Activities of Erik MARQUARDT related to 2023/2129(DEC)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, section III - Commission
Amendments (10)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is alarmed about the rising number of crises worldwide and, the highest-ever humanitarian funding gap and increasing inequalities between and within countries; is worried that Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe (GE) is stretched to its limits and is not sufficient to address existing needs;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that 2022 was the first full year of the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy; underlines that actions bringing together public and private investment must always be guided by development objectives; calls for more transparency and Parliament’s involvement in strategic choices involving Union fundsbe limited in areas where they can add value to the local economy and be consistent with the SDGs, the Paris Agreement and national development objectives; calls for more transparency, regular assessments of the Global Gateway implementation and Parliament’s involvement, beyond a simple observer role, in strategic choices involving Union funds in respect of the scrutiny role of the European Parliament of the NDICI-Global Europe, which is the main source of financing of the Global Gateway; calls on the Commission to set a clear and transparent accountability mechanism of implementation of the strategy and to demonstrate clear rationale for the use of development finance for the projects branded under the Global Gateway strategy; insists that Global Gateway should not only align with the EU interestpriorities but also with the needs of partner countries and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines the need to speed up progress on achieving the NDICI-GE spending targets for human development, gender, biodiversity and climate objectives; is worried, in particular, about the Commission’ capacity to ensure reaching the Instrument’s climate target andof 30% and the biodiversity target of 10% for 2026 and 2027; recalls that the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services will undermine progress in approximately 80 % of the SDGs targets and that climate change will increasingly put pressure on food production and access, especially in vulnerable regions, undermining nutrition and food security; calls for concrete actions outlining how the climate and biodiversity target iss are going to be met; recalls the commitment set out to ensure a strong gender perspective and mainstreaming implementing the EU Gender Action Plan III;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Urges the Commission to stick to the 10% indicative migration target of NDICI and to refrain from further increasing migration related spending compared to the reported 14% in November 2022; regrets the modus operandi of the Commission in its management of external migration budget lines, notably the absence of fundamental rights impact assessments prior to migration projects in third countries, absence of publicly available overviews of budgets and projects and the Commission´s systematic refusal by to provide the European Parliament with budgetary migration related spending overviews per country and MOCADEM related documentation, despite several formal requests and commitments under the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the Commission; urges the Commission to significantly improve these practices with immediate effect, notably by performing an independent external evaluation of migration related spending under NDICI, with a focus on EU legal obligations related to human rights and development spending;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Questions the large-scale tapping of the cushion within the NDICI-GE; deplores the Commission’s failure to always notify Parliament before the cushion is mobilised, 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;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. AppreciatStresses the role of local NGOs and partners in service delivery and support to local communities; underlines the importance of enhancing their capacity to manage and implement actions financed by the EU and invites the Commission to facilitate adequate training towards this aim; is concerned about the continued difficulties faced by small local NGOs to access Union funding; encourages the Commission to improve these funding procedures and to systematically prioritise local NGOs in order to provide better capacity-building on the ground;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the important role ofRecalls the obligation under the NDICI Regulation for 93% of the Instrument funding to be compliant with the official development assistance (ODA); calls for a cautious approach to blending and public-private partnershipriteria as established by the OECD; recalls that blending and public-private partnerships cannot guarantee universal access to, or replace public investments in fields, such as education or health, social protection or health, that provide crucial long-term prospects for the graduation from poverty;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls for ex ante assessments to determine the possible implications and risks of EU programs with regard to human rights, especially in projects dealing with tourism and biodiversity protection, as well as in refugee and diaspora-focused programs;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Asks the Commission to guarantee that EU funding programs are not linked to cases of transnational repression, affecting refugees, asylum seekers, and naturalized citizens in the EU;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Calls on the Commission and Member States for a suspension or modulation of EU funding programs that (in)directly contribute to human rights violations, with particular regard to the rights of IPLCs, including their right to self-determination, land, free assembly, and free, prior and informed consent;