24 Amendments of Bronis ROPĖ related to 2017/2037(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises that cities, understood as towns, cities and urban and metropolitan areas, as well as small and medium-sized cities which are often the backbone of large parts of European territory, lack a formal role in the institutional framework of the Union, apart from that of their representatives in the Committee of the Regions (CoR); emphasises, however, that almost all EU policies have considerable impact on cities;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
paragraph 1 a (new)
paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls on the importance of partnership principle and multi-level governance as stated in the Article 5 of the CPR and thus sees the involvement of local and regional authorities in all policy - making stages as a necessity and an added value as well as the pre-condition for the economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Points out that there is no single definition of what constitutes the city in terms of population, area, functions, level of autonomy except for degree of urbanisation and residents’ concentration and therefore each Member State may and shall have different approaches to this term;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Underlines the importance of the associations of all local and regional authorities in aggregating and representing sub-national interests on the European scale and calls for their voice to be better heard in the process of policies’ development;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Emphasises the key role of cities as well as all local authorities in implementing key Union’s policies aimed at territorial and social cohesion; calls for extension of successful community-based policies, such as Leader, into the municipal level, thus empowering local communities to better contribute to sustainable development goals;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Stresses that all cities and towns have to play a decisive role in tackling climate change challenges, in coordinated actions with their surrounding region;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1f. Underlines the importance of local authorities in promoting voluntary pilot EU-wide and global initiatives in the fields, which are not covered by EU or international regulation and where voluntary commitments can contribute to achievement of global environmental goals, such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions via Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy’ initiative;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular goal 11: to ‘make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Recalls on the Commission communication of 10 July 2012 on ‘Smart Cities and Communities – European Innovation Partnership’ COM(2012)4701);
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Recalls on the European Charter of Local Self-Government, adopted by the Council of Europe in 1985;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Recognises the vital role of cities, towns and regions in promoting ownership of the energy transition and in pushing climate and energy-related targets from below; notes that cities and urban areas are most suitable for testing and implementing integrated energy solutions in direct connection to citizens; welcomes in that regard the Smart Cities Initiative and the ‘Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy’ initiative;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Stresses the important role played by cross-border cooperation in the action carried out by all local authorities, both inside and outside the EU borders, and reiterates the need to strengthen this tool of cooperation;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2f. Underlines the potential for important role of cities in Union’s external policies as a tool of public diplomacy, bringing people from different countries together and addressing issues, for various reasons absent on high policy agendas and therefore calls for better financing of respective Union’s support mechanisms;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the establishment of a ‘one-stop shop’ for cities; calls, however, for better coordination and integration of instruments and programmes dedicated to cities in various EU policies; in that regard takes into consideration the variety of differences among European local authorities and their potentials, calls for flexible, tailor-made approach in the implementation of Urban Agenda, providing incentives and guidance to fully enhance the potentials of the cities;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the Urban Agenda for the EU as a new model of multi-level governance based on partnership, engaging cities inter alia in the reviewing of existing legislation and reflection on the future shape of policies that should be based on bottom‐up, public participation, integrated and place-based approaches, such as the Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) approach;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that since cities have proved their capacity to efficiently manage integrated actions for sustainable urban development, they should be given greater possibilities in the implementation of all relevant policies; as well as to better use the potential of the Circular Economy Package;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Believes that in case of integrated sustainable urban development, local authorities should be empowered not only to select projects but also to prepare, design and implement local development schemes;
Amendment 36 #
7b. Calls for a better access to finance for cities and regions to enable investments in the local energy transition, including energy efficiency, decentralised distribution of energy and circular economy;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Commission to introduce a broad-based territorial impact assessment of the urban dimension of all relevant EU policies, in order to ensure that all future legislation is based on an analysis of the consequences of implementation at local level; encourages the stronger involvement of all cities, city associations, local and regional authorities, civil society and CoR in this process;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on Member States to guarantee that the diversity of their territorial structures is fully reflected in their proposals for appointment of CoR members, by striking a right balance of representatives from small and middle- sized cities besides the capitals and large metropolitan areas, and to propose, where appropriate, the appointment of more representatives of the local level to the CoR;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls for Member States to ensure full compliance of national legislation with the European Charter of Local Self- Government and ensure their local authorities adequate financial and legal autonomy as well as administrative capacities to fully participate in European debate;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Encourages the Commission to assess the feasibility for the EU to ratify the European Charter of Local Self- government, as an international treaty, establishing key provisions for the organisation of local self-government in the Member States and thus ensuring possibilities for single interpretation of its provisions;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance of associations representing all cities, such as EUROCITIES and urban policies, such as competent urban and othe Counr public authorities, economic and social of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR); calls for their closer involvement in relevant Commission expert groups and Council working grouppartners, relevant bodies representing civil society, including environmental partners, non- governmental organisations, and bodies responsible for promoting social inclusion, gender equality and non- discrimination; calls for their closer involvement in relevant Commission expert groups and Council working groups; stresses therefore the importance of the role of civil society in the political life of the EU and in defining European urban policies;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Underlines the need for quality information on the EU policies and engagement possibilities into them for both urban decision-makers and citizens in general as well as the need for quality two-way communication between European and sub-national levels.