Activities of Johan VAN OVERTVELDT related to 2019/2126(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2019
Amendments (25)
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates the need to reduce the inequalities inimprove the geographical distribution of EIB financing, given that 57% went to six Member States in 2018; calls for a fair and transparent geographical distribution of projects and investment, with a special focus on less- developed regions; calls for an enhanced geographical distribution of projects and investments; calls for the EIB to address systemic shortcomings that prevent certain regions or countries from taking full advantage of the EIB's financial activities considering the market and demand driven nature of EIB financing;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the EIB to greatlyfor adequate support to strengthen the arrangements for providing technical assistance and financial expertise to local and regional authorities before project approval, in order to improve accessibility and involve all Member States; underlines that projects are selected based on economic, environmental, technical and most of all financial merits;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for a detailed roadmap to be drawn up in 2020 to reach the overall target of 50% climate lending by 2025, as well as guarantees regarding the climate neutrality of the remaining loans, following an open and transparent public consultation procesthe EIB to extensively inform stakeholders and the wider audience on the manner in which the EIB intends to reach the overall target of 50% climate lending by 2025, as well as how the EIB will fully take on board the climate considerations of the remaining loans;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for a strengtheningthe thorough application of the eligibility criteria for climate action in order to avert the risk of investments not resulting in significant reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG), in particular with regard to bioenergy, low-carbon gases, carbon capture and storage and compensation programmes; considers that a general anti-abuse provision should support all EIB operations and be included in its declaration on environmental and social standards, which needs to be reviewed in 2020 and aligned with the 1.5°C global warming objective;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the new EIB carbon footprint evaluation methodology and calls for its systematican extended implementation, with a particular focus on marginal demand emissions and indirect emissions (‘type 3’); calls for projects to be evaluated comprehensively and not merely by means of an economic life-cycle analysis of their emissions;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is of the opinion that the EIB should requirsupport and stimulate its intermediary clients to disclose their exposure to fossil fuels, and should apply restrictions to heavily exposed intermediaries; expects that, by the end of 2020, all intermediaries will have a decarbonisation plan, which is indispensable for their financing to continueevelop products that e.g. incentivise energy efficiency, renewable energy investments or circular, low carbon investments; believes the EIB should continue “greening” its SME portfolio e.g. earmarking higher shares to climate related projects;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Is of the opinion that, in line with best practices in the commercial banking sector3 ,Welcomes the fact that EIB financing ishould be subject to ambitious scientific objectives and commitments, with a view to phasing out its support to clients whose activities lead to significant GHG emissions; _________________ 3 Crédit Agricole has undertaken to end support for undertakings which develop or plan to develop their activities in the coal sector. Crédit Agricole’s zero tolerance policy applies to all enterprises which develop or plan to develop their activities in the coal sector, ranging from extraction and energy production, to trade and transport.
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the new EIB energy lending policy and the example it sets for other banks; regretwelcomes that exceptions are applicable to the approval of gas projects until the end of 2021 and that support for gas projects planned for the transport of low-carbon gases is set to continue; calls for this policy to be reviewed in the medium term (by the start of 2022) to close the gaps in gas infrastructure to bring it in line with the European Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and the European Green Pact, and to be consistent with the development of appropriate new external actions in the EU;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the new EIB energy lending policy and the example it sets for other banks; regretwelcomes that exceptions are applicable to the approval of gas projects until the end of 2021 and that support for gas projects planned for the transport of low-carbon gases is set to continue; calls for this policy to be reviewed in the medium term (by the start of 2022) to close the gaps in gas infrastructure to bring it in line with the European Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and the European Green Pact, and to be consistent with the development of appropriate new external actions in the EU;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Insists that the EIB urgently and fully implement the principle of energy efficiency in all its energy lending, taking into account the impact of energy efficiency on future demand and its contribution to energy security;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the EIB to make theLooks forward to the EIB's review of its transport policy a key priorityto be announced later this year; calls for a new transport financing policy to decarbonise the EU transport sector by 2050;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for rigorousnew policies to be implemented in carbon-intensive industrial sectors in which the EIB is active, such as cement, petrochemicals and steel, with a view to phafocusing out all ‘brown’ loans and aln the sustainability of these sectors and carefully weignhing all sectoral loanthe consequences of any termination of ongoing contracts, focusing on the promotion of a circular economy;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Notes that the climate problem cannot be solved without support of the industry, a large scale change can only be achieved if the industry is taken on board and the necessary incentives are given for innovative climate solutions;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Reminds the EIB that biodiversity protection is a key element of adaptation to climate change and that the restoration of ecosystems is the only proven technology when it comes to negative emissions; calls on the EIB to commit to ending the financing of projects which contribute to the loss and degradation of biodiversity and ecosystems, and to increase substantially its fundingsystematically integrate biodiversity externalities into its economic appraisal and to substantially increase its commitment to achieve the EU’s objectives in this area, in particular the objective of zero net deforestation and the objectives of marine and coastal protection;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that, in order to achieve these ambitions, the EIB may need to take further risks, in addition to increasing its own funds and building expertise in innovative financing instruments; calls foron the EIBMember States to ensure ithe EIB has adequate resources, including appropriate capitalisation, to enable it to use innovative instruments to finance projects with significant potential to produce sustainable, social and innovative gains;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Calls on the EIB to provide the necessary growth capital to enable SMEs to scale up their operations;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Urges the EIB, the largest multilateral lender in the world, to maintain its leading role in future EU financing mechanisms for third countries; opposnotes the recent initiatives to encourage the EIB to be more active in defence and security, migration management and border control;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Welcomes the EIB's strong dedication to restrict its financing to projects that respect human rights; strongly supports the EIB's commitments in its Environmental and Social Framework not to tolerate any reprisals, threats, intimidation, harassment, or violence against any human rights defenders, environmental activists or indigenous people advocates voicing their opinion regarding a project financed by the EIB;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the fact that, as recommended in the latest Parliament reports, public summaries are now to be made of Management Board meetings; stresses the need to publish the content of meetings of all the and of the EFSI operation scoreboard for projects supported by the EFSI guarantee, understands however that certain limits apply with regard to document transparency to ensure protection of confidential information provided by EIB’'s governing bodies systematicallyclients and project partners;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls for the EIB to ensure the highest level of integrity of its financial intermediaries, and that their loaWelcomes that intermediary operations bare subject to the same transparency requirements as other types of loans based on the EIB’s Transparency Policy; calls on the EIB to cease working with financial intermediaries with a negative track record of transparency, fraud, corruption, organised crime or money laundering;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39