34 Amendments of Bronis ROPĖ related to 2018/2054(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
- having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 8 February 2017 entitled 'Missing transport links in border regions' (CDR 4294/2016),
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas border regions, especially those with lower density of population, generally perform less well economically than other regions within the Member States;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas mass departures from border regions, especially on the part of young people and skilled labour, illustrates the lack of economic opportunities in such regions and even more makes them less attractive in terms of employment and economic development;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it is estimated6a that the removal of only 20 % of the existing obstacles in the border regions would bring about an increase in their GDP by 2 %, or around EUR 91 billion, which would translate into approximately one million new jobs; _________________ 6a COM(2017)0534
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas in current MFF 95% of TEN-T-CEF funds go to the core corridors of the TEN-T, whilst small projects on the comprehensive network and interventions linking up with the TEN-T network, although essential to solving specific problems and to the development of cross-border connections and economies, are often not eligible for co-financing, or for national financing;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas severalmultiple challenges faced by the external border regions of the EU would also merit a stance being adopted by the Commission;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on ‘Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions’ which, as the result of two years of research and dialogue, provides a valuable insight into the challenges and obstacles faced by the internal EU border regions and urges it to be followed by the similar analysis as it regards external EU border regions;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that access to public services is crucial for the 150 million- strong cross-border population, and ispopulation of internal cross-border areas, and is frequently hampered by numerous legal and administrative barriers; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to maximise their efforts to remove these barriers, especially when related to health services, transport, education, labour mobility, environment, as well as regulation and business development;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the problems faced by the border regions are common to some extent, but also vary from region to region, and from Member State to Member State, and depend on the individual characteristics of a given region as well as the legal system of the Member States concerned, which makes an individual approach in tackling these obstacles a necessity; therefore encourages tailor- made approach, integrated and place- based approaches, such as the Community-Led Local Development (CLLD);
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that the differing legal frameworks of the Member States can lead to legal uncertainty in the border regions, which results in an increase in the time needed and the cost of the projects, and constitutes an additional obstacle for citizens and enterprises in the border regions, frequently hindering or even halting good ideas; stresses, therefore, that greater complementarity between the Member States, or at least at border region level, is desirable;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Takes note that attractiveness of cross-border areas for life and investment heavily depend on quality of life, availability of public and commercial services for citizens and for businesses, as well as quality of transportation – the conditions which could be met and maintained only in close co-operation of national, regional and local authorities as well as businesses on both sides of the border;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines, however that in absence of adequate supply of jobs or other economic opportunities as well as in case of low level of salaries, the well- educated workforce tends to migrate to regions where such opportunities are in adequate supply thus making situation in remote border areas even more challenging – this is tendency very well seen within the Common Market;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Points to the challenges related to business activities carried out in the border regions, in particular when related to taxation, public procurement or social security systems; calls on the Member States to better align and harmonise the relevant legal provisions and achieve convergence in regulatory frameworks, in order to allow for more flexibility in the implementationwith the challenges posed by the cross-border areas, allowing sufficient flexibility of national legislation, as well as to improve the dissemination of information on cross-border issues, e.g. by creating one-stop-shops;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that in cross-border regions, especially those with lower density of population, transport services are still insufficiently developed in the border regions, which hampers cross- border mobility and prospects for economic development; stresses, furthermore, that cross-border transport infrastructure is also particularly adversely affected by complex regulatory and administrative arrangements; underlines the existing potential for developing sustainable transportation, first of all based on public transport and in this regard awaits the forthcoming Commission study on missing railway links along internal EU borders; underlines that any such study or future recommendations should be based on information and experience from local and regional authorities;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Underlines that creating additional cross-border transportation infrastructure, while being costly and environmentally challenging, might not always be a single best solution and therefore underlines the potential for boosting cross-border transportation links provided by soft measures, such as better coordination of public transportation schedules, inclusive planning and tailor- made innovations of cross-border local and regional authorities having grated sufficient autonomy to pursue common goals;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Takes note of frequently insufficient availability of funding in cross-borders regions and therefore calls for reflection on improvement of rules regulating private-public partnerships and co-funding in the cross-border regions, allowing to attract more and diverse capital;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that mutual trust, political will and a flexible approach among multi-level stakeholders, including civil society, are vital to overcoming the abovementioned persistent obstacles and boosting growth and development in border regions; calls, therefore, for better coordination, dialogue and a further exchange of best practices among authorities; urges the Commission and the Member States to enhance such cooperation; and also calls for the Member States to ensure adequate functional and financial autonomy of respective local and regional authorities;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the importance of education, and, in particular, the opportunities to step up efforts to promote multilingualism in border regions; emphasizes the potential of schools and local mass media in these endeavours;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Emphasize the importance of small-scale and cross-border projects in bringing people together and in that way opening new potentials for local development;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the eGovernment Action Plan 2016-202013 as a tool to achieve an efficient and inclusive public administration, and recognises the particular value of this plan for simplification measures in the border regions; is, however, concerned by the patchy implementation of the plan in some Member States; is also concerned about the low level of online services available for foreign entrepreneurs to start doing business in another country and therefore calls for Member States to take measures in order to facilitate access, including linguistic tools, to their digital services for the potential users from the neighbouring areas; _________________ 13 Commission communication of 19 April 2016 entitled ‘EU eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020 – Accelerating the digital transformation of government’ (COM(2016)0179).
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses that all border regions have to play a decisive role in tackling climate change challenges, in coordinated actions with their surrounding regions;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Points out that the climate change has a serious effect on the border regions including but not limited to the need to search for a common cross-border tailor- made solutions to such natural disasters as forest fires and floods;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. Underlines the potential of cross- border cooperation and especially sparser inhabited cross-border areas in such fields as renewable energy, circular economy and environment protection and calls to make better use of existing opportunities;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10 d. Emphasize the potential of the less inhabited border areas to develop sustainable and green economy thus making an added value to the local development in opening new green jobs;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that some internal and external border regions face serious migration challenges, and encourages the measured use of Interreg programmes, as well as the exchange of good practices between local and regional authorities in the border areas, in the framework of the integration of refugees under international protection; underlines the need for national governments to support local and regional authorities in addressing these challenges;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Considers that the role of the EU macro-regional strategies in addressing challenges related to the border regions should be further enhanced;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. AwaitUrges the Commission’s position on to present its insights on coping with challenges faced by the internal maritime as well as external border regions; reiterates, in this context, that the features of and the challenges faced by all border regions are common to some extent, while requiring a differentiated approach;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Member States to ensure genuine cooperation in the field of cross-border healthcare, in order to ensure that patients’ rights are respected, as provided for in the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive as well as the availability and quality of services increased;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Calls for a better access to finance for border regions to enable investments in the local energy transition, including energy efficiency, decentralised distribution of energy and circular economy;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Underlines the importance of learning from and further using the potential of success stories of some border regions;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the positive role of European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) programmes in the development and cohesion of border regions; calls on the Commission to preserve ETC as an important objective, with a more distinct role within cohesion policy post-2020, as well as a significantly increased budget; underlines at the same time the need to simplify the programmes and, ensure better coherence of ETC with the overall goals of the EU and of the programmes flexibility to better address local challenges as well as importance to reduce the administrative burdens for beneficiaries;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Believes that border regions with particular challenges should receive tailor-made support (e.g. greater synergies between ERDF, ESF and EGF) for developing and implementing long-term strategies based on economic diversification andre-skilling and retraining policies for laid-off workers;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Believes that cohesion policy should be more geared towards investment in people as border regions’ economies can be boosted by an effective mix of investments in innovation, human capital, good governance and institutional capacity;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets that the potential of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation is not being fully exploited, which could be due partly to regional and local authorities’ reservations, and partly to their unfounded fear of a transfer of competences and due to still existing lack of awareness and respective competences;