Activities of Jonás FERNÁNDEZ related to 2020/0104(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)
Amendments (65)
Amendment 126 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) At Union level, the European Semester of economicsustainable policy coordination (‘European Semester’), including the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, isthe framework to facilitate the implementation of the European Green Deal, including the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Sustainable Development Goals, the National Climate Energy Plans adopted in the frame of the Governance of the Energy Union, and the just transition plans, are the frameworks to identify national reform priorities and monitor their implementation. Member States develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of those reformAs part of the goals of the European Semester, structural reforms based on solidarity, integration and social justice are also addressed, with the aim of creating quality employment and growth, ensuring equality of and access to opportunity and social protection, protecting vulnerable groups and improving the living standards of all Member States develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of those reforms while fully taking into account the contribution of macro economic policies to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals. Those strategies should be presented alongside the yearly National Reform Programmes as a way to outline and coordinate priority investment projects to be supported by national and/or Union funding. as a way to outline and coordinate priority investment projects to be supported by national and/or Union funding.
Amendment 136 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 changed the economic and budgetary outlook for the years to come in the Union and in the world, calling for an urgent and coordinated response from the Union in order to cope with the enormous economic and social consequences for all Member States and very differentiated territorial impact within Member States. The challenges linked to the demographic context have been amplified by COVID- 19. The current COVID-19 pandemic as well as the previous economic and financial crisis have shown that developing sound and resilient economies and financial and social welfare systems built on strong economic and social structures helps Member States to respond more efficiently to shocks and recover more swiftly from them. The medium and long- term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis will critically depend on how quickly Member States’ economies and societies will recover from the crisis, which in turn depends on the fiscal spacemeasures that Member States have available to take measures to mitigate the social and economic impact of the crisis, and on the resilience of their economies and social structures. Reforms and investments to address structural weaknesses of the economies and strengthen their resiliencesocial and economic resilience, understood as the ability to tackle economic shock and achieve long term structural changes in a fair and inclusive way to strengthen quality of life and wellbeing for all, will therefore be essential to set the economies back on a sustainable recovery path and avoid further widening ofreduce the divergences in the Union. (This amendment replaces “resilience” by “social and economic resilience” throughout the whole text.)
Amendment 155 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The implementation of reforms and investments contributing to achievebuild a high degree of resilience of deconomiestic economies, strengthening adjustment capacity and unlocking growth potential are among the Union’s policy priorities and societies and social progress, strengthening social structures and adjustment capacity and enhancing sustainable and inclusive growth potential are among the Union’s policy priorities and notably Article 3(3) of the Treaty on the European Union. Article 3(1) of the Treaty of the European Union underlines that the “well-being” of EU’s people is the aim of the EU. All reforms and investments supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility should aim at improving in the short, medium and long term people’s quality of life. They are therefore crucial to set the recovery on a sustainable path and support the process of upward economic and social convergence. This is even more necessary in the aftermath of the pandemic crisis to pave the way for a swift recovery.
Amendment 179 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) Past experiences have shown that investment is often drastically cut during crises. However, it is essential to support investment in this particular situation to speed up the recovery and strengthen long- term sustainable growth potential. Investing in green and digital technologies, capacities and processes aimed at assisting clean energy for the benefit of an improved quality of life for all. Such investments will also make the EU less dependent by diversifying key supply chains. Investing in green transition, digital transiformation, boosting energy efficiency in housing and other key sectors of the economeconomic, social and territorial cohesion, institutional resilience and measures towards the next generation of Europeans are policy arections important to achieve sustainable growth and help create jobs. It will also help make the Union more resilient and less dependent by diversifying key supply chainsthe common objectives of EU and its Member States and make the Union more resilient.
Amendment 192 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) As underlined in the 2020 Strategic Foresight report adopted by the Commission on 9 September 2020, resilience refers to the ability not only to withstand and cope with challenges but also to transform societies in a sustainable, fair and democratic manner. The Recovery and Resilience Facility should aim at strengthening the resilience of the EU as a whole and all its Members States towards a sustainable well-being for all.
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 b (new)
Recital 6 b (new)
(6b) Each measures in the Recovery and Resilience Plans may contribute to more than one of the pillars identified in Article 3.
Amendment 202 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Currently, no instrument foresees direct financial support linked to the achievement of results and to implementation of reforms and public investments of the Member States in response to challenges identified in the European Semester,and objectives of the EU and its Member States and with a view to having a lasting impact on the productivitrecovery and resilience of the economy of thesocial structures in all Member States.
Amendment 208 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Against this background, it is necessary to strengthen the current framework for the provision of support to Member States and provide direct financial support to Member States through an innovative tool. To that end, a Recovery and Resilience Facility (the ‘Facility’) should be established under this Regulation to provide effective financial and significant support to step up the implementation of reforms and related public investments in the Member States. The Facility should be comprehensive and should also benefit from the experience gained by the Commission and the Member States from the use of the other instruments and programmes. To that end, a Recovery and Resilience Facility should be established under this Regulation to provide effective financial and significant support to step up the implementation of reforms and related public investments in the Member States. This may also include measures to incentivize private investment through support schemes, including via financial instruments, subsidies, or similar schemes, provided that State Aid rules are complied with.
Amendment 230 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10 a (new)
Recital 10 a (new)
(10a) The Facility should support projects that respect the principle of additionality of Union funding and that generate a genuine European added value. The Facility should not be a substitute for recurring national expenditures and should not run counter to the strategic and economic interests of the Union, and should therefore not finance investment plans of third countries. However, recurrent costs from investments and reforms should be considered in the costing of the Recovery and Resilience Plan if they have direct positive structural benefits and if the negative effect on the government balance is only temporary.
Amendment 243 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Reflecting the European Green Deal as Europe’s sustainable growth strategy and the translation of the Union's commitments to implement the Paris Agreement and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the Facility established by this Regulation will contribute to mainstreaming climate actions and environmental sustainability and to the achievement of an overall target of 25 40% of the EU budget expenditures supporting climate objectives, while protecting and empowering workers that may suffer from the consequence of productive transformations, in particular by implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights and defending the principle of collective bargaining. The Facility should only finance projects respecting the “do no significant harm” principle accordance with Regulation (EU)2019/2088.
Amendment 258 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) Additional attention should be given to the specificities of islands, insular areas as well as the outermost regions where the geographical and socio- economic characteristics may require a different approach to support the transition process towards climate- neutrality and taking into account the starting position of each Member State.
Amendment 261 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 b (new)
Recital 11 b (new)
(11b) Reflecting on the European Pillar of Social Rights as Europe’s social strategy to make sure that the transitions of climate-neutrality, digitalisation and demographic change, as well as the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, are socially fair and just, the Facility established by this regulation will contribute to the implementation of its 20 principles and to the achievement of social progress targets and milestones.
Amendment 262 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 c (new)
Recital 11 c (new)
(11c) At least 30% of the recovery and resilience plans should be dedicated to investments related to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights' objectives. None of the reforms and investments supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility should be in contradiction to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social rights.
Amendment 263 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 d (new)
Recital 11 d (new)
(11d) At least 2% of the Recovery and Resilience Plans should contribute to the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors according to their specific needs.
Amendment 267 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) In order to implement these overall objectives, relevant actions will be identified during the Facility’s preparation and implementation, and reassessed in the context of the relevant evaluations and review processes. Also, dDue attention should be paid to the impact of the national plans submitted under this Regulation on fostering not only the green transition, but also the digital transformation. They will boththe digital transformation and fostering social and territorial cohesion by taking into account progresses made under the social scoreboard and other relevant indicators of upward convergence in the social field. All of these objectives must be considered on equal footing and will play a priority role in relaunching and modernising our economy.
Amendment 281 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
Amendment 294 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
Amendment 295 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13a) In order to facilitate the implementation of the policy priorities and enable the recovery to its full capacity, the economic governance framework needs to be adapted to respond to the vulnerabilities exposed by the current crisis and to prepare for future challenges. The new framework needs to effectively address macroeconomic and socio-economic inequalities, ensure democratic accountability of economic governance-decision-making, and enable the implementation of the Green Deal as the Union’s new growth strategy, for making the EU’s economy sustainable and making the transition just and inclusive for all, and seize the new opportunities of the digital age.
Amendment 299 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 b (new)
Recital 13 b (new)
(13b) The European Semester as the framework for policy coordination under a common surveillance cycle, shall be refocused to a framework that coordinates sustainable development policies, and that would enable the coordination of the recovery measures, framed by the principles of the European Green Deal, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the UN SDGs. A better ownership of the European semester process by a stronger involvement of all relevant stakeholders at national level shall be sought as a matter of priority. To that end, the Stability and Growth Pact shall be revised and adapted to a sustainable development pact that facilitates the implementation of the recovery needs and the investment needed for the EU’s policies priorities.
Amendment 336 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) To ensure its contribution to the objectives of the Facility, the recovery and resilience plan should comprise measures for the implementation of reforms and public investment projects through a coherent, relevant, effective and efficient recovery and resilience plan. The recovery and resilience plan should be consistent with the relevant country- specificUnion’s long-term policy priorities, challenges and priorities identified, in the context of the European Semester, withe European Pillar of Social Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, the national reform programmes, the national energy and climate plans, the just transition plans, and the partnership agreements and, operational programmes adopted under the Union funds and/or in actions related to the implementation of Union law and policies. To boost actions that fall within the priorities of the European Green Deal and the Digital Agenda, the plan should also set out measures that are relevant for the green and digital transitions. The measures should enable a swift deliver of targets, objec, the Digital Agenda, the Industrial and SME strategies, the European Skills Agenda, the Child Guarantee and the Youth Guarantee, the plan should also set out coherent, complementary, coordinated measures that are relevant under the six policy areas identified in this Regulation All supported activities should be pursued in full respect of the climate and environmental priorities of the Union. At least 40 % of the recovery and resilience plans should be dedicated to mainstreaming climate and biodiversity actions and environmental sustainability objectives. The recovery and resilience plans should be consistent with the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, and specifically address inequalities, including targets and indicators on how to achieve social progress. (1. The words "challenges and prioritives and contributions set out in national energy and climate plans and updates thereof. All supported activities should be pursued in full respect of the climate and environmental priorities of the Union.identified in the context of the European Semester, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, the national reform programmes, the national energy and climate plans, the just transition plans, and the partnership agreements, operational programmes adopted under the Union funds and/or actions related to the implementation of Union law and policies." applies throughout the whole text. 2. The words "At least 40 % of the recovery and resilience plans should be dedicated to mainstreaming climate and biodiversity actions and environmental sustainability objectives" applies throughout the text.)
Amendment 353 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) To ensure its contribution to the objectives of the Facility, the annual recovery and resilience plans should comprise measures for the implementation of reforms and public investment projects through a coherent recovery and resilience plan. Thestrategy. The annual recovery and resilience plans should be consistent with the relevant country- specific challenges and priorities identified in the context of the European Semester, with the national reform programmes, the national energy and climate plans, the just transition plans, and the partnership agreements and operational programmes adopted under the Union funds. To boost actions that fall within the priorities of the European Green Deal and the Digital Agenda, the plan should also set out measures that are relevant for the green and digital transitions. The measures should enable a swift deliver of targets, objectives and contributions set out in national energy and climate plans and updates thereof. All supported activities should be pursued in full respect of the climate and environmental priorities of the Union.
Amendment 357 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 a (new)
Recital 16 a (new)
(16a) By means of an delegated act and based on Regulation (EU) 2020/852 and respecting the "do no significant harm" principle in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, the Commission shall adopt climate and biodiversity assessment guidelines to help Member States to ensure that any measures in the recovery and resilience plan cause no harm to biodiversity and climate and to environmental sustainability.
Amendment 360 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 b (new)
Recital 16 b (new)
Amendment 362 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 c (new)
Recital 16 c (new)
(16c) By means of an delegated act and based on the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the Commission shall adopt a tracking methodology to mainstreaming gender actions and objectives to help the Member States to design, implement and track the contribution of the recovery and resilience plans to gender objectives of the EU and the respective Member State.
Amendment 364 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 d (new)
Recital 16 d (new)
(16d) Member States should ensure that local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders are consulted when drafting the recovery and resilience plans. In order to improve consistency and relevance of the recovery and resilience plans, local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders should be given the possibility to provide their inputs at early stage before the recovery and resilience plans are officially submitted to the EU. Local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders are consulted preferably not later than three months before the official submission of the draft recovery and resilience plan by the Member State. Local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders are consulted according to national rules and practices. The recovery and resilience plans shall explain how the inputs of local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders were taken into account and, if the stakeholders wish so, their opinions will be attached to the National Reform Programmes or, when appropriate, to the national recovery and resilience plans.
Amendment 376 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) To inform the preparation and the implementation of the recovery and resilience plans by Member States, the Council and the Parliament should be able to discuss, within the European Semester, the state of recovery, resilience and adjustment capacity in the Union. To ensure appropriate evidence, this discussion should be based on the Commission’s strategic and analytical information available in the context of the European Semester and, if available, on the basis of the information on the implementation of the plans in the preceding years.
Amendment 388 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) In order to ensure a meaningful financial contribution commensurate to the actual needs of Member States to undertake and complete the reforms and investments included in the annual recovery and resilience plan, it is appropriate to establish a maximum financial contribution available to them under the Facility as far as the financial support (i.e. the non- repayable financial support) is concerned. That maximum contribution should be calculated on the basis of the population, the inverse of the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the relative unemployment rate of each Member State.
Amendment 394 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) It is necessary to establish a process for the submission of annual proposals for recovery and resilience plans by the Member States, and the content thereof. With a view to ensuring the expediency of procedures, a Member State should submit athe annual recovery and resilience plan at the latest by 30 April, in the form of a separate annex of the National Reform Programme. To ensure a fast implementation, Member States should be able to submit a drafttheir first draft annual plan together with the draft budget of the forthcoming year, on 15 October of the preceding yearby 15October 2020, and the final annual recovery and resilience plan no later than 28 February 2021.
Amendment 399 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In order to ensure the national ownership and a focus on relevant reforms and investments, Member States wishing to receive support should submit to the Commission a recovery and resilience plan that is duly reasoned and substantiated. The recovery and resilience plan should set out the detailed set of measures for its implementation, including targets and milestones, and the expected impact of the recovery and resilience plan on growth potential, job creation and economic and social resilience; it should also includeplan should be drawn up based on a multilevel dialogue and partnership with local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders in order to ensure ownership of the plans. The recovery and resilience plan should set out the detailed set of measures for its implementation, including targets and milestones, and the expected impact of the recovery and resilience plan on the six areas identified in this Regulation; it should outline the extent of the consultation carried out with the stakeholders before submission of the plan, as well as targets and milestones specifically focused on inequality and social progress indicators to achieve, and measures that are relevant for the green and the digital transitions; it should also include an explanation of the consistency ofway the proposed recovery and resilience plan with the relevis consistent with challenges, objectives antd country-specific challenges and prioritimmitments of the EU and its Member States identified in the context of the European Semester, the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, the national reform programmes, the national energy and climate plans, the just transition plans, and the partnership agreements, operational programmes adopted under the Union funds and/or in actions related to the implementation of Union law and policies. Close cooperation between the Commission and the Member States should be sought and achieved throughout the process.
Amendment 416 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In order to ensure the national ownership and a focus on relevant reforms and investments, Member States wishing to receive support should submit to the Commission an annual recovery and resilience plan that is duly reasoned and substantiated. The annual recovery and resilience plan should set out the detailed set of measures for its implementation, including targets and milestones, and the expected impact of the recovery and resilience plan on growth potential, job creation and economic and social resilience; it should also include measures that are relevant for the green and the digital transitions; it should also include an explanation of the consistency of the proposed recovery and resilience plan with the relevant country-specific challenges and priorities identified in the context of the European Semester. Close cooperation between the Commission and the Member States should be sought and achieved throughout the process.
Amendment 417 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) To ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the Facility, all procedures foreseen under the present Regulation shall enable a streamlined and coherent governance system and avoid any duplication or overlap of duties and competences among all institutions and entities involved. In light of the urgency of action due to the present crisis, decisions pertaining to the assessment of the recovery and resilience plans and the disbursement of the allocated resources shall be adopted in a timely manner. In any case, said procedures shall not prevent the Commission from exercising its competences in the execution of the European budget as set out in Art. 17 TEU and 317 TFEU.
Amendment 418 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) To strengthen the national ownership of the process, the Commission shall promote the involvement of local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders, as foreseen in this Regulation and in full respect of national rules and practices, through the European Semester and notably in the identification of national challenges and priorities, multilateral surveillance, peer review exercises and exchange of good practices.
Amendment 419 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) After receiving the annual recovery and resilience plans, and by no later than 31 May (31 March in 2021) the Commission by means of a delegated act will assess the global impact of these plans on the fulfilment of Union's objectives and priorities in accordance with the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy and calculate the global financial contributions and loans resulting from these plans and the impact and the allocation of funds from the Union budget.
Amendment 430 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) TAfter the adoption of the delegated act and by no later than four months from the submission of the annual recovery and resilience plan from Member States, the Commission should assess the annual recovery and resilience plan proposed by the Member States and should act in close cooperation with the Member State concerned. The Commission will fully respect the national ownership of the process and will therefore take into account the justification and elements provided by the Member State concerned and assess whether the recovery and resilience plan proposed by the Member State is expected to contribute to effectively address challenges identified in the relevant country-specific recommendation addressed to the Member State concerned or in other relevant documents officially adopted by the Commission in the European Semester; whether the plan contains measures that effectively contribute to the green and the digital transitions and to addressing the challenges resulting from them; whether the plan is expected to have a lasting impact in the Member State concerned; whether the plan is expected to effectively contribute to strengthen the growth potential, job creation and economic and social resilience of the Member State, mitigate the economic and social impact of the crisis and contribute to enhancing economic, social and territorial cohesion; whether the justification provided by the Member State of the estimated total costs of the recovery and resilience plan submitted is reasonable and plausible and is commensurate to the expected impact on the economy and employment; whether the proposed recovery and resilience plan contains measures for the implementation of reforms and public investment projects that represent coherent actions; and whether the arrangement proposed by the Member State concerned are expected to ensure effective implementation of the recovery and resilience plan, including the proposed milestones and targets, and the related indicators.
Amendment 443 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) In order to contribute to the preparation of high-quality plans and assist the Commission in the assessment of the recovery and resilience plans submitted by the Member States and in the assessment of the degree of their achievement, provision should be made for the use of expert advice and, at the Member State request, peer counselling. When such expertise concerns labour-related policies, social partners are involved.
Amendment 446 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24 a (new)
Recital 24 a (new)
(24a) The application of this Regulation shall fully observe Article 152 TFEU, and the recovery and resilience plans issued under this Regulation shall respect national practices and institutions including for wage formation. This Regulation shall take duly into account Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and accordingly must not affect the right to negotiate, conclude or enforce collective agreements or to take collective action in accordance with national law and practices.
Amendment 449 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) For the purpose of simplification, the determination of the financial contribution should follow simple criteria. The financial contribution should be determined on the basis of the estimated total costs of the annuals recovery and resilience plans proposed by the Member State concerned.
Amendment 455 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 26
Recital 26
(26) Provided that the annual recovery and resilience plan satisfactorily addresses the assessment criteria, the Member State concerned should be allocated the maximum financial contribution where the estimated total costs of the reform and investment included in the recovery and resilience plan is equal to, or higher than, the amount of the maximum financial contribution itself. The Member State concerned should instead be allocated an amount equal to the estimated total cost of the recovery and resilience plan where such estimated total cost is lower than the maximum financial contribution itself. No financial contribution should be awarded to the Member State if the recovery and resilience plan does not satisfactorily address the assessment criteria.
Amendment 469 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) Financial support to a Member State’s plan should be possible in the form of a loan, subject to the conclusion of a loan agreement with the Commission, on the basis of a duly motivated request by the Member State concerned in its annual recovery and resilience plan. Loans supporting the implementation of national recovery and resilience plans should be provided at maturities that reflect the longer-term nature of such spending. Those maturities may diverge from the maturities of the funds the Union borrows to finance the loans on capital markets. Therefore, it is necessary to provide for the possibility to derogate from the principle set out in Article 220(2) of the Financial Regulation, according to which maturities of loans for financial assistance should not be transformed.
Amendment 470 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28 a (new)
Recital 28 a (new)
(28a) Loans agreed under the Facility and requested by Member States, and the related expenditure, will not be taken into account when assessing compliance within the framework of the Stability and Growth Pact.
Amendment 472 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 29
Recital 29
(29) The request for a loan should be justified by the financial needs linked to additional reforms and investments included in the recovery and resilience plan, notably relevant for the green and digital transitions, and by therefore, by a higher cost of the plan than the maximum financial contribution (to be) allocated via the non-repayable contribution. It should be possible to submit the request for a loan together with the submission of the plan. In case the request for loan is made at a different moment in time, it should be accompanied by a revised plan with additional milestones and targets. To ensure frontloading of resources, Member States should request a loan support at the latest by 31 August15 October 2024. For the purposes of sound financial management, the total amount of all the loans granted under this Regulation should be capped. In addition, the maximum volume of the loan for each Member State should not exceed 4.7% of its Gross National Income. An increase of the capped amount should be possible in exceptional circumstances subject to available resources. For the same reasons of sound financial management, it should be possible to pay the loan in instalments against the fulfilment of results.
Amendment 486 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 30
Recital 30
(30) A Member State should have the possibility to make a reasoned request to amend the annual recovery and resilience plans within the period of implementation, where objective circumstances justify such a course of action. The Commission should assess the reasoned request and take a new decision within fourtwo months.
Amendment 515 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34
Recital 34
(34) For the purposes of transparency, the annual recovery and resilience plans adopted by the Commission should be communicated to the European Parliament and the Council and communication activities should be carried out by the Commission as appropriate.
Amendment 526 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 36
Recital 36
(36) Pursuant to paragraphs 22 and 23 of the Interinstitutional Agreement for Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016, there is a need to evaluate the Recovery and Resilience Facility established by this Regulation on the basis of information collected through specific monitoring requirements, while avoiding overregulation and administrative burdens, in particular on Member States. These requirements, where appropriate, should include measurable indicators, as a basis for evaluating the effects of the instruments on the ground. The Social Scoreboard shall represent one of the basis of the evaluation.
Amendment 549 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39
Recital 39
(39) The annual recovery and resilience plans to be implemented by the Member States and the corresponding financial contribution allocated to them should be established by the Commission by way of implementing act, after the decision of the European Parliament and the Council on the delegated act on the impacts of the national recovery plans on the global objectives and strategies of the Union's Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy and on the EU's budget. In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. The implementing powers relating to the adoption of the recovery and resilience plans and to the payment of the financial support upon fulfilment of the relevant milestones and targets should be exercised by the Commission in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the examination procedure thereof13 . After the adoption of an implementing act, it should be possible for the Member State concerned and the Commission to agree on certain operational arrangements of a technical nature, detailing aspects of the implementation with respect to timelines, indicators for the milestones and targets, and access to underlying data. To allow the continuous relevance of the operational arrangements in respect of the prevailing circumstances during the implementation of the recovery and resilience plan, it should be possible that the elements of such technical arrangements may be modified by mutual consent. Horizontal financial rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on the basis of Article 322 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union apply to this Regulation. These rules are laid down in the Financial Regulation and determine in particular the procedure for establishing and implementing the budget through grants, procurement, prizes, indirect implementation, and provide for checks on the responsibility of financial actors. Rules adopted on the basis of Article 322 TFEU also concern the protection of the Union's budget in case of generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law in the Member States, as the respect for the rule of law is an essential precondition for sound financial management and effective EU funding. __________________ 13Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Amendment 551 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39
Recital 39
(39) The annual recovery and resilience plans to be implemented by the Member States and the corresponding financial contribution allocated to them should be established by the Commission by way of implementing act, after the decision of the European Parliament and the Council on the delegated act on the impacts of the national recovery plans on the global objectives and strategies of the Union's Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy and on the EU's budget. In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. The implementing and delegated powers relating to the adoption of the recovery and resilience plans and to the payment of the financial support upon fulfilment of the relevant milestones and targets should be exercised by the Commission in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/20111 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the examination procedure thereof13 3 and Article 290 TFEU. After the adoption of an implementing act, it should be possible for the Member State concerned and the Commission to agree on certain operational arrangements of a technical nature, detailing aspects of the implementation with respect to timelines, indicators for the milestones and targets, and access to underlying data. To allow the continuous relevance of the operational arrangements in respect of the prevailing circumstances during the implementation of the recovery and resilience plan, it should be possible that the elements of such technical arrangements may be modified by mutual consent. Horizontal financial rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on the basis of Article 322 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union apply to this Regulation. These rules are laid down in the Financial Regulation and determine in particular the procedure for establishing and implementing the budget through grants, procurement, prizes, indirect implementation, and provide for checks on the responsibility of financial actors. Rules adopted on the basis of Article 322 TFEU also concern the protection of the Union's budget in case of generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law in the Member States, as the respect for the rule of law is an essential precondition for sound financial management and effective EU funding. __________________ 13 Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Amendment 553 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39
Recital 39
(39) The recovery and resilience plans to be implemented by the Member States and the corresponding financial contribution allocated to them should be established by the Commission by way of implementing act. In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. The implementing powers relating to the adoption of the recovery and resilience plans and to the payment of the financial support upon fulfilment of the relevant milestones and targets should be exercised by the Commission in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the examination procedure thereof13 . After the adoption of an implementing act, it should be possible for the Member State concerned and the Commission to agree on certain operational arrangements of a technical nature, detailing aspects of the implementation with respect to timelines, indicators for the milestones and targets, and access to underlying data. To allow the continuous relevance of the operational arrangements in respect of the prevailing circumstances during the implementation of the recovery and resilience plan, it should be possible that the elements of such technical arrangements may be modified by mutual consent. Horizontal financial rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on the basis of Article 322 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union apply to this Regulation. These rules are laid down in the Financial Regulation and determine in particular the procedure for establishing and implementing the budget through grants, procurement, prizes, indirect implementation, and provide for checks on the responsibility of financial actors. Rules adopted on the basis of Article 322 TFEU also concern the protection of the Union's budget in case of generaliszed deficiencies as regards the rule of law in the Member States, as the respect for the rule of law is an, democratic checks and balances, an independent judiciary, media pluralism and media freedom are essential preconditions for sound financial management and effective EU funding and fighting corruption. __________________ 13 Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
Amendment 561 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39 a (new)
Recital 39 a (new)
(39a) The Facility is a key programme of the European Union Recovery Instrument as part of the revised Multiannual Financial Framework. Spending under the Facility will though be subject to a discharge procedure by the European Parliament.
Amendment 1070 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 16 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. The Commission consults local and regional authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders of the concerned country, notably in cooperation with European social partners, to gather their views concerning ownership, consistency and effectiveness of the national recovery and resilience plan.
Amendment 1126 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point b a (new)
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point b a (new)
(b a) whether the climate and biodiversity assessment guidelines was correctly performed for each measures in the recovery and resilience plan and whether each measures in the recovery and resilience plan of the Member State do not case harm to any of the environmental objectives listed in Regulation (EU) 2020/852 in accordance with Article 17 of the same Regulation;
Amendment 1135 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point b b (new)
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point b b (new)
(b b) whether the Commission's methodology for tracking the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights was correctly used, whether each measures in the recovery and resilience plan of the Member State are expected to ensure that at least 30% of the amount requested for the recovery and resilience plan contribute to the implementation of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights and whether none of the reforms and investments supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility contradict the implementation of the European Pillar of Social rights;
Amendment 1162 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point d
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point d
(d) whether the recovery and resilience plan is expected to effectively contribute to strengthen the growth potential, job creation, social progress and economic and social resilience of the Member State, decrease inequalities, mitigate the economic and social impact of the crisis, and contribute to enhance economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 1191 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point g
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point g
(g) whether the arrangements proposed by the Member States concerned are expected to ensure an effective implementation of the recovery and resilience plan, including the envisaged timetable, milestones and targets, and the related indicators, which include progresses in improving performances in the areas covered by the social scoreboard.
Amendment 1204 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point g a (new)
Article 16 – paragraph 3 – point g a (new)
(g a) whether the recovery and resilience plan is compatible with the six pillars set out in Article 3 and respect the minimum contributions for each pillar;
Amendment 1213 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 5
Article 16 – paragraph 5
5. For the purpose of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plans submitted by Member States, the Commission may be assisted by experts. When such expertise concerns labour- related policies, social partners are involved.
Amendment 1215 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 a (new)
Article 16 a (new)
Article 16 a Decision process 1. After receiving the annual national recovery and resilience plans of each Member State, the Commission shall provide to the European Parliament and the Council by means of a delegated act and no later than 31 May, a report consolidating the information of these national plans and assessing the impact of the proposed measures in the Union's economy and in what concerns the objectives of the Annual Sustainable and Growth Strategy. This report shall among others: (a) reflect how the Recovery and Resilience Facility delivers on the EU objectives of competitive sustainability and green transition, the digital transformation, economic and social cohesion and the European Pillar of Social Rights and institutional resilience; (b) the total amount of financial contribution and loans from the Facility committed and paid to Member States, and the volume of proceeds assigned to the Facility, broken down by budget line.
Amendment 1222 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 1
Article 17 – paragraph 1
1. TAfter the decision taken by the European Parliament and the Council on the delegated act referred to in Article 16a, the Commission shall adopt a decision within fourtwo months of the official submission ofconcerning the recovery and resilience plan by theof each Member State, by means of an implementing act. In the event that the Commission gives a positive assessment to a recovery and resilience plan, that decision shall set out the reforms and investment projects to be implemented by the Member State, including the milestones and targets, and the financial contribution allocated in accordance with Article 11.
Amendment 1306 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 a (new)
Article 17 a (new)
Article 17 a 1. Given the urgency to quickly implement the national recovery and resilience plans to enable the economic recovery to its full capacity, and without prejudice of the provisions established on Article 15, paragraph 2 and Article 16a of this Regulation, Member States shall present their first annual Recovery and Resilience Plan by no later than 28 of February 2021. 2. A draft plan may be submitted by Member States to the Commission starting from 15 October 2020, together with the budget for the next year. 3. Without prejudice to the provisions adopted in Article 16 of this Regulation the Commission shall assess the 2021 national recovery and resilience plan using as reference point the country- specific recommendations addressed to Member Sates in the 2019 and 2020 Semester cycles. 4. Without prejudice to the provisions adopted in Article 16a of this Regulation the Commission shall by no later than 31 March 2020 adopt a delegated act respecting the requests of Article 16a. 5. After a decision is taken by the European Parliament and the Council on the delegated act referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article, the Commission shall proceed in accordance with Article 17 of this Regulation.
Amendment 1312 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1
Article 18 – paragraph 1
1. Where the recovery and resilience plan including relevant milestones and targets, is no longer achievable, either partially or totally, by the Member State concerned because of objective circumstances, the Member State concerned may make a reasoned request to the Commission to amend or replace the decisions referred to in Article 17(1) and 17(2) at the latest by 15 October. To that effect, the Member State may propose a modified or a newannual recovery and resilience plan.
Amendment 1322 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 2
Article 18 – paragraph 2
2. Where the Commission considers that the reasons put forward by the Member State concerned justify an amendment of the relevant recovery and resilience plan, the Commission shall assess the new plan in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 and shall take a new decision in accordance with Article 17 within fourtwo months of the official submission of the request.
Amendment 1330 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 3
Article 18 – paragraph 3
3. Where the Commission considers that the reasons put forward by the Member State concerned do not justify an amendment of the relevant recovery and resilience plan, it shall reject the request within fourtwo months of its official submission, after having given the Member State concerned the possibility to present its observations within a period of one month of the communication of the Commission's conclusions.
Amendment 1331 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 18 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. In case the modified recovery and resilience plan exceeds the total disbursement approved by the annual delegated act, the Commission shall adopt a new delegated act, assessing the impact on the Union's strategy and objectives of the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy and calculating the new financial contributions and loans.
Amendment 1423 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 a (new)
Article 21 a (new)
Article 21 a Discharge procedure Spending under the Facility shall be subject to a discharge procedure by the European Parliament.
Amendment 1430 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 a (new)
Article 22 a (new)
Article 22 a Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard 1. The Commission shall complement the current Social Scoreboard (the ‘Scoreboard’) with indicators framed by the Sustainable Development Goals, to monitor the status of implementation of the agreed reforms and investments through the recovery and resilience plans of each Member State. 2. The Scoreboard shall display the progress registered by the recovery and resilience plans in each of the six areas that define the scope of this Regulation. 3. The Scoreboard shall indicate the degree of fulfilment of the relevant milestones of the recovery and resilience plans and the identified shortcomings in their implementation, as well as the recommendations of the Commission to address the respective shortcomings. 4. The Scoreboard shall also summarise the main recommendations addressed to the Member States as regards their recovery and resilience plans. 5. The Scoreboard shall serve as a basis for a permanent exchange of best practices between Member States which will materialise in the form of a structured dialogue organised on a regular basis. 6. The Scoreboard shall be constantly updated and shall be publicly available on the Commission’s website. It shall indicate the status of payment claims, payments, suspensions and cancellations of financial contributions. 7. The Commission shall present the Scoreboard at a hearing organised by the competent committees of the European Parliament. 8. In establishing the scoreboard, the Commission should rely as much as possible on dashboards based on multiple indicators for monitoring the social and economic dimension of resilience and dashboards for monitoring the green and digital dimension of resilience as annexed to its 2020 strategic foresight report “Charting the course towards a more resilient Europe”.
Amendment 1501 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 a (new)
Article 25 a (new)
Article 25 a Exercise of the Delegation 1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down on this Article. 2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 16a, 17, 17a and 18 shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2027. 3. The delegation of power referred to in Articles 16a, 17, 17a and 18 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. 4. A decision to revoke the delegation of power shall put an end to the delegation of power specified in that decision. 5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and the Council. 6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 16a, 17, 17a and 18 shall enter into force if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object.