemnih in kritičnih okoliščin.V skladu s predlogom Komisija lahko sprejme tudi nujne izvedbene akte v zvezi s kmetijskimi in ribiškimi proizvodi ter upravlja tarifne kvote za tiste kmetijske in ribiške proizvode, ki bodo uvoženi po znižani carinski stopnji.Pozdravljam začetek veljavnosti stabilizacijsko-pridružitvenega sporazuma kot prvo pogodbeno razmerje in bistveni korak za integracijo Kosova v EU, zato sem poročilo pri glasovanju podprl.Poleg tega pozdravljam tudi podporo odbora AFET predlogu uredbe, ki v svojem pismu navaja, da stabilizacijsko-pridružitveni sporazum vsebuje bistvena pravila za izvajanje sporazuma, vključno s postopki za sprejetje podobnih pravil, in odbor INTA vabi, da čim prej zagotovi, da bo Kosovo lahko v celoti koristilo prednosti, ki izhajajo iz tega sporazuma.

2016/11/22

Uredba 2015/936 določa skupna pravila za uvoz tekstilnih izdelkov iz nekaterih tretjih držav, ki jih ne urejajo dvostranski sporazumi, protokoli ali druga uvozna pravila EU.Uvozne kvote za tekstil se trenutno uporabljajo le za Belorusijo in Severno Korejo, s katerima EU ni podpisala dvostranskega sporazuma, ki bi pokrival področje trgovine.Komisija je na podlagi nedavnih pozitivnih političnih dogodkov (izpustitev političnih zapornikov leta 2015) in za izboljšanje prihodnjih odnosov z Belorusijo predlagala odpravo avtonomnih kvot za uvoz tekstila in oblačil z beloruskim poreklom.Kot odgovor na izpustitev zapornikov je Svet februarja 2016 ukinil sankcije proti Belorusiji, kar ima v povezavi s predlogom Komisije še poseben političen pomen. Od ukinitve sankcij pa Belorusija kljub temu še ni izpolnila mnogih zavez na podlagi dogovora s Svetom, poleg tega pa se v tej državi ni izboljšalo stanje na področju spoštovanja človekovih pravic.Ker poročilo ne vsebuje ključne zahteve Zelenih, da Komisija Belorusiji odvzame dodeljene ugodnosti, če ta ne bo spoštovala mednarodnih zavez, predvsem na področju človekovih pravic, demokratičnih načel in vladavine prava, ga pri glasovanju nisem podprl.

2016/11/22

Priporočilo Parlamenta obravnava osnutek sklepa Sveta o sklenitvi Sporazuma o nadaljnjem delovanju Mednarodnega znanstvenega in tehnološkega centra ISTC, ki je bil ustanovljen za podporo raziskovalnim in razvojnim projektom z znanstveniki in inženirji, ki so znanje pridobili v okviru programov nekdanje ZSSR za orožje za množično uničevanje.Delovati je začel v obdobju tesnejšega mednarodnega sodelovanja med nekdanjimi nasprotniki v hladni vojni s ciljem zmanjšati tveganje, da bi vojaško znanje prišlo v napačne roke.Kljub temu so razlike med interesi posameznih podpisnic povzročile odstop Ruske federacije od sporazuma v letu 2015. Priporočilo Parlamenta pozdravlja sklenitev sporazuma o nadaljnjem delovanju tega centra tudi po ruskem odstopu, saj naj bi ta zagotovil, da se bodo trenutni in prihodnji projekti zaradi spremenjenega članstva nadaljevali na širšem geografskem območju, ki bo vključevalo tudi Bližnji vzhod, cilji pa bodo posodobljeni in bolj specifično usmerjeni.Ob tem je pomembno poudariti, da dejavnosti tega centra lahko omejijo neželeno širjenje znanja o kemičnem, biološkem in jedrskem orožju, kar bi prispevalo k večji varnosti v Evropi. Strinjam se s poročevalcem, da širjenje znanja o orožju za množično uničevanje predstavlja velik varnostni izziv in podpiram ukrepe za preprečitev nenadzorovanega širjenja, zato sem poročilo pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

Ta predlog resolucije Parlamenta obravnava delegirano uredbo Komisije, katere cilj je opredelitev tretjih držav z visokim tveganjem, ki imajo strateške pomanjkljivosti na področju preprečevanja pranja denarja in boja proti financiranju terorizma.Člen 9(2) te direktive pooblašča Komisijo, da opredeli tretje države z visokim tveganjem na omenjenih področjih. Julija 2016 je Komisija sprejela prvi seznam teh držav, ki je trenutno v postopku revizije.Kot je navedeno v direktivi o preprečevanju pranja denarja, mora biti ta postopek popolnoma samostojen in neodvisen. Toda trenutni seznam Komisije vključuje le tiste države, ki jih kot problematične opredeljuje Mednarodni forum za obravnavanje pranja denarja in financiranja terorizma, izpušča pa države, ki imajo velike težave na področju neplačevanja davkov, davčnih utaj in davčnega kriminala.Ker tudi sam nasprotujem trenutnemu besedilu delegirane uredbe Komisije in pričakujem, da bo Komisija ukrepala bolj ambiciozno in izvedla nepristransko in celovitejšo oceno tretjih držav z visokim tveganjem, ki imajo strateške pomanjkljivosti na področju preprečevanja pranja denarja in boja proti financiranju terorizma, ter se s tem izognila odvisnosti od zunanjih virov informacij, sem poročilo pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

To iniciativno poročilo podaja stališče Parlamenta in spodbuja oblikovanje pobud za področje logistike tovornega prometa, ki bi moralo biti nujna prednostna naloga politične agende. Učinkovita in vzdržna logistika je namreč bistvena za delovanje številnih drugih dejavnosti evropskega gospodarstva, vse od proizvodnje in dobave do recikliranja, poleg tega pa evropski logistični sektor znatno prispeva k BDP Unije in zaposluje več kot 11 milijonov ljudi.Zadnji akcijski načrt Komisije na področju logistike tovornega prometa je bil pripravljen leta 2007 in v vmesnem času je bil dosežen bistven napredek. Kljub temu je zdaj čas za nadaljnji razvoj, da se v celoti izkoristi nov koncept infrastrukturnega omrežja za multimodalni promet.Poročilo Parlamenta med drugim obravnava nekatera pomembna vprašanja, kot so zagotavljanje optimalne uporabe dostopnega financiranja, predvsem z uporabo sinergij med različnimi finančnimi instrumenti, poenostavitev zakonodajnih predpisov in upravnih postopkov, da se preprečijo ovire, ki ogrožajo prost pretok blaga, učinkovito združevanje različnih načinov prevoza, kot so cestni, železniški in vodni promet, ter povečanje privlačnosti sektorja za delavce s pomočjo boljših ukrepov za izobraževanje in usposabljanje, da se zmanjša pričakovan primanjkljaj kvalificirane delovne sile, zato sem ga pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

Komisija je leta 2015 objavila namero o vzpostavitvi evropskega stebra socialnih pravic z obljubo, da bo konkreten predlog predstavila v letu 2017.Iniciativno poročilo Parlamenta proaktivno podaja mnenje in predloge Komisiji za pripravo tega predloga, pri čemer v prvi vrsti poudarja pomen evropskega socialnega modela in izpostavlja, da je države članice v socialnem smislu treba okrepiti, da se bodo lahko uspešno soočale z demografskimi spremembami, novimi tehnologijami, globalizacijo in močnim povečanjem socialne neenakosti.Poleg tega navaja številne pomembne vidike evropskega stebra socialnih pravic, kot so zaveza, da temeljne socialne pravice veljajo za vse prebivalce EU, ne le njene državljane, dostojni delovni pogoji in zaščita delavcev z nestandardnimi pogodbami, enakopraven dostop do kakovostnih in ugodnih socialnih storitev ter uskladitev minimalnih plač vsaj do višine 60 % povprečnih plač.Poročilo sem pri glasovanju podprl, saj menim, da ima Evropski parlament ključno vlogo pri razvoju evropskega stebra socialnih pravic. Pomembno je, da evropski steber socialnih pravic ne vsebuje zgolj načel, ampak konkretne ukrepe, da bi Evropa socialnih pravic postala resničnost za vsakogar.

2016/11/22

Carinska unija je po mnenju poročevalca gradnik Evropske unije in bistvenega pomena za pravilno delovanje notranjega trga, ki potrošnikom in podjetjem omogoča boljši dostop do blaga in storitev po vsej Evropi.Novi carinski zakonik Unije je začel veljati maja 2016, ta predlog resolucije pa poziva Komisijo, naj pospeši njegovo izvajanje. Poročevalec meni, da morajo Komisija in države članice v prvi vrsti oblikovati jasno in ambiciozno strategijo, da bo izvrševanje carinskega sistema EU skladno z razvojem svetovne trgovine in izvajanjem agende EU na področju trgovinske politike.Obenem Komisijo in države članice poziva, naj pri izvajanju carinskega zakonika tesno sodelujejo z gospodarskimi subjekti, hkrati pa odpravijo morebitne pravne pomanjkljivosti, da bi okrepile prednosti carinske unije in še bolj spodbudile svetovno trgovino ter s tem olajšale čezmejni pretok blaga in znižale trgovske stroške na mejah.V zvezi z zavezo Komisije, da bo vzpostavila pravi enotni digitalni trg za spodbuditev delovanja e-trgovine, poročevalec še navaja, da pri tem ne sme odpraviti poenostavljenih carinskih postopkov, brez katerih bi se povečala birokracija, ki bi ovirala rast e-trgovine.Ker je carinski zakonik Unije pomembna pravna podlaga za delovanje carinske unije, sem resolucijo pri glasovanju podprl.

2016/11/22

150 Written explanations of Igor ŠOLTES

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