Activities of Erik MARQUARDT related to 2023/2029(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe
Amendments (44)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
– having regard to the OECD guidelines of June 2023 “clarifying the ODA eligibility of migration-related activities”,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 b (new)
Citation 21 b (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 19 May 2021 on human rights protection and the EU external migration policy1a , _________________ 1a OJ C 15, 12.1.2022, p. 70
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 c (new)
Citation 21 c (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 25 March 2021 on a new EU-Africa Strategy – a partnership for sustainable and inclusive development1b, _________________ 1b OJ C 494, 8.12.2021, p. 80
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Instrument is to be implemented through a mix of modalities including bilateral cooperation, grants to a diversity of partners and an investment framework; whereas the Instrument’s external investment framework brings together blended finance and guarantees under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) External Action Guarantee (EAG), which is to be implemented by eligible partners in an open and collaborative approach, with a specific role for the European Investment Bank (EIB);
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas EU action on development has its legal basis in the Treaties and the 2017 European Consensus on Development and is guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Instrument should be used following the principles, approaches and commitments of these frameworks; whereas achieving Agenda 2030 with the SDGs at its core is one of the main objectives of the Instrument and no country is on track to achieve all of the SDGs by 2030; whereas 93% of the Instrument should be allocated as Official Development Assistance and should therefore support initiatives that focus on poverty and inequalities reduction, in particular gender inequalities and whose main objective is the promotion of the long-term sustainable development of third countries, as well as comply with development effectiveness principles such as country ownership and transparency and accountability to the public;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas due to limited resources, the external financing instruments have often been stretched to their limits; whereas, since the adoption of the Regulation establishing the Instrument, events such as the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine (which worsened food crisis in the world and triggered a food,n energy and cost of living crisis) and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the situation to such a degree that an early mid-term evaluation (MTE) of the Instrument and a mid-term revision (MTR) of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) are necessary;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas project implementation under the Instrument cannot yet be evaluated fully, as it is still in its early stages; whereas the MTE expected in 2024 should assess whether the Instrument promotes human rights and contributes to poverty and inequalities reduction and the promotion of the long-term sustainable development of third countries and is allocated based on third countries’ needs and development strategies;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the Instrument should be used to ensure a fair green transition, promoting local added values and respecting the “do no significant harm principle”;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas, nonetheless, the Global Gateway’s focus on the EU’s geopolitical objectives cannot imply diversion of the Instrument’s ODA towards the EU’s immediate domestic and economic interests at the expense of long-term sustainable development in partner countries;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas the 2019 Global Assessment of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) provides evidence that the current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will undermine progress towards 80% of assessed SDG targets relating to poverty, hunger, health, water, cities, climate, oceans and land; whereas the climate and biodiversity crises are intertwined and need to be addressed in tandem and coherently;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas the latest report of the independent UN Fact-finding mission on Libya calls on the international community and all countries to cease all direct and indirect support to Libyan actors involved in crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations against migrants, such as the Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration, the Stability Support Apparatus and the Libyan Coast Guard; whereas nevertheless the Commission continues to fund projects on border management in Libya through the Multi Country Migration Programme in the Insrtument;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the need to review the EU’s external and development policies in the light of geopolitical changes; recognises the enhanced importance of strategic partnerships with partner countries and the specific role of EU investments, which have to reflect both the interests of the EUthe funding gap and increasing inequalities between and within countries; recognises the impact of geopolitical changes and the enhanced importance of strategic partnerships with partner countries; stresses the need for the review to assess whether the Instrument is contributing to the reduction of poverty and inequalities reduction and the promotion of human rights as well as the long-term sustainable development of third countries, and whether interests of our partnerts resources are being allocated based on third countries’ needs and development strategies;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine; stresses, however, that this support should not come at the expense of other partners and third countries, whose EU funding should not be cutbe increased in line with the needs of their populations ; calls, therefore, for a thorough evaluation of the Instrument’s resources, which should also assess whether they are sufficient to meet the Instrument’s objectives as per the Regulation;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the consolidation of most of the EU’s external action in a single Instrument, gradually streamlining and harmonising the numerous previous instruments; is of the opinion, however, that although this simplification has enhanced flexibility and efficiency, it has not been accompanied by sufficient levels of effective accountability and transparency; emphasises that the Instrument should provide for an efficient, effective, coherent and inclusive implementation, underpinned by the ‘policy first’ principle and in line with values of the EU and the priorities of partner countries;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for ex ante assessments to determine the possible implications and risks of projects with regard to human rights, in line with Article 25 (5) of the Regulation; calls for human rights monitoring throughout the implementation of projects in third countries, especially in relation to projects entailing a high risk of violations, notably in the area of border management and return; calls for a suspension or modulation of projects that (in)directly contribute to human rights violations in third countries; calls on the Commission to share all human rights related assessments with Parliament in a proactive manner;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Requests that the MTE provide legal and political clarity with regard to the listing of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia as beneficiaries under the neighbourhood chapter of the Instrument; notes that these countriesUkraine and Moldova have become candidates for accession to the EU andwhile Georgia is considered a potential candidate for EU membership; against this background, underlines that Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia should therefore be listed as beneficiaries with the adequate budgetary transfer of bilateral financial envelopes to the Instrument for Pre- accession Assistance (IPA III) Regulation10 ; welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a Ukraine facility to meet immediate needs, but stresses the importance of using a long- term instrument; , without prejudice to the scope of the new Ukraine Facility; in this regard, highlights the need to ensure that the funds provided to enlargement countries via the Instrument should focus on long- term and structural reforms, notably in the area of the “fundamentals” (democracy, the rule of law and protection of human rights), with a view to integrating them as beneficiaries of IPA III funds; underlines that the inclusion of new beneficiaries should under no circumstances reduce the available resources for the current beneficiaries of IPA III funding; calls for the MTE to effectively use conditionality mechanisms regarding the enlargement countries, including in the communication strategy around the funding; welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a Ukraine facility to meet immediate needs, but stresses the importance of using a long- term instrument; further notes the need to consider the possible ramifications of the 2024 US Presidential elections for financial support to Ukraine from the US, currently Ukraine’s largest donor; _________________ 10 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) (OJ L 330, 20.9.2021, p. 1).
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for the MTE to assess, in particular, the extent to which funding has delivered tangible results in Africa , in line with the EU-Africa-Strategy as well as the outcomes of and priorities set at the 6th AU-EU Summit in 2022 ;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the importance of meeting all the Instrument’s spending targets and calls for detailed information on the progress made in this regard; regrets, in particular, the substantial deficit in reaching the Instrument’s climate target andof 30% as well as ensuring to fulfil its global financial commitments under the UN framework and in particular the contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund; recalls that climate change will increasingly put pressure on food production and access, especially in vulnerable regions, undermining food security and nutrition; highlights the conclusions of the IPCC 2022 report according to which global warming will progressively weaken soil health and ecosystem services, undermining food productivity in many regions on land and in the oceans; calls for a detailed plan outlining how the Commission intends to meet the climate target by the end of the MFFas part of its midterm review of the Instrument ;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Is concerned that the 10 % biodiversity target for 2026 and 2027 set in the MFF and stated in the provisions of the Instrument will most likely not be reached, and that the Commission proposes no avenue towards reaching the agreed target; recalls that the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services will undermine progress in approximately 80 % of the assessed targets for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); underlines therefore that further efforts must be made especially in the mid-term review of the Instrument and in the relevant annual action plans, to ensure that the spending targets are met;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. RStrongly reaffirms the commitment set out in the Instrument to eradicating poverty, fighting inequalities and discrimination and promoting human development; reaffirms the commitment set out to ensure a strong gender perspective and mainstreaming implementing the EU Gender Action Plan III;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls for additional investments to address the setback in the recognition and protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as well as the general backlash against women’s rights and gender equality in developing countries; underlines in this regard that targeted support to CSOs and communities advocating for the respect of SRHR, women’s rights, gender equality and the LGBTIQ+ community and other marginalised populations should be prioritised;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reaffirms the commitment outlined in the Instrument to addressing the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement; is of the opinion that, without prejudice to unforeseen circumstances, the commitment within the Instrument to dedicate an indicative 10 % of the Instrument’s financial envelope to actions supporting the management and governance of migration and forced displacement within the objectives of the Instrument should be respected and that this clause should not be reopened; is concerned that migration is the main component behind the EUR 10.5 billion rise in the ceiling of Heading 6 under the proposal for the revision of the MFF ; calls for complementary information on the exact purpose of the individual top- ups that led to this increase; underlines that this increase significantly surpasses the migration-related budgetary target set in the Instrument's Regulation; urges the Commission to refrain from further increasing migration related spending compared to the reported 14% in November 2022; requests on the basis of Article 42 (1) of the Regulation an independent external evaluation of migration related spending under the Instrument, with a focus on EU legal human rights related obligations;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recalls the obligation under the Regulation for 93% of the funding under the Instrument to be compliant with the criteria for ODA as established by the OECD; calls on the Commission to create a public database specifying ODA eligibility of projects, including TEIs (partly) funded by the Instrument; calls for the MTR to include a review of ODA eligibility of all migration related activities followed by a suspension or adaption of migration related activities that are not ODA eligible, with a particular focus on activities involving the interception or return of migrants;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Recalls that the do-no-significant- harm principle is mainstreamed in all Union activities through the budgetary implementation and stresses therefore the urgent need to ensure the respect of the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle and the principle of Policy Coherence for Development through the entire budget in all the 6 dimensions and to take necessary corrective measures if and when needed without undue delay;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that under no circumstances should the 2024 MTR of the MFF result in the Instrument’s funds being cut or reallocated between programmes; underlines the key role of the Instrument to promote human rights, to eradicate poverty and achieve the SDGs, and, the EFSD+ and the EAG in providing a strategic framework for blended finance, de-risking investments and guarantees and in mobilising resources from the private sector with the support of the EU budget,; recalls that the private sector cannot guarantee universal access to, or replace public investments in particularly in the light of increasing geopolitical and economic competition; critical services, such as health, education and social protection, which provide crucial long-term prospects for the graduation from poverty; calls on the EU and its Member States, in a context where ODA remains a scarce resource, to limit blending operations to those areas where they can add value to the local economy, but to exclude blended finance from essential public services, particularly health, education and social protection, as the monetisation of those sectors could widen already existing inequalities and jeopardise the universal access to those services; urges, more broadly, the European Commission and the Member States to prioritise partnerships with LDC domestic enterprises that pursue sustainable and inclusive business models;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recognises the specific role of EU investments, which must reflect the strategic interests and development objectives of both the EU and our partner countries, and underlines the important part played by the budgetary guarantees in delivering them under the ‘policy first’ principle; highlights the importance of ensuring that the guarantees counterbalance the risk involved in the highest-risk countries for investment so that relevant investment is also directed to them;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes the specific role played by the EIB in the European financial architecture for development, as set out in Article 209 of the TFEU and in Article 36 of the Regulation establishing the Instrument, and acknowledges the EIB’s potential to mobilise additional funding that contributes to the Instrument’s objectives; welcomes the creation of EIB Global, which has been operational since 1 January 2022 and sets out to increase the bank’s presence and expertise in developing countries; calls on the EIB to prioritise a pro-poor sustainable development agenda; calls on the EIB to take higher risk in financing projects with high social returns;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the EIB to improve its transparency and accountability in line with the Ombudsman’s and CSOs’ demands, particularly with regard to intermediated lending; calls on the EIB and EIB Global to develop a clear human rights due diligence strategy; calls on EIB’s intermediaries to always refer high- risk sub-projects to the EIB for review and approval and to disclose environmental information on these projects for public scrutiny and accountability; likewise, calls for the EIB’s accountability for its intermediated projects, instead of leaving final beneficiaries to self-police, as the current ESSF allows ;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the ‘open architecture’ of the EFSD+, which was established to support private-sector investments, and calls on the Commission, the EIB, the Member States and development finance institutions (DFIs) to fully utilise the options provided by the EAG and the relevant investment windows to promote sustainable private-sector investments; underlines the need to strategically leverage and steer private sector financing to address the cost of living and environmental crisis, with a particular focus on SMEs, public goods, services and social infrastructure; calls for increased transparency, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in the implementation of EU funds under the EFSD+ and the EAG as well as their leverage to mobilise additional private sector, Member States, EIB and development finance institutions (DFIs) funds in a transparent and strategic way;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Urges all Team Europe actors to duly consider the sectors, actors and modalities that are best suited for LDCs to achieve crucial SDGs; asks that in LDCs budget support and programme-based approaches be prioritised as they remove harmful conditionalities against debt distress; in the few cases when blending is appropriate for LDC contexts, ensure the adoption of a “phased approach” to blending operations in LDCs, which means investing slowly and through pilot projects per LDC partner country in order to progressively unfold interventions that fit the local context;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Recognises the multiple roles that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play in the realisation of the SDGs and in reaching out to people in vulnerable and marginalised situations; calls on the Commission to involve CSOs more systematically in Global Gateway and Team Europe Initiatives and to consider providing small granting schemes for local CSOs under each country programme with simplified eligibility and compliance criteria;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the Team Europe approach and its aim of increasing the coherence, impact and visibility of EU development projects, and calls for more joint actions with the Member States, in particular Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs) and other development partners including civil society; calls on the Commission to review the effectiveness of the approach and to inform Parliament of its findings;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Stresses the need for systematic consultation with partner countries, including local authorities to ensure quality partnerships and local ownership; underlines the importance of involvement of civil society in the planning and implementation of TEIs; calls on the Commission to provide clarity on the financing resources that are channelled to TEIs ensuring transparency and accountability of the funding allocation under the Instrument;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the Global Gateway strategy as a concerted EU response to global challenges; regrets, however, the lack of transparency and of a regulatory framework for the strategy’s governance and implementation within the Instrument’s objectives and prioritiesstresses that massive investments are required to make a meaningful contribution towards poverty reduction, the fight against inequalities and climate change in developing countries, and must reached the people and communities most in need; regrets, however, the lack of transparency and of a regulatory framework for the strategy’s governance and implementation within the Instrument’s objectives and priorities; calls on the European Commission to set a clear and transparent accountability mechanism for the implementation of the strategy and to demonstrate clear rationale for the use of development finance for the projects branded under the Global Gateway strategy and its equal benefits to recipient countries’ public and private sector;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recalls Parliament’s functions of political control and consultation and stresses the role of the high-level geopolitical dialogue in providing general orientations for the implementation of the Instrument; urges the Commission to significantly improve the timely provision of requested documentation to Parliament in advance of the High Level Geopolitical Dialogue, as well as the way in which it takes into account the EP’s recommendations, notably by engaging in a written procedure after each dialogue indicating the follow-up on each specific EP recommendation;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the importance of the programming process, underlining the crucial role of the EEAS and EU delegations in this regard, as well as in ensuring the proper inclusion of partner countries and other development actors throughout the process, including by fostering close and transparent consultation of and association with local authorities, in order to identify common priorities and enhance partner countries’ sense of ownership; stresses, furthermore, the important role of civil society organisations in the programming processimplementation of the Instrument, in particular in the programming process; calls on the Commission to improve CSO access to programming documents, country assessments and other relevant information;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses the importance of having detailed information on the budget executed, or to be executed, in order to better evaluate the scope and impact of the programs implemented;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Regrets the Commission’s failure to always notify Parliament before the cushion is mobilised and deplores the practice of sending letters that arrive after mobilisation, de facto undermining Parliament’s right of scrutiny and impeding the Commission from fully taking into consideration its observations on the nature, objectives and financial amounts envisaged; calls on the Commission to always inform Parliament in detail before the cushion funds are mobilised and to take its observations into account, in line with Recital 71 of the Regulation ;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Is concerned about the lack of involvement of Parliament in the Operational Coordination Mechanism for the External Dimension of Migration (MOCADEM), especially in light of the large degree of involvement of this mechanism in the coordination of external migration funding including the Instrument's funds; recalls Article 9 of the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, guaranteeing the basic principle of equal treatment for Parliament and the Council with regards to documents; urges the Commission on this basis to provide Parliament with all relevant documentation of MOCADEM and ensure EP inclusion in any future meetings or activities of MOCADEM;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Considering the important role of the EFSD+ in the Global Gateway, highlights the importance of increased transparency and accountability on the use of the fund; calls on the Commission to make the EFSD+ Results Management Framework public in order to facilitate scrutiny on progress towards more accountable development finance; calls for EFSD+ reports to outline the type and number of intermediaries that are connecting European DFIs with final beneficiaries, using categories of intermediaries that inform on outreach to underserved segments and key target groups;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Requests that the MTE be used to the fullest extent possible in order to update either the Instrument or its delegated acts on priority areas and to reassess the validity of the geographic and thematic MIPs, including more prominent conditions relating to compliance with international law, alignment with the EU’s foreign policy and the application of the associated suspension mechanism, as a last resort, where the foreign policy of an Instrument beneficiary country diverges completely from EU foreign polihuman rights, rule of law and democracy;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers that the geopolitical challenges and humanitarian suffering that emerged with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine require the Instrument’s budget to be increased considerably; highlights that the challenges are spread all over the world, meaning the EU must increase its geopolitical influence remaining committed to its values and principles; stresses that it will only be possible to respond to these challenges in a balanced way if the proportion of allocations for each area of the Instrument is kept the same;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Insists that Parliament is part of Team Europe and should be treated as such, and therefore expects more frequent, detailed and meaningful information about the implementation of the Instrument; is concerned about the recent use of the Team Europe format to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia, excluding the Parliament; insists that any agreements between the EU and third countries are negotiated and concluded in a formal manner by the European Commission and on the basis of the Treaties, notably the procedure as established under Article 218 TEU;