Activities of Pablo ECHENIQUE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the EU budget cannot accomplish its mission if its soundness and credibility are put in question; whereas it is imperative that all commitments forming part of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 are respected in full, and that a number of problems that have accumulated over the past years, ~~such as~~in particular the situation of unpaid invoices at year- ~~end, are resolved without any delay~~end, which amounted to EUR 24.7bl in December 2014, are resolved without any delay; recalls that according to article 310 TEUF, the revenue and expenditure shown in the EU budget shall be in balance;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights the indisputable potential and added value of the EU budget could have in the creation of employment and the development of enterprises and entrepreneurship across the Union; ~~acknowledg~~underlines that a wide range of EU programmes, in particular the Youth Employment Initiative, including Horizon 2020, COSME and Erasmus+, could contribute directly to the attainment of the objectives; expects that the Commission will place such programmes and instruments at the heart of the Draft Budget 2016, in order to ensure that they are endowed with the necessary resources;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Considers that a substantial public investment plan is needed, insists that a rupture is needed with the current EU polices if the problems of economic sustainable growth, unemployment, poverty, social exclusion, and (income) inequalities are to be adequately addressed; stresses that a new strategy is needed to set a new path for Europe, a path of full employment, decent jobs, living wages, social and economic cohesion and social protection for all that guarantees the highest living standards; a path that pays heed to the development needs of each Member State, particular the less developed, that promotes real convergence contributing to reduce the development gap between Member States and the existent economic, social and regional disparities;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that unemployment is the main urgency for the European Union; considers that the re-launch of Member States' economies and the creation of new jobs require a roll-back EU austerity policies so as to allow Member States to pursue the policy options that best fit their specific situation; believes therefore that the creation of decent jobs and sustainable economic growth should be the main focus of the EU budget;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the European Structural and Investment Funds form the biggest share of expenditure in the EU budget and are instrumental in job creation and ~~competitiveness~~promotion of growth; underlines the fact that EU cohesion policy has been instrumental in sustaining public investment in vital economic areas and has achieved tangible results on the ground that can empower Member States and regions to overcome the current crisis, increasing the appropriations for the Cohesion Fund and the Structural Funds, notably the ESF and programmes such as the Progress programme, paying particular attention to employment with rights, equal rights and opportunities, and the fight to eradicate poverty; stresses the need to endow Member-states with the tools to help its citizens to find a way out of the crisis; stresses in this regard the special need to invest in areas such as education and mobility, research and innovation micro, small and medium enterprises, in order to boost the creation of employment – in particular youth employment; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make every effort possible for the swift adoption of the remaining Operational Programmes in the coming months, so as to ensure that implementation will reach cruising speed in 2016;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recalls that welfare services and benefits are under pressure in all Member States; underlines that policy decision at EU-level should have no adverse effects on either the availability or quality of welfare services and benefits in the Member States, nor the Member States' ability to finance them; calls therefore on the Commission to present a draft budget that strengthens the Member States' capacity to safeguard their welfare systems;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Is deeply concerned about the funding of the Youth Employment Initiative in 2016, given the frontloading of the entire financial envelope of the programme in 2014 and 2015; ~~acknowledg~~underlines that the fight against youth unemployment needs to be ~~further~~substantially intensified and that all funding possibilities should be considered for this purpose; recalls that 2016 will be the first year when resources under the Global MFF Margin for commitments will be made available for policy objectives related to growth and employment, in particular youth employment;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines th~~e significance of cross- border mobility as a means of~~at cross-border mobility is not the key solution to high unemployment and insists that the EU budget should support Member States' initiative for job growth, in particular boosting investment and promoting the creation of jobs in regions with high unemployment; emphasises the role of life longlearning and training to enabling Europe to take advantage of the variety of people’s skills while expanding training and job opportunities for all generations; considers that ~~emblematic and~~ successful ~~mobility~~ programmes such as Erasmus+ work to the benefit of both the individuals and the economy and should therefore be exploited to the full;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Highlights that the EU austerity policy has created a downward pressure on real wages in Member States and that this will prolong the economic and social crisis; believes the budget should be used to underpin efforts to increase real wages as well as to fight social-dumping in the Member States;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note the Investment Plan ~~presented by~~, which according to the Commission~~, which~~ can create the potential to mobilise EUR 315 billion of investments in infrastructures, education and research, as well as SMEs and mid-cap companies; notes that the EU budget is expected to provide the backbone of this investment plan by making available the EUR 8 billion required in commitments and payments for the provisioning of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI); considers the EU budget contribution as an opportunity to deliver a significant return on the objectives of the programmes concerned (Horizon 2020, Connecting Europe Facility) through a higher leverage effect;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Highlights~~Takes note of the complementary nature of the proposed Investment Plan and the EU budget and their joint commitment to kick- start the economy and boost job creation; stresses that the EU budget is in itself a major investment tool with a ~~distinctive~~particular role and mission, that has provided tangible results with a clear European added value; is convinced that every effort needs to be deployed in order to ensure democratic control and accountability of the EU investment policies, create synergies not only between the Investment Plan and the EU budget but also with national budgets, in order to bridge the investment gap and maximise the effect of public spending on the real economy, prioritising investment to reduce the gap between the different levels of economic development of the regions and Member States in the EU;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Highlights that a budgetary shift away from military and security spending and towards a civil and development oriented foreign policy is needed in order to reduce long-term military spending; reiterates its position that funds under heading 4 must be committed to a peaceful and civil foreign policy, which ensures that the European Union becomes a non-violent player in the world; calls on the Commission to prioritise the Union's role as a mediator seeking only civil and peaceful solutions to conflicts whilst ensuring that the Union's commitments to poverty eradication, sustainable development, MDGs, arms-control, NPT- regime, and nuclear disarmament are upheld;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2015/2008(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Notes with concern that Europe, despite being one of the safest places in the world, is faced with new types of risks to its internal security which require a change of the current policies promoting social cohesion and integration while ensuring closer ~~police and~~ judicial cooperation and coordination and at the same time promoting stability and peace in conflict areas; recalls that the current trend towards militarising border control is ineffective and costly as well as in breach of fundamental rights including the right to seek asylum; invites the Commission to propose targeted reinforcements of the relevant programmes and instruments, thus demonstrating the EU’s pledge to tackle these ~~threat~~challenges;

2015/02/12
Committee: BUDG

2014/2228(INI)

Pablo ECHENIQUE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Urges the Commission to improve well-being as well as to protect and promote public health, to ensure social justice and fulfilling of all human rights while stop exploiting world's resources in accordance with the objective of sustainability, seeking both to protect and to preserve the environment.

2015/03/05
Committee: ITRE

2014/2228(INI)

Pablo ECHENIQUE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Urges the Commission to ensure the legal right for all EU Member States, the European Union and the United States to legislate in the public interests (consumer safety, public health, social rights, environment) and therefore Member States' and the EU's right to legislate in the public interests should be stated in the preamble and every chapter of the TTIP.

2015/03/05
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Pablo ECHENIQUE, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that the responsibility for forestry rests solely with the Member States, that the principle of subsidiarity must be upheld, and that the differences in regional conditions, ownership models and priorities across the Member States must be respectedWelcomes the Commission communication on a new European forest strategy, bearing in mind that – with due regard to the subsidiarity principle - there is a need for a comprehensive and consistent joint strategy to strengthen the multifunctional role of forests and forest sector in the EU;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recognises that sustainable forest management is essential to balance ecological, social and economic functions that forests serve, and that the existing sustainable forest management frameworks often do not adequately address risks associated with the lack of a balanced approach to forestry such as increasing demands;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Pablo ECHENIQUE, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Welcomes the study assessing the impact of EU consumption on deforestation published by the European Commission in July 2013; regrets that despite the request made by the Parliament in its resolution 2010/C 184 E/08 of 23 April 2009, the study does not deal with forest degradation; Calls on the Commission to bring forward proposals to reduce the impacts identified in the study and contribute to EU and international environmental goals and commitments to sustainable development; calls on the Commission to publish an EU action plan on deforestation and forest degradation to this end as called for by the 7th Environmental Action Programme Decision No 1386/2013/EU;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Acknowledges that the EU has a role to play in supporting national policies aimed at achieving multifunctional and sustainable forest management, in strengthening cooperation in the face of increased cross-border threats such as forest fires, illegal logging and pests, and in ensuring coherence on forest-related issues across EU policies such as those relating to agriculture, biodiversity, renewable energy, water and soil; in this respect, stresses the importance of Natura 2000 sites where, thanks to their extraordinary natural resources, can be produced (keep producing) products and services of high environmental and cultural quality;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Supports ~~Member States’ commitment to implementing sustainable forest management in line with the Forest Europe criteria and indicators as one of the key el~~the Commission's intention to develop an ambitious and demonstrable set of criteria and indicators, including concrete thresholds or benchmarks for sustainable managements of ~~the current policy framework for forests in Europe~~forests, for an adequate implementation of sustainable forest management across the Union;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Pablo ECHENIQUE, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the prioritisation of the three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) as a strong basis from which to support the fundamental role of forests for the preservation of ecological cycles, the health of citizens, food safety, resource efficiency, increase competitiveness, boost employment and strengthen forestry’s role in the green economy;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Takes the view that it is important to promote the implementation of the concept of bioeconomy while respecting the sustainability boundaries of raw material supply, to boost the economic viability of forest value chains through innovation and technology transfer, and, to this end, provide more support for forest products other than timber, and to ensure that different demands on forest products are balanced and evaluated against the sustainable supply potentials;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Emphasises the need to make sure that forest materials are also re-used and used efficiently, supports the Commission in promoting resource efficiency, meaning using forest resources in a way that minimizes impact on the environment and climate, and invites the Commission to consider implementation of demand- side measures; as a way of cutting the EU's trade deficit, helping to reduce unsustainable management, protecting the environment and reducing deforestation in countries outside the EU;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2223(INI)