Activities of Pirkko RUOHONEN-LERNER related to 2023/0199(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) (debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) and amending Directive 2003/87/EC, Regulations (EU) 2021/1058, (EU) 2021/1056, (EU) 2021/1057, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) 2021/1060, (EU) 2021/523, (EU) 2021/695, (EU) 2021/697 and (EU) 2021/241
Amendments (10)
Amendment 3 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The EU industry has proven its inbuilt resilience but is being challenged. High inflation, labour shortages and mismatches, post- COVID supply chains disruptions, rising interest rates, and spikes in energy costs and input prices are weighing on the competitiveness of the EU industry. This is paired with strong, but not always and unfair, competition on the fragmented global market. The EU has already put forward several initiatives to support its industry, such as the Green Deal Industrial Plan,40 the Critical Raw Materials Act41 , the Net Zero Industry Act42 , the new Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State aid,43 and REPowerEU.44 While these solutions provide fast and targeted support, the EU needs a more structural answer to the investment needs of its industries and citizens, safeguarding cohesion and the level playing field in the Single Market and to reduce the EU’s strategic dependencies. __________________ 40 Communication on A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age, COM(2023) 62 final. 41 COM(2023) 160 final 42 COM(2023) 161 final 43 Communication on a Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State Aid measures (OJ C 101, 17.3.2023, p. 3). 44 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 as regards REPowerEU (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1).
Amendment 6 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The uptake and scaling up in the Union of deep and digital technologies, clean technologies, and biotechnologies will be essential to seize the opportunities and meet the objectives of the green and digital transitions, thus promoting the competitiveness of the European industry and its sustainability. Therefore, immediate action is required to support the development or manufacturing in the Union of such technologies, safeguarding and strengthening their value chains thereby reducing the Union’s strategic dependencies, and addressing existing labour and skills shortages in those sectors through trainings andeducation, including attractive vocational education and training, apprenticeships and trainings and the creation of attractive, quality jobs accessible to all.
Amendment 7 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) There is a need to support critical technologies in the following fields: deep and digital technologies, clean technologies, and biotechnologies (including the respective critical raw materials value chains), in particular projects, companies and sectors with a critical role for EU’s competitiveness and resilience and its value chains. By way of example, deep technologies and digital technologies should include microelectronics, high-performance computing, quantum technologies (i.e., computing, communication and sensing technologies), cloud computing, edge computing, and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity technologies, robotics, 5G and advanced connectivity and virtual realities, including actions related to deep and digital technologies for the development of defence and aerospace applications. Clean technologies should include, among others, renewable energy; electricity and heat storage; heat pumps; electricity grid; renewable fuels of non- biological origin; sustainable alternative fuels; electrolysers and fuel cells; carbon capture, utilisation and storage; energy efficiency; hydrogen and its related infrastructure; smart energy solutions; technologies vital to sustainability such as water purification and desalination; advanced materials such as nanomaterials, composites and future clean construction materials, and technologies for the sustainable extraction and processing of critical raw materials. Biotechnology should be considered to include technologies such as biomolecules and its applications, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies vital for health security, crop biotechnology, and industrial biotechnology, such as for waste disposal, and biomanufacturing. The Commission may issue guidance to further specify the scope of the technologies in these three fields considered to be critical in accordance with this Regulation, in order to promote a common interpretation of the projects, companies and sectors to be supported under the respective programmes in light of the common strategic objective. It is important to respect the principle of technological neutrality. Moreover, technologies in any of these three fields which are subjects of an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) approved by the Commission pursuant to Article 107(3), point (b) TFEU should be deemed to be critical, and individual projects within the scope of such an IPCEI should be eligible for funding, in accordance with the respective programme rules, to the extent that the identified funding gap and the eligible costs have not yet been completely covered.
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) Strengthening the manufacturing capacity of key technologies in the Union will not be possible without a sizeable skilled workforce. However, labour and skills shortages have increased in all sectors including those considered key for the green and digital transition and endanger the rise of key technologies, also in the context of demographic change. Therefore, it is necessary to boost the activation of more people to the labour market relevant for strategic sectors, in particular through theA major problem of the economy is the mismatch between the competences possessed by employees and the requirements of the modern labour market. In order to overcome this gap, it is important to promote the participation of more people in the labour market by creation ofng jobs and apprenticeships for young, disadvantaged persons, in particular, young people not in emp, in particular for young people and disadvantaged people. This will help meet growing skills and labour market needs and ensure the develoypment, education or training of key technologies in the European Union. Such support will complement a number of other actions aimed at meetaddressing the skills needs stemmarising from the transition, outlined set out in the EU Skills Agenda.45 __________________ 45 Communication on a European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, COM(2020) 274 final.
Amendment 19 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The STEP should identify resources which should be implementused within the existing Union programmes and funds, the InvestEU, Horizon Europe, European Defence Fund and Innovation Fund. This should be accompanied by providing additional funding of EUR 10 billion. Of this, EUR 5 billion should be used to increase the endowment of the Innovation Fund46 and EUR 3 billion to increase the total amount of the EU guarantee available for the EU compartment under the InvestEU Regulation to EUR 7,5 billion,47 taking into account the relevant provisioning rate. EUR 0.5 billion should be made available to increase the financial envelope under the Horizon Europe Regulation,48 which should be amended accordingly; and EUR 1.5 billion to the European Defence Fund.49 __________________ 46 Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading (OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32). 47 Regulation (EU) 2021/523 establishing the InvestEU Programme (OJ L 107, 26.3.2021, p. 30). 48 Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe (OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 1). 49 Regulation (EU) 2021/697 establishing the European Defense Fund (OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 149.), together with other active employment measures.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) While tThe STEP relies on the reprogramming and reinforcement of existing programmes for supporting strategic investments, it is also an important element for testing the feasibility and preparation of new interventions as a step towards a European Sovereignty Fund. The evaluation in 2025 will assess the relevance of the actions undertaken and serve as basis for assessing the need for an upscaling of the support towards strategic sectorsparticularly the European Social Fund.
Amendment 24 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Directive 2003/87/EC54 should be amended to allow for additional financing with a financial envelope for the period 2024-2027 of EUR 5 billion. The Innovation Fund supports investments in innovative low-carbon technologies, which is a scope that is to be covered by the STEP. The increase in volume of the Innovation Fund should therefore allow to provide financing responding to the objective of supporting the development or manufacturing in the Union of critical clean technologies. In line with the objectives of ensuring cohesion and promoting the Single Market, and in order to support the green transition and the development of clean technologies throughout the Union, the additional financial envelope should be made available through calls for proposals open to entities from Member States whose average GDP per capita is below the EU average of the EU-27 measured in purchasing power standards (PPS) and calculated on the basis of Union figures for the period 2015-2017implementation of the Innovation Fund in order to support social cohesion, social inclusion and the promotion of the Single Market. __________________ 54 Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading (OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32).
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3
Article 3
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2
Article 8 – paragraph 2
2. The evaluation report shall, in particular, assess to which extent the objectives have been achieved, the efficiency of the use ofSTEP has contributed to the cresources and the European added value. It shall also consider the continued relevance of all objectives and actions, in view of their potential upscalingation of good quality jobs and more social cohesion.
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Directive 2003/87/EC
Article 10 a (8)
Article 10 a (8)
Directive 2003/87/EC is amended as follows: (1) In Article 10a(8), the following sixth subparagraph is inserted: ‘InAny addition to theal allowances other than those referred to in the first to fifth subparagraphs of this paragraph, the Innovation Fund shall also implement a financial envelope for the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2027 of EUR 5 000 000 000 in current prices for supporting investments contributing to the STEP objective referred to in Article 2, point (a)(ii) of Regulation .../...63 [STEP Regulation]. This financial envelope shall be made available to support investments only in Member States whose average GDP per capita is below the EU average of the EU- 27 measured in purchasing power standards (PPS) and calculated on the basis of Union figures for the period 2015-2017.’ __________________ 63 Regulation …/… of the European Parliament and of the Council … [insert full title and OJ reference]. will require approval by all Member States, in particular with regards to the use of social funds. ’