Activities of Thomas WAITZ related to 2023/2114(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement
Amendments (58)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council in Copenhagen of 21-22 June 1993, also known as the Copenhagen Criteria,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)
Citation 2 b (new)
– having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 29-30 April 1997 on the application of conditionality with a view to developing a coherent EU strategy for relations with the countries in the Western Balkan region,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
– having regard to the European Commission strategy for 'A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans' of February 2018,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 b (new)
Citation 3 b (new)
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the matter, in particular that of 24 October 2019 on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, its recommendation of 19 June 2020 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice- President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Western Balkans, following the 2020 summit and its resolutions on the 2022 Commission reports on Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 c (new)
Citation 3 c (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 February 2020 entitled ‘Enhancing the accession process – A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020)0057),
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 d (new)
Citation 3 d (new)
– having regard to the Council conclusions of July 2020 “Promoting values and rules-based pan-European co- operation and supporting a reinvigorated Council of Europe”,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 e (new)
Citation 3 e (new)
– having regard to the Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 September 2021 establishing the Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance (IPA III),
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 f (new)
Citation 3 f (new)
– having regard to the European Court of Auditors special report 01/2022 of 10 January 2022 entitled ‘EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans: despite efforts, fundamental problems persist’,
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas eight out of the ten countries (Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine) currently aspiring to join the EU have candidate status, some of them since many years ago; whereas thoseKosovo and Georgia are considered ‘potential candidates’; whereas candidate countries find themselves at various stages of the accession process and negotiations; whereas the countries of the Western Balkans have for decades stated their determination to join the EU; whereas candidate status hwas also recently been granted to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova by the European Council on 23-24 June 2022; whereas on 15 December 2022, the European Council decided to grant EU candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas, on 8 November 2023, during the presentation of the Enlargement Package, the President of the European Commission announced that the Commission would recommend the Council to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, to grant candidate status to Georgia and to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina “once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved”;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas enlargement has been the most effective EU’s foreign policy instrument and one of the EU’s most successful policies, but its effectiveness has considerably decreased over the last years due to a failure from the EU side, notably from the Council, to live up to its promises; whereas unfair delays, obstacles and vetoes in the Council have considerably undermined the EU’s credibility and capacity to drive political transformation in the enlargement countries; whereas a new impetus, commitment and vision are urgently needed to re-energise the enlargement process, ensuring its continuity, consistency, credibility and impact;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has given a new geostrategic meaning to the enlargement of the European Union; whereas genuine commitment to enlargement is a strategic geopolitical investment in the future, whichstability, security, unity and prosperity on the European continent; whereas enlargement can be mutually beneficial for both existing and future Member States if the proper conditions are met; whereas past developments such as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have shown that non-enlargement has a massive strategic cost and can undermine security and stability on our continent;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure whereby each applicant is assessed on their own merits in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, in particular those of ensuring full respect for human rights, democracy and, the rule of law and respect for and protection of minorities; whereas positive outcomes should be sought as quickly as possible, while avoiding fast-tracking or counterproductive fixed deadlines;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the parallel processes of widening and deepening the Union must go hand in hand; whereas the institutional reform of the EU in a way that will enhance its capacity to act, as well as its democratic legitimacy and accountability, is already a pressing necessity;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas in the past years, the Council has grossly failed the enlargement countries by blocking the accession process and not delivering on the EU’s long outstanding promises towards the Western Balkans; whereas the delays in the start of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, as well as with the visa liberalisation agreement for Kosovo, have considerably damaged the EU’s credibility in its enlargement policy; whereas this lack of engagement and credibility during the past years has created a vacuum, thus opening the space for Russia and China and other harmful third actors;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. whereas a lack of genuine political will by some of the leaders in the enlargement countries to advance fundamental reforms has also damaged the EU’s enlargement policy; whereas the level of political will proven by the political leaders of the enlargement countries to make meaningful progress on reforms does not always correlate with the level of progress in the accession process of the different countries;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
E c. whereas 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Thessaloniki Summit when the EU first publicly committed to the European perspective for the Western Balkans;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
E d. whereas some of the enlargement countries display a great potential for destabilisation, thus further threatening the security and stability on the continent; whereas exploitation of this potential by third countries is already ongoing in many enlargement countries; whereas stability, security and democratic resilience of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighbourhood are inextricably linked to the EU’s own security, stability and democratic resilience;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E e (new)
Recital E e (new)
E e. whereas there is no place in the EU or in the countries aspiring to become Member States for inflammatory rhetoric, genocide denial or glorification of war criminals from any side; whereas coming to terms with the past is the only way to warrant genuine reconciliation, which is crucial for prosperous societies and a successful integration;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the role of the European Parliament should be strengthen throughout the entire enlargement process; is extremely limited and should be strengthened; whereas the European Parliament is undoubtedly the most supportive EU institution when it comes to enlargement process;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas under the current institutional framework, the EU already faces considerable challenges in crisis management and, strategic decision- making, democratic legitimacy and accountability; whereas it is clear that the EU institutions and decision-making mechanisms were not designed for a Union that could be composed of up to 37 Member States; whereas before the next substantial enlargement takes place, significant pre- enlargement reforms are needed to guarantee that the EU is able to respond properly to the many challenges it currently faces, to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration; whereas a serious debate on these issues would add to the credibility of the enlargement process; whereas this implies significant changes in the EU’s institutional framework, including to decision-making procedures, and the possible introduction of differentiated integration solutions; whereas in order to achieve this, the EU should take full advantage of the flexibility afforded by the Treaty of Lisbon and consider the possibility of treaty changemmit to the revision of the Treaties, including via adaptations introduced by the accession treaties;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the Union’s credibility and ability to act in a timely and effective manner depends on efficient decision- making, and even more so in an enlarged EU of 30 or more Member States; whereas efficient decision-making leading to timely and coordinated internal and external action is vital for safeguarding the EU’s interests and its global geopolitical leadership; whereas reform of the EU’s institutional framework and governance structures, with simplified, more effective and democratic decision-making procedures, must be discussed and adopted in parallel with the ongoing accession negotiations;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas enlargement is also a major challenge for EU’s financial sustainability, in particular regarding cohesion and agriculture policies; whereas the current and the next multiannual financial frameworks should be strengthened considerably to enable and underpin substantial EU enlargement; whereas this financial groundwork must be in place before substantial enlargement takes place;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the interest and the political will to join the EU shown by so many countries, and acknowledges the ser; welcomes the Commission’s recommendations to open accession negotiatiouns efforts made by candidate countries to meet the requirements for membershipwith Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to grant candidate status to Georgia; notes, however, that in some instances, these assessments are based on the current geopolitical situation rather than on tangible and concrete progress and reforms undertaken by the candidate countries;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Acknowledges the limited efforts made by many candidate countries to meet the requirements for membership; in this context, regrets the serious and worrisome lack of progress -and even backsliding- made by some candidate countries in their EU’s accession path;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that enlargement is of the utmost strategic importance for the EU, and all the more so in the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; stresses that an enhanced enlargement policy hascan become one of the strongest geopolitical tools at the EU’s disposal; points out that enlargement is a strategic investment in peace, security and prosperity, as well as a driver for democracy and European values on the continent;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Considers the Commission’s new methodology as a long-term policy framework, which should guide the enlargement process; against this background, encourages the Commission to update this communication to take into consideration the accession processes of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Calls to thoroughly evaluate the EU’s enlargement strategy, both in content and in substance; against this background, calls for an evaluation assessing the reasons why the progress made by the enlargement countries is so limited, particularly in the areas of the rule of law, human rights and democracy; in this context, calls on the EU delegations on the ground to apply a more credible and merit-based approach based on the rule of law and the protection of human rights;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Acknowledges the historic challenge facing the EU of meeting its commitments to the countries inand the peoples of the Western Balkans and tof Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure and that each applicant must be assessed on their own merits in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and in ensuring full respect for human rights, democracy and, the rule of law and respect for and protection of minorities; stresses that while positive outcomes should be sought as quickly as possible, there should be no fast-track or fixed deadlines for membership; underscores that there can be no short-cuts on fundamental values; points out that alignment with the common foreign and security policy is also a way of showing full adherence to the EU’s fundamental principles and an important indicator for sustainable future membershiplines, however, that the EU should set concrete timelines and roadmaps for each accession country; underscores that there can be no short-cuts on fundamental values;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Points out that alignment with the common foreign and security policy is also a way of showing full adherence to the EU’s fundamental principles and an important indicator for sustainable future membership; in this context, highlights the need to ensure that EU funds provided to enlargement countries are in line with the EU’s own strategic goals and interests;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Urges the Council to refrain from blocking the candidate countries’ accession processes by reference to bilateral issues, in line with Article 24 of the TEU, the conclusions of the 2003rd Council meeting and the 2016 Vienna declaration on bilateral disputes of the Western Balkan states; calls, in this context, to amend the treaties to apply qualified majority voting in the Council for the interim steps and decisions during the accession process while keeping unanimity only for the final step of accession; against this background, calls on the Council to exert greater political pressure against those Member States that misuse the accession process by vetoing candidate countries with the objective to solve bilateral disputes that are unrelated with the Copenhagen criteria; regrets that these obstacles imposed by some Member States have considerably fuelled Euroscepticism, heightened inter-ethnic tensions and provided impetus to authoritarian tendencies; deplores the resurgence of anachronic historical demands by some Member States, which hinder the EU path of some candidate countries;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Reiterates its concerns about reports that the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi deliberately seeks to circumvent and undermine the centrality of democratic and rule of law reforms in the EU accession countries; urges the Commission to initiate an independent and impartial investigation into whether the conduct engaged in and policies furthered by the Commissioner constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct for the Members of the Commission and of the Commissioner’s obligations under the Treaties; calls on the Commission to report the results of this investigation to the Parliament and the Council;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for afurther robust monitoring mechanisms for the reforms and progress made by the candidate countries, in addition to the yearly Commission’s Enlargement Package; in this context, underlines the need to include in the regular reporting also the issue of non- progress or reversal of progress in a systematic and transparent manner; against this background, highlights the need to clarify the conditions and the indicators to assess any serious or prolonged stagnation or backsliding on which sanctions against accession countries would be based; urges, in particular, the setting up of a specific and effective monitoring mechanism for protecting fundamental values and the financial interests of the Union in the context of accession procedures; reiterates in this regard its calls to include candidate countries in the EU rule of law mechanism and its annual reporting exercise, automatically activatings a pre- accession cooperation and verification mechanisms;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines that in view of the new candidate status granted to Ukraine and Moldova, as well as the potential candidate status granted to Georgia, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) framework should be readjusted; calls to list these three countries as beneficiaries to the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) Regulation, without prejudice to the scope of the new Ukraine Facility; underlines that the inclusion of new beneficiaries should under no circumstances reduce the available resources for the current beneficiaries of IPA III funding; calls on the Commission to effectively use conditionality mechanisms vis-à-vis the enlargement countries, including in the communication strategy around the funding;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Reiterates its call on the Commission to implement the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022 in order to ensure an effective impact of EU financial assistance in support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans, in particular by developing guidelines on the application of IPA III provisions on modulation and conditionality;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Calls to establish a framework for fruitful cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the accession countries, in order to ensure that the EPPO can effectively exert its competencies in the area of EU funds, in particular regarding IPA III funds, including through the secondment of national liaison officers to the EPPO;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Welcomes the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans announced by the European Commission during the presentation of the 2023 Enlargement Package; calls on the Commission to apply strict conditionality and disburse funds only to those enlargement countries that deliver tangible results and implement reforms in the areas of the rule of law, democracy and human rights; against this background, calls on the Commission to support financially only those accession countries that genuinely work towards good neighbourly relations and sustainable reconciliation, including but not limited to the prosecution of war criminals and ensuring access to truth, justice and effective reparations to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5 e. Encourages the accession countries to participate in inclusive regional cooperation schemes based on EU standards and rules; in this context, expresses its reservations towards non- inclusive regional cooperation initiatives such as the Open Balkans;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 f (new)
Paragraph 5 f (new)
5 f. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the EEAS to strengthen strategic communication on the benefits of enlargement both in the accession countries and in the Member States, with a special focus on countering disinformation and increasing the fight against foreign interference;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 g (new)
Paragraph 5 g (new)
5 g. Highlights the need to step up citizen participation and the involvement of civil society in the enlargement process; in this context, calls on the EU to allocate additional resources to civil society actors dedicated to EU values and principles, democracy, peacebuilding and people-to-people contacts; against this background, underlines the need to mainstream gender equality, the protection of minorities (including the Roma, the LGBTIQ+ community and persons with disabilities) and fully implement the principle of non- discrimination throughout the accession process;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 h (new)
Paragraph 5 h (new)
5 h. Encourages the EU to continue its cooperation with the Council of Europe to support the enlargement countries in carrying out essential reforms and training with a view to preparing these countries for their future accession to the EU;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 i (new)
Paragraph 5 i (new)
5 i. Highlights the importance of advancing in the clean energy transition, as well as in energy efficiency, connectivity, the diversification and security of energy supply and sustainable development, in line with the EU acquis;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that there is a need for stronger parliamentary oversight of the EU’s enlargement policy; insists on strengthening the role of Parliament throughout the entire accession process, including allowing it to scrutinise fully the progress made by the candidate countries across policy fields; underlines that regular dialogue and cooperation between the European Parliament and the national parliaments of candidate countries should be encouraged and should serve as a model to sustain and expand the role of national parliaments in overseeing their own countries' processes of integration;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that the challenge of a bigger Union requires an enhanced enlargement policy putting in place a clear incremental pathway towards EU membership, including gradual integration into common policies; believes that countries that have made substantial progress on EU-related reforms should be gradually integrated in the EU single market, thus being able to benefit from the four freedoms; notes that this pathway should be accompanied by increased technical and conditional financial assistance with a special focus on the implementation and enforcement of laws under negotiating chapters 23, 24, 30 and 31; invites the Commission to present detailed proposals on the incremental accession methodology; underlines that the phasing-in of candidate countries into selected policy areas is by no means an alternative to fully-fledged membership; against this background, stresses that initiatives like the European Political Community are not alternatives to substitute enlargement as this would risk undermining the EU’s commitment to enlargement and would dash the legitimate aspirations of countries that seek to become Member States of the EU;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that European institutional and financial reforms to promote good governance, functionality and sustainability are needed, accountability, democratic legitimacy and sustainability are needed to face the current challenges and are inevitable to ensure the EU’s capacity to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points outStrongly believes that European institutional reforms must include simplified, more effective and democratic decision-making procedures, moving away from unanimity and replacing it with qualified majority voting provisions in areas such as the protection of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, tax policy, own resources, multiannual financial framework, sanctions and relevant foreign policy decisions, including enlargement;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for the mechanism to protect the rule of law and the EU’s fundamental principles and values, and the monitoring capacity to ensure compliance, to be strengthened ahead of the next enlargement; proposes, in particular, to strengthen and reform the procedure in Article 7 of the TEU by ending unanimity in Council decisions, introducing a clear timeframe and making the Court of Justice the arbiter of violations;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that differentiated integration is part of the solutionmight be one of the ways forward for an efficient and deepened enlarged EU; underlines, however, that respect for the Union’s values as set out in Article 2 TEU should notever be subject to any derogations or opt-outs; considers also that a broad area of European common ground must always be ensured, covering areas such as the Customs Union, the single market and its four freedoms, the core social acquis, and agricultural, competition and trade policies; notes that beyond this common ground, Member States willing to move European integration forward should be allowed to do so; underlines that under such a system of differentiated integration, while all Member States would take part in decisions about issues in the area of common ground, only Member States willing to participate in areas of deepened integration would take part in the decisions concerned; notes that differentiated integration also implies differentiated financial arrangements and that membership of the Union should require strong commitment to respect all Union’s law;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for the full use of the flexibility provided for in the Treaty of Lisbon ahead of a more in-depth reform in the context of a possible revision of the treaties; recalls that a number of flexibility solutions, such as passerelle clauses, enhanced cooperation, constructive abstention, Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and opt- out mechanisms are already possible under the current EU legal framework, as the experience of the Schengen area and the euro area clearly shows; recalls that phasing-in solutions, temporary derogations and transition periods can be negotiated in the context of accession procedures; points out that the use of theseany flexibility mechanisms should not prevent constructive discussions on treaty revision, as proposed by Parliament;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that institutional pre- enlargement reforms must also address the implications of enlargement on the composition of Parliament; recalls that the European Parliament is already one of the largest parliaments in the world and underlines that in any case it must remain at a workable scale; points out, however, that a reasonable increase in the size ofthe allocation of additional seats in the Parliament cannot be ruled out in order to ensure sufficient democratic representativeness in case of substantial enlargement; insists on a new system for seat allocation based on a permanent mathematical formula, which is objective, fair, transparent and durable;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Reiterates its call for Parliament to gain the right of initiative for legislation, in particular the right to introduce, amend, or repeal EU law;
Amendment 434 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Points out that the functioning of the Council should also be reviewed in view of enlargement, in particular the system of rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union; notes that the calculation of qualified majority voting thresholds should also be reconsideredvoting mechanism in the Council should also be reconsidered; notes that transparency of the Council should be increased and that Parliament and Council should be empowered to strengthen the transparency and integrity of their decision-making by creating a new legal basis in the Treaties;
Amendment 440 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that the composition of the Commission mustshould take into account enlargement and recalls in this regard the flexibility provided for in the Treaty of Lisbon; calls on the next College of Commissioners to nominate a separate Commissioner for Enlargement, as well as to create a separate Directorate- General on Enlargement;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Reiterates its call for the strengthening of the instruments for citizens’ participation in the EU decision- making process;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that enlargement is a major financial challenge for the EUwill entail a major reform of the EU budget, in particular regarding cohesion and agriculture policies; points out that this challenge cannot be met without a larger EU budget and sufficientin terms of GNI share and sufficient, new and genuine own resources; notes that this adds to growing demands on EU funding in the fields of financial stability, health, energy, decarbonisation and climate and environmental policies, digital, research and defence and security; underlines that such financial reformsthe new budget must be discussed in parallel with the ongoing accession negotiations and adopted before enlargement takes place; defends its position that the current and future multiannual financial frameworks should be strengthened considerably to enable EU enlargement, and that thiemphasises the importance of setting in advance appropriate control mechanisms in order to prevent potential frauds and misuse of EU funds, and a necessary capacity building of local administrations financial groundwork must be in candidate countries through shared plrace before enlargement takes placetices to strengthen their role in implementing cohesion policy;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Stresses that enlargement constitutes both an opportunity and a need for a fundamental overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) including capping area-based payments and moving towards a stronger rewarding of ecological and societal services rendered as well as of labour intensive agro-ecological practices;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Points out that the reconstruction and post-war recovery of Ukraine is an additional financial challenge to be addressed in the wider context of an international effort; calls, in this regard, also for the swift adoption of the Regulation establishing the Ukraine Facility, which will support Ukraine on its path towards accession in a way that is connected to its sustainable, inclusive and transparent reconstruction and recovery;