22 Amendments of Jan-Christoph OETJEN related to 2019/2028(BUD)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note of the draft budget proposed by the Commission in the field of transport; regrets the indiscriminate cuts demanded by the Council; insists on an ambitious budget for the EU transport sector, which takes into consideration emerging challenges and current political priorities related to the EU transport policy;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes the time is ripe for a more fundamental reshaping of EU transport financing with a view to establishing a net zero-emission transport sector by 2050 and guarantee full alignment with the Paris Agreement; stresses thus that a high level of funding, result-oriented and efficient use of funds in the Horizon 2020 transport portfolio, programmes and joint undertakings delivering these objectives are of utmost importance; highlights the importance of projects and programmes in the fields of decarbonisation and digitalisation, requests an adequate funding and asks for their prioritisation; urges the Commission to promote digitalisation in logistics;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes the overall reduction of AMIF commitment appropriations by 15,4 % (-172 million euros) compared to 2019; regrets the decrease of commitment appropriations aimed at strengthening and developing the CEAS and enhancing responsibility-sharing between Member States (-29,5 %) compared to 2019; recalls the importance of providing adequate financial capacity to improve the reception of asylum seekers, the efficiency of asylum application examinations, the enforcement of decisions regarding asylum applications, the integration of migrants as well as the re- integration of migrants who forcibly or voluntarily returned to a third country, and to respond to emergency assistance needs of Member States under migratory pressure; expresses its disappointment at the fact that the AMIF budget does not include some financial reserves to finance the reformed Dublin legislation and the new Union Resettlement schemes in case of adoption during 2020; proposes to foresee an amount in the reserve for temporary arrangements for disembarkation in the Union and relocation of people rescued in the Mediterranean; requests, in order to free financial resources, that the EU Trust Fund for Africa and the Regional development protection programmes for North Africa that primarily support external policies of the Union are funded byduce the burden of the Member States of first entry; recalls that appropriate and coordinated actions need to be undertaken at the internal and the external levels, under Heading IVII of the Union budget (Global Europe) instead of by AMIF under Heading III (Security and Citizenship)Security and Citizenship) and Heading IV (Global Europe) respectively;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes the overall reduction of ISF commitment appropriations by 6,1% (- 32,6 million euros) compared to 2019; recalls the importance of financial support to strengthen police and judicial cooperation in criminal and terrorist matters, to harmonise border management and reinforce security checks, and to improve the detection and management of irregular immigration.
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Insists that the EU transport policy is essential for economic, social and environmental sustainability and therefore priority should be given to the quality and sustainability of projects rather than their quantity or size; stresses that the EU transport policy needs an adequate and sufficient funding in order to secure growth, jobs and competitiveness in Europe, more investments in research and innovation, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the increases of Commitment appropriations of JHA Agencies such as EASO (41,5 %), EBCG (34,6 %), CEPOL (14 %), EMCDDA (7,7 %), and FRA (5,4 %), Eurojust (5,2 %), and Europol (2,1 %) compared to the budget 2019;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates that the provisional agreement on the regulation setting up the Invest EU Programme1 contains a general provision - applicable to all transport related financing - ensuring that "ProjectOperations that are inconsistent with the achievement of the climate objectives shallould not be eligible for support" and that all projects "shall be screened"Investment projects receiving substantial Union support, notably in the area of infrastructure should be screened by the implementing partner to determine if they have an environmental, climate or social impact and if so, shallould be subject to climate, environmental and social sustainability proofing"sustainability proofing (...)"; recalls that Invest EU Fund should support investments contributing to greater economic, territorial and social cohesion in the Union and that, in order to maximise the impact and the added value of EU financing support, it is appropriate to maximise “synergies across relevant Union programmes in areas such as transport, energy and digitalisation”; _________________ 1 European Parliament legislative resolution of 18 April 2019 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the InvestEU Programme (COM(2018)0439 – C8-0257/2018 – 2018/0229(COD)).
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that the budget of the EBCG has increased by 34,8 % (+108 million euros) in 2020 which is by far the largest increase among all JHA agencies; recalls that the Court of Auditorin line with the strengthening of the EBCG mandate, scope of activities and human resources as identified as part of the discharge of the 2017 Budget that Member States overestimated the financial need of the EBCG in 2017; underlines that when the objective of providing the EBCG with more human resources (10.000 border guards by 2027), the number of migrants arriving irregularly over sea or land in the Union has substantially decreased compared to previous years; suggests that such boost in resources should also bcided by the Union legislator in 2016; notes that this budget increase is necessary to achieve the objective of providing the EBCG with more human resources (10.000 border guards by 2027); recalls that the objective of safer borders in the Union is essential to ensure the used for rescuing lives at sea; regrets the remarkable difference between the commitment appropriations assigned to EBCG (420 million euros) in 2020 and the amount accorded to EASO (133 million euros); suggests that the budget and staffing of EASO should be increased for a better performance of the duties entrusted to the Agencycurity of Union citizens and of third- countries nationals;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) spending in the field of transport can be improved by increasing further the share of funding for zero emission transport modes; recalls that the CEF is an extremely important and vital financial instrument in the transport sector and the short and long term planning of spending should take into consideration a result-oriented approach and seek for and EU added value, especially regarding the development and completion of the TEN-T core and comprehensive networks; welcomes the approach of the Commission to co-finance the re-establishment of regional cross- border rail connections that were dismantled or abandoned and encourages the Members States, cross-border regions and the Commission to further intensify these bottom-up projects that contribute to reopening borders in the EU where they still exist; calls on the Commission to significantly increase the reserved amount within the CEF budget line for financing for the re-establishment of regional missing rail links that were dismantled or abandoned; calls on the Commission to take into account the still large divergences in terms of transport infrastructure across the EU; further electrification of railway infrastructure must be intensified and a quicker roll out of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is required; the CEF budget should also take account of rail freight noise abatement measures in order to ensure a sustainable and efficient freight transport system;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that the budget of the EBCG has increased by 34,8 % (+108 million euros) in 2020 which is by far the largest increase among all JHA agencies; recalls that the Court of Auditors identified as part of the discharge of the 2017 Budget that Member States overestimated the financial need of the EBCG in 2017; underlines that when the objective of providing the EBCG with more human resources (10.000 border guards by 2027), the number of migrants arriving irregularly over sea or land in the Union has substantially decreased compared to previous years; suggests that such boost in resources should also be used for rescuing lives at sea; calls on the Commission to urgently set up a new Union mission for search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea; regrets the remarkable difference between the commitment appropriations assigned to EBCG (420 million euros) in 2020 and the amount accorded to EASO (133 million euros); suggests that the budget and staffing of EASO should be increased for a better performance of the duties entrusted to the Agency;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Considers that the increase of the EASO budget (+39 million euros compared to 2019 in Commission's proposal) should be proportionally as important as the increase of the EBCG budget (+108 million euros compared to 2019 in Commission's proposal); stresses that an efficient, equal and humane treatment of asylum-seeker applications is a priority in the Union; suggests that the budget and staff of EASO are increased for a better performance of the duties entrusted to the Agency;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets thaIs concerned about the Commission did’s draft budget not following the budgetary request of Europol and proposeding to underfund the Agency by 30 million euros in 2020; notes that the decrease of the eu-LISA commitment appropriations by 18,7 % (- 55 million euros) correspo, which would lead to a decrease of 25% of the Agency staff in 2020 compared to 2019; notes that Europol’s support has been crucial in joint investigations across the Union and that, if adequately funded, the Agency could do more to handle criminal intelligence, to combat terrorism ands to the end of the development of the Entry Exit System; reiterates the need to ensure adequate financial support for JHA Agencies to deliver the tasks assigned to them in full transparency and to fight against cross-border serious crime in full compliance with fundamental rightsprevent, detect and help investigate child trafficking, child labour and sexual exploitation; also regrets that the Commission did not follow the budgetary request of Eurojust (funding gap of 3,7 million euros), noting that not just arrests, but also successful prosecutions in serious cross-border crime areas, including terrorism and migrant smuggling, are essential for the security of Union citizens; considers that cross-border police cooperation and judicial cooperation in the Union are two prerequisites for a Union of Security; notes that these funding gaps will lead to staff and operational budget decreases, which are not coherent with the strengthening of Agencies’ missions such as Europol and Eurojust; requests the Commission to re- evaluate the amount provided to these Agencies and to abandon any decrease in their staff;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Encourages the Commission to promote the revitalisation of comfortable European night trains as a possible and sustainable alternative to short-distance flights and long-distance car travelling;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to combineexplore the options of possible combinations of the co-financing of the EuroVelo network with the comprehensive rail network;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes the increasing recruitment of “temporary agents” as compared to “contract agents” in the EU agencies; considers that the sensitivity of information accessible to the staff of Agencies in the JHA field requires a strict policy of confidentiality, in particular with regard to the staff recruitment and management.
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Notes that the decrease of the eu- LISA commitment appropriations by 18,7% (-55 million euros) corresponds to the end of the development of the Entry- Exit System;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Reiterates the need to ensure adequate financial support for JHA Agencies to deliver the tasks assigned to them in full transparency and to fight against cross-border serious crime in full compliance with fundamental rights;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for a more transparent funding landscape and more transparent project assessments, with particular attention paid to the participation of citizens, civil society and NGOs in transparent decision-making and monitoring the development of large projects that have a total investment volume of over EUR 1 billion;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls that public investment in infrastructure is particularly sensitive to corruption; sStresses the importance of guaranteeing a transparent and competitive tendering process for large-scale transport infrastructure projects financed by the EU; insists that contracting authorities and bidders for these large-scale projects must enter into Integrity Pacts under which third parties monitor their compliance with commitments to best practice and transparency; recalls that the Member States have the primary responsibility for setting up a management system, which aims to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of investment projects, and urges the Commission to ensure the necessary administrative and technical support in order to facilitate their implementation;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Calls on the Commission to have a more result-oriented approach, seek for an EU added-value and focus more on the political objectives while defining the criteria for selection of pilot projects and preparatory actions and recalls the importance of their proper implementation;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Regrets that the broadened tasks of the EU transport-related agencies - EASA, EMSA and ERA - have not been taken into consideration for Budget 2020 while the increased need of financial and human resources should be taken into account, in order to ensure the full deployment of their tasks;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Believes that the tourism sector is extremely related to the transport sector, therefore a specific and dedicated funding under a separate budgetary line should be created; stresses its importance and economic impact on growth, competitiveness, employment and social development;