BETA

Activities of Joachim KUHS related to 2021/0227(BUD)

Plenary speeches (1)

General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022 - all sections (debate)
2021/10/19
Dossiers: 2021/0227(BUD)

Shadow reports (1)

REPORT on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022
2021/10/12
Committee: BUDG
Dossiers: 2021/0227(BUD)
Documents: PDF(501 KB) DOC(257 KB)
Authors: [{'name': 'Karlo RESSLER', 'mepid': 197413}, {'name': 'Damian BOESELAGER', 'mepid': 197439}]

Opinions (1)

Opinion of the Committee on Budgetary Control for the Committee on Budgets on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022
2021/09/29
Committee: CONT
Dossiers: 2021/0227(BUD)
Documents: PDF(149 KB) DOC(66 KB)
Authors: [{'name': 'Monika HOHLMEIER', 'mepid': 96780}, {'name': 'Joachim KUHS', 'mepid': 197482}]

Amendments (52)

Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that, in its abovementioned resolution of 25 March 2021 on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2022 budget, Parliament defined clear political priorities for the 2022 budget to support the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and lay the foundations for a more resilient Union; reaffirms its strong commitment to those priorities and sets out the following position to ensure an appropriate level of financing to deliver on them;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Stresses that Member States still face many challenges, in particular in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic, and is convinced that EU citizens expect the 2022 budget to be more efficient, transparent and result-oriented, to provide for concrete reductions, including but not limited to administrative expenditure, and to ensure efficient and responsible use of taxpayers' money; regrets Parliament's lack of flexibility in comparison with the Council's position, which, on the contrary, remains pragmatic in the current economic context;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that the Union budget must be equipped with the tools to enable it to respond to multiple crises simultaneously; reiterates Parliament’s view that the 2022 budget should play a pivotal role in ensuring a positive and tangible impact on citizens’ lives; against this background, supports increases to boost investment with a particular focus on SMEs, strengthen efforts towards the green and digital transitions, give fresh opportunities to young people in particular, build a strong European Health Union; reinforces, further, priorities in the fields of security, migration, fundamental rights, while acknowledging the recent deteriorating situation in external policy and humanitarian aid and the need to be able to react swiftly to the upcoming challenges;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
3. Takes note of Council’s position on the DB, cutting EUR 1,43 billion in commitment appropriations for the MFF headings compared to the Commission’s proposal; considers that the cuts proposed by the Council follow the usual top-down approach of implementing an overall arbitrary reduction target, which is neither driven by an objective assessment of implementation trends nor absorption capacities; points out the contradiction with core shared policy priorities; concludes that the Council’s position is far from Parliament’s expectations for a recovery budget; decides therefore, as a general rule, to restore appropriations on all lines cut by the Council to the level of the DB, for both operational and administrative expenditure, and to take the DB as the starting point to build its position upon; accepts, however,accepts to enter EUR 1 299 million in both commitment and payment appropriations in 2022 for the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) as this reflects the political agreement on the BAR Regulation;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
4. Insists that new policy priorities or tasks must be accompanied by fresh resources, and that creating an agency or expanding its mandate should not come at the expense of existing programmes or agencies; reverses, therefore, reductions in appropriations for funding programmes proposed by the Commission to reinforce the financial envelopes of decentralised agencies;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses, also, that the Commission announced a package in favour of refugees from Syria and beyond after the publication of its DB; in that respect, calls for a comprehensive agreement to be found on the overall package in the budgetary conciliation on the 2022 budget, which would also include Draft Amending Budget No 5/2021; acknowledges that further measures will be needed to adequately respond to the recent events in Afghanistan, including support for citizens who do not have possibility to continue their work in Afghanistan; underlines that, given the changing situation and the lack of a comprehensive and longer-term needs assessment, these issues could not be fully factored into the Parliament’s reading and will be reassessed in the light of the Commission’s Amending Letter 1/2022 and subsequent information presented at a later stage;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
7. Decides to reinforce lines that have an excellent implementation rate and the operational capacity to absorb the additional appropriations in 2022; iIndicates that, for the purpose of adequately financing the pressing priorities expressed above, the Flexibility Instrument needs to be fully mobilised, and a partial use of the Single Margin Instrument (amount offset against current year margins) will further be required;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the need to restoremake an appropriate estimate of the level of the DB for the financing cost of the European Union Recovery Instrument (EURI) to avoid giving a negative signal towards the financial markets, pending any reassessment of forecasted needs by the Commission in conciliation;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
9. Sets, therefore, the overall level of appropriations for the 2022 budget (all sections) at EUR 171 802 114 289 in commitment appropriations, representing an increase of EUR 2 709 847 787 compared to the DB; decides in addition to make available an amount of EUR 486 000 000 in commitment appropriations further to decommitments under Article 15(3) of the Financial Regulation; sets the overall level of appropriations for the 2022 budget (all sections) at EUR 172 277 719 551 in payment appropriations;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that a successful research programme is essential for the Union’s future prosperity; stresses that Horizon Europe, which has very high European added value, will make a critically important contribution to the Green Deal and efforts towards a climate-neutral economy, to a successful digital transition and to the recovery of the Union economy from the pandemic; highlights in particular the need to bolster Union investment in health research, including funding for cancer research; increases, therefore, the allocation of Horizon Europe over the level of the DB by EUR 305 million in commitment appropriations; is seriously concerned about the use of Horizon Europe funds abroad;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) plays an absolutely crucial role in the building of high-quality, sustainable, interconnected trans-European transport, energy and digital networks and is therefore at the heart of efforts to strengthen the Union economy and make a success of the green and digital transitions; recalls that CEF makes a very significant contribution to the overall target of at least 30% climate expenditure from the MFF and New Generation EU (NGEU); proposes therefore to increase the funding for the three CEF strands by a total amount of EUR 207,3 million in commitment appropriations above the level of the DB;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
13. Believes that the Digital Europe Programme is a vital tool in increasing rates of digitalisation in the Union, thereby leading to significant productivity gains, and in helping to bolster investments in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence; recalls the need to support businesses, especially innovative digital SMEs; proposes therefore to increase the amount allocated to the programme by just over EUR 71 million;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Stresses that the government mandated lockdowns to counter possible future pandemics will be especially burdensome for the tourism sector;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
16. Reinforces the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), in line with the identified needs of this agency, to ensure it can adequately fulfil its role in supporting the transition towards the decarbonisation of transport modes;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
17. Increases therefore the level of commitment appropriations for Heading 1 by EUR 668 593 067 above the DB (excluding pilot projects and preparatory actions), to be financed by using the available margin and mobilising the special instruments; moreover, makes available to the heading an overall amount of EUR 486 000 000 in commitment appropriations corresponding to de-commitments made under Article 15(3) of the Financial Regulation;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
25. Deems it necessary to increasecut appropriations for the Turkish Cypriot Community budget line for the purpose of contributing decisively to the continuation and intensification of the mission of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus, the wellbeing of Maronites wishing to resettle and that of all enclaved persons as agreed in the 3rd Vienna Agreement, and of supporting the bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, thereby promoting trust and reconciliation between the two communities;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
27. Recalls the important role played by the decentralised agencies active under this Sub-heading; decides to increase funding for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) in line with the identified needs of those agencies; decides, also, to apply targeted reinforcements to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to allow the body to fulfil its duties in line with the requirements to fulfil its mandate; increases, further, staffing levels for the European Medicines Agency (EMA), FRA, Eurojust and EPPO;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
28. Reinforces Sub-heading 2b overall by EUR 296 065 210 above the DB in commitment appropriations (excluding pilot projects and preparatory actions), to be financed by using the available margin and mobilising the special instruments;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
30. Recalls, the importance of the LIFE programme in supporting climate action and environmental protection; calls for the level of budgetary support for LIFE to be increased across the various programme strands by 25% above DB; highlights that any annual reinforcement for the LIFE programme will imply progress towards the mainstreaming targets and ambitions in the areas of climate and biodiversity;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
31. Stresses the need to significantly increase the budget of the European Environment Agency to provide sufficient financial and staff resources to enable full implementation of the European Green Deal and its related policies;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
32. Calls, therefore, for a reinforcement of allocations under Heading 3 by EUR 212 750 473 in commitment appropriations above DB levels (excluding pilot projects and preparatory actions), to be financed by using part of the available margin;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
34. Underlines the importance of increasing appropriations for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, in particular in the light of the recent developments in Afghanistan; reverses, further, the decrease for the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) programmed by the Commission to finance new tasks for Europol under its enhanced mandate, as the necessary appropriations for Europol should be drawn exclusively from unallocated margins under the relevant MFF heading ceilings and/or through the mobilisation of the relevant MFF special instruments; against this background, offsets also the redeployment of BMVI for eu-LISA;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 105 #
34 a. Underlines the importance of investing inadequate funding and staffing levels for all agencies operating in the fields of migration, asylum and border management, as long as the allocations are devolved to repatriation and border security;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
35. Underlines the need to increase funding and staffing levels for the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in line with the tasks stemming from the political agreement on the European Asylum Agency; also increases staffing for eu-LISA in line with the agency’s identified needs;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Underlines the failure of European policies on preventing migration flows and human trafficking; reiterates its concerns about the role played by instruments such as the Internal Security Fund and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in the management of the effects of the migration and refugee crisis;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
37. Reinforces therefore Heading 4 by EUR 106 231 750 in commitment appropriations above DB levels (excluding pilot projects and preparatory actions), to be financed by using the available margin and mobilising the special instruments;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses the importance of a progressive framing of the Union’s common security and defence policy; underlines the importance of enhancing European cooperation in defence matters since it not only makes Europe and its citizens safer, but also leads to a cost reduction; calls for increased funding for the European Defence Fund and for military mobility in order to fully foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base that will contribute to the much-needed strategic autonomy of the Union;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
39. Recalls the important role played by decentralised agencies operating in the field of security and law enforcement, in particular with regard to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), and proposes targeted increases and/or staffing changes to allow them to properly perform their tasks;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
40. Reinforces Heading 5 overall by EUR 82 621 461 above the DB, to be financed by using part of the available margin;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
41. Emphasises that at a time when external challenges and matters of international politics are gaining importance in international politics, the Union must ensure that the external dimension of its budget is appropriately funded and prepared to respond without delay to current, emerging as well as future challenges; insists on supporting agreed priorities under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-Global Europe) and Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III);deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls for an immediate stop to the Union’s accession negotiations with Turkey, as well as for the blocking of all Union’s funding for Turkey;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
42. Emphasises the need to increase funding for Western Balkan countries and the countries of the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood to support comprehensive political and socio- economic reforms and recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and its long-term economic consequences; points, in that context, to the need to ensure adequate funding for crucial areas such as democracy support, civil society and the rule of law;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
43. Expresses deep concern about the ongoing situation in Afghanistan; believes that the humanitarian aid budget for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries should be significantly increased to support and protect vulnerable Afghans and their families; given the expected needs to be financed by the Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve, both internally and externally, that might lead to financial shortcomings, decides to reinforce the funding of the humanitarian aid by 20% and the role played by the EU in this crisis; expresses its deep concern about the use of EU funds in Afghanistan;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
45. Highlights the Union’s global support efforts for refugees and recalls the important role played by Turkey and the other host countries in welcoming refugees from Syria; reaffirms that the Union and its Member States must continue to provide effective and monitored aid to Syrian refugees in host countries; emphasises that the future funding for the needs of the Syrian refugees was not factored in the MFF or NDICI-Global Europe negotiations and should therefore not be borne by the programmed instruments, including the NDICI-Global Europe cushion, as the package in favour of refugees from Syria is not responding to a new crisis or unforeseen needs; requests that any successor of the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRT) shall be financed by fresh appropriations and by additional contributions from the Member States and should be accompanied by the corresponding revision of the MFF regulation to increase the ceiling of Heading 6 in order to reflect the actual financial needs for the EU external actions;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45 a. Denounces Turkey's continued violations of international and EU law, as well as democratic principles and values; demands an immediate end to Turkey's funding; strongly condemns Turkey's repeated provocations and violations of Greek and Cypriot sovereignty;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
46. Emphasises that the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy globally continues to be of core interest for the Union’s external action; decides therefore, to increase the funding of these lines;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
47. Decides to increase support for strategic communication, especially to measures aimed at countering global disinformation through the systematic tracking and exposing of disinformation spread by state and other actors;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
48. Considers that Council’s cuts are unjustified and would not allow the Commission to fulfil their tasks; restores therefore the DB for the Commission administrative expenditure, including on its offices;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
49. Stresses that, given the new legislative proposals, such as Fit for 55 package and increased Union spending due to NGEU and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, some services, in particular the Commission’s Directorate- General for Environment and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), will need staff reinforcements; asks the Commission to reassess these needs and to propose these reinforcements in its Amending letter, without undermining the actual human resources level in its other services;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point a
a) takes note of the upcoming mid- term review of the Environmental Management System (EMAS) Mid-Term Strategy; reiterates its call to amend its current CO2 reduction plan for reaching carbon neutrality by 2030, using an internal carbon price;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point b
b) takes note that one of the main focus areas for EMAS in the medium term will be reducing emissions resulting from transport of persons; reiterates its call for a reasonable decrease of travel for meetings that can be effectively conducted remotely or in hybrid mode and for promoting a shift to low carbon alternatives for all remaining travel, provided that this does not affect the quality of legislative and political work;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point d
d) welcomes the on-going process to revise the mission rules; reiterates its call for a proper needs-based approval and for using of low carbon modes of transport whenever possible; reiterates its call to revise the missions rule for APAs following the same principles;eleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point e
e) encourages Members to use low carbon transport alternatives; reiterates its call to revise the implementing measures of the Statute for Members to reimbursement of flexible economy airline tickets when travelling within the Union except for duly justified exemptions;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point f
f) reiterates its call for the Parliament to closely collaborate with the relevant local authorities and especially the Brussels Region in its efforts to be a frontrunner in sustainable urban mobility by taking a proactive role in the implementation of the GoodMove Plan, in particular as regards parking spaces; reiterates its calls for the expansion of the service bike scheme within Parliament and for official cars to be used to transport Members, staff and APAs with mission orders between Brussels and Strasbourg; reiterates its call for an appropriate increase in the number of car parking spaces reserved exclusively for electric vehicles;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point g
g) welcomes the future proposal for a revision of the rules governing visitor groups; calls for the revised rules to be in line with Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – putting European transport on track for the future (COM(2020)0789), in particular its paragraph 9;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point h
h) notes that feasibility studies are in progress to assess the cost effectiveness of the installation of new photovoltaic panels in several buildings in Brussels and at the same time reiterates its call for the installation of state of the art rooftop photovoltaics for the maximum potential in Brussels by 2023; reiterates its call for a halt to upgrading of fossil fuel heating installations and for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels with specific milestones to be adopted in 2022 to avoid stranded assets and for an analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of using heat pump systems and other relevant technologies in line with EMAS objectives; reiterates its call in parallel for the gradual replacement of Guarantees of Origin procurement with local renewable energy source;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point i
i) recalls the support of the vast majority of Parliament’s Members for a single seat in Strasbourg to ensure that Union taxpayers’ money is spent efficiently and for Parliament to assume its institutional responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint; recalls that according to the Treaty on the European Union, the European Parliament is to have its seat in Strasbourg; notes that permanent changes would require a Treaty change for which unanimity is needed;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point j
j) welcomes that the EMAS Action Plan 2021 provides for an obligatory consultation of the “Green Public Procurement Helpdesk” for all procurement procedures in the priority product categories, if deemed appropriate; reiterates however its call for an obligation to consult the Green Public Procurement Helpdesk for procurement above EUR 15 000;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 – point k
k) reminds that following the 2018 Bureau decision on the General Expenditure Allowance (GEA), subsequent plenary decisions have been taken and therefore reiterates its demands to the Bureau to introduce changes to the rules governing the GEA by the end of 2021;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
54. Notes that, in the main, the DB reflects the estimates of the various institutions falling within the other sections of the budget and therefore matches, with some exceptions, their financial requirements; considers that the systematic cuts proposed by the Council would therefore have a deleterious effect on the working of the institutions concerned and consequently on the vital contribution they make to the functioning of the Union; on that account, proposes to restore the levels of the DB in almost all cases, including with regard to the establishment plan of the Committee of the Regions; in line with the gentlemen’s agreement, does not modify the Council’s reading concerning the Council and the European Council;
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 – point a
a) in relation to the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Economic and Social Committee, to increase the appropriations above the DB for lines related to remuneration and entitlements of staff, including with regard to the establishment plans, so as to maintain a level of appropriations in line with their estimates;deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 – point c
c) in relation to the European External Action Service to increase the appropriations above the DB for the line 2214 “Strategic Communication Capacity” and line 1200 “Contract staff” to step up further the fight against disinformation, in particular in the Far East region; in addition, to reinforce line 1100 “Basic salaries”, few additional related lines and its establishment plan to allow the European External Action Service to replace seconded national experts with statutory staff and to fulfil its functions under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.deleted
2021/10/01
Committee: BUDG